Ninety-Five Theses Paper
During the earlier years of Christianity, at a time when most Catholic leaders were focused on political values rather than spiritual values, people would pay money for indulgences in order to remove the temporal punishments attached to their sins. Michael Mullet’s non-fiction work Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses studies the roots of the Protestant Reformation by giving detailed background information on Martin Luther and how Luther contributed to a religious revolution which would change the way of Christian life.
Martin Luther’s work allowed people to question their faith and gave people the courage to open their own churches even in the face of powerful Catholic leaders. By looking at how Luther interpreted ancient religious scriptures in order to understand God, we are able to see how he transformed into one of the greatest theologians in history and “broke the hold of the Catholic Church over Europe” (Mullet, 2003, p. 46) One of Luther’s first major steps into following his beliefs was defying his father’s ishes for his son to become a lawyer and instead Luther became an augustinian monk.
Luther was not Just simply being rebellious, but rather was driven by spiritual turmoil when comprehending God and his teachings which led Luther to immerse himself in his studies regarding the sacred texts. Through years of internal conflict and searching for religious purpose Luther was able to reach enlightenment by interpreting God’s Judgment as something that should not be feared when faith alone is what brought you salvation.
So when he witnessed papal indulgences he ungracefully nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a church arguing against the sales of indulgences which intimidated the church with bold statements that questioned their and God’s power. Martin Luther’s 95 Theses quickly grew into something more than Just a debate between powers and spread throughout Europe with the help of the printing press. The church was incapable of ignoring Luther’s sharp statements and it seemed Luther made no hesitation to push back against authority if he was given the chance.
The papal authority could not allow Luther to continue threatening their standing in power and ultimately branded Luther as a heretic and banished him from the Holy Roman Empire. Luther was able to hide in a castle with the help of his friends and once in solitude he was able to translate the New Testament into German for the public to read and interpret on their own. Martin Luther’s courage to stand up against the Catholic church gave others the strength to choose and question religion, but peace among the new churches and the Catholic churches would not exist ithout the shed of blood and powerful claims.
Martin Luther’s concept of God arose from his deep anxiety and is described by Michael Mullet in his book Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses as “sinners won acceptance from the God the Father – were ‘Justified’ – not actively, through their good deeds, but passively and simply by taitn r st na died on the Cross to save them” (p. 47). Luther gave us the power to break the holy chains binding people to their faith and explore a world without limitations. Dr. David Powlison – On Martin
Luther’s first of the 95 Theses says that Martin Luther’s teachings can help us not only understand god but ourselves and others as well. The moment when a person truly reaches enlightenment is when he/she is able to grasp the realization that every single person in your life is real and alive as you are. That these people are not Just wondering faces but actual people like yourself with families and futures of their own. This sonder is what Martin Luther was trying to accomplish in his work along with sharing his interpretation of God’s sacred texts.
