80 Questions
According to Luther, good works are the foundation of a Christian life.
False
Luther believed that pilgrimage was a means of justification.
False
For Luther, the gospel of Christ is the most holy word of God.
True
Luther believed that faith and works are equally necessary for Christian life.
False
The proclamation of the Word and the grasping of that Word by faith is the end of the Christian life for Luther.
False
Luther's understanding of the Christian life was shaped by high literacy rates in his era.
False
For Luther, the Christian life is primarily an individual concern.
False
Martin Luther's open letter to Leo X was not a genuine attempt to reconcile with the pope.
False
Luther believed that the Word of God is only accessible to those who can read.
False
Luther's 95 Theses were nailed to the Castle Church in 1520.
False
Luther's open letter to Leo X was written in 1517.
False
Luther's attacks on the papacy were also attacks on the person of the pope.
False
The language of liberty is a central theme in Luther's treatise.
True
Luther's open letter to Leo X was his first attempt to reform the Christian faith.
False
Luther's primary goal was to overthrow the papacy.
False
Luther's reforms were limited to Germany.
False
The Elector established a visitation to every parish to check the people's attendance to the gospel.
False
Luther's large catechism is a set of sermons catechetically arranged to provide ignorant ministers with something to read to their congregation.
True
Luther's small catechism only explains the basics of the Christian faith and does not expound the Ten Commandments.
False
The third use of the law started to come into Lutheranism from the early 1520s.
False
Luther believed that the law was not vital for Christian life.
False
Luther's theology suggests that sin doesn't really matter because Jesus has done it all for you.
False
Luther wrote the 95 Theses in 1527.
False
Luther's catechisms were meant to provide a simple law-gospel dialectic.
False
Martin Luther's three great treaties of 1520 only include the Babylonian Captivity of the Church and the Freedom of the Christian Man.
False
Martin Luther's eschatological expectation of Jesus' return remained unchanged throughout the Reformation.
False
The three great treaties of 1520 provide a comprehensive manifesto for Luther's vision of the Reformation.
True
Luther's thinking on justification and ethics remained largely unchanged throughout his life.
True
The three great treaties of 1520 are available for free online.
True
Ethics is a peripheral concern in Christian theology.
False
The Appeal to the German Nobility was written after Luther's death.
False
Luther's works are only available in expensive compendia.
False
Martin Luther wrote treaties to create a new theological system, detached from the lives of ordinary people.
False
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 is a perfect analogy for the reformation.
False
Luther's main goal was to quickly replace all Catholic priests with new Lutheran pastors.
False
Luther's treaties were written primarily for the masses, to inspire them to action.
False
The reformation was a swift and total transformation of the Catholic Church.
False
Luther's focus was on the individual, and their personal relationship with God.
True
The Reformation was primarily a German phenomenon, with little impact on the rest of Europe.
False
Luther's 95 Theses were a call to reform the Catholic Church from within.
True
Calvin believed that the civil magistrate should interfere in the discipline of the church.
False
The Reformers were principled and spotless figures of legend.
False
Luther called for a partial overhaul of the Christian faith.
False
The Reformers were inflexible and unwilling to compromise their ideals.
False
The Christian life, according to Luther, is primarily an individual concern.
False
Luther believed that faith and works are equally necessary for Christian life.
False
The Reformers were unwilling to break their own rules to achieve their goals.
False
John Knox was one of the Reformers who tended to be inflexible and unwilling to compromise.
True
According to Luther, faith is what comes between Christ's grace and the soul's sin.
True
Luther believed that Christ only takes the good qualities of the soul, not the bad ones.
False
Luther's analogy of Christ as a bridegroom is based on the concept of forensic justification.
False
Luther's understanding of justification by faith is similar to modern evangelical individualism.
False
In Luther's analogy, the soul is full of grace, life, and salvation.
False
Luther's concept of justification by faith is not clearly presented in his early writings.
False
Luther believed that the Christian life is primarily about individual faith and works.
False
Luther's thinking is more focused on individual spiritual growth than on church reform.
False
For Luther, preaching is simply explaining the Bible
False
Faith is the only means of grasping Christ's salvation
True
Luther believed that the soul is full of grace, life, and salvation
False
Luther's understanding of the Christian life was shaped by the idea of the bride and bridegroom
True
The Freedom of the Christian manual is a comprehensive guide to Luther's theology
False
Luther believed that preaching is primarily about feeding the soul and making it righteous
True
For Luther, the gospel of Christ is only accessible to those who can read
False
Luther's theology emphasizes the importance of the preached word in the Christian life
True
For Luther, the power of Christians is physical and violent.
False
The rule of the Christian is synonymous with worldly authority.
False
Luther believed that death is the ultimate enemy of the Christian.
False
Luther's theology emphasizes the importance of faith and works equally.
False
The freedom of the Christian man is the ability to do good works.
