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[Mike Abendroth]

The Story of Martin Luther: the Restoration of Biblical Christianity and
Apostolic Catholicism


THE STORY OF MARTIN LUTHER- Pastor Charles R. Biggs


Happy 490th anniversary of the Reformation of the Christian Church! 

On October 31st 2007, the Church will celebrate the 490th anniversary of the
Reformation of the Sixteenth Century.

This reformation began in God's providence through a peasant miner's son who
became a monk and then a great teacher of Biblical truth. It is important to
remember how the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century was arguably the
greatest revival of Christianity since the Apostolic Age. The Reformation
was a return to Biblical Christianity and Apostolic Catholicism because the
Church had degenerated into unbiblical Roman Catholicism.

This paper is submitted to remind you of God's grace and goodness, and to
encourage us all to continue to stand on Scripture Alone as our guide for
faith and life, knowing that we are justified before God by grace alone, and
to know that we all can boldly access God's mercy and fatherly goodness
through One Mediator, the Man Christ Jesus!


Apostolic Catholicism
In God's goodness and providence, the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century
was a return to the Biblical foundation of the Apostolic Church and Age. The
Reformation was not the beginning of a "new" way or form of Christianity,
but a return to proper biblical foundations. To appreciate the continuity
between the Protestantism of the Reformation and the Apostolic Church, we
must be careful to distinguish Catholicism and Romanism. There is a
similarity between pre-Christian Israel and post-Christian Judaism, and
pre-Reformation Catholicism and post-Reformation Romanism. Protestantism of
the Reformation reclaimed the doctrines of the early church ("Catholicism"),
such as the Apostle's Creed, the anthropology and soteriology of Augustine
on sin and grace, access to God through One Mediator, Jesus Christ.
Post-Reformation Romanism (as well as Medieval Romanism) had added many
traditions to biblical truth and was therefore no longer faithfully
"Catholic" or Catholicism in character and identity because it was not built
on the only foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ the Chief
Cornerstone (cf. Eph. 2:20). The Reformation was ultimately a return to
Apostolic Catholicism (as the "Catholic Church" confessed in the Apostle's
Creed and Nicene Creed).

Prior to the Reformation, there were many abuses in the Church of Rome and a
dark degeneration had occurred in the faith and practices of the church.
There was false teaching (transubstantiation, sacraments of penance, saint
veneration, relics, etc.), immorality and dishonesty in the leadership of
the Church, more adherence to the traditions of men than the Word of God,
and for many in the Church, there was a desire for a return to peace and
purity. Although the Church of the pre-Reformation was corrupt and in need
of a reforming, it was still the Church of Jesus Christ, and was not wholly
apostate, because Jesus as Head and King of His Church has promised that
gates of hell would never prevail (Matthew 16). The Reformation was not made
up of schismatics and sectarians. The Roman Catholic Church was reformed
from within, and those who God had called to reform her were returning ad
fontes or "back to the source", foundation, or first principles of
Biblical-Apostolic Christianity.

The Doctrines of the Reformation: Scripture Alone
The Reformation was profoundly influential and liberating in religious
beliefs as well as in the influence it had more broadly on thinking in
society and culture. The influence and liberty of the Reformation was
because it was a return to the source and foundation of the teaching of
Scripture alone over traditions of men; the grace of God found in the Lord
Jesus Christ, emphasizing his merits and work, rather than the sinful
attempts at good works of men; a call for all believers to recognize their
place of service and worship in the Christian Church (cf. Eph. 4:11), over
against a papal and priestly hierarchy. The Scriptures were the only
infallible source of God's special revelation to man and were to be the sole
guide and authority for the Christian's faith and life. The Scriptures were
translated into the languages of the people and expositional preaching of
the Scriptures taught all of the people of God; it was no longer merely a
book to be interpreted and studied by the priesthood. The Scriptures are to
rule and govern the faith and practice of the Church as well as the thinking
and reason of men.

Justification by Faith Alone
The return to the Scriptures alone was simultaneously a rescue and
restoration of the gospel of grace. Justification by faith alone was the
truth that the fullness of grace and truth of God in Jesus could be obtained
through faith alone in the merits of Jesus Christ. Justification by faith
alone is the doctrine of being reckoned or declared righteous by faith
because a sinner is clothed in Christ's righteousness (see Romans 4).
Justification by faith alone was the heart of the good news or gospel that a
sinful person could have a right standing before God not based on their own
works, but on the works and merits of Jesus Christ imputed to the sinner. In
the Reformation the proper distinction was made between the doctrines of
justification and sanctification. Justification was a declaration of
righteousness received by faith in Christ plus nothing. Sanctification
naturally follows justification, but in contrast to it, is the actual making
a person righteous. Justification was a declaration that a person was
righteous before God based on Christ's righteousness; sanctification was the
making a person righteous as he lived and believed the scriptures throughout
his life. In the pre-Reformation Church, justification and sanctification
had been confused.

Priesthood of All Believers
The Reformation was also a return to the biblical teaching of the priesthood
of all believers. This biblical truth taught the people were all saints by
virtue of being united to Jesus Christ by faith, and because they were
Christians they could access God the Father through One Mediator, the man
Jesus Christ, and that he was the Mediator, not the hierarchical priesthood
of the Church. This teaching did not undermine the authority given to
ordained ministers in the Church to serve ministerially and make his word
known to the people as Ephesians 4:11-16 teaches (cf. Hebrews 13:7, 17). The
teaching of the priesthood of all believers did prevent the usurping and
abuse of authority and despotism as had been practiced by the Medieval Roman
Papacy and priesthood.

