Luther's "Shocking" Realization of the Need for a Reformation

Dawn: Luther at Erfurt,
by Joseph Noel Paton.
From Wikimedia Commons.

The following passages are taken from Martin Luther's Sermons on John (2:23-24), in Luther's Works, Volume 22, Sermons on Gospel of St John Chapters 1-4. Luther mentions the deep pains and intense struggles that he experienced when he gradually started to realize that some of the teachings of the Church Fathers, some of which were developed and officially accepted by the Roman Catholic Church, were in contradiction with the Scriptures. Luther briefly describes the slow and painful realization of the desperate need for a Reformation of the church, a Reformation to which Luther was called to contribute, as an appointed preacher and lecturer in the church. Of course, these words do not tell the entire story. Nevertheless, they offer a personal picture, depicted by Luther himself, of Luther's own theological and existential struggles, and it is a picture that is in contradiction to some anti-Protestant propaganda that sees Luther as a careless revolutionary and deconstructionist.

No one will believe how great an ordeal it is and how severe a shock when a person first realizes that he must believe and teach contrary to the fathers, especially when he sees that so many excellent, intelligent, and learned men, yes, the best of them taught thus, and that the majority of the people in the world shared their views; among these were so many holy men, like Saints Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine. I, too, have often experienced this shock. But in spite of all this, that one man, my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, must have greater weight with me than all the holiest people on earth put together. Yea, He must also outweigh all the angels in heaven (Gal. 1:8) if they teach anything at variance with the Gospel, or if they add to or detract from the doctrine of the divine Word. And then when I read the books of St Augustine and discover that he, too, did this and that, it thoroughly appals me. And when, over and above this, the hue and the cry is raised: ‘The church! The church!’, this dismays one most of all. It is truly difficult to subdue one’s own heart in these matters, to deviate from people who are so highly respected and who bear such a holy name—indeed, from the church herself—and no longer to have any confidence and faith in the church’s teaching. I mean, of course, that church of which they say: ‘Lo, the church has decreed that the precepts of Saints Francis and Dominic and the orders of monks and nuns are proper, Christian, and good.’ This truly bewilders and dismays a person. But after all is said and done, I must say that I dare not accept whatever any man might say; for he may be a pious and God-fearing man and yet be mistaken and err. Therefore I shall not trust myself to them all, as the Lord, according to this text, did not trust Himself to man either. And in another passage, found in the Gospel of Matthew, Christ earnestly warns us to beware of false prophets who will appear and not merely declare that they are Christians, but will also ‘show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect’ (Matt. 24:24). ~ Pages 256-257.

I remind you how difficult it is to break down the barriers and to realize that holy men such as St. Augustine and others might be mistaken. It distressed me greatly for approximately twenty years; and I debated, struggled, and wrestled with myself before I pressed through to the conviction that not everything the pope says is to be believed, that the church may err, and that I should not follow the fathers blindly. ~ Page 259. 

Therefore we must remember that these holy men may have been saved, but it was Christ who died for us. We must place our trust solely on Him as our only Saviour, and on no other, not on ourselves or our own opinions, however good they may be. Do not trust yourself to your own opinions, but take them to Christ and see whether they are in conformity with the faith (Rom. 12:7) and the Word of the holy Gospel ... It is essential for the heart of a Christian to be firmly convinced that Christ's innocent life, His holy blood, and precious death are our salvation, that we, together with all the saints, must cling to christ alone, and that no saint in heaven ever relied on himself and his own righteousness. ~ Page 272.

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