Kirstine stewart biography of martin luther

He would be in the confessional for hours at a time and then, after leaving, would return again due to some unconfessed sin or to confess that he had not quite been sorrowful enough in his previous confession. Luther was as diligent a monk as you could hope to find. The decision was made in to send Luther to Rome. The trip was intended to restore his spirits and allow him to visit the sacred sites and holy relics.

This would serve to rejuvenate him, and venerating the relics would give him an opportunity to earn indulgences. A partial indulgence would reduce time in purgatory; a plenary indulgence would eliminate it altogether. However, as excited as Luther was when he began his journey, he was quickly disillusioned by the gaudy wealth and sinful lifestyles of the priests in Rome.

Visiting the relics and sacred sites did not help either. He returned to Erfurt more despondent than ever. Even so, he was transferred to the University in Wittenberg to become a professor. Here he began to truly study Scripture, and he began to search diligently for how sinful man could be made right before God. From he studied and taught through the books of Psalms, Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews.

Meanwhile, the question of indulgences continued to bother Luther. For Luther, this was just too much. From this, you could release us with a few alms. We have created you, fed you, cared for you and left you our temporal goods. Why do you treat us so cruelly and leave us to suffer in the flames, when it takes only a little to save us? The illegitimacy of indulgences on behalf of the dead is why Luther decided to post the 95 Theses.

This single act, though not particularly unusual or defiant, would reverberate across countries, across continents, and across centuries. This was the act which sparked the Protestant Reformation, and it was the Protestant Reformation that brought light into darkness and recovered the core truths of the gospel obscured by medieval religion.

Luther wanted to have an earnest theological discussion about whether issuing indulglences on behalf of the dead was was Biblical or approved by the Pope. At this point he did not question indulgences altogether, or purgatory, or the primacy of the Pope. In fact, he defended the Pope, and assumed the Pope would put a stop to this shady sale of indulgences.

Luther was not trying to cause trouble. This was an academic and theological issue, and his 95 Theses were written in Latin, not the language of the people. Without his knowledge or permission, these Theses were translated by some of his students from Latin to German and distributed. Thanks to the new technology of the printing press, within 2 weeks nearly every village in Germany had a copy.

The ideas soon took hold, and storm clouds began to loom on the horizon. All at once, as if reading it for the first time, Luther came to understand the full meaning of Romanswhich says. Salvation is by grace through faith — not by prayers or fasting or pilgrimages or sacraments. Righteousness before God was not earned by our works, but was a kirstine stewart biography of martin luther from God to us received by faith!

The decision to become a monk was difficult and greatly disappointed his father, but he felt he must keep a promise. The first few years of monastic life were difficult for Luther, as he did not find the religious enlightenment he was seeking. A mentor told him to focus his life exclusively on Jesus Christ and this would later provide him with the guidance he sought.

At age 27, Luther was given the opportunity to be a delegate to a Catholic church conference in Rome. He came away more disillusioned, and very discouraged by the immorality and corruption he witnessed there among the Catholic priests. Upon his return to Germany, he enrolled in the University of Wittenberg in an attempt to suppress his spiritual turmoil.

He excelled in his studies and received a doctorate, becoming a professor of theology at the university known today as Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. Through his studies of scripture, Luther finally gained religious enlightenment. Finally, he realized the key to spiritual salvation was not to fear God or be enslaved by religious dogma but to believe that faith alone would bring salvation.

This period marked a major change in his life and set in motion the Reformation. Luther also sent a copy to Archbishop Albert Albrecht of Mainz, calling on him to end the sale of indulgences. Aided by the printing presscopies of the 95 Theses spread throughout Germany within two weeks and throughout Europe within two months. The Church eventually moved to stop the act of defiance.

In Octoberat a meeting with Cardinal Thomas Cajetan in Augsburg, Luther was ordered to recant his 95 Theses by the authority of the pope. Luther said he would not recant unless scripture proved him wrong. The meeting ended in a shouting match and initiated his ultimate excommunication from the Church. Following the publication of his 95 ThesesLuther continued to lecture and write in Wittenberg.

In June and July of Luther publicly declared that the Bible did not give the pope the exclusive right to interpret scripture, which was a direct attack on the authority of the papacy. Finally, inthe pope had had enough and on June 15 issued an ultimatum threatening Luther with excommunication. Two of his sons and three close friends were at his side.

Kirstine stewart biography of martin luther

His body was taken back to Wittenburg for his funeral and burial at Castle Church. His grave is located directly in front of the pulpit where he preached, and it can still be seen today. More than any other church reformer in Christian history, the impact and influence of Luther's contributions are hard to adequately describe. His legacy, though highly controversial, has marched on through a parade of equally zealous reformers who modeled Luther's passion for letting God's Word be known and understood personally by every man.

It's no exaggeration to say that almost every branch of modern Protestant Christianity owes some portion of its spiritual heritage to Martin Luther, a man of radical faith. By Mary Fairchild. Mary Fairchild. Mary Fairchild is a full-time Christian minister, writer, and editor of two Christian anthologies, including "Stories of Calvary. Learn about our Editorial Process.

November 10, - February 18, Martin Luther, one of the most notable theologians in Christian historyis responsible for initiating the Protestant Reformation. Cite this Article Format. Fairchild, Mary. Martin Luther Biography. Development of Christian Denominations. Presbyterian Church Beliefs and Practices. Bishops in the Medieval Christian Church.

He also posted a handwritten copy to the Archbishop of Magdeburg, Albert of Mainz. The 95 theses of Martin Luther were critical of many practices relating to baptism and the sale of indulgences for the remittance of sin. The church was also slow to respond to the criticisms of Martin Luther. This happens when Christian liberty—which he gives to us—is rightly taught and we are told in what way as Christians we are all kings and priests and therefore lords of all.

Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian The significance of these written challenges caused the church to eventually respond. However, by that time, the criticisms of Martin Luther had already been widely distributed and found a receptive audience. With the help of the newly invented printing presses, the Reformation movement gained in strength and popularity.

The Catholic Church would never maintain the same unchallenged authority in Europe again. InMartin Luther was excommunicated for refusing to recant 41 sentences from his writings. Luther acknowledged he was the author of the writings but again failed to recant them. Saying he would stand by them.