Martin Luther, On The Freedom of a Christian (1520)

Martin Luther, On The Freedom of a Christian (1520)

There has been substantial debate over the past 500 years over whether Martin Luther’s doctrine – and the Protestant Reformation as a whole – should be seen as a move towards a more egalitarian society. Should we see Luther’s Reformation as a movement towards the valuing of the individual and away from the social inequalities that were so very evident in the Renaissance era? For these questions, I have selected two of Luther’s publications: The Freedom of a Christian and The Admonition to Peace. The two items selected here to represent social inequality in the Reformation era give us two windows through which to view this question. Luther’s 1520 publication The Freedom of a Christian is often seen as one of his clearest early statements in the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, but it is also a reflection of the consistent priority that Luther put on service to one’s neighbor. Thus, in the first place, the document claims that “the soul needs only the Word of God for its life and righteousness, so it is justified by faith alone and not any works.” This is an exceptionally clear articulation of Luther’s belief that only through faith in the gospel can the Christian gain heaven in the afterlife. At the same time, The Freedom of a Christian also states that as long as a person “lives in the flesh” that person is “compelled to do many good works.” A good Christian knows that their hearts and souls must make a leap of faith in the trinity (God, Christ the son of God, and the Holy Spirit), but their physical selves on earth must work to serve their neighbors as well. (A similar interpretation of The Freedom of a Christian is in Wiesner-Hanks, 171). This text supports a view of Luther’s theology as empowering of the individual: any individual is capable of “justification” in the Lord. At the same time, the text shows that all good Christians will seek to make the physical world around them a better place, and so individuals are obliged to help those who are in need. We can see the ways in which such views could be (and were) used to underpin new systems of poor relief.

Martin Luther

"About the liberty of Christian man" by Martin Luther. Printed by Jörg Nadler, Nuremberg, 1520 (Austrian National Library, Sign. *35.R.181)

1520 - Early Lutheran Reformation

Susannah Ottaway

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