Although many critics of Protestantism and the Reformation would point out
the fact that instead of one monolithic, visible, unified, Roman Catholic
Church, there are many denominations, it is important to note that there can
always be the unity of Christ's Church in diversity. The one, holy,
catholic, and apostolic Church can be unified and at the same time diverse,
even though it might not be visibly unified in one institution like the
Roman Catholic Church. Denominationalism might not be the ideal, but in a
world of sin and misery, God in his providence can use each faithful
denominational stone who hold to the once for all faith delivered to the
saints that is articulated in the Apostles Creed to build his holy temple. 

Liberty and Tolerance in Religion
The Reformation's influence led not only to liberation in Christ, but a
liberty and tolerance in the practice of religion. There were at least three
theories on toleration that have been practiced throughout Church history as
articulated by George Gillespie of the Westminster Assembly in the 1640s.
The first view was the Papist Theory that what the Pope and the Church
teaches should be affirmed, and nothing else tolerated; in this theory
heretics and schismatics are punished by the Church and civil government.
The second view or theory of toleration was that the magistrate does not
have the right as a civil ruler to prevent heresy and false teaching, but
should enforce liberation and toleration. The third view or theory, that has
also been called the "Presbyterian theory of the seventeenth century"
purports that the magistrate or civil ruler may and ought to exercise his
power in protecting the Church from heretics and false teachers. This third
theory of toleration was included in the original Westminster Confession of
Faith of the 1640s (this power to the civil magistrate was not included in
the American form of the confession). The influence of the Reformation with
regard to liberty and toleration extended the furthest in the Constitutional
provision in the United States of America that there will be no state
religion or church, and that all religion and practices will be tolerated
without fear of persecution. What began as a revolt against papal tyranny
became eventually a revolt against any form of tyranny by the Church or the
state; this outcome we recognize because of the grace of God and the
Reformation.

The study of the Reformation can be understood in particular epochs or
periods, and it is important to remember certain dates. The German
Reformation officially began with Luther's 95 Theses in 1517 and ended with
the Thirty Year's War in 1648. The Swiss Reformation followed the German
Reformation, was begun by Zwingli from 1517 until his death in 1531, then
continued by John Calvin from 1531 until Calvin's death in 1564. The
Reformation extended from Germany and Switzerland to Holland (Synod of Dort,
1618); to England (Henry VIII and Edward VI [1527-1553], a short Roman
Catholic period under Queen Mary [1553-1558], to a continuing of the
Reformation under Elizabeth [1558-1603]; to Scotland (John Knox, 1505-1572),
and eventually to the United States, but was wholly suppressed in the Roman
Catholic States of Italy and Spain.

Martin Luther's Reformation

The powerful and mighty Spirit of God began the Reformation through a humble
German miner's son named Martin Luther. Luther was born on November 10, 1483
and lived for most of his 63 years for the truth of the gospel until he died
on February 18th, 1546. Martin Luther's father and mother disciplined him
rigorously and raised him as a faithful Catholic who was greatly devoted in
his life and doctrine. Luther studied theology and humanistic studies at the
University of Erfurt and graduated in 1505 as a Master of Arts (or modern
equivalent to the Doctor of Philosophy degree). Dr. Luther now turned his
attention to the study of Law (primarily because of his father's wishes),
but God's providence would intervene in Luther's life and he would become an
Augustinian monk.

In 1505 Luther entered an Augustinian cloister or monastery in Erfurt,
Germany and the Reformation would begin with this man's conversion and
convictions. Dr. Luther's primary reason for becoming a monk was to be
accepted by God and obtain grace and salvation from God. In the monastery,
Dr. Luther was acutely aware of his own unworthiness before God, and as much
as he tried in his rigorous devotion in prayers, worship exercises and study
to be assured of his salvation, he only became more disillusioned of his
sinfulness, as simultaneously God's judgment became clearer to him through
the Law. As much as Luther tried to escape the sin problem found in the
world by secluding himself in the monastery, the more he was aware of the
problem of sin dwelling within his own heart.

Martin Luther's Hope in the Gospel of Grace
John von Staupitz was Luther's senior at the Augustinian monastery,
eventually becoming his friend, and an unintentional cause of the
Reformation. Staupitz taught Luther the zeal of preaching, pastoring, and
theological study, as well as the hope of the gospel being found in Christ.
Staupitz encouraged Luther to enter the priesthood in 1507, and to become a
Doctor of Divinity in order that he might preach and teach the Bible. Dr.
Luther's great struggle during this time was that his sins before God were
preeminent in his mind, and he knew that he was worthy of God's strictest
and severest punishment, but Staupitz helped Luther to realize the gospel of
God's grace found in Christ alone as a cure for sinfulness. Staupitz has
rightly been called Luther's "spiritual father" and the one who first shared
the hope and healing power of the gospel to Dr. Luther who had been terribly
wounded by God's Law. The Reformation happened under God's guidance and
providence through the struggle of the one man Martin Luther to find grace
and hope in Jesus Christ. Dr. Luther's discovery and reception of the gospel
of grace would change the world and in the new found confidence Luther had
in his right standing before God, others would come to know this good news
as well in a time when few had any assurance of right standing. 

