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Essay Name       : 849.txt 
Uploader         : Jay York
Email Address    : jyork@beaches.net
Language         : english
Subject          : Religion
Title            : Martin Luther
Grade            : 95 A
School System    : Community College
Country          : USA
Author Comments  : A great paper that took me forever to write.
Teacher Comments : In need of a thesis statement
Date             : 11-10-96
Site found at    : Webcrawler
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                                  MARTIN LUTHER
               This essay is concerned with Martin Luther (1483-1546),
          and his concept of Christianity. Luther began his
          ecclesiastical career as an Augustinian Monk in the Roman
          Catholic Church. Consequently, Luther was initially loyal to
          the papacy, and even after many theological conflicts, he
          attempted to bring about his reconciliation with the Church.
          But this was a paradox not to endure because in his later
          years, Luther waged a continual battle with the papacy. Luther
          was to become a professor of biblical exegesis at Wittenberg
          where, in 1957, he posted his critique of the Roman Catholic
          Church's teachings and practices. This is otherwise known as
          The Ninety-Five Theses, which is usually considered to be the
          original document of the Reformation. Basically, this document
          was an indictment of the venality of the Roman Catholic
          Church, particularly the widespread practice of selling
          indulgences in association with the sacrament of penance.
          Luther's beliefs on the matter was that after confession,
          absolution relied upon the sinner's faith and God's Divine 
          Grace rather than the intervention of a priest. At this point,
          Luther did not advocate an actual separation from the Roman
          Catholic Church. Instead, Luther felt his suggested reforms 
          
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          could be implemented within Catholicism. If this had taken
          place, the Protestant Reformation would probably not of ever
          seen the light of day--nor would it have been necessary. But
          the theological practices being what they were in the Roman
          Church, there was little chance at that time for any great
          variations to occur within its folds. The Church of Rome was
          thoroughly monolithic and set in its ways and was not about to
          mutate into something else. If a metamorphosis had occurred
          within the Roman Catholic Church, Luther would have had a
          different destiny. But Luther's fate was sealed, and his job
          was cut out for him.
               Concerning Luther and the Reformation, Paul Tillich
          states: "The turning point of the Reformation and of church
          history in general is the experience of an Augustinian monk in
          his monastic cell--Martin Luther. Martin Luther did not merely
          teach different doctrines; others had done that also, such as
          Wyclif. But none of the others who protested against the Roman
          system were able to break through it. The only man who really
          made a breakthrough, and whose breakthrough has transformed
          the surface of the earth, was Martin Luther. . . .  He is one
          of the few great prophets of the Christian Church, and his
          greatness is overwhelming, even if it was limited by some of
          his personal traits and his later development. He is
          responsible for the fact that a purified Christianity, a
          Christianity of the Reformation, was able to establish itself
          equal terms with the Roman tradition" (Tillich 227). Tillich's 
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          main emphasis, then, is not on Luther as the founder of
          Lutheranism, but as the person who broke through the system of
          the Church of Rome. Luther shattered the theological
          restraints and distortions of the Roman Catholic religion.
          This accomplishment amounts to the establishment of another
          religion known as Protestantism, a faith that was generated
          from the Reformation, with its advocates such as Martin
          Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Knox. However,
          Luther stood out as one of the Reformation titans in a most
          unique manner.
               Roland H. Bainton suggests the following concerning
          Luther's reforms with regard to the Catholic sacraments;  "But
          Luther's rejection of the five sacraments might even have been
          tolerated had it not been for the radical transformation which
          he effected in the two which he retained. From his view of
          baptism, he was not a second baptism, and no vow should ever
          be taken beyond the baptismal vow. Most serious of all was
          Luther's reduction of the mass to the Lord's Supper. The mass
          is central for the entire Roman Catholic system because the
          mass is believed to be a repetition of the Incarnation and the
          Crucifixion. When the bread and wine are transubstantiated,
          God again becomes flesh and Christ again dies upon the altar.
          This wonder can be performed only by priests empowered through
          ordination. . . His first insistence was that the sacrament of
          the mass must be not magical but mystical. . . He, too, had no
          mind to subject it to human frailty and would not concede that 
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          he had done so by positing the necessity of faith, since faith
          is itself a gift from God, but this faith is given by God
          when, where, and to whom he will and even without the
          sacrament is efficacious; whereas the reverse is not true,
          that the sacrament is of efficacy without faith. 'I may be
          wrong on indulgences,' declared Luther, 'but as to the need
          for faith diminished the role of the priests who may place
          awafer in the mouth but cannot engender faith in the heart"
          (Bainton 107). For Luther, the Holy Eucharist of Lord's supper
          was really a symbolic act rather than an actual instance of
          transubstantiation in which the bread and wine actually become
          the body and blood of Christ. That was a magical aspect to
          this sacrament which Luther could not accept. According to the
          Roman Church, the bread and wine may have the appearance of
          such, but their inner substances have literally become the
          flesh and blood of Christ. All of this is a literal acceptance
          of the words of Jesus at the Last Supper: "And as they were
          eating, Jesus took the bread, and blessed it, and brake it,
          and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my
          body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to
          them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the
          new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of
          sins" (Matthew 26: 26-28). Luther's view of the communion
          sacrament was strictly symbolic as is the view of Protestants
          to this day. However, this idea was heresy so far as the Roman
          Catholic Church was concerned. The sacramental power of its 
          
