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Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses

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Throughout the centuries The Roman Catholic Church has come under attack by staunch opponents of its teachings and practices. Martin Luther a German theology professor and monk was one such opponent. Martin Luther forever changed religious history by writing and publishing the Ninety-Five Theses. Three core topics of the Ninety-Five Theses were selling indulgences to finance the building of Saint Peter’s Basilica was wrong, the salvation is through faith and God’s grace, and finally purchasing indulgences gives people a false sense of security. Of all the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church most offensive to Martin Luther was the selling of indulgences. These were certificates the Church awarded to reduce the punishment for people’s sins. These certificates were sold to raise money to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. (Timothy C. Hall 2) Martin Luther states:
The revenues of all Christendom are being sucked into this insatiable basilica. The Germans laugh at calling this the common treasure of Christendom. Before long all the churches, palaces, walls and bridges of Rome will be built out of our money. First of all, we should rear living temples, not local churches, and only last of all St. Peter’s, which is not necessary for us. We Germans cannot attend …show more content…

Luther believed that God’s justice does not require good works and religious rituals to receive salvation. (Cole and Symes 426) Luther believed, “Humans are saved by God’s grace alone, which God offers as an utterly underserved gift to those whom he has predestined for salvation. Because this grace comes to humans through the gift of faith, men and women are “justified” (i.e., made worthy of salvation) by faith alone. (Cole and Symes 426) Luther further believed, “Those whom God has justified through faith will manifest that fact by performing works of piety and charity; but such works are not what saves them. (Cole and Symes

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In document 7 Selections from Martin Luther’s 95 Thesis, it described how Martin Luther said that one cannot buy forgiveness or their way into heaven, and that God will give them salvation for free if they ask. He also said that the Church only wants money and does not care about god. The Church was being immoral by selling the indulgences which led to the corruption of the Church. The people realized the Church was wrong and started to question their

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With that being said, God appears to be merciful and loving. Eventually, these ideas helped Martin Luther to shape his doctrine on what righteousness was and interpret Paul's teachings in the book of Romans. His theology would be the sole foundation of his teachings in regards to the Reformation.

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Instead, Luther went for the roots of the theological aspect of the church. He claimed that the church was not teaching the correct materials and that he was. In his book “95 Theses,” Martin Luther attacked the theory of the selling of indulgences, stating that only God had control of souls in Purgatory, and no human figure himself. It was Luther’s statement about how scripture and faith were the only assets needed to attain Heaven that really put the church authority over the edge. He was not planning on breaking from the church with thus statement, but the pope had enough and finally decided to excommunicate his from the church

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Hey Francine! You did an excellent job on explaining what Martin Luther believed about the image of God. God is full of grace and full of power. He is Lord over all and chose us to be in His image.

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In the sixteenth century, the world was divided about Martin Luther. One Catholic thought Martin Luther was a "demon in the appearance of a man." Another who first questioned Luther's theology later declared, "He alone is right!"(Witherington, 1992). Both Catholics and Protestants affirm he was not only right about a great deal, but he changed the course of Western history for the better. Luther saw how the Old Testament law against idols and the New Testament emphasis on justification by faith alone are essentially the same.

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The Reformation had begun by Martin Luther a monk from Germany, said a another monk who I was talking to. One of Luther’s ideas called “justification by faith” brang him into conflict with the church. The church at this time was trying to raise money. I asked the monk how they were raising money and he said Pope Leo X was selling indulgences. Indulgences are said to end peoples sins and let them into heavens even relieving them of future sins which Joham Tetzel, a priest in Germany had promised.

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The historical document, An den christlichen Adel deutscher Nation or Open Letter to the Christian Nobility Of the German Nation Concerning the Reform Of the Christian Estate is a document that was written by Martin Luther a priest in the 1520’s who stated that there were certain boundaries that inhibited reform for religion. His claim or first wall was there was a division in religious holiness and the power to have control over all aspects of life. Luther says that each is intertwined and each represents a part in faith that secular power and spiritual should be one he backs up his argument with a quote from the bible, Paul says in I Corinthians 12:12, We are all one body,yet every member has its own work, where by it serves every other,

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Focused on Rome’s corruption, where prostitutes selling sex on the filthy streets, priests who made waste of their duties, rushing through mass, so fast that it

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The Basilica was lavishly, adorned in silver, gold and brass were he not only attended mass but also faithfully visited every morning and night. His efforts did not go unmerited; he was crowned the Roman Emperor, Christian leader of the western world by the Roman Catholic papacy, Pope Leo III. Charlemagne was very involved with the monks and priests, making sure with their help to restore sacred buildings that were left in ruins after destruction of war’s prior. “He intended to not only defend his empire but beautify it” (Spielvogel 217). Charlemagne is the most famous ruler of the medieval ages and a key figure in all of European history.

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By questioning the sale of indulgences and arguing that the pope does not have complete authority over forgiveness of sins and, to a larger extent, salvation, Luther established a precedent for the word of the Church to be called into question rather than it having absolute authority. Given that Luther opens his 95 Theses with “out of love and concern for the truth,” it is clear that his intentions are not necessarily to completely undermine the authority of the Catholic Church, but rather to open a dialogue between the Catholic Church and its faithful on what is actually true in regards to God. The collective judgment of the Catholic community, particularly those who did not have positions of power in the Church, would then have a much greater effect on the direction in which the Catholic Church took than it would have before Luther’s 95 Theses.

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One day while mining a deadly storm began, Martin feared for his life and promised Saint Anne he would worship God if he survived. When Martin survived, he dedicated his life to God, he became a monk. As a monk Martin Luther began to study the bible and learn about the Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church had extraordinary power, no man wished to oppose the church and therefore the church was rarely challenged and when there was a brave man to stand tall and proud, there was a tall and proud punishment, which followed. The Roman Catholic Church became so driven by power and riches, as a result they began selling indulgences.

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Further, the examples Luther gives of idols such as money and earthly possessions are considerably perceptive and remain relevant six centuries after his death going by their prevalence in the modern

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Martin Luther was strict about these rules of the Protestant Reformation. He felt that people should confess their sins, and depending on how bad the sin is, he thinks that God should judge it. Simultaneously, he didn’t believe that “indulgences,” or state of satisfaction, can pay off the price for one’s sin because he believes that it is not holy nor righteous (“Martin Luther”). In the end, this movement was spread to many countries of Europe such as Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and many

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