¤[Music]¤
00:01:30.05\00:01:40.10
¤[Music]¤
00:01:40.10\00:01:47.30
>>John: This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
00:01:49.97\00:01:52.71
Thanks for joining me.
00:01:52.74\00:01:54.91
What makes a reformer?
00:01:54.94\00:01:58.35
Consider with me Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
00:01:58.38\00:02:00.95
¤[Music]¤
00:02:00.98\00:02:03.35
The son of a minister,
raised in Atlanta, Georgia,
00:02:03.39\00:02:07.22
not raised in privilege,
00:02:07.26\00:02:10.06
but raised in a society that was
designed to disadvantage him.
00:02:10.09\00:02:14.50
Yet he then went on to
become a revolutionary,
00:02:14.56\00:02:17.37
an agent of change.
00:02:17.40\00:02:19.50
He boldly
confronted a powerful system.
00:02:19.53\00:02:22.10
You might ask why?
00:02:22.14\00:02:24.41
What drives a man to do that?
00:02:24.44\00:02:27.31
But Martin Luther King Jr.
00:02:27.34\00:02:28.64
was driven to act,
00:02:28.68\00:02:30.28
to write,
00:02:30.31\00:02:30.88
to speak,
00:02:30.91\00:02:31.78
to organize,
00:02:31.81\00:02:32.65
to protest by a
system that was broken,
00:02:32.68\00:02:36.82
by a society that
gloried in its brokenness
00:02:36.85\00:02:40.29
and was determined to
preserve its dysfunction.
00:02:40.32\00:02:43.49
"I still have a dream," he said,
00:02:43.53\00:02:46.13
one last summer's day in 1963
on the mall in Washington, DC.
00:02:46.16\00:02:51.70
It is a dream deeply
rooted in the American dream.
00:02:51.73\00:02:55.20
I have a dream that one
day this nation will rise up
00:02:55.24\00:02:58.34
and live out the
true meaning of its creed:
00:02:58.37\00:03:01.14
We hold these
truths to be self-evident,
00:03:01.18\00:03:04.25
that all men are created equal.
00:03:04.28\00:03:07.05
By the time Dr. King was
murdered outside room 306
00:03:07.08\00:03:10.59
of the Lorraine Motel in 1968,
00:03:10.62\00:03:13.96
there would be no
stopping the progress that he
00:03:13.99\00:03:16.16
and so many others
along with him had made
00:03:16.19\00:03:18.99
in advancing the
American civil rights movement.
00:03:19.03\00:03:22.83
Looking back on those days,
00:03:22.86\00:03:24.37
it's difficult to imagine
that a country would choose
00:03:24.40\00:03:26.87
to live with the
system it had created.
00:03:26.90\00:03:29.94
In the land of the free,
00:03:29.97\00:03:31.64
millions of
people were not free.
00:03:31.67\00:03:34.88
Self-determination
was the lot of some,
00:03:34.91\00:03:38.31
not all, intolerance was normal,
00:03:38.35\00:03:42.68
the struggle to right
the wrongs of civil injustice
00:03:42.72\00:03:45.39
in the United
States was long and hard.
00:03:45.42\00:03:48.92
It cannot be
suggested the revolution,
00:03:48.96\00:03:52.26
if you'll let me call it that,
should not have been waged.
00:03:52.29\00:03:57.27
So what is it that
creates a revolutionary?
00:03:57.30\00:04:00.80
You might say it's the times,
00:04:00.84\00:04:03.47
an individual sees a
need that must be met.
00:04:03.51\00:04:06.17
Hears a call he
or she cannot ignore.
00:04:06.21\00:04:09.51
People like Gandhi,
00:04:09.54\00:04:10.78
Susan B. Anthony,
00:04:10.81\00:04:12.48
Harriet Tubman,
00:04:12.51\00:04:14.12
William Wilberforce.
