Martin Luther Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Martin Luther - Essay Example In his early life, Martin Luther dedicated himself considerably to the monastic life. His journey to create the foundation for a religious movement within the Catholic Church and generally within Christendom started when he joined the Augustinian friary in Erfurt, Germany. He established a strong movement in Germany that would later be duplicated and repeated in other parts of Europe. This led to the start and growth of a backlash against the corruption that was rampant in the old church (Bishop 1). It should be noted that the Protestant Reformation was a protest for reform in the church; the movement led by Martin Luther strongly disputed the claim made by the then church leaders that freedom from punishment for sin by God could be bought with money. According to his interpretation and understanding of the bible, he believed that the leaders of the old church were misleading the congregation for their own selfish purposes. It is on the basis of this that Martin Luther sought to refo rm the church by providing teachings and interpretations that he deemed to be factual and right. He taught that salvation is received as a free gift of the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and not earned by good deeds as claimed by the leaders of the old church (Mullet 27). Martin Luther was dedicated to challenging the primacy of authority of the Roman Catholic Church at the time. He began challenging this authority by questioning the understanding of the origins of salvation, which he argued cannot be found in the hands of human beings or in membership within a religious institution (Mullet 20). He provided a new understanding of salvation which he said was grounded in faith in Jesus Christ and was only granted through the God’s grace. Also, he challenged the over indulgences by the church leaders which he argued would set the stage for religious or spiritual confrontation. His message resonated well with majority of the