martin luther and salvation theology
...llection of money Thus, a call for reform from within was in order (achieved in the breaking away of traditions, e.g. Lutheranism) THE CHALLENGE Martin Luther’s salvation theology was a challenge to the Catholic church because his teachings clearly went against those of the Catholic church: Luther’s understanding of how one gains salvation (eternal life with God in Heaven) depends solely on one’s faith in God and his son Jesus Christ, and not their good works because “Faith cannot help doing good works constantly” (Martin Luther). Such faith is bestowed on an individual in the gift and blessing of grace, bestowed upon all by God. Luther believed that this faith and grace can be learned about through scripture, the infallible word of God. His theology can be summarised as follows: Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura (Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Scripture Alone). Likewise, the Catholic church also believed that it is through faith in Jesus that one gains salvation, but in association with good works (participation in sacraments and living as a disciple of Christ) enacted throughout an individuals life. As Jesus tells a rich man in Mark’s Gospel (10:17-22), one cannot simply live life in accordance with the 10 commandments, they must also “…give money to the poor…” Again, the church too believes that grace is needed for our path to salvation, but a person can freely reject or accept this blessing. Similarly, the same view of scripture is shared but the church also recognised that one must partake in church tradition presented in these scriptures. RESPONSES 1. Leipzig Debate (1519): this 18-day debate involved Luther defending his 95 Theses about the selling of indulgences and Johann Eck defending the ideas of ‘mainstream’ Catholic thought. 13 articles of faith were discussed: 11 based on the practice of indulgence selling and its associated theology, 1 on the authority of the papacy and 1 on the notion of free will. 2. Confutation to the Augsburg Confession (1530): this was the response to the Augsburg Confession (a Lutheran confession containing statements of belief for their Church and included 28 articles of faith) published 2 months before. Here, 13 articles of the 28 in the Confession were rejected, and the remaining 15 were accepted, although 6 of these were modified. 3. Mendicant Orders (1540s): these were established to 1. actively mission the word of God and 2. return those people who had turned to Protestantism back to the Roman Catholic Church. Such orders have sworn their allegiance to the pope. E.g. The Jesuits. 4. Council of Trent (1545-63): was called to specifically address associated issues within the reformation. Many issues of the church’s theology and practices were dealt with, including: Luther’s ‘Faith Alone’ theology, which was rejected, clarification of the 7 sacraments and private masses were endorsed. 5. Vatican II (1962-65): many of the Church’s medieval ideals and practices were ‘outdated’ and so this council sought to make the church more effective for the contemporary time. Theological issues were raised including that of salvation, participation in the sacraments and the role of the lay people in the ministry with major changes made to church practice. 6. Joint Declaration (1999): a document signed by the Roman Catholic church. It highlighted an agreement being reached by Lutherans and Catholics regarding salvation: the basic common factor required for one to gain salvation is simply belief in Jesus Christ, which we are accordingly blessed with through a God-given Grace. This faith also inevitably calls us to do good works. EFFECTS OF RESPONSES There were many effects that resulted both within the church and in broad society that were direct ramifications of the general inadequacy of the Catholic church and their res...