All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
~2 Timothy 3:16-17
If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.
~Martin Luther
Another flawed man whom the Lord rose up to lead His Church was Martin Luther. November 10, 1483 marks the birthday of this future reformer born in Eisleben, Germany (Heubner, 265). Following his father’s promptings, Luther went to the University of Erfurt to study law (Piper, 83; Stupperich, 368). He received both his Bachelors and Masters here but then encountered an experience God would use to direct him into a different path which He had planned.
On a trip home one day from the university, Luther got caught in a thunderstorm and was shaken with fear. Having fallen to the ground, he cried Help me, St. Anne; I will become a monk (Piper, 83). He fulfilled this vow later joining an Augustinian monastery in the area (Piper, 84). In entering the monastery, Luther took with him his personal struggles of how such a righteous God could accept a sinner as he. Later he confessed to being angry with God viewing the term the righteousness of God as indicating God’s justice in punishing the unjust sinner (Luther, 11). In fact, Luther spent much time at the confessional in the monastery over sins others viewed trivial. No comfort offered by fellow monks or the head of the monastery could ease his troubled mind (Dillenberger, xvi). Rest did not come to the weary monk until the day the Lord granted him understanding of the passage in Romans which caused him great turmoil. Upon meditating and examining its context, Luther came to the realization that the righteousness of God is bestowed upon those who come to Him through faith and that alone. It is through this faith that one is justified and not by any works of their own (Luther, 11). This understanding came in direct contradiction to the works-righteousness system esteemed by the Roman Catholic Church.
During his time in the monastery, Luther was ordained a priest and taught philosophy to the younger monks. After a few years, his superior permitted him to teach the Bible (Piper, 85). Later, he received a doctorate in theology where he vowed to preach and to teach [Scripture] most faithfully and clearly (Heubner, 266). His life reflected the seriousness of this vow as Luther became professor of Bible at the University of Wittenberg and faithfully taught there the rest of his life (Piper, 85). He also preached three times a week at a local church and had accumulated around 3,000 sermons by the year 1546 (Piper, 87). For Luther, the Bible was the Word of God and His full authority with no other form of communication given to man (Piper, 77; Stupperich, 369). Such a perspective would cause Luther problems with others claiming to have equal authority.
Luther grew greatly disturbed at the preaching of Johann Tetzel that a gift of an indulgence would ensure an early release from purgatory and forgiveness of sins. He countered this teaching by posting his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg church on October 31, 1517 (Dillenberger, xx; Heubner, 266). Several of these directly challenged the Pope’s authority to grant remission of sins. The list gained popularity as copies were made and distributed (Dillenberger, xxi). Luther’s further writings caused an increased tension between himself and the church at Rome. When faced with the demand to recant of his writings and statements, the reformer courageously refused (Stupperich, 368). He would never compromise Scripture. In fact, at the Diet of Worms where he was excommunicated, he stated:
Unless, therefore, I am convinced through proofs from the Holy Scripture, am vanquished in a clear manner through the very passages which I have cited, and my conscience imprisoned thus by the Word of God, I neither can nor will retract anything. Here I stand. I can do nothing else. God help me. Amen! (Heubner, 268)
Though excommunicated, Luther had yet to complete another task God had for him. Frederick the Wise found a safe haven for Luther in a castle in Wartburg. This provided the reformer with the perfect place to be alone with God and translate the Bible from it’s original language into German so that the people would be able to read and understand God’s very own Word (Heubner 268). Throughout the rest of his life, Luther continued to engage in defense of the authority of Scripture and the failure of the church in living it out. He breathed his last on February 18, 1546 (Piper, 111).
Any modern Protestant denomination would be remiss not to give God glory for His instrumental use of Luther. Regardless of their view of Luther’s theology, they cannot deny their development out of the Reform movement he started. Without the spark created by this one man’s stand for the authority of God’s Word, churches today possibly would still be in bondage to the traditions and authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Also, through his translation of the Bible into German, Luther enabled people to read and study the Bible on their own without them having to blindly rely on the Pope and the priests for their interpretation. The fact that Jesus is the only historical person to exceed Luther in the number of books written concerning a figure should be of no surprise (Stupperich, 368).
The reformer's major impact on me was his commitment to God’s Word and his stand for its authority despite popular opinion. As demonstrated in his famous speech at the Diet of Worms previously examined, Luther would never take back any of his statements unless he found reason to do so. He would not place the authority of the Pope above that of Scripture. For Luther, it was all about God’s Word as it should be for believers today as well.
-Dillenberger, John. “An Introduction to Martin Luther.” Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings. Ed. John Dillenberger. New York: Anchor Books, 1962.
-Heubner, Rev. Dr. L. “Martin Luther.” Lives of the Leaders of Our Church Universal: From the Days of the Successors of the Apostles to the Present Time. Eds. Dr. Ferdinand Piper and Henry Mitchell Maccracken. Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication House, 1879.
-Luther, Martin. “Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther’s Latin Writings.” Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings. Ed. John Dillenberger. New York: Anchor Books, 1962.
-Piper, John. The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2000.
-Stupperich, R. “Martin Luther.” Introduction to the History of Christianity. Ed. Tim Dowley. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2002.
~Lee
Soli Deo Gloria!!!
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