On Martin Luther\'s Address to the Christian Nobility PDF

Preview

Summary

Summary of Martin Luther's Address to the Christian Nobility for Dr. Talbert's Class. Earned an A....

Description

3058646 On Martin Luther’s Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Martin Luther, a German reformer of the sixteenth century, wrote his Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation in order to expose the corruption of the papacy under the leadership of Pope Leo X. Luther’s address contains three walls of the Romanists that he takes issue with and a series of matters that should be discussed in a council. He begins his letter with a warm greeting and addresses his humble position as a “poor man”. (519) Luther then goes on to explain why he is writing, to tackle the vast oppression of Christian estates throughout Europe. He believes the corrupt papacy needs to be addressed under the vitality of a young ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V, who has inspired hope in many of his subjects. Before discussing the walls of the Romanists, Luther prefaces them with a plea for those reading to fear the Lord, and to trust in His understanding above their own. The walls of the Romanists are regulations they have created that prevent their authority from being questioned whilst the Church is falling apart. The first wall is that the temporal realm, the secular power, has no authority over spiritual powers, which consist of priests, monks, and bishops. Luther believes that this is inherently wrong, as the Bible specifies that the Church is to be the body of Christ, thus be unified in nature and dedicated to furthering the kingdom of Christ. In this ideal system, every man’s work should benefit the community as a whole. However, the Catholic Church has become two dueling forces and the spiritual leaders do not allow for the questioning of their ideas. Luther says that if members of the temporal realm were truly inferior to spiritual leaders, skilled workers like cobblers and tailors should not be allowed to service them. Luther also references a quote from the book of 1 Peter, which calls all

Christians a part of the royal priesthood. He then asks what makes one Christian have more power than another, just because one is elected to rule. Luther believes that the Church should return to a system of choosing popes and bishops out of the community as opposed to the pomp and prestige that is now required in order to become part of the Church leadership. Additionally, Luther explains that even if a priest is deposed for a series of abuses, he cannot return to life as a layman and is still considered a priest. Luther takes issue with this and believes that a pope removed from his position should be an average citizen. Lastly, Luther truly condemns the papacy for this, calling their works devilish and accusing them of leading the general population astray from the Lord while making themselves immune to the teachings of Scripture. The second wall of the Romanists is the belief that no one may interpret the Scriptures except for the Pope, which has no basis in the Bible. Luther attacks this idea, writing that “they alone pretend to be masters of the Scriptures; although they learn nothing of them all their life.” (525) These spiritual leaders believed that a pope simply could not err, or be mistaken. If a pope was incorrect, he would then be creating a system of unknowingly misinformed and wicked followers. Luther believes that this is unfair to the Christians who are being misled and gaining no true understanding of the Lord. He asks why the Church should ignore the opinions of honest, pious, Christians with true faith in the favor of a pope who lacks understanding, supporting this point with several quotes from the book of 1 Corinthians, which say that all Christians are to be of the same spirit and faith. The third, and final, wall of the Romanists is that no one other than the Pope is permitted to call a council. This is particularly a problem when the papacy is corrupt and

needs to be questioned. Luther supports this argument with an example from the book of Matthew, which says that if a brother or sister in Christ is found sinning, to confront them privately, but if they do not respond, take a few people, and as a last resort, go to the entire Church. Then, if the brother or sister does not respond, they are to be treated as an outcast, like one would treat a tax collector. According to the book of Matthew, all Christians are commanded to hold one another accountable for their actions. Luther finds it absurd that the Bible provides a framework for how to call into question someone’s transgressions, but no temporal power has the authority to call a council. He also mentions that of all the councils that the Pope has previously called, none of them have produced effective results. Since the Pope has abused his power to prevent himself from being punished, Luther says that he must not be respected and refers to the Pope’s power as usurped. He even goes as far as to compare the papacy’s abuse of power to fellowship with the antichrist, saying “they have nothing of Christ but the name.” (530) If a council were to be called outside of the spiritual leadership, Luther provides a list of topics that should be discussed at such a council. First, Luther revists the importance of fearing God more than man. He then addresses the Pope’s arrogance and affinity for worldly pomp, saying the even Christ Jesus “made Himself of no reputation and took upon Himself in the form of a servant”, which comes from the book of Philippians. (531) Going along with the Pope’s love of luxury is the abuse of payments from Italy in Germany. He writes that while the papacy has sucked Italy dry, the cardinals live like wealthy monarchs, insisting that this stolen property be returned to the people....