In part 3 of his series Associate Pastor Bruce Atkinson describes the reaction to Luther ’ s 95 theses
Last month we looked at how 500 years ago Martin Luther rediscovered the central Bible truth of Justification by faith alone . The 95 theses posted onto the Wittenberg church door by Luther on 31 October 1517 helped catapult Luther ’ s theology across the whole of Europe .
Luther the heretic Luther ’ s 95 theses were greeted with widespread acclaim by many German rulers tired of the Pope taking German money for the glory of Rome and interfering in their local politics . The Roman Catholic Church however was less than amused by Luther ’ s appeal for reform . In June 1520 Pope Leo X issued a Papal bull ( a public decree ) condemning Luther as a heretic . Luther took the document and burnt it publically . This burning of the bull increased the reputation of Luther as a new found champion of the people against an oppressive and corrupt religious regime .
Luther ’ s reforming programme Luther was determined to see reformation of the church in a number of key areas , but he didn ’ t want his ideas discussed in intellectual circles alone ; he also desired to address the ordinary mass of people usually ignored by clerics . He took the revolutionary step of publishing his reforming ideas , not in the usual academic language of Latin , but in the vernacular of the German people !
Indeed in a pretend ‘ kidnapping ’ he would hide away in Wartburg castle in 1521 to translate the New Testament for the first time into the German language . The principle that all people should have direct access to the scriptures and Bible teaching in their own language became central to the whole Protestant Reformation . For Luther , the Bible was the foundation and rule of all Christian belief and practice . Scripture was the judge of all things including the church . The Reformation was basically a ‘ Back to the Bible !’ move of God .
Three powerful books in one year ! Luther published three well known works in 1520 . The Freedom of the Christian taught about Justification by Faith alone . The Babylonian captivity of the Church attacked Priest craft and Sacramentalism which taught such things as each Mass sacrificing Jesus anew , and that the bread and wine miraculously became the genuine , actual body and blood of Christ during the Priests prayer ( transubstantiation ).
Finally , Appeal to the Nobility of the German Nation proclaimed another fundamental truth at the heart the Reformation namely the ‘ Priesthood of all believers ’. This teaching proclaims that there is no special ordained Priesthood distinguished from the laity ( congregation ). The clergy ( Pastors ) are simply recognised officeholders who can be in , or out of , office as required . Luther recognised that the clergy being exactly the same as other members of the church could therefore marry just like everyone else .
In these early years Luther fully intended to reform the existing Roman Catholic Church from within , not replace it . However as we will see next month ’ s final part of this series , a breakaway from Roman Catholicism soon became inevitable . ❖
Acknowledgements : Christianity ’ s Dangerous Idea by Alister McGrath ( SPCK )
Revival Times September 2017 19