Martin Luther's key essay "Concerning Christian Liberty," written in 1520, summarizes the heart of the Protestant Reformation and lays out Luther's profound theological insights. Luther addresses the Christian's relationship with faith, freedom, and good acts in this brief treatise. Luther's key claim is at the heart of the book: real Christian freedom is the fruit of faith in Christ. He claims that faith justifies the believer and frees them from the shackles of sin and the law. Luther's argument is based on the concept that salvation is a gift from God, acquired alone via faith, and cannot be won through good works or human merit. Luther's work also highlights the "dual nature of the Christian" - that a believer is both a free ruler overall and a faithful servant to all. He encourages Christians to live out their religion by loving their neighbors rather than attempting to gain salvation by external acts of devotion. "Concerning Christian Liberty" is an in-depth examination of the relationship between faith, freedom, and good acts. Luther's views transformed Christian teaching by emphasizing the centrality of trust in Christ and the transformative power of grace.
Martin Luther was a German clergyman, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and Augustinian friar who lived from 10 November 1483 to 18 February 1546. He was a pivotal player in the Protestant Reformation, and his theological convictions served as the foundation for Lutheranism. In 1507, Luther became ordained as a member of the clergy. He began to criticize various Roman Catholic Church teachings and practices, particularly the perspective on indulgences. In his Ninety-five Theses of 1517, Luther urged an academic examination of the practice and efficacy of indulgences. His refusal to disavow all of his publications at the request of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 ended in his excommunication by the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor's sentencing as an outlaw. Luther died in 1546, with Pope Leo X still excommunicating him. Luther preached that redemption, and hence eternal life, are not won through good works, but are only gained as a free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ, the redeemer from sin.