00:04:14.15\00:04:16.32
I suspect many
reformers, social or religious,
00:04:16.35\00:04:20.32
will tell you they
ultimately didn't choose
00:04:20.36\00:04:22.56
the role they
assumed, the role chose them.
00:04:22.59\00:04:26.36
Martin Luther King Jr. was not
named Martin when he was born.
00:04:28.56\00:04:32.80
He was named
Michael after his father,
00:04:32.83\00:04:35.90
but when little Michael
was just five years old,
00:04:35.94\00:04:38.17
Michael Sr. made
a trip to Germany
00:04:38.21\00:04:41.31
to attend a church
congress in Berlin.
00:04:41.34\00:04:43.14
And while he was there he was
so deeply impressed by the life
00:04:43.18\00:04:48.12
and ministry of a
certain German gospel minister
00:04:48.15\00:04:52.09
that he made a
decision to change his name
00:04:52.12\00:04:54.02
and that of his son
from Michael to Martin.
00:04:54.06\00:04:58.19
Not only did Martin Luther
impress Pastor Michael King,
00:04:58.23\00:05:02.06
Martin Luther changed the world.
00:05:02.10\00:05:05.57
On October the
31st, in the year 1517,
00:05:05.60\00:05:08.94
Martin Luther defied the
system that was essentially
00:05:08.97\00:05:12.34
governing Western civilization.
00:05:12.37\00:05:15.51
His contribution to
history is so immense
00:05:15.54\00:05:19.01
that Time Magazine
ranked him fourth on the list of
00:05:19.05\00:05:22.18
the greatest men
of the millennium.
00:05:22.22\00:05:24.85
It all happened here,
in Wittenberg, Germany,
00:05:24.89\00:05:28.42
in the part of Germany
that for more than 40 years
00:05:28.46\00:05:30.76
was known as East Germany.
00:05:30.79\00:05:33.86
In the 1500s Wittenberg was
part of the kingdom of Saxony,
00:05:33.90\00:05:38.53
and while the town
now officially known
00:05:38.57\00:05:41.04
Lutherstadt Wittenberg is a
popular tourist destination.
00:05:41.07\00:05:45.47
In Luther's day
it was anything but.
00:05:45.51\00:05:49.68
Wittenberg is a
pleasant town today
00:05:49.71\00:05:51.28
with a population
that hovers around 50,000.
00:05:51.31\00:05:54.75
It's 60 miles
southeast of Berlin
00:05:54.78\00:05:56.92
and just a two-hour drive
to the border with Poland.
00:05:56.95\00:05:59.75
It sits on the Elbe River, which
starts in the Czech Republic
00:05:59.79\00:06:03.79
and flows through
Germany right past Hamburg,
00:06:03.83\00:06:07.03
Germany's second largest
city and to the North Sea.
00:06:07.03\00:06:11.63
During communism,
00:06:11.67\00:06:12.87
Wittenberg's sites of religious
significance were neglected.
00:06:12.90\00:06:16.07
In preparation for the 500th
anniversary of the starting
00:06:16.10\00:06:19.34
of The
Reformation, October 31, 1517,
00:06:19.37\00:06:24.15
the town is being revitalized,
00:06:24.18\00:06:26.45
the Castle Church
is being renovated
00:06:26.48\00:06:29.02
and there's a lot of pride
in Wittenberg's favorite son.
00:06:29.05\00:06:33.42
Wittenberg, in Luther's day
had a population of around 3,000
00:06:33.46\00:06:37.43
and it was hardly the sort
of place that you would have
00:06:37.46\00:06:40.23
thought would
launch a revolution.
00:06:40.26\00:06:43.00
Luther called it miserable.
00:06:43.03\00:06:44.80
His right-hand man in
reform; Philipp Melanchthon
00:06:44.83\00:06:47.30
referred to
Wittenberg as a hamlet comprised
00:06:47.34\00:06:50.67
not of regular houses
but only of little ones.