The doctrine of justification by faith alone is the gospel doctrine that
Luther came to understand and believe from Scripture. Through the assistance
of Staupitz's counsel, and especially Luther's study of the biblical
writings of the Apostle Paul, Luther came to understand the peace of God
that passes all understanding in realizing that the good news of the gospel
is that a man is saved by faith alone in Christ's righteousness and not in
one's good works. In Luther's study of Romans (particularly the passage from
Romans 1:17), he came to understand that the righteousness that God requires
- -God supplies to the sinner by faith in the Person and Work of Christ. The
righteousness that is given to the sinner who believes in Christ is imputed
to the believer, and the believer is clothed in Christ's righteousness,
standing perfectly before the throne of God as a recipient of mercy and
grace, rather than wrath. Dr. Luther had been taught in Medieval Roman
Catholicism that a sinner must struggle and work hard before God in order to
be made righteous and then hopefully declared righteous. Luther realized
from the Apostle Paul that faith alone was the instrument whereby a sinner
receives by imputation the righteousness of Christ, and then is declared
righteous based only on Christ's merits. The Medieval Roman Catholic system
of theology had confused the biblical doctrines of justification and
sanctification, and this had caused a great deal of anguish in young
Luther's soul because Luther knew from the Law of God that even his best
works for God were tainted by sin. Luther reasoned that if his best works
were sinful before God, there was no hope for him before God's judgment but
to receive His damnation. Dr. Luther had stood before the Law of God
condemned; he now stood by faith in the grace of God justified and declared
righteous in Christ. Luther's understanding of the gospel of grace was to
change his entire life and teaching, strengthen his faith, and encourage him
to make this known to as many as possible no matter what the consequences;
this is the heart of how the Reformation happened in one man's soul, and
expanded outward to all those who believed the truth. 

Luther's Visit to Rome
Luther had a significant experience when he visited Rome (ca. 1512); there
he took part in certain traditions that were supposedly to help relatives in
purgatory by reducing their temporal sentence of divine punishment. As he
climbed the stairs of the Scala Santa ("Holy Stairs") in Rome, the tradition
was that if he ascended the twenty-eight steps on bended knee he would gain
an indulgence by the Pope. As Luther ascended ascetically, he remembered
Romans 1:17: "The just shall live by faith" and knew in his heart that this
superstitious ascetic devotional practice could never cure a man's sinful
condition, and give him the hope of right standing before God. Furthermore,
Luther observed in the "Holy City of Rome" much unholy, degenerate and
immoral practices- - even by the Pope himself; these observations in Rome
planted seeds of doubt concerning the Roman Church, and was to continue to
be watered and grow in Luther's realization and reform for the next few
years, as well as the rest of his life.

Dr. Luther, Professor of Theology at Wittenberg
In 1502, Frederick III ("the Wise") of Saxony founded the University of
Wittenberg. Staupitz was the first dean of the theological faculty at
Wittenberg, and invited Dr. Luther to be a teacher of theology. Luther moved
from the convent at Erfurt to the small town of Wittenberg ("the extreme
boundary of civilization" in Luther's words) to become professor in 1508 for
a short while, settling permanently in 1511 as Professor of Theology until
his death in 1546. At Wittenberg, Luther preached and taught for the
remainder of his life. The university is important in the development of the
Reformation, for it was there that Luther began to study, teach and preach
the scriptures in their original language, particularly with the help of
Erasmus' publication of the Greek Testament in 1516, and his scholarly
colleague Philip Melanchthon. Through Luther's study of the Apostle Paul's
Epistles to the Romans and Galatians, as well as the Psalms, Luther became
more biblically precise in his theological knowledge. In contrast to the
Medieval Scholastic Theology of his time, as well as the current allegorical
method of interpretation, Luther eagerly engaged in an exegetical and
expositional teaching of God's Word to his students by 1516. This exposition
of Scripture would have a profound effect upon Luther the man, as well as
Luther the Reformer, not to mention his many students who were hearing the
gospel of God's grace in Christ for the first time. Dr. Luther made his
gospel teaching known to a wider audience in his publishing of the Psalms of
David in 1517. In these expositions of the Psalms written in German
popularly for all the people to read, Luther clearly set forth the biblical
doctrine of sin and grace, law and gospel. The Law revealed our sins before
God; the gospel rescued us from God's wrath because of Law only in the
gospel found in the righteousness that God has given by faith alone in Jesus
Christ. Dr. Luther made known the comforting hope of the gospel of God's
grace for all sinners who believe. At the beginning of 1517, Luther was a
Christian who was assured of his right standing before God in Christ; he was
not yet a Reformer and necessarily opposed to Roman Catholicism- -this would
occur later in the year.

In the summer of 1516, Dr. Luther preached a sermon against the abuse of
indulgences and upset Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony. Luther had
experienced the forgiveness of sins because of God's grace, and he wanted
others to know that grace and forgiveness is found in Jesus Christ alone,
who is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). As a pastor, and one who was
becoming in influential teacher, Luther believed he should speak out about
this Roman Catholic practice that he was beginning to understand undermined
the true gospel of grace; but Martin Luther was still in essence a Roman
Catholic monk who wanted the Church to be true to Scripture. It was not his
intent at this point to start a great debate and a Reformation. Luther was
following other preachers and teachers before him that had preached against
indulgences such as Wycliffe in England and John Hus in Bohemia. In fact,
later Luther would claim that his original arguments against Rome were
rather weak compared to what he would go on to say as a powerful and gifted
Reformer.

Luther and the Selling of Indulgences
The practice of selling indulgences had quite a history already in the
Medieval Roman Catholic Church. Indulgences were sold for the remission of
temporal punishments in purgatory, but only God could forgive and remit sins
for eternity. Indulgences could be granted by a bishops or archbishops
within their dioceses and only the Pope had the authority and power to grant
pardon to all Catholics. The sell of indulgences was widespread and popular
during the Crusades and received formal theoretical articulation in the
writings of St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologicae. Pope Boniface VIII
issued the first bull of papal indulgence in 1300. Indulgences were part of
the Medieval Roman Catholic sacrament of penance. This sacrament included
three elements: 1) Contrition of the heart; 2) Confession by the mouth to
the priest (auricular confession); and 3) Satisfaction for sins by prayers,
fasting, almsgiving, etc. There was a great storehouse that the Pope could
draw from called the Treasury of Merit that supposedly contained works of
supererogation or works done for God by Christ and the saints, whereby a
person through the sacrament of penance could withdraw other's merits to
deposit in their own accounts before God's holy tribunal.