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          priests was no longer necessary if this concept were to
          prevail. This is the type of change the Reformation and Martin
          Luther wrought. The power of the Roman clergy could not exist
          if Luther's concepts were to be accepted.
               Because the principal sacrament of the Roman Catholic
          Church is the Holy Eucharist of Holy Communion, the fact that
          Luther was tampering with it could not help but be looked upon
          by the Roman clergy with great dismay. Luther generated the
          Protestant belief that this sacrament is a commemoration
          through which clergy and communicants raise their spirits by
          symbolic remembrance of Christ's life and death. In contrast,
          according to the teachings of the Roman Church, Christ's human
          body and blood are actually present in the consecrated bread
          and wine. 
               As Bertrand Russell states: "Even more important in the
          Middle Ages, was transubstantiation; only a priest could
          perform the miracle of the mass. It was not until the eleventh
          century in 1079, that the doctrine of transubstantiation
          became an article of faith, though it had generally been
          believed for a long time" (Russell 408). As Luther saw it, no
          sacrament is effective by itself without listening to the Word
          associated with the sacrament, and the faith that believes in
          it. There is no magical element to any sacrament, including
          the doctrine of transubstantiation. Consequently, Luther's
          teachings on the sacraments took away the power of the priests 
          and the special nature of the Holy Eucharist. The Roman 
          
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          Catholic mass depends completely on these concepts in order
          for the Roman Church to sustain its efficacy as the
          representative of Christ on earth. Paul Tillich states: "From
          this it followed that transubstantiation was destroyed,
          because this doctrine makes the bread and wine a piece of
          divine reality inside the shrine and put on the altar. But
          such a thing does not occur. The presence of God is not a
          presence in the sense of an objective presence, at a special
          place, in a special form; it is a presence for the faithful
          alone. There are two criteria for this: if it is only for the
          faithful, then it is only an action. Then if you enter a
          church and the sacrament is spread, you do not need to do
          anything, because it is pure bread. If becomes more than this
          only in action, that is when it is given to those who have
          faith. For the theory of transubstantiation, it is there all
          the time. When you enter an empty Roman church, you must bow
          down before the shrine because God himself is present there,
          even though no one else is present besides you and this
          sacrament. Luther abolished this concept of presence. He
          denounced the character indelebilis as a human fiction"
          (Tillich 236-237). 
               For Luther to take this position required considerable
          courage on his part due to the fact he was facing an
          ecclesiastical force of great strength and authority. Luther
          did what most kings would fear to do. Thus his reservation
          over transubstantiation was monumental, besides being a highly 
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          important concern, to say the least. After all, as a
          Augustinian Monk, who was he to fight the doctrines of the
          pope or even attempt any reforms? However, this is the task
          which Luther undertook against all odds. Luther's courage and
          boldness can be seen in his "Open Letter to Pope Leo X" dated:
          Wittenberg, September 6, 1520: "I have, to be sure, sharply
          attacked ungodly doctrines in general, and I have snapped at
          my opponents, not because of their bad morals, but because of
          their ungodliness. Rather than repent this in the least, I
          have determined to persist in that fervent zeal and to despise
          the judgment of men, following the example of Christ who in
          his zeal called his opponents 'a blood of vipers,' 'blind
          fools,' 'hypocrites'. . . I have truly despised your see, the
          Roman Curia, which, however, neither you nor anyone else can
          deny is more corrupt than any Babylon or Sodom ever was, and
          which, as far as I can see, is characterized by a completely
          depraved, hopeless, and notorious godlessness" (Luther and
          Dillenberger 44-45). It would seem statistics would favor the
          Church of Rome; however, such was not the situation.
               As the central figure of a violent religious rebellion in
          Germany, Martin Luther brought forth his principal theological
          doctrine about Christianity. According to Luther, mankind is
          justified by faith alone, and not by works. On the concept of
          this belief in a personal faith instead of the power of the
          Roman Catholic Church, Luther favored the abolition of many
          rituals and challenged the supreme authority of the pope. For 
          
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          this, Luther paid the ultimate penalty the Roman Catholic
          Church could inflict, he was excommunicated. Luther then went
          before the Diet of Worms, where he took a firm stand
          concerning his beliefs and was placed under the ban of the
          Holy Roman Empire. All of this entails considerably more
          details concerning Luther's concept of Christianity.
          Justification by faith, not by works is perhaps Luther's most
          important doctrinal contribution to the Reformation, and all
          it implies. 
               According to Luther, salvation is a gift from God, and no
          human being can possibly do anything to merit this blessing.
          Thus good works are of no avail with regard to the salvation
          of one's soul. Therefore, the most a Christian can do is to
          have faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is basically
          what a Christian is. Because Christianity has only two real
          sacraments (baptism and the Lord's Supper), it is necessary
          for a person to partake of both in order to actually be a
          Christian. Certainly, a heathen or pagan can go around doing
          good works, but this means nothing to God. Christ is the
          Second Person of the Holy Trinity, with the father being the
          First Person of the Holy Trinity, and the Holy Spirit being
          the Third Person. However, a Christian should do good works;
          yet, this will not save one's soul. God blesses certain
          Christian persons with His Divine Grace according to His
          Divine Wisdom. Only God knows who will be saved. Nevertheless, 
          all Christians must conduct their lives according to God's 
          
