The information provided here was translated from CEPAD’s self-study theology booklet on the Protestant Reformation with the permission and approval of the authors. This is not a full translation of the material, but rather a brief overview. This booklet is provided to participants in CEPAD’s Pastoral Training Program. Many pastors do not have any formal theological training, and we aim to provide some education to help them understand and teach the Bible better.

In part one of the Reformation study, we learned about the historical and spiritual context of the time and were introduced to Martin Luther. In this section, we will take a look at Luther’s 95 theses, primarily investigating Luther’s idea of grace.

While Luther’s 95 theses were written to debate the practice of indulgences, it was also a criticism of the Church’s structure and practices. Luther’s understanding of grace was very different to that of the Church at the time. While Luther understood grace as an act or attitude of God, the Church viewed it as something material that the Lord needed to give so that man could be saved.

In these times, the steps to get forgiven after sinning was to confess the sin to a priest to receive absolution and instruction for repentance (praying the rosary, attending mass, going on a pilgrimage, etc.) to be found worthy of salvation by God. The Church was the mediator between man and God, and no one could receive God’s grace without going through the sacrament of penitence.

Luther, on the other hand, saw God as a merciful God. There is nothing that man can do to earn his salvation, it is a gift from God, who shows compassion on us. Because of this idea, Luther was negating the need for penitence. Luther wasn’t saying that people didn’t need to do good works, but rather that good works were a reflection of the individual’s faith and servant heart, not an act to win salvation.

Martin Luther’s “only grace” thesis goes on to explain that in God’s eyes, we are saved by His grace, but this doesn’t mean we are better than others. As humans, we are all on the same level, fallen sinners. This confused other believers in the Middle Ages. How could they be sure they were saved? Luther’s response was “by faith”.

Luther’s theses could be summed up as followed:

• Justification is only received from God by the grace of God.
• Man is always a sinner, but is seen as saved by God.
• Man understands and knows his salvation through faith, which is given by God and does not need mediation or action by the Church.

While there were and still are religious disagreements, both the Catholic and Protestant Church now agree that it is by faith we are saved and accepted by God, faith is a gift from God, and that only God can provide salvation, it cannot be earned through works.

While there has been more relationship building between the Catholic and Protestant Church, there were many critics in the Middle Ages. In part three, we’ll take a look at the Catholic Church’s response.