5 things you should know about Martin Luther

Home

Opinion

1. Martin Luther read through the Psalms roughly every three weeks of his adult life

Sola Scriptura. This Latin expression means Scripture alone. It means that Scripture alone is our final authority for doctrine, church practice, and the Christian life. In the early years of the Reformation, Luther fought for this. He argued that the Roman Catholic church preached a false gospel of works and merits. Instead, he argued for justification by faith alone: Sola Fide. In early debates with Roman Catholic officials, like the one with Johann Eck at Leipzig in 1519 or at Worms in 1521, Luther was forced to account for the source for his position. If he stood against the church, what did he stand on? “Scripture,” he thundered. Luther stood on Scripture.

Luther spent his life defendi