Martin Luther Theological Influence

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This put the Catholic Church at odds with them over the sale of indulgences, that allowed the Church to forgive sins and promises to limit the times the person would spend in purgatory after death. Germany was known for religious reform in the fourteenth and fifteenth century, these movements made changes to how we worship today. “Luther was concerned as early as 1516 that his parishioners were induced to be complacent about true contrition for their sin if they purchased indulgences that promised forgiveness for a price. Then in 1517 the sale of a special jubilee indulgence was promoted by Pope Leo X ostensibly to pay for the building of a new St. Peter’s basilica. Behind the scenes, half of the money raised would repay the bankers of Augsburg for the…show more content…
He had a true zeal to learn the word of God for himself and pass it on to other. “Luther trusted Christ, and that Christ was with him in his and all people’s suffering; God was accompanying, calling, bringing him and all fellow sufferers into the life of hope and resurrection.” “Most fundamental is the first step, Luther’s teaching that by faith alone we are united with Christ. Protestants loved to talk about “accepting Christ by faith,” which certainly owes a great deal to this fundamental teaching of Luther’s. Usually, however, it is presented as a decision we must make, as if it were by our own free will. Luther, by contrast, hates the very idea of free will when it is applied to matters of salvation, for our confidence in our own free will lies at the core of our efforts to be justified by good works rather than faith alone. The great pastoral aim of Luther’s doctrine of justification is to free us from the kind of performance anxiety that arises whenever our salvation depends in any way on us, our hearts, our will, or our doings.

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