We know that his views can summarised by: justification by faith alone in Christ alone. Of course, Luther did believe that the sinner is justified by faith in Christ alone without good works. (Nevertheless, faith in Christ, he said, is never without good works [Eph 2.8-10].)
Luther's battle with the Roman church was also evidenced in Rome's doctrines surrounding the virgin Mary, its dead 'saints', clergy, bishops and Pope who could be said to be intercede between the Roman church believer and Christ.
Hence, the Roman church was in a powerful, politico-faith position because to be under its curse -an anathema- was to be dammed to eternal torment. Few kings, emperors or any others of the time were prepared to oppose Rome knowing their eternal destiny was apparently at risk!!
The Priesthood of All Believers
The 'priesthood of all believers' is an important teaching of the 16th century Reformation in its three branches (Lutheran, Reformed, and Anabaptist).
Luther used this doctrine to savage the Roman Church's 'clericalism'. Imagine the situation in England before the English Reformation began to take hold in 1548. You would come to your parish church to hear Mass said but would understand nothing of the service because it was in Latin. Before Mass, you might have gone to Confession so that your sins could be absolved by your local priest because without a priest's absolution you were not forgiven.
Luther punctured the arrogance of the Roman Church 'priesthood' by declaring that all Christians without exception form a priesthood (1 Peter 2.5-9; Rev 1.6); that the division of the Church into 'priests' and 'laity' is without biblical warrant.
He says this in his famous attack on Roman Church's claim to be above 'temporal powers' because it is a 'spiritual power':
Luther used this doctrine to savage the Roman Church's 'clericalism'. Imagine the situation in England before the English Reformation began to take hold in 1548. You would come to your parish church to hear Mass said but would understand nothing of the service because it was in Latin. Before Mass, you might have gone to Confession so that your sins could be absolved by your local priest because without a priest's absolution you were not forgiven.
Luther punctured the arrogance of the Roman Church 'priesthood' by declaring that all Christians without exception form a priesthood (1 Peter 2.5-9; Rev 1.6); that the division of the Church into 'priests' and 'laity' is without biblical warrant.
He says this in his famous attack on Roman Church's claim to be above 'temporal powers' because it is a 'spiritual power':
We see, then, that just as those that we call spiritual, or priests, bishops, or popes, do not differ from other Christians in any other or higher degree but in that they are to be concerned with the word of God and the sacraments—that being their work and office—in the same way the temporal authorities hold the sword and the rod in their hands to punish the wicked and to protect the good. A cobbler, a smith, a peasant, every man, has the office and function of his calling, and yet all alike are consecrated priests and bishops, and every man should by his office or function be useful and beneficial to the rest, so that various kinds of work may all be united for the furtherance of body and soul, just as the members of the body all serve one another (Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Respecting the Reformation of the Christian Estate).
Although this sword has a sharp edge that Luther wielded so effectively against the corruption of the Medieval Church of his time, do we not see that it can also be used to attack much of the present church (Roman, Protestant and Eastern) because it has lost contact with Reformation view?
Truth to tell, Vatican II has taken more notice of Luther's views that have many of his Protestant descendants!!
The Fatal Spiritual/Secular Divide
Some Christian groups have endeavoured not to encourage a professional ministry in the congregation at all. However, Luther was not arguing for such a thing. Luther was keen to maintain distinctive offices in the congregation; but Luther looked at Christians everywhere, whether cobbler, smith, peasant and declared them all 'consecrated priests and bishops'!! That is, all these vocations are ways of fulfilling, if you like, the second commandment. They are avenues of serving humanity as 'priests'.Most Christian churches are stuck in the thinking that their clergy minister (serve!) in the spiritual realm while those, in the congregation, are destined to live out their days serving only in the secular realm. That is Medieval Roman church belief and practice summed.
That's not what the Reformation re-discovered through Luther and Calvin. But, it's clearly what the Church at large needs to discover again today.
Next Time: The implications of such a discovery
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