00:06:50.71\00:06:54.58
Bad huts built of clay and
covered with hay and straw.
00:06:54.61\00:06:58.31
Duke George of Saxony
called Wittenberg a hole.
00:06:58.35\00:07:02.85
And one theologian wrote
to a friend about the poor,
00:07:02.88\00:07:05.69
miserable, filthy,
little town of Wittenberg.
00:07:05.72\00:07:10.39
Now that theologian
couldn't stand Martin Luther.
00:07:10.43\00:07:13.03
That might have
colored his view,
00:07:13.06\00:07:14.36
but you get the
idea nevertheless.
00:07:14.36\00:07:15.93
That this place was
hardly the garden of Eden.
00:07:15.96\00:07:19.43
Martin Luther was
born here in Eisleben
00:07:19.47\00:07:22.64
about 60 miles from Wittenberg
on November 10th, 1483.
00:07:22.67\00:07:28.21
This whole area was part of
what was known for centuries
00:07:28.24\00:07:31.01
as the Holy Roman Empire.
00:07:31.05\00:07:34.25
He grew up in poverty.
00:07:34.28\00:07:36.48
His parents were peasants.
00:07:36.52\00:07:38.72
His father worked as a miner.
00:07:38.75\00:07:40.96
Hardship shaped his upbringing.
00:07:40.99\00:07:44.53
Luther's father, Hans,
00:07:44.56\00:07:46.33
wanted him to become a
lawyer and he was appalled
00:07:46.36\00:07:50.27
when Martin instead
shows to enter a cloister
00:07:50.30\00:07:53.87
to trying to become
an Augustinian monk.
00:07:53.90\00:07:55.94
However, it was in that
cloister that Martin Luther
00:07:55.97\00:08:00.34
found a Bible chained
to the monastery wall.
00:08:00.38\00:08:03.65
It was the first time
she'd ever seen a whole Bible.
00:08:03.68\00:08:06.58
You can imagine how he
felt as he read the gospels
00:08:06.61\00:08:08.88
and the epistles
of Paul, he was moved.
00:08:08.92\00:08:13.05
At the same time,
00:08:13.09\00:08:14.16
he was overcome by the
sense of his own sinfulness.
00:08:14.19\00:08:16.99
He wanted to find
peace with God and so he did
00:08:17.03\00:08:19.06
what they told him
to do at the monastery.
00:08:19.09\00:08:21.46
He fasted, he prayed for hours,
00:08:21.50\00:08:23.80
he even resorted
to the flagellation.
00:08:23.83\00:08:26.07
Later he would say,
00:08:26.10\00:08:27.40
if ever a monk could obtain
heaven by his monkish works
00:08:27.44\00:08:31.14
then I should certainly
have been entitled to it.
00:08:31.17\00:08:34.84
But Luther had a
mentor during his training,
00:08:34.88\00:08:38.05
a man named Johann von Staupitz.
00:08:38.08\00:08:41.45
Luther would later say:
00:08:41.48\00:08:43.02
"if it had not
been for Dr. Staupitz
00:08:43.05\00:08:45.55
I should surely
have sunk in hell."
00:08:45.59\00:08:48.76
Staupitz encouraged
Luther by telling him this.
00:08:48.79\00:08:51.66
Instead of torturing
yourself on account of your sins
00:08:51.69\00:08:55.36
throw yourself into
the Redeemer's arms,
00:08:55.40\00:08:58.43
trust in Him,
00:08:58.47\00:08:59.80
in the
righteousness of His life,
00:08:59.83\00:09:02.40
in the atonement of His death.
00:09:02.44\00:09:05.17
Listen to the son of God,
00:09:05.21\00:09:07.21
he became man to give you
the assurance of divine favor.
00:09:07.24\00:09:12.05
Love Him who first loved you.