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          teachings for the very reason that they are Christians. God,
          in His Infinite Mercy and Judgment knows his own. Only God is
          capable of judging His people fairly and wisely. Paul Tillich
          states: "I want to emphasize Luther's doctrines of sin and
          faith very much because they are points in which the
          Reformation is far superior to what we find today in popular
          Christianity. For Luther sin is 'Unbelief in the real sin.'
          'Nothing justifies except faith, and nothing makes sinful
          except unbelief.' 'Unbelief is sin altogether.' 'Therefore the
          word 'sin' includes what we are living and doing besides the
          faith in God.' These statements presuppose a concept of faith
          which has nothing whatsoever to do with the acceptance of
          doctrines" (Tillich 245).
               Luther believed that mankind is totally depraved; but
          this does not mean there is nothing good in humanity. What
          this idea really means is that human beings are in continual
          conflict with themselves. Modern psychology would say the self
          is frustrated and neurotic concerning itself. In order to deal
          with this situation, Luther felt faith is something a true
          Christian must embrace. This is the faith that Jesus Christ is
          the Savior of mankind.
               Luther did not feel those persons having a profession
          involving violence are doomed to eternal damnation. For
          instance, Luther believed a Christian soldier could be saved
          even if he killed other people known as the 'enemy.' Luther
          provides a soldier's prayer is his essay "Whether Soldiers, 
          
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          Too, Can Be Saved" (1526): ". . . But because I know and have
          learned from your gracious word that none of our good works
          can help us and that no one is saved as a soldier but only as
          a Christian, therefore, I will not in any way rely on my
          obedience and work, but place myself freely at the service of
          your will. I believe with all my heart that only the innocent
          blood of your dear son, my Lord Jesus Christ, redeems and
          saves me, which he shed for me in obedience to your holy will.
          This is the basis on which I stand before you. In this faith
          I will live and die, fight, and do everything else. Dear Lord
          God the Father, preserve and strengthen this faith in me by
          your Spirit. Amen" (Luther and Schultz 135-136). It should be
          understood, however, that Luther never sanctioned war, which
          he believed was a definite indication of mankind's depravity.
          Yet, a Christian soldier may possibly be saved by God's Grace
          just as any other Christian may be so blessed.
               One of the most important differences between the Roman
          Church and Luther's conception of Christianity  is the
          personal relationship between God and the Christian. In
          Catholicism, the Church is an intermediary between God and the
          individual. However, no intermediary is needed at all in
          Luther's theological approach. This is one of Protestantism's
          most significant qualities.
               Another very important characteristic of Luther's reforms
          is the final authority of the Bible with respect to
          theological matters. This is also completely different from 
          
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          the Roman Catholic view, which holds that the Church is the
          final authority with regard to theological concerns. In fact,
          when speaking excathedra, the pope is considered by
          Catholicism to be infalliable concerning faith and morals.
          Luther could not accept a human being with Holy Orders as the
          means through which a Christian reaches God. These are the
          teachings that caused Luther to be excommunicated by the Roman
          Church and helped to create the Protestant form of
          Christianity.
               When Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms, he was
          asked by Eck, an official of the Archbishop of Trier: "I ask
          you, Martin--answer candidly and without horns-- do you or do
          you not repudiate your books and the errors which they
          contain?" Luther replied, "Since then Your Majesty and your
          lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns
          and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and
          plain reason--I do not accept the authority of popes and
          councils, for they have contradicted each other--my conscience
          is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant
          anything, for us to go against conscience is neither right nor
          safe. God help me. Amen" (Bainton 144). Essentially, Luther
          provided the Christian with a degree of freedom not at all
          present in Catholicism. Luther dared to defy the might and
          authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Reformation
          was born.
                                                               
          
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                                   WORKS CITED
          
          Bainton, Roland H. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. New 
          York: Mentor, 1950.
           Dillenberger, John. Martin Luther: Selection From His 
          Writings.  New York: Anchor Books, 1962.
          Russell, Bertrand. A History of Western Philosophy. New York: 
          Simon and Schuster, 1945.
          Schultz, Robert C. and Helmut T. Lehmann. Luther's Works, 
          Volume 46, The Christianity in Society, III. 
               Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967.
          Tillich, Paul. A History of Christian Thought From Its Judaic 
          and Hellenistic Origins to Existentialism. New York: 
          Simon and Schuster, 1968.
          The Holy Bible. King James Version. New York: Thomas Nelson 
               Publishers, 1972.
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
          
                                 MARTIN LUTHER
          
                                   JAY YORK
          
                            RELIGION IN AMERICAN LIFE
                                        
                                DR. JOSEPH HOWELL
          
                             APRIL 1, 1996 
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