Martin Luther is the most famous Protestant saint and theologian
Martin Luther is the most famous Protestant saint and theologian. His work on the Institutes of Decree was probably his most influential work. He expounded many basic ideas of Reformation theology including the idea of absolute faith. Some of these ideas have been developed further down through the centuries. Among the main problems that he had with traditional theology were the idea that God requires absolute faith, and that men are justified in believing contradictory things.
Theology of Martin Luther has been expounded over the centuries. It can be said that his basic ideas were developed out of his context in the European theological tradition. He certainly did not write from scratch, as we would today conceive of a great thinker sitting down and developing concepts from his environment. Much of what we today call “Lutheran doctrine” came directly from his background in the reformed churches. The basic theological concept that we have today is a product of the historic debates between the Lutherans and the early church fathers.
Luther taught that salvation is by grace through faith. Grace alone can be justified by God, though He does not require faith in order for us to be saved. He also taught that salvation is through theosis, which is a belief that theosis, is necessary for salvation.
Luther's teaching on religion and salvation was very divisive among the people of his day. Many people did not accept his teachings, and many others accused him of being a heretic. Because of this atmosphere, Martin Luther and his teachings did not receive the acceptance that they deserve from the Reformed community, especially in the 16th century.
Over time the work on this tradition continued, but the work was largely ignored by the mainstream Reformed Churches. When they finally accepted his work they placed a great stress on works that were not based on his teachings. This caused a schism amongst the Evangelical and reformed churches. When the reformed tradition split off from the Roman Catholic Church the followers were divided into Orthodox, Lutheran, and Orthodox Presbyterian. This schism was not a rupture in the overall Reformed tradition.
As this schism progressed and became more problematic the Evangelical churches added other dogmatic issues to their teaching. They began to teach their people that there is only one God, that He is omniscient and omnipotent, but that the Bible is completely wrong on many issues. This addition to the Evangelical movements was never accepted by the rest of the Reformed because of its error that the Bible is absolutely infallible. With this addition to the Evangelical movements the concept of predestination was born. This pernicious idea denied that God has any influence on what happens after we are born, but rather believed that He only has an effect on our actions after we are born.
In later years Martin Luther would write another great book called Concordance of Faith. This included his idea of papalism, which was a separate church body from the Church of England. Because of his insistence on this extreme point of his doctrine Martin Luther gave way to a split between reformed and unbending Reformed Churches. The former became the United Presbyterian Church of Calvinism and the latter the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox church retained much of the Old Testament and added some of its own ideas and principles.
Martin Luther did change other people's lives though. For example John Luther created the concept of hell, which most people today consider to be terrible. Others have even claimed it to be a place where all the evil and sinful will be consigned to live out their entire lives. There is still a good deal of debate surrounding the idea of hell and whether or not it really does exist. Some Reformed Churches and Methodists claim that it is an un-necessary addition to the Bible. In general though the Reformed do not believe in any form of hell.
Theology of Martin Luther has been expounded over the centuries. It can be said that his basic ideas were developed out of his context in the European theological tradition. He certainly did not write from scratch, as we would today conceive of a great thinker sitting down and developing concepts from his environment. Much of what we today call “Lutheran doctrine” came directly from his background in the reformed churches. The basic theological concept that we have today is a product of the historic debates between the Lutherans and the early church fathers.
Luther taught that salvation is by grace through faith. Grace alone can be justified by God, though He does not require faith in order for us to be saved. He also taught that salvation is through theosis, which is a belief that theosis, is necessary for salvation.
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| Martin Luther – 5 Theses, Quotes & Reformation – Biography – martin luther theology | martin luther theology |
Over time the work on this tradition continued, but the work was largely ignored by the mainstream Reformed Churches. When they finally accepted his work they placed a great stress on works that were not based on his teachings. This caused a schism amongst the Evangelical and reformed churches. When the reformed tradition split off from the Roman Catholic Church the followers were divided into Orthodox, Lutheran, and Orthodox Presbyterian. This schism was not a rupture in the overall Reformed tradition.
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| The Theology of Martin Luther: A Critical Assessment : Barth, Hans – martin luther theology | martin luther theology |
In later years Martin Luther would write another great book called Concordance of Faith. This included his idea of papalism, which was a separate church body from the Church of England. Because of his insistence on this extreme point of his doctrine Martin Luther gave way to a split between reformed and unbending Reformed Churches. The former became the United Presbyterian Church of Calvinism and the latter the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox church retained much of the Old Testament and added some of its own ideas and principles.
Martin Luther did change other people's lives though. For example John Luther created the concept of hell, which most people today consider to be terrible. Others have even claimed it to be a place where all the evil and sinful will be consigned to live out their entire lives. There is still a good deal of debate surrounding the idea of hell and whether or not it really does exist. Some Reformed Churches and Methodists claim that it is an un-necessary addition to the Bible. In general though the Reformed do not believe in any form of hell.
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