June 21, 2017
Devotions: Timeline of the Reformation: 1520 – Luther’s Treatises
To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation

In his Address to the Christian Nobility, Martin Luther addressed his treatise to the German nobility because, he argued, only the state could reform the church. He would go on to end his treatise by listing a series of abuses which he believed should be corrected by the secular authorities, not by religious councils. The treatise was also addressed to the German nobility because Luther believed only they could reform the Roman Catholic Church which was dependent on their financial support. Luther adamantly argued that no secular issue should be delegated to papal courts but rather handled by the German nobility. Based on this premise Luther argued that the interdict should be abolished and excommunication should be used only in such cases as Scripture allows. The shift from papal power to secular power in deciding religious issues created problems later in the Reformation, specifically the question of using secular military forces to stop a new religion from forming. Another problem with Luther’s arguments resulted in his “Two Kingdoms:” the idea that church and state are separate realms with separate responsibilities.

Luther would go on to speak of the “Three Walls of the Church” in his treatise. The first wall is the distinction between spiritual and secular classes – his argument for the Priesthood of All Believers would remove this wall. Since all believers were part of the priesthood, there could be no distinction between a priest and the peasant. All were equal in the eyes of G-d. The second wall claimed that only the Pope could interpret scripture. Luther would argue that the Bible speaks to no such necessity and instead found evidence that claimed the common person could interpret scripture. The third wall was the claim that only the Pope could summon a council – which meant that no secular council could dictate orders to the church. Luther would go on to use Scripture and history to destroy this wall.

There were social ramifications to Luther’s treatise. Prior to the Reformation, Europe followed a feudal system with strict class lines. Clergy, nobility, merchants, and peasants did not mix in society. Luther revolutionized the social classes by saying that “a cobbler, a smith, a peasant—each has the work and office of his trade, and yet they are all alike consecrated priests and bishops”. He went on to say that every man was important to society just as each element was important to the body. His treatise would have economic ramifications. He attacked the Church and the German nobles for their extravagance. He argued that instead of priests and Cardinals owning vast estates, the Pope instead should allow secular rulers to own the estates so bishops and cardinals could focus on religious affairs. Luther wanted a secular council to stop the papacy from demanding indulgences and other contributions for its false wars. Luther knew that the money really went into the pope’s private coffers. Luther also believed that Germanic nobles should pass a law restricting extravagant apparel. Luther claimed that the nobles spent so much on their wardrobes that they were actually living in fiscal poverty. Although most of these economic demands would never be fulfilled, the desire for economic equality was born through the beliefs of Martin Luther. Today, Europe lives under a socialist system which strives to provide economic equality for all. The cultural ramifications were more subtle. Culturally, the people were expected to kiss the pope’s feet and treat him as a god among men. Luther ranted that such a cultural standard was “un-Christian, indeed, an anti-Christian thing”. Luther also wanted to outlaw begging in Christendom since it was detrimental to society and culture as a whole. (An Analysis Of Martin Luther’s Two Treatises, July 7, 2012, Hannah S. Bowers)

Pastor Dave

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