00:09:12.08\00:09:14.88
Between 1501 and 1505,
00:09:17.85\00:09:20.22
Luther studied at
the University of Erfurt,
00:09:20.26\00:09:22.66
a two-day walk from
his home here in Eisleben.
00:09:22.69\00:09:25.63
He earned a master's degree,
then he began studying law
00:09:25.66\00:09:28.56
but he dropped out of law
school to enter the cloister.
00:09:28.60\00:09:32.03
But the fastings
and the endless prayers
00:09:32.07\00:09:34.44
and all that came with
it, left Luther desperate.
00:09:34.47\00:09:37.77
So in 1508 he accepted
a call to teach theology
00:09:37.81\00:09:41.94
at the University of Wittenberg.
00:09:41.98\00:09:44.75
The university had been
founded only a few years before
00:09:44.78\00:09:47.82
by Frederick III,
the Elector of Saxony.
00:09:47.85\00:09:51.49
Frederick was a prince
in the state of Saxony.
00:09:51.52\00:09:53.56
He was known as an Elector
because he was one of the elite
00:09:53.59\00:09:57.26
who elected the
king of the Romans.
00:09:57.29\00:09:59.76
He was a powerful man.
00:09:59.79\00:10:02.10
Not only was Luther
born here in Eisleben,
00:10:02.13\00:10:04.53
but he died here as well.
00:10:04.57\00:10:05.80
In fact,
00:10:05.83\00:10:07.00
he died right here in this
building behind me in the 1540.
00:10:07.04\00:10:10.64
It was from this
humble little spot
00:10:10.67\00:10:13.81
virtually in the
middle of the German nowhere
00:10:13.84\00:10:16.38
that Luther was thrust
into the global spotlight.
00:10:16.41\00:10:20.18
Yet you come to town
like this, busy towns.
00:10:20.22\00:10:21.95
This is Lutherstadt
Eisleben it's called
00:10:21.98\00:10:24.92
or Lutherstadt Wittenberg,
that's the city's official name.
00:10:24.95\00:10:28.69
If you come to places like this,
00:10:28.72\00:10:30.49
there's throngs of
tourists, people visiting,
00:10:30.53\00:10:33.09
people coming and going
00:10:33.13\00:10:34.20
and you realize that the
vast majority of those people
00:10:34.23\00:10:37.77
haven't got a clue why
Martin did what he did.
00:10:37.80\00:10:40.17
The essence of
Luther's protest has been lost.
00:10:40.20\00:10:46.04
So why did he do it?
00:10:46.07\00:10:47.41
Why he nailed his
95 Theses to the door
00:10:47.44\00:10:50.18
of biggest church in town?
00:10:50.21\00:10:51.81
Why did he pick a fight
00:10:51.85\00:10:53.18
with the most
powerful people on the planet.
00:10:53.21\00:10:55.95
People he knew who
didn't lose fights like those.
00:10:55.98\00:11:00.22
I'll tell you in just a moment.
00:11:00.26\00:11:02.19
¤[Music]¤
00:11:02.22\00:11:07.60
>>John: I'm John
Bradshaw from It Is Written
00:11:08.30\00:11:10.47
inviting you to join me for 500.
00:11:10.50\00:11:14.14
Nine programs
produced by It Is Written
00:11:14.17\00:11:16.40
taking you deep
into the Reformation.
00:11:16.44\00:11:19.57
This is the 500th Anniversary of
the beginning of the Reformation
00:11:19.61\00:11:23.75
when Martin Luther
nailed his 95 Theses
00:11:23.78\00:11:26.25
to the door of Castle
Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
00:11:26.28\00:11:29.12
We'll take you to
Wittenberg and to Belgium,
00:11:29.15\00:11:31.32
to England,
00:11:31.35\00:11:32.15
to Ireland,
00:11:32.19\00:11:33.72
to Rome,
00:11:33.76\00:11:34.66
to the Vatican City
and introduce you to
00:11:34.69\00:11:36.96
the people who
created the Reformation,
00:11:36.99\00:11:38.83
who pushed the
Reformation forward.
