Sola Scriptura
Authority. Everyone lives out of a framework of authority. If a child screams at his parent about cleaning his room, he is without knowing it, trying to assert his authority over his parents. Conversely, the parents view themselves as the authority over the child and discipline him for not being about his assigned task. Or, if a person is traveling 100 mph down the interstate, he is defying the authority of federal lawmakers and proclaiming himself as the authority.
Authority functions in every part of reality. This is especially true in matters of faith and life.
The events of 1517 in Wittenberg, Germany were all about authority. To understand this, let’s get a little bit of context. For over 1000 years the bishops of Rome had had an uneasy relationship with secular authorities. This came to a fever pitch in 1077 when Pope Gregory the VII excommunicated the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV. The issued centered on who was allowed to appoint bishops, the secular ruler or the pope? Henry traveled to Canossa in Italy to beseech the pope to lift the excommunication and restore him to the church. Gregory did so…after making Henry wait outside the castle for 3 days in the snow!
Moving toward Luther’s time, the pope’s power tended to grow. This culminated in the early 1200s with Innocent III who had the audacity to excommunicate the king of each of the three main powers of the day: England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire (a huge chunk of Central Europe). This was the very height of papal power. After that, the claims of the papacy as the ultimate authority in the matters of the church were consistent and regular.
By 1517 in Wittenberg, the pope employed his “authority” to grant indulgences to whomever could pay for them. The idea behind indulgences was this: Jesus and the saints lived such virtuous lives that there was a vast store of their good merit. Think of it like a big cooler of lemonade at a church potluck. For a fee, the pope could go to the tap and dispense lemonade (good merit) for the benefit of the paying individual or on behalf of someone who has died. This was thought to lessen their time of suffering in purgatory.
Martin Luther disagreed. He posted a copy of 95 theses against indulgences on the door in the picture below (or more precisely, the door that preceded this one) of All Saint’s Church in Wittenberg to initiate a discussion.
He called his 95 theses a “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.” In it he attacked the pope’s authority to do what he was doing. Consider these statements in the 95 theses…
#5 – “The pope…cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the canons.”
#6 – “The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God; or, to be sure, by remitting guilt in cases reserved to his judgment.”
#62 – “The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.”
These convictions grew out of Martin Luther’s study of Scripture for he was a theology professor at the University of Wittenberg. How could he defy centuries of papal authority? It was simple. He knew God’s Word. In a letter to a Dominican priest named Prierias, Luther stated plainly his reliance on God’s Word alone, “You cite no Scripture. You give no reasons. Like an insidious devil you pervert the Scriptures.” And later, “I told him the pope abused Scripture. I will honor the sanctity of the pope [Luther later changed his mind on this], but I will adore the sanctity of Christ and the truth.”
It is never recorded that Luther ever used the phrase Sola Scriptura, Latin for “Scripture Alone.” Yet, the principle was clearly there. He viewed Scripture as the only source of truth. And for that Wittenberg is a noteworthy place. Luther was a man who had many flaws. Yet, I was grateful to recently be in a place that is known for events where a flag was planted on the authority of the Bible in a time where that was exceedingly rare.
This also generated a lot of great discussions with our children. Why are we here? Why is Martin Luther important? Do we have to go into another old church again?! I loved answering all of these questions. What was also helpful was that we encountered Luther as a man, both his strengths and his weaknesses. Wittenberg today is not a shrine. Luther is everywhere, but he is presented as he was. Our family did not visit a place of pilgrimage, but it was a reminder that the Scripture we hold dear was held close by others in the past. May our consciences be held captive to the Word of God!
Sarah and the kids studying Reformation history.
Climbing the tower at Castle Church (All Saint’s Church)
The view from the top of the Castle Church tower. The church in the middle is City Church where Luther gave most of his sermons.