Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in the country of Germany, in the small town of Eisleben, close to modern-day Berlin. His parents, Hans and Margarethe Luther, were middle-class peasant labourers, who practiced the Roman Catholic Religion. His father, a miner, worked hard to ensure a proper education for his son, and by age 21, Martin Luther held a Master of Arts degree from the University of Erfurt. Following Hans’ dream for his son to become a lawyer, in 1505 Martin began to study law. But later that year, while traveling through a terrible thunderstorm, Martin had an experience that would change the course of his future. Fearing for his life when a lightning strike narrowly missed him, Martin cried out, making a vow to God. If he lived he promised to become a monk. And so he did! His parents were very disappointed when Luther entered the Augustinian Monastery at Erfurt in less than a month’s time.
Martin Luther’s religious life was tormented by fears of hell and God’s wrath. He felt a desperate need to gain the assurance of his own salvation by his own works. Even after his ordination in 1507 he was haunted with insecurity over his eternal fate. Around this point in time he also became disillusioned by the immorality and corruption he witnessed among the Catholic priests he had visited in Rome. In 1511 Luther moved to Wittenburg to earn his Doctorate of Theology.
As Martin Luther immersed himself deeply in the study of Scripture, especially the letters written by the Apostle Paul, God’s truth broke through. One day while he was climbing the stairs of St Peter’s cathedral on his knees, the truth suddenly came to him that he was “saved by grace through faith” alone (Ephesians 2:8). After he completed his studies and began teaching biblical theology at the University of Wittenburg, his new found enthusiasm began to spill over into his lectures. He also had many discussions with the other staff members. He spoke passionately about Christ’s role as the only mediator between God and man, and that by grace and not through works, are men justified and forgiven of sin. Salvation, Luther now felt with all assurance, was God’s free gift. It did not take long for his radical ideas to get noticed. Not only did these revelations of God’s truth change Luther’s life, they would forever change the direction of church history.
In 1514 Luther began to serve as a priest for Wittenburg’s Castle Church, and people flocked to hear God’s Word preached like they had never heard before. During this time Luther learned of the Catholic Church’s unbiblical practice of selling indulgences. Those who paid good money for these indulgence documents were promised total forgiveness from all sin, and for the sins of departed loved ones. Luther publicly objected to this dishonest practice and abuse of church power.
On October 31, 1517 Luther nailed his famous 95 Thesis to the University’s bulletin board—the Castle Church door — formally challenging the church leaders on the practice of selling indulgences and outlining the Biblical doctrine of justification by grace alone. This act of nailing his Thesis to the church door has become a turning point in Christian history, symbolic of the birth of the Protestant Reformation.
Luther’s criticisms of the church were seen as a threat to papal authority, and he was warned by the Cardinals of Rome to recant his position. Luther refused to change his stand unless someone could point him to scriptural evidence where he was teaching error.
In January of 1521, Luther was officially excommunicated by the Pope. Two months later, he was ordered to appear before Emperor Charles V in Worms, Germany for a general assembly of the Holy Roman Empire, a convention known as the “Diet of Worms”. On trial before the highest Roman officials of the Church and State, again Martin Luther was asked to renounce his views. And just as before, with no one able to prove to him from the Bible where he was teaching error, Luther stood his ground. As a result, Martin Luther was issued the Edict of Worms, banning his writings and declaring him a “convicted heretic.” Luther escaped in a planned “kidnapping” to Wartburg Castle where he was kept protected by friends for almost a year.
During his seclusion, Luther translated the New Testament into the German language, giving ordinary people the opportunity to read God’s Word for themselves. The Bible was distributed among the German people for the first time ever.
After he had completed the translation, under the threat of arrest and death, Luther courageously returned to Wittenburg’s Castle Church and began to preach and teach there and in the surrounding areas. His message was a bold one of salvation in Jesus by faith alone, and freedom from religious error and papal authority. Miraculously avoiding capture, Luther was able to organize Christian schools, write instructions for pastors and teachers, compose hymns (including the well-known “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”), put together numerous leaflets, and even publish a hymnbook during this time.
Shocking both friends and supporters, Luther was married on June 13, 1525 to Katherine von Bora, a nun who had abandoned the convent and had taken refuge in Wittenburg. Together they had three boys and three girls and led a happily married life in the Augustinian monastery.
As Luther aged, he suffered from many illnesses including arthritis, heart problems and digestive disorders. Yet he never quit lecturing at the University, writing against the abuses of the church, and fighting for religious reforms.
In 1534 he completed translation of the Old Testament in German. He also wrote many other religious books that were distributed all over Europe.
During an exhausting trip to his hometown of Eisleben, on a mission of reconciliation to settle an inheritance dispute between the princes of Mansfeld, Luther succumbed to death on February 18, 1546. Two of his sons and three close friends were at his side. His body was taken back to Wittenburg for his funeral and burial at Castle Church.
The work of Martin Luther impacted the Protestant Reformation more than any other. He was a man of faith, who boldly stood for God amidst great opposition. His life shows the impact of one faithful servant of God.
May God help each young person to have the boldness and courage of Martin Luther. Then the work of God will come to a speedy conclusion and we can go home to be with Jesus.