00:11:38.86\00:11:40.83
We'll take you to
sites all throughout Europe
00:11:40.86\00:11:42.73
where the Reformers
lived and in some cases died.
00:11:42.76\00:11:45.57
We'll bring you
back to the United States
00:11:45.60\00:11:47.24
and take you to a
little farm in upstate New York
00:11:47.27\00:11:50.27
and show you how God
spread the Reformation here.
00:11:50.31\00:11:53.21
Don't miss 500.
00:11:53.24\00:11:55.28
You can own the
500 series on DVD.
00:11:55.31\00:11:58.35
Call us on 888-664-5573
00:11:58.38\00:12:03.05
or visit us online
at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:03.08\00:12:07.72
¤[Music]¤
00:12:08.36\00:12:13.26
>>John: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:12:13.29\00:12:15.93
It was on October
31st, 1517 that Martin Luther
00:12:15.96\00:12:20.77
nailed his famous 95 Theses
to the door of the Castle Church
00:12:20.80\00:12:25.34
and he launched the movement
that became known to history
00:12:25.37\00:12:27.91
as the Protestant Reformation.
00:12:27.94\00:12:30.71
But when Martin
Luther did that he wasn't
00:12:30.75\00:12:32.81
a radical and he
wasn't a revolutionary.
00:12:32.85\00:12:35.62
He wasn't even a reformer.
00:12:35.65\00:12:37.99
He was a loyal son of
the Roman Catholic church.
00:12:38.02\00:12:41.96
But when he was
around 27 years old
00:12:41.99\00:12:44.16
he traveled to the city of Rome.
00:12:44.19\00:12:47.03
What he found when he got
there shook him to his core.
00:12:47.10\00:12:51.50
As a young monk,
00:12:51.53\00:12:53.03
Luther had been living a
strict lifestyle of self-denial,
00:12:53.07\00:12:56.77
but when he arrived in Rome,
00:12:56.81\00:12:58.77
he found priests
and monks and bishops
00:12:58.81\00:13:01.21
living in luxury and debauchery.
00:13:01.24\00:13:04.51
He found so much spiritual
corruption that he stated:
00:13:04.55\00:13:07.18
"If there is a hell
Rome is built over it.
00:13:07.22\00:13:12.39
"One event in particular
profoundly affected him.
00:13:12.42\00:13:15.66
Pope Julius II had
recently made a decree
00:13:15.69\00:13:18.79
that a special
indulgence was available
00:13:18.83\00:13:21.00
to those who would
walk on their knees
00:13:21.03\00:13:22.83
up what had become
known as Pilate's staircase.
00:13:22.86\00:13:27.20
The staircase was believed
to have been the very staircase
00:13:27.24\00:13:30.47
Jesus walked on during His
trial before Pontius Pilate.
00:13:30.51\00:13:34.64
And the church claimed it had
been miraculously transported
00:13:34.68\00:13:37.65
from Jerusalem to Rome.
00:13:37.68\00:13:39.51
Luther was determined
to acquire this indulgence
00:13:39.55\00:13:42.92
and so one day he devoutly
00:13:42.95\00:13:44.59
climbed these
stairs on his knees.
00:13:44.62\00:13:46.59
But suddenly a voice
seemed to declare in his ears
00:13:46.62\00:13:50.59
like thunder the
words of the apostle Paul
00:13:50.63\00:13:53.40
quoting the prophet
Habakkuk in the Book of Romans,
00:13:53.43\00:13:56.20
"The just shall live
by faith," Romans 1:17.
00:13:56.23\00:14:02.40
Luther sprang to his feet
and left the place in shame.
00:14:02.44\00:14:06.47
He'd been
practicing salvation by works.
00:14:06.51\00:14:09.94
The idea that a person's
good deeds merit favor with God
00:14:09.98\00:14:14.48
as opposed to
simply being a response
00:14:14.52\00:14:16.95
to the goodness
and the love of God.