During Luther's time as Professor of Theology at Wittenberg, Pope Leo X was
seeking to sell indulgences to line his greedy pockets as well as to build
the Basilica of St. Peter's at Rome to his glory and memory. In one of Leo's
districts in Luther's part of Germany there was the Archbishop of Mainz,
Albrecht who was the head of the German clergy. Both Leo and Albrecht were
extremely dishonest and greedy men and lived as secularized and luxurious
men in the prominent church positions. Archbishop Albrecht appointed one of
the greatest salesmen of the Medieval Catholic Church of the time, Johann
Tetzel (of the Dominican Order) to sell indulgences to the people, knowing
that he was very shrewd, and he would benefit himself from much of the
sales. Tetzel was not able to sell directly in Luther's Wittenberg, but was
assigned the task of proclaiming and selling indulgences just over the
border where Luther lived. 

Johann Tetzel, the great orator and hawker of indulgences, played upon the
people's sympathy and with great procession, pomp and circumstance, told the
people if they would give monetarily to the church, certain friends and
relatives would have a reduced time in purgatory. Dr. Luther understood that
the sheep of Christ were being fleeced. He wondered that if the Pope had the
authority and power to reduce time and sentence in purgatory, why he didn't
empty out all of purgatory if he had true access to this Treasure of Merit,
and have mercy on the people, especially poor folks who would spend their
last dime to purchase this hope from Tetzel. This event was not the cause of
the Reformation, but it became the occasion for the Reformation that started
in Germany.

Martin's "Silver" Hammer and the Castle Church at Wittenberg
Dr. Luther was aghast at this hawkish selling of false hope to hurting and
hopeless people, and chose the proper way to discuss an academic theological
matter, by inviting other clergymen to a disputation concerning indulgences.
Luther is not against the entire Medieval Roman Catholic traditions at this
point, but he was very concerned about the abuse of the indulgences and
wanted to understand more about the Pope's allowing the sell of them, while
remaining charitable and giving the benefit of the doubt to the Pope's
reasoning behind them. In order to invite others to academic debate, on
October 31st 1517, the eve of All Saints Day when many clergymen would be
present for the festival, Luther nailed ninety-five Theses on the door of
the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Martin Luther never expected what would
happen next. Because of the availability of the printing press, his Theses
were copied and distributed literally all over Europe. The night was far
spent and almost over, and the day of the Reformation had arrived- -even
though Luther did not realize it.

Dr. Luther's Ninety-Five Theses had the title: Disputation to explain the
Virtue of Indulgences. Luther was approaching the question of indulgences
with respect to the Pope; he appealed to the other ordained clergy, and with
a considerate and moderate tone. At this point in Luther's life, he would
have given his own life to protect the life and reputation of the Pope as he
was still a faithful monk of the Roman Catholic Church. His Ninety-Five
Theses the spirit of Protestantism was at work, as Luther appealed to
Scripture and reason for answers. Luther began his Theses by speaking of
repentance as a life-long Christian virtue; repentance was not a one time
event in a person's life but was what characterized the Christian life.
Luther compares biblical repentance (and a lot of his own struggle with his
sins and gaining God's forgiveness through grace played into this) with the
sacrament of penance. Luther says in his Theses that Jesus said to "Repent"
not to "Do penance". A fundamental thesis of Luther's Ninety-Five Theses is
thesis sixty-two, where Dr. Luther writes: "The true treasury of the church
is the holy gospel of the glory and grace of God." Although Luther
approached his questions respectfully in this way, the Roman Church leaders,
particularly Leo was threatened by his writings, and Luther opened up for
himself great opposition by undermining with scriptural teaching Medieval
Catholic teaching. As historian Philip Schaff wrote: "By attacking the
abuses of indulgences, Luther unwittingly cut a vein of Medieval
Catholicism" (History of the Christian Church, Vol. VII, 160). Luther's
attempt at disputation caused a controversy that would lead to Reformation
as God continued to build his church, and as his people stormed the gates of
hell against those opposed to the gospel of free grace found only in the
Person and Work of Jesus Christ.

Luther, Leo, and Melanchthon
Dr. Luther wrote his Theses respectfully and with hope that he could engage
in a healthy debate with other clergy and the episcopacy. The time was ripe
for Reformation and others such as Erasmus of Rotterdam (Holland) and Ulrich
von Hutten also spoke out about church abuses; they were just unwilling to
risk as much as eventually Luther realized he would have to risk, even at
the point of risking his own life. As respectful as Dr. Luther tried to be,
and as much as many thought his Ninety-Five Theses should be heeded due to
the great need of reform, he exceedingly agitated many people, including
Pope Leo X. Dr. Luther had started a great controversy that would end in
Reformation. In God's grace, he was not alone during this challenging time
period of his life. God raised up a great Christian scholar of great
learning in the classics, of tender and loving spirit, and one who was just
a young man of nineteen when he became one of the most popular professors of
the University of Wittenberg. This man, Philip Melanchthon became Luther's
lifelong friend, and one who would stand by his side during Luther's
struggle for Reformation in the Church. Melanchthon became like a son to
Luther and they loved each other dearly throughout their lives. Luther
needed support and friendship because he was literally standing strong
against a formidable foe.

