MARTIN LUTHER
Martin Luther (1483–1546) is best known as the father of the Protestant Reformation. Born into a peasant family in Eisleben, Germany, Luther sought to better himself by becoming a scholar. At the age of twenty he entered a monastery and soon afterward he was ordained as a priest. In 1517 he composed his famous Ninety-five Theses and nailed them on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, registering his complaints with the Roman Catholic Church and providing the impetus for the Protestant Reformation.
Luther was not only a revolutionary theologian but also a man of deep respect for religion. His Protestant views were condemned as heretical and he was summoned to denounce them at the Diet of Worms on April 17, 1521. Facing the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, Luther boldly stood by his writings. “Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” What follows are two excerpts from his writings, the first from Treatise on Good Works and the second from Table Talk. Faith is often the cornerstone of conviction.
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Prayer is, therefore, a special exercise of faith, and faith makes the prayer so acceptable that either it will surely be granted, or something better than we ask will be given in its stead. So also says St. James: “Let him who asketh of God not waver in faith; for if he wavers, let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” This is a clear statement, which says directly: he who does not trust, receives nothing, neither that which he asks, nor anything better.