00:14:16.99\00:14:19.02
But he heard God
say to his heart,
00:14:19.05\00:14:21.19
"The just shall live by faith."
00:14:21.22\00:14:24.33
And Martin Luther
was a changed man.
00:14:24.36\00:14:26.70
¤[Music]¤
00:14:26.73\00:14:30.47
Not long after he
began teaching in Wittenberg,
00:14:30.50\00:14:33.00
the church embarked
on a grand new project,
00:14:33.03\00:14:36.34
the building of the
largest church in the world:
00:14:36.37\00:14:40.18
St. Peter's Basilica, in
what is now Vatican City.
00:14:40.21\00:14:45.35
To help pay for the project,
00:14:45.38\00:14:46.72
the church offered
its people the chance
00:14:46.75\00:14:48.58
to purchase
indulgences for their sins.
00:14:48.62\00:14:51.85
An indulgence is a way to
reduce the amount of punishment
00:14:51.89\00:14:54.86
you have to undergo for
the sins you have committed.
00:14:54.89\00:14:56.76
So while it's not exactly
the same as buying salvation,
00:14:56.79\00:15:01.03
you'd be buying pardon
for sin which of course
00:15:01.06\00:15:04.63
flies in the face
of the entire Bible.
00:15:04.67\00:15:07.17
Ephesians 2:8 tells us
00:15:07.20\00:15:08.77
"We are saved by grace through
faith, which is a gift of God."
00:15:08.80\00:15:13.54
1 John 1:9 says that
00:15:13.58\00:15:16.75
"If we confess our
sins He is faithful and just
00:15:16.78\00:15:21.52
to forgive us our sins."
00:15:21.55\00:15:23.62
Luther was appalled.
00:15:23.65\00:15:26.82
Commissioned by the
Archibishop of Mainz,
00:15:26.86\00:15:29.92
a man named Johannes Tetzel
began traveling around Germany
00:15:29.96\00:15:34.03
selling these indulgences.
00:15:34.10\00:15:36.36
Now that might have got passed
Martin Luther once upon a time,
00:15:36.40\00:15:39.83
but not now.
00:15:39.87\00:15:40.84
Not now that he
understood something
00:15:40.87\00:15:42.77
about the grace of God.
00:15:42.80\00:15:45.21
He found the
selling of indulgences
00:15:45.24\00:15:46.68
to be completely sacrilegious.
00:15:46.71\00:15:48.94
How, he wondered, could
anybody purchase salvation
00:15:48.98\00:15:52.35
or purchase
lesser punishment for sin
00:15:52.38\00:15:55.28
or purchase lesser
time spent in purgatory,
00:15:55.32\00:15:58.85
even if there was a purgatory?
00:15:58.89\00:16:01.46
In the Bible when Simon Magus
00:16:01.49\00:16:03.66
tried to purchase from Peter
the power to work miracles,
00:16:03.69\00:16:07.56
Peter replied,
00:16:07.60\00:16:09.06
"Your money perish with you
00:16:09.10\00:16:10.63
because you thought
that the gift of God
00:16:10.67\00:16:13.03
could be purchased with
money." That's Acts 8:20.
00:16:13.07\00:16:17.51
Luther was strong in his
opposition to the practice.
00:16:17.54\00:16:21.04
He contacted this
bishop and voiced his concerns
00:16:21.08\00:16:23.91
and then he took
those concerns public
00:16:23.95\00:16:27.22
when he nailed them to
the door of the Castle Church.
00:16:27.25\00:16:30.35
Those concerns became
known as Luther's 95 Theses
00:16:30.39\00:16:34.46
and they launched the
Protestant Reformation.
00:16:34.49\00:16:37.19
The church,
western civilization,
00:16:37.23\00:16:40.76
the world would
never be the same again.
