Martin Luther 95 Thesis Summary

Martin Luther was a German monk and university professor who felt church reforms were necessary in the Roman Catholic Church. He was strongly opposed to the Roman Catholic doctrine and created the Ninety-Five Thesis to present what he believed to be wrong within the church. He wanted to reveal that many practices in the church were not supported biblically. In reviewing the thesis several common themes can be identified.

The first theme I noticed is that any one true act of Christians kindness is greater than any man’s letter of pardon. Martin Luther was very upset with lots of things the Catholic Church was doing, but the one thing that angered him most was the selling of pardons. Throughout his paper he mentions the selling of pardons numerous times. Martin Luther said:

“Those who believe that, through letters of pardon, they are made sure of their own salvation, will be eternally damned along with their teachers”and “True contrition seeks and loves punishment; while the ampleness of pardons relaxes it, and causes men to hate it, or at least gives occasion for them to do so.”

Another theme within the Ninety-Five Thesis I noticed was that Martin believed an individual had their own right to interpret the bible for themselves. The Catholic church would often lie and tell others the bible said one thing when in fact it said something completely different. The true words of the Bible were revealed with the invention of the printing press. Therefore, an individual could read and interpret the Bible for himself. Martin Luther’s additional work of translating the Bible from Latin to German helped to spread biblical truths.

A final theme identified was the magnificent courage of Martin Luther. This man challenged the most powerful religious leaders of his time. He lived a life that was focused toward finding the truth and his actions started the Protestant Reformation. His life demonstrated to others the importance of strong faith. .

In conclusion, Martin Luther’s thesis paper was a major influence on history. In our churches and in society today you can still see the impact of his work Actually the Catholic and Protestant churches of today provide a source of strength for church members and freedom to interpret the Bible. Both religious groups benefited from his struggle and years of dedicated work.