The life of Martin Luther is one of the most fascinating and intriguing stories
of church history. Perhaps, the single most impacting part of the Reformation
was the renewal of the Word of God in the form of a book so that even peasants
could read it. Luther understood that, “God preserves the experience of
salvation and holiness from generation to generation by means of a book of
revelation, not a bishop in Rome, and not the ecstasies of Thomas Muenzer and
the Zwickau prophets.”[1]
Pope Leo X was in need of money to build St. Peter’s Basilica and
the major income of the church came through the sale of indulgences. In 1517 he
put a Dominican monk named John Tetzel in charge of selling indulgences in
Saxony. Tetzel was an unscrupulous salesman who was willing to say anything to
increase sales. He even promised people complete forgiveness from all sin. He
also said that if a person would purchase indulgences for a loved one, they
would be released from Purgatory. His famous saying was, As soon as the coin
in the coffer rings, a soul from Purgatory springs.
Some of Luther’s parishioners bought indulgences from Tetzel. This enraged
Luther and drove him to write his 95 Theses against the practice of selling
indulgences and other factors he saw flawed in the Church of Rome. On October
31, 1517, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in
Wittenberg. Pope Leo X eventually received a copy of the 95 Theses, to
which he was very unimpressed and directed the Augustinian order to handle the
situation.
On October 10, 1520, the Pope issued the Exsurge Domine, a papal bull that
appealed to God to protect his church from Luther’s threat. “Arise, O Lord, and
defend Thy cause! A wild boar has invaded Thy vineyard.”[2] Luther was to be excommunicated from the Church of Rome if he
did not recant within 60 days. According to the Holy Roman Church, salvation is
only available through the church and to be excommunicated means eternal
damnation. Luther, once a fearful monk, now stood and refused to recant his
newfound faith. Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther on January 3, 1521.
Luther was summoned to stand before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, to
recant his views at the Diet of Worms January 22, 1521. Eck, the spokesman for
Charles V, said Luther had no right to teach contrary to the Church. He asked
plainly if Luther would reject his books and the errors they contained. Luther
replied: “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept
the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my
conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant
anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe, Here I stand.
I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”[3]
While the
assembly was holding private conferences to determine Luther’s fate, Luther
left Worms destined for Wittenberg, but was kidnapped by Prince Frederick the
Wise's masked horsemen who escorted him safely to the Wartburg Castle at
Eisenach. Martin Luther had no idea that he was going to be kidnapped and taken
away to the Wartburg Castle. In fact, Luther was sure that the Diet of Worms
would bring him to his death. On May 25, 1521, The Emperor issued the Edict of
Worms, declaring Martine Luther an outlaw and a heretic and banned all his
literature.
During this year
of exile, Martin grew a beard and wore the clothes of a knight, calling
himself, Knight George. He worked on translating the New Testament into German,
which was eventually printed, September of 1522. Yet this time of exile was not
easy. He describes his feelings in a letter he wrote begging his friends for
intercessory prayer:
I sit
here at ease, hardened and unfeeling—alas! praying little, grieving little for
the Church of God, burning rather in the fierce fires of my untamed flesh. It
comes to this: I should be afire in the spirit; in reality I am afire in
the flesh, with lust, laziness, idleness, sleepiness. It is perhaps because you
have all ceased praying for me that God has turned away from me ... For the
last eight days I have written nothing, nor prayed nor studied, partly from
self-indulgence, partly from another vexatious handicap [constipation and
piles] ... I really cannot stand it any longer ... Pray for me, I beg you, for
in my seclusion here I am submerged in sins.[4]
Even, Luther
struggled intensely with distraction, sin, and laziness! Luther was doing a
mighty work for the Lord, and the enemy was standing close by to kill, steal
and destroy. Luther struggled with the passions of his flesh that waged war
against his soul. He saw the power and significance of the praying saints and
so begged for his fellow bearers of the cross to intercede on his behalf.
Luther literally shook the whole known world with the start of this reformation
and the enemy was close at hand to discourage.
Martin Luther’s
boldness and courage to stand up for the truth of the Word of God led to the
Protestant Reformation. His works were published and well read throughout
Germany. Soon other theologians and thinkers arose and started other Protestant
sects. Martin Luther’s legacy is still felt across the western world today.
Luther’s last
recorded words were, “Wir sein Bettler. Hoc est verum.” [5] We are beggars. This is true”6 God is free in his
grace. We are beggars, or in other words, we are prayers. This is how one lives
and this is how one studies, so that God receives all the glory and we receive
all the grace. Luther’s approach to studying the Word of God was rooted and
founded on prayer.
[1] Philip Schaff, ed. Religious Encyclopedia,
Vol. 2, (New York: The Christian Literature Co., 1888), p. 1596. For Luther's
response see A. G. Dickens and Alun Davies, eds., Documents of Modern
History: Martin Luther, (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1970), pp. 75-79.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid, 142-144.
[4] E. G. Rupp and Benjamin Drewery, editors, Martin Luther:
Documents of Modern History, (New York, St. Martin's Press, 1970), pp. 72-73.
[5]Heiko A. Oberman, Luther: Man
Between God and the Devil, p. 324.
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