{"id":187,"date":"2020-06-16T18:36:21","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T23:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.terrasanctaguild.com\/blog\/?p=187"},"modified":"2020-06-16T18:47:27","modified_gmt":"2020-06-16T23:47:27","slug":"who-was-martin-luther","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.terrasanctaguild.com\/blog\/who-was-martin-luther\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Was Martin Luther?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Martin Luther\u2019s nailing of his ninety-five theses to the church door on October 31, 1517, provoked a debate that culminated, finally, in what we now call the Protestant\u00a0Reformation – which would give rise to Protestantism as the third major force within Christendom, alongside Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.<\/p>\n

An heir of Bishop Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther is one of the most significant figures in Christian history.<\/p>\n

Notably, this 16th<\/sup> century law student, turned Augustinian monk, became the center of a great controversy after his theses were copied and distributed throughout Europe. Initially protesting the pope\u2019s attempt to sell salvation, Luther\u2019s study of Scripture soon led him to oppose the church of Rome on issues including the primacy of the Bible, over church tradition, and the means by which we are found righteous in the sight of\u00a0God.<\/p>\n

This last issue is probably Luther\u2019s most significant contribution to Christian theology. Though preached clearly in the New Testament and found in the writings of many of the church fathers, the medieval bishops and priests had largely forgotten the truth that our own good works can by no means merit God\u2019s favor. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, and good works result from our faith, they are not added to it as the grounds for our right standing in the Lord\u2019s eyes (Eph. 2:8-10<\/a>). Justification, God\u2019s declaration that we are not guilty, forgiven of sin, and righteous in His sight comes because through our faith alone the Father imputes, or reckons to our account, the perfect righteousness of Christ (2 Cor.\u00a05:21<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Martin Luther\u2019s rediscovery of this truth led to a whole host of other church and societal reforms and much of what we take for granted in the West would have likely been impossible had he never graced the scene.<\/p>\n