False
Luther believed that Christians are only priests, but not kings.
False
Luther's theology is centered on the idea that salvation is achieved through human effort.
False
Luther believed that the Christian life is primarily a life of oppression and suffering.
False
Martin Luther believed that the foundation of medieval Catholic ethics was based on a sense of certainty.
False
Luther's theology suggests that the Christian's works are to be done out of love for their neighbor.
True
Luther believed that people will naturally draw an imperative out of the indicative of Christ.
False
The 95 Theses were a call to reform the Catholic Church from outside.
False
Luther's understanding of Christian ethics was shaped by the idea that the gospel of Christ is the most holy word of God.
False
Luther's primary goal was to overthrow the papacy and establish a new theological system.
False
The Christian life, according to Luther, is primarily a collective concern.
False
Luther believed that the proclamation of the Word and the grasping of that Word by faith is the end of the Christian life.
False
Study Notes
Luther's Letter to Pope Leo X
- In 1520, Luther wrote an open letter to Pope Leo X, which is often seen as his last attempt to win the Pope over to his side.
- Despite its polite tone, Luther made a distinction between the person of the Pope and the authority of the papacy.
The Freedom of a Christian Man
- Luther's treatise "The Freedom of a Christian Man" is a key work that showcases his emphasis on the language of liberty.
- Although Luther's approach may seem disingenuous, he was genuinely trying to make a last-ditch effort to bring the opposing sides together.
Luther's Understanding of the Christian Life
- For Luther, the foundation of the Christian life is the Word of God, the Word of God preached.
- Faith alone is the saving and efficacious use of the Word of God, which is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom.
- Luther believed that the Christian life begins with the proclamation of the Word and the grasping of that Word by faith.
The Importance of the Word of God
- In Luther's era, most Christians could not read and access to the Word of God was limited to hearing it in church.
- Luther recognized the importance of the Word of God being preached and read in church, which is why he emphasized the role of the preacher.
Criticism of Luther
- Luther has been criticized for being radically individualistic in his understanding of Christianity, but this criticism overlooks the corporate context of the Christian life.
- Luther's emphasis on the Word of God and faith alone is not a rejection of the community, but rather an emphasis on the primary source of Christian life.
Luther's Treatises of 1520
- "The Babylonian Captivity of the Church", "The Freedom of a Christian Man", and "The Appeal to the German Nobility" are three treatises that represent a comprehensive manifesto for Luther's vision of the Reformation.
- These treatises provide a solid introduction to Luther's thinking on the sacraments, justification, ethics, and church-state issues.
The Impact of the Reformation
- The Reformation was not a sudden, wholesale transformation, but rather a gradual process that required the education and training of new pastors and the transformation of existing Catholic priests.
- Luther's writings were not intended for a mass audience, but rather for the priests and priests-to-be who needed to understand the new theology and implement it in their parishes.
Faith and Salvation
- Faith allows us to grasp Christ, and his cleanness flows into us, while our dirtiness flows into him and is dealt with.
- Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation, while the soul is full of sins, death, and damnation.
- When faith comes between them, sins, death, and damnation become Christ's, and grace, life, and salvation become the soul's.
Luther's Theology
- Luther's writing emphasizes the need for a total overhaul of the Christian faith and its ethics.
- He believes that Christians, united to Christ, are not only priests but also kings, and therefore rule as Christ rules.
- The rule of the Christian is cross-shaped, and Luther says that the power of Christians is spiritual, ruling in the midst of enemies and oppression.
The Power of Faith
- Luther quotes that "power is made perfect in weakness" and that in all things, one can find profit towards salvation, even the cross and death.
- The cross and death are compelled to serve and work together for salvation, making faith a truly omnipotent power.
- Faith alone survives for salvation, and nothing except faith is needed to exercise the power and dominion of its own liberty.
The Freedom of the Christian
- The freedom of the Christian is that nothing can prevent their salvation, and everything will be made to subserve their salvation, even death.
- Death for the Christian is the gateway to paradise.
- Luther thinks corporately, not individually, and sees Christians as part of the church, not isolated individuals.
Justification by Faith
- Luther's thinking emerges more clearly, playing off Paul's analogy of human marriage to the marriage between Christ and the Church.
- Justification by faith is not just a forensic concept, but it's also about the union with Christ and the exchange of our sins for his righteousness.
Lutheran Ethics
- Lutheran ethics find complications in the tension between affirming that Christians do works out of their identity in Christ and avoiding legalism.
- Luther emphasizes that Christian ethics should be shaped by love, rather than law or obligation.
- However, this approach assumes that people will draw an imperative out of the indicative of Christ and know how to shape that imperative in real life.
A quiz on Martin Luther's letter to Pope Leo X and his reformation campaign, exploring the significance of 'The Freedom of a Christian Man' in the context of the Protestant Reformation.
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