95: The Ideas That Birthed the Reformation by Martin Luther, 1517

Small substitutions have been made to aid in continuity, style, and readability, but for the most part, what you will find on these pages is the original text from the indicated translations.
95: The Ideas That Birthed the Reformation, 6

Dr. Martin Luther delivered his "95 Theses" to the Catholic Church on October 31, 1517, containing essential that the Bible be the ultimate authority and salvation by faith alone and not by human works. The theses are referenced with Scripture. The Protestant Reformation has its beginning. The Bible to be translated and available to people to read in their own language.

44. Because, by a work of charity, charity increases, and the man becomes better; while, by means of pardons, he does not become better, but only freer from punishment.
   There are three sorts of people: the first, the common sort, who live secure without remorse of conscience, acknowledging not their corrupt manners and natures, insensible of God's wrath, against their sins, and careless thereof. The second, those who through the law are scared, feel God's anger, and strive and wrestle with despair. The third, those that acknowledge their sins and God's merited wrath, feel themselves conceived and born in sin, and therefore deserving of perdition, but, notwithstanding, attentively hearken to the gospel, and believe that God, out of grace, for the sake of Jesus Christ, forgives sins, and so are justified before God, and afterward show the fruits of their faith by all manner of good works.
From Table Talk.
Ibid., 94

Five hundred years ago. Well worth reading.



***Thank you to Celebrate Lit for the invitation to join this book tour and to Whitaker House Publishing for sending a print copy. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

Whitaker House, © 2017 ~ Includes bibliographical references.
All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Publisher's Note: This new edition from Whitaker House has been slightly updated for the modern reader. Some words, expressions, and sentence structure have been revised for clarity and readability.

Source Material
Excerpts taken from the following works by Martin Luther:
Martin Luther, First Principles of the Reformation or the Ninety-Five Theses and the Three Primary Works of Dr. Martin Luther (London: John Murray, 1883.)

About the Book

Author: Martin Luther  
Genre: Non-Fiction, Historical Theology 
Release Date: August 8, 2017

In 1517, an unknown Augustinian monk, informed by his growing belief that salvation is by faith alone, published and distributed a stark criticism of papal abuses in the Catholic Church. In doing so, Martin Luther lit the spark for what would become the Protestant Reformation. What became known as the “95 Theses” was a series of statements expressing concern with corruption within the church, primarily the selling of “indulgences” to the people as a means of releasing them from acts of penitence. For the five hundredth anniversary of Luther’s revolutionary writing, this volume combines each thesis with an excerpt from one of his later works to provide a convenient way to understand the ideas and concepts that became the seeds of the Protestant Reformation.

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About the Author

Martin Luther (1483–1546) was a German monk, priest, professor of theology, and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the sale of indulgences, the church’s practice of selling pieces of paper that guaranteed freedom from God’s punishment for sin. In 1517, Luther directly confronted this and other papal abuses by publishing his “95 Theses.” In 1534, Luther published a complete translation of the Bible into German.

Guest Post from Whitaker House Publishing

In 1517, a thriving new industry was sweeping northern Germany. Begun a few centuries earlier, its reappearance in the 16th century was perhaps the cleverest abuse of church power to date. Church officials strapped for cash decided to offer remission from the punishment for sins, or “indulgence,” to German believers in return for a commensurate amount of money. The slick church salesmanship of indulgences incensed one young priest, who believed that faithful Christians were being manipulated and the Word of God misinterpreted. He wrote a pamphlet comprised of 95 claims that he hoped would inspire scholarly debate. Titled Disputation of Dr. Martin Luther Concerning Penitence and Indulgences, it went down in history as “The 95 Theses.”

Most historians believe that Martin Luther did not intend to spark a public debate. It was written in Latin, the language of scholars, and pinned to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church which served as a “bulletin board” of sorts, where Luther knew fellow theologians would see it and perhaps engage in a discussion on the topic.

Luther’s pamphlet, how­ever, was not another piece of paper flapping in the wind. Someone translated into German, and distributed it to the public with the help of a recent invention—the printing press. Luther tried to retrieve his work, but the damage was done. Within weeks, the debate that began in Wittenberg spread throughout Germany, and within months, all of Europe.

Five hundred years later, Whitaker House presents each of Luther’s 95 Theses paired with an excerpt from his many writings. Not every excerpt directly relates to the accompany­ing thesis, but we endeavored to select passages in which Luther was expounding on the same subject. Where further explanation was thought necessary to contextualize his words, a footnote is included. We hope you find 95: The Ideas That Changed the World an accessible and fascinating look into the ideas of this groundbreaking priest who stood up for God’s Word, the grace of the gospel—and made history.

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Giveaway:

To celebrate the tour, Whitaker House is giving away

Grand Prize: 95: The Ideas That Birthed the Reformation by Martin Luther, KJVER Sword Study Bible/Personal Size Large Print-Burgundy Genuine Leather ($60 value), Whitaker House/Anchor Coloring Book.

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