As Luther sounded the trumpet of the Reformation without full intention, he
was met with great opposition from other scholars writing against him.
Experienced and knowledgeable scholars such as Dr. Eck of Ingolstadt, who
was at one time Luther's friend, became his opponent. Unfortunately, no one
could answer Luther's questions and theses from the scriptures or the Latin
Fathers, but had to necessarily argue for the inherent authority of the Pope
and councils of the church. Through these debates, Luther became more
learned, bold, and strong in standing for the teaching of the Bible. Dr.
Luther's teaching caused him to come directly into conflict with Pope Leo X
and his authority over the Church.

Luther's Apostolic Catholicism
Luther was a true Catholic; that is, Luther was a true Apostolic Catholic.
He argued from the scriptures and from the early Church Fathers to prove
that there was never accepted in the sacred writings, the writings of the
fathers, or at any church council the doctrines expressed in the selling of
indulgences. Luther argued that he was not heretic, but that he was a true
Catholic by definition because he was building upon, not disagreeing with
orthodox positions that had already been accepted long before him. Because
of Leo's position and pride, he at first merely discounted Martin Luther as
another "drunken German monk" who when he was sober, would see clearly his
position and recant. Luther was being called everything from a drunken
German to an arch-heretic because of his desire to initiate a theological
debate and discourse. On August 7th, 1518, Pope Leo acted against Luther.
Luther was cited to appear at Rome to recant his heresies. The Pope realized
that this was more than a mere monkish debate and squabble that would go
away; at the heart of this debate was the Pope's very authority over the
Church and his people. Because of the protection of Elector Frederick the
Wise, who was one of the most powerful princes in Germany at this time,
Luther was not required to go to Rome. Because Frederick did not want to
give up one of his best professors at Wittenberg, it was decided that he
would give him protection and arrange an interview with the Pope's clergy in
Augsburg.

Luther, Cardinal Cajetan, and Dr. Eck
At Augsburg in October 1518, Luther continue to defend his views as Biblical
and Catholic against Cardinal Cajetan who was one of the Pope's chief
representatives and able theologians of the Church. At this debate that had
been arranged because of Frederick's power and protection, Dr. Luther
solidified his position more strongly by arguing that he had the Scriptures
as his foundation and that he must obey God rather than man. By this time,
Luther is openly and publicly disagreeing with the Pope, and denying his
authority when the Pope undermines Scriptural teaching. The heart of the
matter here in Augsburg against Cajetan was that Dr. Luther made clear that
the Scriptures were the sole authority of matters of faith and life. Because
of the explicit undermining of the Pope's authority, Cajetan threatened
Luther with excommunication. As Luther continued to think through the matter
at the time, he struggled with the fact that if the Pope was disagreeing
with the scriptures, then he perhaps could be the Anti-Christ. In 1519,
Luther was again commanded by the Church to revoke his heresies. Pope Leo
was so desperate to silence Luther, and knew his power was limited by
Frederick that he sent Karl von Miltitz to Frederick with a bribe of
position and eminence -the very "kingdoms of this world -- similar to the
offer the devil made to Christ in his three temptations in the wilderness.
Miltitz realized how much influence Dr. Luther had with the people; many
were convinced by this time of Luther's biblical position. Miltitz held a
conference at Spalatin's house in January 1519 and pleaded with Luther not
to divide the visible Catholic Church.

Dividing Christ's Church was never Luther's intention; his main and hopeful
intention was to reform the Church. Dr. Luther felt the weight of the
importance of seeking unity in the Church and for a season allowed a truce
with Miltitz, even conceding that he might recant his views, but as time
continued to pass and Luther grew stronger in his convictions about the
authority of Scripture, Luther continued to fight. Luther's debates
continued next at Leipzig in the months of June and July 1519. At Leipzig
Luther was to debate with John Eck. Dr. Eck was professor of theology at
Ingolstadt in Bavaria and a strong advocate of Roman Catholicism and the
Pope's position. The debate between Luther and Eck revolved around the
authority of the Pope. Dr. Eck was supremely knowledgeable and a gifted
orator, but Luther far surpassed him in his knowledge of the Scriptures.
What became the chief point of discussion and contention as his debate with
Cajetan was the authority of the Pope and the infallibility of the Pope. It
is at this debate in Leipzig where Luther is first identified with the Jan
Huss and his heresy that was condemned at the Council of Constance, and
where Huss lost his life for standing on scripture alone. At Leipzig, Luther
said that not only the Pope could err, but councils could err, and have,
giving the example of the unjust condemnation of Jan Huss. As Dr. Luther is
now publicly admitting his being very similar to one the Roman Church
considered a heretic, he realizes that he can never recant or turn back from
this; he must stand, and he must prayerfully and by God's grace persevere
come what may.

As the controversy spread and as many learned men critiqued Rome and the
Church's abuses of the times, Luther critiqued the Church and the Pope for
what was most important to him, and in his mind what was their greatest sin:
a disregard and profound misunderstanding of the gospel of God's grace found
in Jesus Christ. Dr. Luther truly believed that the Word of God would
destroy all of Christ's enemies and restore the Church to be a shining light
of the gospel to all men. Luther believed the scriptural truth of the
Prophet Zechariah: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the
Lord of Hosts" (Zech. 4:6). As Luther stood on the Word of God through the
year 1520, the Pope of Rome began a process of excommunication in order to
permanently silence Luther. This year and period would be the most arduous
time for Dr. Luther as he spoke and wrote publicly, honestly, and boldly
about the undermining of the Word of God and the sins and abuses of the
Papacy and episcopacy, even to the point of claiming that the papacy as it
presently existed was antichristian in nature and practice. Luther wrote a
letter to Pope Leo X saying: "The Church of Rome, formerly the most holy of
all churches, has become the most lawless den of thieves, the most shameless
of all brothels, the very kingdom of sin, death, and hell; so that not even
the Antichrist, if he were to come, could devise any addition to its
wickedness."

