Martin Luther

During Martin Luther's life, there were many turning points and situations that shaped his life.  He grew up under the guidance of his father, who wanted Luther to become a lawyer.  When Luther started to grow older, he developed a passion for being a monk.  He asked God to spare his life and that if He did so, he would passionately follow Him.  Needless to say, Luther did just that.  It was not an easy road at all for him, but Christianity is not supposed to be easy.  In fact, in John 16:33 it says, "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Martin often feared death and struggled with the idea of salvation.  This was a big deal because it led him to pursue a different career and to take a course at an Augustinian monastery.  He was searching for answers and was greatly troubled.  While learning about theology at that monastery, his father disagreed with what Luther was doing.  After learning a great deal and then eventually teaching, he started reaching out more.  He grew quite sick of how the Catholic Church in general was being run.  He rebuked the idea of indulgences.  So he posted his 95 theses on the door of the church.  This started a very long and difficult process for Luther.  People were outraged because of this and they were upset that he challenged the Pope.  He went through many trials and court hearings, but he stood firm and did not revoke any of his saying in the 95 theses or his other works.  All that he did was apologize for being to harsh.  He was wanted by many people and some desired to murder him because Luther had started confusion and made people question the Catholic church.  This was just the beginning of the whole transformation.  Because he was wanted so badly, he was hidden for a very long time in a castle.  In that time, he wrote the New Testament in German.  Eventually, he would have the whole Bible translated to German.  Some people saw this as being disgraceful.  All of these hardships and trials that Luther faced helped shape who he was.  Luther stood strong for God and tried to do His work very passionately and I admire him for never backing down.  He was very bold and courageous to do some of what he did.  Also, I like he tried to measure everything up to Scripture.  He knew that indulgences or good works did not buy salvation or get you into heaven.  It is only by Jesus.  Luther did have some downfalls, such as being too harsh sometimes, but he was a big part in changing the world.  If it wasn't for him, many of the denominations we have today would not exist.  I believe that movie was pretty acurate in portraying Luther.  It showed him when he was being a little too harsh, but it also showed him doing things in the right way.  I enjoyed the movie and learned a lot.  He truly started a great Reformation. He was said to be a heretic, but he never let anything stop him or slow him down.  He was often threatened to be burned.  That didn't matter to him: he was going to keep living with a fire for his God.  He was not alone, as others were growing tired of the Catholic church, but he sure did face his share of opposition.  What a way to take a stand for what he believed in! He truly made a difference and impacted many lives.  His impact is still being felt today.  (http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc2/lectures/luther.html)