“An Evaluation of Martin Luther Understanding of

Inspiration”

A Term Paper

Presented in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement for

Revelation and Inspiration

By
Placiente, Patrick V.
October, 2019
 I. Introduction

Revelation and Inspiration of the bible is the most

crucial and hotly debated even in time of Martin Luther. O

lot of people still does not believe that the bible is truly

God’s word. However, there are also certain scholars and

theologians such as Luther and Calvin believe that the bible

is the primary and the only source of authority.1 Others

evangelical as well considers the bible as the mere books

having no difference with others such as science and

mathematics textbook.2 John T Robinson argues that the bible

really can be trusted and it even exist for long time ago

the fact that it didn’t discuss the destroying of the temple

of Jerusalem.3 However, how the bible is written by the

prophets and the disciples is still seems unclear to some of

its followers. In this paper the researcher will try to give

ans. How Martin Luther view the bible and how its affects to

our daily living in life

II. Who is Martin Luther

1
F. F. Bruce. Origin of the Bible,
2

Ibid.,
3

Ibid.,
His early Life

Martin Luther is a great figure during 15th

century or in the early reformation. But he was born to a

poor family on November 10 1483.4 His father name is Hans

and his mother name are Margarethe Luder.5 Because of

poverty his family migrated to a place of some distance from

their homeland. Their source of income is through mining.6

Luther start to go to school between 1483-1546 at the

Ratschule in Mansfield under the influence of the brethren

of common life.

He completed his high school at the Georgenschule in

Eisenach.7 According to Edwin Booth his name is “Martinus

Ludher ex Mansfield.”8 In the year 1501 martin Luther was

confined in the school of arts in Erfurt one of the finest

schools in Germany during his time. In the year 1505 Martin

Mark Edwards and George Tavard, Luther, A Reformer for

4

the Churches (Fortress Press, 2005), 12.

Felixian F. Filicitas. Martin Luther: his Life and

5

Legacy. Health and Home, September 2017, 41.

Earle E. Cairns. Christianity Through the Centuries

6

(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 281.

Elwell A. Walter, 2nd Ed., Evangelical Dictionary of

7

Theology (EDT) (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2001), s. v.

“Martin Luther.”

Edwin P. Booth. Martin Luther the Great Reformer

8

(Uhrichville, OH: Barbour & Company, 1995), 24.

Luther earn his Master’s degree his father was very proud of

him as a result he gave Martin Luther the most expensive

gift the “Corpus Juris.” But Martin was not so happy in the

law school he was there because he wants his father

happiness.9

The same year Martin went home for some reason because

there were plague in Erfurt but, on the way home, Martin

meet a turning point in his life. He was nearly struck by

lightning that made him to make a vow to saint Ann that if

he’s spared his life, and he will become a monk.10 July 17

1505 Martin Luther was now admitted to the monastery. He

chooses the Augustinian order in the Saxon province headed

by John Von Staupitz.11 In 1507 he was ordained as a priest

a handle his first mass and the following year he was called

to teach theology in the school of Erfurt his alma mater

headed by Prince Frederick the elector of Saxony.12

Year 1510-1511 Luther had a chance to visit Rome as a

pilgrimage as to a Muslim. In his visit he was shock as to

what he had witness in the system and behavioral aspect of

9
Ibid., 26.
10
Felixian F. Felicitas, 41.
11

Edwin P. Booth. Martin Luther the Great Reformer, 28.

12
Earle E. Cairns. Christianity Through the Centuries,
283.
the laity and the priest there he had witness dishonesty and

corruption and low of morality.13

In the year 1507-12 Luther had his struggle about his

own salvation. He very keen in observing the law of God and

ordinances thus he sought to work his own Salvation through

meritorious work, he viewed God as a punishment.14 But along

the way Martin Luther fixed his own view of God specially in

Justification “righteousness of God and not the moral works

is the source of Salvation.”15

On October 31, 1517 Luther posted his 95 theses in the

door post of the Wittenberg castle contradicting the abuses

of the officials in the Roman Catholic Church thus

reformation now began.16 Pope Leo X issued a letter to

Martin Luther to appear in Worms to defend himself. They

call it the papal bull, from that day onward he was

excommunicated by the church.17

June 13, 1525 Luther married to a run-away nun named

Katharina Von Bora they were blessed with six children and

13

Elwell A. Walter, EDT, s.v “Martin Luther”

14

Ibid.,
15

George T. Kurian, Nelson’s Dictionary of Christianity

(Nasville, TE: Thomas Nelson, 2015), s.v. “Martin Luther”
16
Elwell A. Walter, EDT, s.v “Martin Luther”
17
Felixian F. Felicitas, 41
two of them got ill and died. Martin Luther is a devoted

pastor and teacher until he died on Feb. 18, 1546.18

III. Martin Luther View of Inspiration

Martin Luther view of the bible

Martin Luther believe that the sole purpose of the

human being is to make the bible the as the main and primary

source of all kind of authority. Because he was so

passionate that all people should make it as their creed not

the order from the pope is that he posted his 95 theses in

the door post of the Wittenberg Castle on October 31 1517.19

In his study of the scripture martin Luther had come up to

four main theological aspect that becomes his identity as a

reformer, first is the sola scriptura, then sola fide, sola

gratia, sola cristo.20 In 16th century martin Luther began

putting the scripture as the final authority by making

understand in the original language of Hebrew and Greek as

the roman catholic is in disagree.21

18

Ibid.,
19

Taylor E. Ellwoode. “The Holy Scripture in the View of

Luther, Calvin, and Erving,” Liberty University 7:1 (2016):
4.
20

Ibid.,
21
Raymond F. Surburg, “The significance of Luther's
hermeneutics for the Protestant Reformation.” Concordia
Theological Monthly 24, no. 4 (April 1953): 241-261.
 Luther’s convictions of the Holy Scriptures caused

him to fight against the church’s ideas of papal

indulgences. Luther strongly believed there was no

requirement to pay for the forgiveness of sins, as the

Scriptures do not discuss this idea. To this, Luther stated,

“for Christ nowhere commands that indulgences should be

preached.”22

Martin Luther View of Inspiration

22

Martin Luther, First Principles of the Reformation

or the Ninety-Five Theses and the Three Primary Works of Dr.
Martin Luther, ed. Henry Wace (London: Murray, 1883), 6.
Accessed March 9, 2020 at
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/luther/first_prin.iv.i.i.html.