Martin Luther - Reaction Paper

Martin Luther
By Elise Stoner

Martin Luther was an ordinary man who drastically changed the church and the understanding of Christianity for the world. His life and teachings are still influencing both Christians and non-Christians alike.

Martin Luther was born in the year of 1483 into a German Catholic family. He grew up under strict Catholic rules and beliefs. At a young age he learned to fear God as an all-knowing judge who would punish him if he did not repent of every sin he committed. 

When Martin Luther was in his early 20s, he went to study at a law school. He was a good student, he enjoyed learning, and his parents were happy with his career choice (lawyers made a good amount of money). One July night in the year 1505 Martin was walking through the woods when he was caught in the middle of a dangerous thunderstorm. Martin believed that without a miracle he would be killed in the storm. He prayed to God, asking for protection and promising that if he survived the storm he would devote the rest of his life to God by becoming a monk.

Martin did survive the storm and he kept his promise by entering the monastery. His parents were not happy with his decision, but they allowed Martin to keep his promise.

Martin had been a good lawyer and now he was an even better monk. He followed all the rules, succeeded at all his tasks, and quickly rose in status until he became a priest.

But despite all his achievements Martin was upset. The more he learned and achieved, the more he realized that he could never measure up to God’s standards. He would never be perfect, and so he would die a sinner and go to hell. 

A friend of Martin noticed his depression and told him to take a break from the monastery and become a Bible teacher. At first Martin was not excited about teaching, but as he studied and taught from the Bible he began to better understand the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. He realized that when Jesus died for our sins that they were completely forgiven. He still knew that he would never be perfect but it was ok because Jesus had paid the price for his sins. Although the Catholic Church acknowledged this fact, Martin was confused why they did not focus on it. He realized that the Church had been using people's fear of God’s judgment to become wealthy and powerful. They told people that they had to pay the Church large sums of money to have their sins forgiven. Now Martin knew that the only one able to forgive sins was Jesus and he knew that he needed to tell everyone so that they could be free from guilt and from the oppression of the Church.

Martin started sharing his discoveries with his students and they quickly accepted them. They began to share his beliefs with their friends and even copied his lessons and spread them around the city. Word of Martin Luther spread fast until everyone knew his name. Martin began to give public speeches. He made strong accusations against the Church, calling out specific leaders for being power hungry and selfish. The people that Martin spoke to had become tired of the Church's taxes and were ready to agree with him. Martin soon had a large following. The Church leaders were scared that the citizens were going to revolt and so they told Martin that he had to renounce everything that he had said or written against the Church. Martin refused. Now he was in big trouble with the Church. His friends were scared for his safety, so they staged a kidnapping and took him to a remote castle. 

Martin stayed at his friend’s castle for some time writing undercover. During his absence the citizens became dangerous and aggressive toward the Church. Martin was afraid that war would break out and so he traveled back to the city in hopes of creating peace. The city welcomed Martin back as a hero. The Church leaders did not imprison Martin because they were afraid of the citizens' response. Martin soon realized that there were some Church leaders that agreed with him. With their help he was able to create rules, churches, and leaders that would spread his beliefs across the country and eventually the world. Because of the respect that the Catholic leaders lost they also started to lose power. They were no longer rulers.

Martin also began to translate the Bible from Latin into the common tongue so that the common people could also read it and understand. His copies spread fast and soon most families owned at least one Bible.

Martin met an escaped nun named Katharina who later married him. She was smart and persistent. She helped Martin with house and family work and did all his financing. Together they taught their children and grew their Christian fellowship. 

Martin Luther may seem like just a normal father and teacher but his life and teachings are an example of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us out of love. Because of Martin's dedication to God millions have been saved.