Luther's Early Writings: Address to the German Nobility
Encouraged by his friend Philip Melanchthon, Dr. Luther wrote three popular
books entitled Address to the German Nobility, The Babylonian Captivity of
the Church, and the Freedom of the Christian Man. Luther's main intent in
writing the books was to express the importance of scripture as the rule of
faith and life and the judge of all the ancient teachings and doctrines of
the Fathers of the Church. Luther wanted all to know the gospel of the Word
of God, and to be warned of the antichristian, unscriptural traditions of
men that threatened to bind a Christian's conscience; Luther fought for true
freedom in Jesus Christ!

In Luther's book Address to the German Nobility, he writes: "The time for
silence is gone, and the time for speaking has come." This Address is dated
June 23, 1520, and when it went into print, many read and were influenced by
this powerful book; this was one of the great 'bestsellers' of the day in
Germany, and was extremely popular with the lay people. Dr. Luther addresses
German nobles for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He encourages
them to make it possible for the gospel of grace to go forth from the sound
preaching of God's Word and to use their secular power to free the Christian
people from the bondage of the wicked papal powers that be. Dr. Luther
teaches in his Address the importance of understanding the biblical teaching
of the "priesthood of all believers" that basically teaches that it is up to
every man, every conscience to read the Bible for himself, and to compare
the teachings and traditions of men with what the Bible teaches. Rather than
merely the priest craft having access to God through Christ, and the people
having to come to Christ through them, Luther taught correctly that all
believers had access to God through One Mediator, who was Jesus Christ.
Luther's teaching allowed room for a biblical understanding of the ordained
ministry and office, but it cut down the mammoth tree of papal abuse and
control over the people of God. Luther taught that men have callings, some
to ordained office, some to other vocations, but that all were equally
"saints" or "priests" in God's sight. 

In his Address, Dr. Luther calls upon the German Nobility to intervene in
this struggle between biblical Christianity and antichristian abusive power,
declaring how the papacy has lived untruthfully and unbiblically, yet
protected with great power to achieve their diabolical schemes of greed,
corruption, immorality, and lies. Luther ends his Address with twenty-seven
practical articles of suggestion for change such as the abolition of the
sell of indulgences, the practice of clerical celibacy, the performance of
masses for the dead, the observation of certain festivals of the Church
Year, a reduction of the number of monasteries, and that fasting should be
optional and voluntary for the Christian. Luther concludes his Address by
saying "My greatest care and fear is, lest my cause be not condemned by men;
by which I should know for certain that it does not please God. Therefore
let them freely go to work, Pope, bishop, priest, monk, or doctor: they are
the true people to persecute the truth, as they have always done. May God
grant us all a Christian understanding, and especially to the Christian
nobility of the German nation true spiritual courage, to do what is best for
our unhappy Church. Amen."

Luther's The Babylonian Captivity of the Church
Dr. Luther took up the pen next to write The Babylonian Captivity of the
Church in October 1520, 1520 being a very prolific writing year for him.
This book contrasted to the Address was written for scholars and clergy to
consider Dr. Luther's teaching. In Captivity Luther criticizes the entire
sacramental system of the Roman Church that controlled the Christian people
and held them captive through their entire lives, preventing them from
hearing and understanding the true Gospel. Luther articulates in this book
that because the Roman Church has deceived the people with the Roman
sacramental system, and has held them in bondage, the Roman Church being the
very image of the Babylonian tyranny enslaving the people in darkness. The
first errors of the Roman sacramental system that Luther addressed had to do
with the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, particularly condemning the
withdrawal of the cup from the laity, the doctrine of transubstantiation and
the sacrifice of the mass. Dr. Luther uses the gospels to show that Jesus'
cup was meant for all: "Drink ye all of this," was not meant by Jesus to be
merely for the clergy. Luther argues from the Apostle Paul that the
transubstantiation of the elements of bread and wine are more Aristotelian
than they are Pauline. Luther did not believe that the elements were
transubstantiated, and that the real presence of Christ was in the bread and
the wine (a doctrine of Luther's that would later be called
consubstantiation in contrast to transubstantiation; that Christ's presence
is in, with, and under the bread and wine). Finally, Luther pointed his
corrective finger at the superstitious sacrifice of the mass, and struck the
heart of the Roman Church's aberration of true worship in spirit and truth.
Luther was appalled at this unbiblical teaching, describing it as a
bloodless re-sacrificing of Christ on the cross when the priest uttered the
words of the mass in Latin. In Luther's next point in his book, he addresses
what he thought the Bible taught about baptism. For Luther, as well as for
the Roman Church of his time, baptism was a means of regeneration (the
Reformation Church would have to await Calvin's honed theological mind to
correct this error). Finally, Luther says that there are only two sacraments
commanded and given by the Lord: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Luther
denied that the Bible gave to the Church seven sacraments, and that
confirmation, ordination, marriage, and extreme unction were traditions of
men. Dr. Luther pointed out that marriage was to be a gift of God to man as
the Apostle Paul taught in Ephesians 5, not a sacrament for laity to enjoy,
and clergy to avoid.

