Essay Networks

Far from wanting to be a public revolutionary figure, Martin Luther’s actions were primarily dictated by a very personal preoccupation with matters of faith and salvation. Luther devoted his life completely to God and to making sure that he and those around him were worthy of passage to Heaven in the afterlife. Luther became a monk, which he felt would carry him down the path to salvation. He believed the Catholic faith to be corrupt and evil, and vowed to renounce it in order to save himself and his followers from everlasting doom. Lastly, he started his own pure faith, which drew only on the word of God, and denounced his newly reformed churches from allowing their leaders to gain too much power, for he believed that power corrupts. He never meant for his actions to lead to a worldwide split in the Christian faith, but he believed in the word of God above all else, and wanted to spread it everywhere.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) grew up in fear of the church, like many others at the time. From an early age, he was taught that “only the righteous could expect to save their souls and win a place in paradise” (Ricker 49). He was born to a very poor family, but his father was a very hard worker. He eventually saved up enough money to get the family out of poverty, and somewhat into the middle class. This allowed him to send Luther to school, and later to law school. All his father’s dreams about Martin becoming a lawyer were about to come true when one day “the sky blackened, claps of thunder echoed all around and flashes of lightning seemed to set the heavens afire” (Ricker 47). Luther thought this to be a warning from God. Terror-stricken, he made a vow to become a monk to save himself in the next world. He took up his new life with great enthusiasm and was determined to be the best of all possible monks. Commenting on his early monk hood, he said “I tortured myself with praying, fasting, keeping vigils, and freezing”. This shows his true and unwavering devotion to his faith and to the salvation of his soul, and not to some people’s beliefs that he was just a power hungry figurehead.

This devotion and dedication was so strong that Luther felt staying a part of the Catholic faith was sin in itself. “On a mission to Rome in 1510, he was appalled by the corruption, in particular the sale of indulgences” (Martin Luther Page). Luther was disgusted by the fact that people could pay money in exchange for the sins they committed. “Johann Tetzel was one of the indulgence sellers in Luther’s vicinity. He used little advertising jingles to encourage people to buy his indulgences: ‘As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.’” (Severance). As Luther became more and more attuned to his faith, he realized the sacrifice that Christ had made for Christians’ sins and was completely sickened by these acts. The more Luther strained himself to understand the scriptures the more he felt he needed an answer to the Church’s sleazy version of truth.

This answer came soon after. On October 31, 1517, Luther posted his 95 thesis (propositions) on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg. This “ignited an explosion that continues to this day” (Severy 418). In the fourteenth century, this was the way to start a debate between scholars. No one took up his challenge. Luther believed that the Pope would recognize his propositions since they were based solely on scripture, but in 1520, the Pope issued a decree that condemned Luther and his ridiculous visions. Luther’s purpose was never to divide the church, but after the Pope’s decree on his position; he was left with no other choice. So began the Protestant Reformation.

It may seem that Luther was “the bold monk who rocked Rome by nailing 95 theses on a church door in Wittenberg. And who defied the Holy Roman Emperor when ordered to recant at Worms–challenging the highest constituted powers of heaven and earth” (Severy 426). In reality, Luther was just trying to save the soul of himself and those around him from everlasting damnation. Once word of his ideas spread, people everywhere took them up happily. Because he had such a following, he is seen in the public eye as a revolutionary leader, but how else could he have made his views known without a little courage?

Works Cited

“Martin Luther Page.” Spera In Deo. 17 February 2004.

Ricker, John C. and Saywell, John T. “Christendom Shattered.”

Europe and the Modern World. Clarke, Irwin & Company Limited. Toronto, 1969.

Rollmann, Hans. “95 Thesis: English Translation.” Religion, Society, and Culture in Newfoundland and Labrador. 18 February 2004.

Severance, Diana. “Luther’s 95 Thesis.” GospelCom.Net. 17 February 2004.

Severy, Merle. “The World of Luther.” National Geographic 164.4 (October 1983): 418-463.