Martin Luther - Accomplishments and Contributions

MARTIN LUTHER |
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND
CONTRIBUTIONS
Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) was a German professor of theology,
monk and hymnodist whose actions and teachings led to the Protestant
Reformation, the movement that caused a split in Christianity between Roman
Catholicism and Protestantism. Due to this he is widely regarded as one of the
most influential figures in the history of Christianity. Luther rose against the corrupt
practices of the Roman Catholic Church like indulgences, in which the
clergy forgave people’s sins in exchange for money. Moreover, Luther preached
a doctrine of justification “by grace alone through faith alone on the basis of
Scripture alone”. This was in contrast with the preaching of the Roman Catholic
Church, which advocated good deeds as necessary for salvation; and defined
authority coming from both the Scriptures and Tradition. Know more about the
contributions of Martin Luther through his 10 major accomplishments.
#1 HE PROTESTED SUCCESSFULLY AGAINST THE CORRUPT PRACTICE OF

INDULGENCES
In Roman Catholicism, an indulgence is “a way to reduce the amount of

punishment one has to undergo for sins”. By the late Middle Ages, indulgences
were being widely abused with the clergy using it as a tool through which they
forgave people’s sins in exchange for money. It was in protest of this immoral and
corrupt practice that Martin Luther began the Reformation Movement. Luther’s
protest against indulgences gained widespread following. Though the practice
continued during his lifetime, in 1562, more than a decade after his death, the
Catholic Church limited the use of indulgences at the Council of Trent. A few years
later, in 1567, Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any fees or
other financial transactions.
#2 HE WROTE THE HUGELY INFLUENTIAL NINETY-FIVE THESES
In 1516, Albrecht von Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz, who was deeply in debt,

got permission from Pope Leo X to conduct the sale of a special plenary
indulgence, which would grant remission of the temporal punishment of sin. In
response to this, on 31st October 1517, Martin Luther wrote a letter to Albert of
Brandenburg in which he enclosed a copy of his “Disputation of Martin Luther on
the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences”, which later became famous as the Ninety-
five Theses. This is considered as the start of the Protestant
Reformation with October 31 being commemorated annually as Reformation Day.
The Ninety-five Theses; which were a scholarly objection to the ill practices of the
church; were quickly reprinted, translated and distributed throughout Germany
and Europe. They became the foundation of the Protestant Reformation. The first
two thesis contained Martin’s central idea that God intended believers to seek
repentance; and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation. The
remaining 93 theses either supported this central idea or objected to indulgences.
#3 MARTIN LUTHER STOOD FIRM ON HIS STANCE AT THE DIET OF

WORMS
On June 15, 1520, Pope Leo X issued a public decree that warned Martin Luther
that he risked excommunication unless he recanted 41 sentences drawn from his
writings within 60 days. Luther, instead publicly set fire to the decree on December
10. Luther was thus excommunicated by the Pope on January 3, 1521. Then,
on April 18, he appeared at a meeting of the Diet (assembly) of the Holy Roman
Empire held at Worms, Germany. At the Diet of Worms, Luther was again asked to
recant his writings. He, however, stressed that he would only be swayed by
reason or if it was written otherwise in the holy scriptures. He concluded his
testimony with the defiant statement: “Here I stand. God help me. I can do no
other.” As a consequence of this, Luther was condemned as an outlaw by Holy
Roman Emperor Charles V. Luther, in fact, had to go into hiding. It is to be noted
that it must have taken extraordinary courage for him to be firm on his
stance despite intense pressure.
#4 HE PUT FORWARD MANY IDEAS WHICH WERE HIGHLY RADICAL FOR

THE TIME
What Martin Luther did and taught was extremely radical for its time. Among
other things, he challenged the authority and office of the Pope by stating that
the Bible was the only source of divinely revealed knowledge. Moreover, at the time
of Luther, it was believed that priests are meant to be mediators between God
and humankind. Luther, instead considered all baptized Christians to be holy
priesthood and he explicitly mentioned this in his writings. Also, it was
propagated then that the clergy were pursuing a higher vocation then others, like
farmers or even the king, as they were dedicated to the service of God. Luther, on
the other hand, stressed on the ability of all Christians to function as equals under
God no matter the nature of their work. This was a radically democratic notion at
the time. In the words of famed Luther scholar Paul Althaus: “Luther brought
down the community of saints out of heaven and down to earth.”
#5 LUTHER BIBLE WAS WIDELY READ SPREADING ITS TEACHING TO THE

COMMON PEOPLE
Luther published the German translation of the New Testament in 1522; and

the complete Bible, with the Old and the New Testament, in 1534. The complete
translation of the Bible from original Hebrew and Greek texts was accomplished
with the help of several other people. The Luther Bible, as it came to be known,
was written in a version of German spoken in Saxony, which could be deciphered
by both northern and southern Germans. Moreover, the recently invented printing
press, allowed it to spread quickly. Luther aimed that the translation was as close
as possible to the contemporary language of the people as he wanted the common
man to easily understand the text. Though the Luther Bible was not the first
German translation of the Bible, it was far superior to all its predecessors. Luther’s
translation of the New Testament has been called as “the most important and
useful work of his whole life” as it brought the teachings and example of Christ
into the hearts of the common German people. People who could even read a
little German studied it “with the greatest avidity as the fountain of all truth”.
#8 HE MADE HYMNS AN INTEGRAL PART OF LUTHERANISM
Martin Luther ensured that the hymns he composed were sung at home, at
school festivities, and at religious and civic events. Even today, Protestant
churches derive inspiration from Luther’s hymns. Most Lutheran churches have
choirs, handbell choirs and children’s choirs. Luther thus gave Protestantism a
rich tradition of music. The most famous hymns of Luther include “Ein feste Burg
ist unser Gott“ (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God“), which has been called the “Battle
Hymn of the Reformation” and is one of the best known Protestant hymns;
and “Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ” (“Praise be to You, Jesus Christ”), which
remains the prominent hymn for Christmas Day in German speaking
Lutheranism and has also been widely translated.

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MARTIN LUTHER |

#1 HE PROTESTED SUCCESSFULLY AGAINST THE CORRUPT PRACTICE OF

In Roman Catholicism, an indulgence is “a way to reduce the amount of

#2 HE WROTE THE HUGELY INFLUENTIAL NINETY-FIVE THESES

In 1516, Albrecht von Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz, who was deeply in debt,

#3 MARTIN LUTHER STOOD FIRM ON HIS STANCE AT THE DIET OF

#4 HE PUT FORWARD MANY IDEAS WHICH WERE HIGHLY RADICAL FOR

#5 LUTHER BIBLE WAS WIDELY READ SPREADING ITS TEACHING TO THE

Luther published the German translation of the New Testament in 1522; and

#8 HE MADE HYMNS AN INTEGRAL PART OF LUTHERANISM

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