Main A Unique Vessel A Strong Stand A Reformer and Shepherd

III. Reaction Against the Papacy and Tradition

A. The Papacy and the Church in the Beginning

Martin Luther began to react against the papacy and against tradition. He saw that the papacy was not a part of the Church in the beginning. He went on to say that the papacy was not of the essence of the Church. The true essence or nature of the Church did not include the papacy. Gradually Luther was even so bold as to think, and later to declare, that perhaps the Roman Curia (i.e., the whole administrative structure under the authority of the pope) was dominated by Antichrist. He even suggested that the pope – an ordinary human being – was possibly Antichrist himself.

Concerning the church councils, he felt that these were not composed of infallible men. They were subject to human mistakes and could make erroneous declarations.

B. The Church

He denied that the Church has the right to excommunicate on the grounds which it had stated in the past. Luther also began to redefine what the Church is. He saw that the Church is not the structure dominated by Rome but simply the congregation of the faithful. Wherever there are the Lord’s faithful followers, there is the Church.

C. Items of the Faith

Martin Luther became quite clear regarding the principle of justification by faith. For this point especially we have to praise the Lord for raising up Luther. As Luther saw it, first man’s sins are forgiven. Then man is justified before God.

Luther wrote that prior to belief the conscience is stirred through the preaching of the Word. The more the Word is preached, the more man’s conscience is aroused, thus opening the door to faith. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

He also saw that God is fully and actually present in the Holy Spirit. When one touches the Holy Spirit he touches God Himself; when one receives the Holy Spirit he receives God Himself.

Luther said that God is known and manifested in Christ. Christ is God manifest. We cannot know God through human reasoning or natural understanding. God has to be revealed to us in Christ.

A common belief among the theologians of Luther’s day was that the human and the divine natures coexisted, i.e., existed side by side, in Christ’s incarnation. Luther was not satisfied with this explanation. He saw the relation as being a much more intimate identification or closeness of the divine and human natures.