Luther's The Freedom of a Christian
As Luther was being formally condemned as a heretic of the Holy Catholic
Church, he wrote his next and perhaps most influential and enduring book The
Freedom of a Christian. In this book, Luther exegetes and exposits the
gospel primarily from Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, and says that the
Christian is freed in Christ to live as sons of God, obediently and joyfully
serving our Lord Jesus Christ. The memorable and most important thesis of
the book is: "The Christian is the lord of all, and subject to none, but
virtue of faith; he is the servant of all, and subject to everyone, by
virtue of love." For Luther, the Gospel freed a person from bondage to sin
and self, so that they could love and serve God and neighbor, or as the
Apostle Paul teaches: "faith working through love." Rather than being under
the Roman Church's tyranny and enforced bondage to the sacramental system of
penance and good works, Christ has freed us from Law and other forms of
tyranny in order to love and serve; as Jesus taught in Matthew 11, his yoke
is easy, and his burden is light compared to the awful yoke of slavery and
the heavy and hard burden of law. Dr. Luther shows a mature understanding of
the gospel theologically and practically in Freedom by pointing out the
purpose of the Law to lead a man to the end of himself and recognize his
deserved condemnation, only to look and find the righteous requirements of
God's law in the Person of Jesus Christ, which is the freeing and glorious
gospel of God's grace and mercy. In the Person of Jesus Christ, a
righteousness from God is found, and Christ is condemned in our place, so
that we might receive God's mercy and love. The Roman Church would criticize
Luther and other Reformers unfairly by saying that promoting the gospel
leads to a disregard for God's Law (antinomianism), but here we have
Luther's clear teaching of the place of the Law in the Christian life, but
how the Law is obeyed and lived out of love and the power of the Spirit in
Christ. The Christian is freed from bondage to love and serve, and thus
fulfill the Law by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this little tract
written in 1520, Dr. Luther countered any unfair criticism from the Roman
Catholic Church implying that he and other Reformers were antinomians, or
those opposed to good works out of obedience to God's commands.

Pope Leo, Charles V, and the Papal Bull of Excommunication
It had been almost three years since Luther had posted his Ninety-Five
Theses, and much growth spiritually and intellectually had occurred in Dr.
Luther as he countered Rome and brought about a Reformation of the Christian
Church. Ultimately, in response to Luther's writings, a Papal Bull of
Excommunication was written for Luther to be condemned as a heretic. In the
bull, the Pope arrogantly assumes the very position of Christ over the
Church, and pompously speaks as if his words are equal to the Bible's
revelation. In the bull, Pope Leo calls St. Peter and St. Paul and the whole
body of the saints to aid against "the boar out of the wood" and the "wild
beast of the field" that had broken into the vineyard of the Lord to waste
and destroy it. The Pope condemns the writings and doctrines of Luther as
heretical and a threat to Roman Catholicism. Pope Leo X explicitly and
tyrannically states in the bull that the writes of Martin Luther are to be
burned, he is to be brought to Rome with the promise of safe conduct, Luther
is suspended from ministry, all Catholics are not allowed to read, print or
publish Luther's writings, and if anyone conceals, hides, or protects
Luther, the place will be under an Interdict from the papacy. The bull was
published all over Europe and especially in Germany, but few took notice of
it due to Luther's cogent biblical argumentation and his popularity. When
Luther received this bull, he disregarded it and burned it on December 10th,
1520 along with other papal decrees and the writings of Eck (who was the
Pope's messenger to make the bull known to the world), and he sought refuge
under the secular power of Frederick the Wise. We dare not underestimate
this brave and courageous act; one man; one monk; a miner's son; a
theological professor and great preacher; this one monk stood up to the most
powerful man on earth at the time- -a man more powerful than many kings,
greatly reverenced and feared- - a man who the whole world served and fell
at his feet as though dead. 

The emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at the beginning of Luther's career as
professor at Wittenberg and as a powerful Reformer was Maximilian I who died
in January 1519. At the height of Dr. Luther's peak of powers against the
papacy, the emperor to succeed him was Charles V, who ruled from 1520-1556.
Charles V ruled during the height of the German Reformation, and reigned ten
years after Luther's death in 1546, and almost to the end of the
Counter-Reformation, Roman Catholic Council of Trent. It is important to
remember at this time in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, that the
emperor swore to protect and uphold the teachings of the Roman Catholic
Church at his coronation. Charles was a powerfully shrewd and wise emperor
like Charles "the Great" before him that God raised up providentially to be
in place during the remainder of Luther's life. He was a devoted Roman
Catholic, although he as many other emperors had their vices and sinful
practices, but died speaking the name of "Jesus" as his final word. Charles
fully endorsed the Papal Bull written against Luther, and regarded Luther's
Reformation as a rebellion against the Church and the State. 

Luther and the Diet of Worms (1521)
On January 28th 1521, Charles V opened his first Diet at Worms; this was to
be the most memorable and consequential Diet, not only in Germany, but for
the entire world. Here at Worms, a German town on the left bank of the
Rhine, Dr. Luther would formally stand firm on God's word as the absolute
and final guide for faith and life. On March 6, Emperor Charles V cited
Luther to appear to recant of his writings and teachings before the Diet
under the safe protection of the Empire. Frederick the Wise also sent
letters of safe-conduct on Luther's behalf. Luther saw this as an
opportunity given by God himself. Although Luther had been summoned to Rome
the year before by Pope Leo, he and Frederick the Wise disregarded the
summons. Now, believing the emperor to be fair and noble in his invitation,
Luther agreed to go to Worms. Dr. Luther was determined as he traveled not
to recant, but to bear witness to the truth of the scriptures. Luther left
Wittenberg on April 2nd and traveled with a colleague and student from the
university; Melanchthon was unable to travel at this time with his dear
friend. As Luther traveled with representatives of the college in an open
farmer's wagon, he was greeted and welcomed along the way by great cheer for
his heroic stand for the gospel of grace; Luther even found time to preach
as he traveled and stayed briefly in certain towns. Later in Luther's life,
he would recall God's grace to him during this fearful time in his life; he
remembered how God had made him so bold that he was willing to lose his life
for the gospel, knowing that the truth of Christ would live on.

Luther reached his destination at Worms on Tuesday, April 16th, 1521. Luther
was dressed in a monastic gown and preceded by an imperial herald. The most
significant dates during his visit at Worms were his testimonies to the
truth of Scripture during the Diet on April 17th and 18th. Luther entered
the Diet surrounded by clerical episcopates and distinguished , powerful men
of the state. Dr. Johann von Eck asked Luther two important questions: 1)
Did he acknowledge the books and writings as his own that were laid out
before the august assembly? 2) Would he be willing to retract his teaching?
Luther proceeded boldly because of his profound sense of responsibility in
standing up for the truth of the Word of God. 

On April 18th, after much prayer to God for grace, and meditation on his
present circumstances before God and man, Luther told the assembly that he
would not retract writings that biblically supported what the Word of God
taught, nor would he retract his honest observations and criticisms
concerning the abuses of wickedness and tyranny in the papacy, and he said:
"If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if I have spoken well,
why smitest thou me?" which were very similar words that Christ himself had
used before his accusers of the church and state at his crucifixion. Dr.
Luther was even so bold as to address the most powerful secular ruler in the
world, Charles V, and he pleaded with him not to begin his rule by
condemning the Word of God. That most important day, Dr. Luther did not
recant or retract his writings, but boldly stated before all the secular
dignitaries and powerful Roman Catholic clergy: "Unless I am refuted and
convicted by testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear arguments, I am
conquered by the Holy Scriptures quoted by me, and my conscience is bound in
the Word of God: I can not and will not recant anything, since it is unsafe
and dangerous to do anything against the conscience." Luther ended his talk
by saying: "Here I stand. I can not do otherwise. God help me! Amen."

Although many of the papal delegates of Rome considered Luther to be an
obstinate and erring heretic, many of the German delegates were quite
impressed with how Luther handled himself. One delegate, Duke Erik of
Brunswick sent Luther some of his finest beer to enjoy, and Luther's own
Elector Frederick expressed to Spalatin: "How excellently did Father Martin
speak both in Latin and German before the Emperor and the Estates! He was
bold enough, if not too much so." Dr. Luther's popularity spread like
wildfire especially among the people of Germany; the common people
recognized Luther as a great hero of the people for his courageous actions.
Although the papal party formally triumphed at the Diet of Worms, it was
Luther and the Word of God that ultimately triumphed in the end. The gates
of hell did not prevail against Christ's true church all because one man, a
miner's son and monk stood humbly, yet boldly for the truth of God's Word.
It cannot be denied that Luther stood for the truth of the word of God over
the tyranny and abuses of man, against the false traditions of man, and the
council that had erred in Jesus' name, and the supremacy of God's Word was
restored to the Church and the people!

Luther the Apostolic Catholic
Luther was a true Catholic. He did not stand against Catholicism per se, but
the degenerated Roman Catholicism that undermined the word of God of his
day. Luther affirmed the decisions of the first four ecumenical councils of
the Church (Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon); Luther
recognized the authority of the Church Fathers when they rightly interpreted
God's Word; Luther understood himself as an ordained man with a
responsibility to witness to the truth of God's Word; and he stood on the
truth revealed in the Apostle's Creed. Luther did indeed take a stand
against Roman Catholicism as a true Catholic and man of God, and by God's
grace was successful to bring about the greatest event in the history of the
Church since the time of the Apostles. For standing against the papacy, the
Pope encouraged Charles V to hand him over to the Roman Church to be
executed at the stake, but the emperor refused and Luther was sent back home
to Wittenberg with safe-conduct. This protection of Luther was the greatest
service that Charles rendered to the Reformation (Schaff, Vol. VII, 317).
However, Luther was formally under edict as a heretic from Church and State,
but he lived because of the faithfulness and mercy of God, and the
protection of Frederick the Wise. The world would never be the same, and the
Reformation was now fully underway. The gospel of the Lord Jesus, under the
authority of Christ, was continuing to go forth to the ends of the earth,
and as Martin Luther stood for the Word of God, the Great Commission
continued.

CRB

www.aplacefortruth.org

 

 

Thanks.

 

For the King's honor,

 

Charis,

 

Mike Abendroth

 

 <http://www.bbcchurch.org> www.bbcchurch.org

 

Ephesians 3:21 auvtw/| h` do,xa evn th/| evkklhsi,a| 

 

2 Tim 1:2b  "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord."

 

"Faith is not our physician; it only brings us to the Physician ... Faith is
not our saviour. It was not faith that was born at Bethlehem and died on
Golgotha for us. It was not faith that loved us, and gave itself for us;
that bore our sins in its own body on the tree; that died and rose again for
our sins.  It is a sin-bearer that we need, and our faith cannot be a
sin-bearer. Faith can expiate no guilt; can accomplish no propitiation; can
pay no penalty; can wash away no stain; can provide no righteousness. It
brings us to the cross, . but in itself it has no merit and no virtue.
Faith is not Christ, nor the cross of Christ. Faith is not the blood, nor
the sacrifice; . Our faith does not divide the work of salvation between
itself and the cross. It is the acknowledgment that the cross alone saves,
and that it saves alone. Faith adds nothing to the cross, nor to its healing
virtue. It owns the fulness, and sufficiency, and suitableness of the work
done there, and bids the toiling spirit cease from its labours and enter
into rest. Faith does not come to Calvary to do anything. It comes to see
the glorious spectacle of all things done, and to accept this completion
without a misgiving as to its efficacy. It listens to the "It is finished!"
of the Sin-bearer, and says, "Amen."   

NOT FAITH, BUT CHRIST 

by Horatius Bonar 
(1808-1889) 

 

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