00:16:40.80\00:16:44.00
So what are the 95 Theses?
00:16:44.03\00:16:48.17
The first one
lays the foundation
00:16:48.20\00:16:49.84
not only for those that follow,
00:16:49.87\00:16:53.07
but also for the
most basic message
00:16:53.11\00:16:55.38
of the Reformation as far as
human salvation is concerned.
00:16:55.41\00:16:59.61
"When our Lord and
Master Jesus Christ said,
00:16:59.65\00:17:02.62
'Repent,'
00:17:02.65\00:17:03.49
He willed the
entire life of believers
00:17:03.52\00:17:06.86
to be one of repentance."
00:17:06.89\00:17:08.16
The second follows right on,
00:17:08.19\00:17:10.26
"This word cannot be
understood as referring
00:17:10.29\00:17:13.23
to the sacrament of penance,
00:17:13.26\00:17:15.13
that is,
confession and satisfaction,
00:17:15.16\00:17:18.03
as administered by the clergy."
00:17:18.07\00:17:20.27
Later he writes in number 20,
00:17:20.30\00:17:23.00
"Therefore the pope,
when he uses the words
00:17:23.04\00:17:26.27
'plenary
remission of all penalties,'
00:17:26.31\00:17:29.68
does not actually
mean 'all penalties,'
00:17:29.71\00:17:32.78
but only those
imposed by himself."
00:17:32.81\00:17:36.52
Number 21,
00:17:36.55\00:17:37.75
"Thus those indulgence
preachers are in error who say
00:17:37.79\00:17:42.09
that a man is
absolved from every penalty
00:17:42.12\00:17:45.23
and saved by papal indulgences,
00:17:45.26\00:17:47.66
sacraments of the church,
00:17:47.66\00:17:49.66
or the purchase of indulgence."
00:17:49.70\00:17:52.17
Number 27,
00:17:52.20\00:17:53.47
"They preach only
human doctrines who say that
00:17:53.50\00:17:57.64
as soon as the money
clinks into the money chest,
00:17:57.67\00:18:00.31
the soul flies
out of purgatory."
00:18:00.34\00:18:02.64
Number 86,
00:18:02.68\00:18:04.75
"Why does not the pope,
00:18:04.78\00:18:06.78
whose wealth today is greater
00:18:06.82\00:18:09.42
than the wealth of
the richest Crassus,
00:18:09.45\00:18:12.55
build this one basilica of
St. Peter with his own money
00:18:12.59\00:18:17.19
rather than with the
money of poor believers?"
00:18:17.23\00:18:20.83
You can understand why
Luther became so unpopular
00:18:22.00\00:18:25.93
with the leaders of the church.
00:18:25.97\00:18:28.44
His teachings
spread throughout Germany
00:18:28.47\00:18:30.47
and soon they made it to Rome.
00:18:30.51\00:18:33.38
The pope demanded
that Luther travel to Rome
00:18:33.41\00:18:35.98
and stand trial
for his teachings.
00:18:36.01\00:18:38.41
German leaders refused.
00:18:38.45\00:18:40.25
They said that Luther's
trial must be heard in Germany,
00:18:40.28\00:18:42.82
and so that's what took place.
00:18:42.85\00:18:45.12
During that trial,
00:18:45.15\00:18:46.49
Luther was told that he
had to retract his teachings
00:18:46.52\00:18:49.02
and submit to the
authority of the church
00:18:49.06\00:18:51.39
or he'd be sent to
Rome for punishment.
00:18:51.43\00:18:53.86
But he managed to
get away from Augsburg
00:18:53.90\00:18:55.80
where his case was heard
by slipping through a gate
00:18:55.83\00:18:58.87
in the wall of the city.
00:18:58.90\00:19:00.70
And he made it back to
Wittenberg and to safety.
00:19:00.74\00:19:03.61
Frederick, the Elector
of Saxony protected Luther.
00:19:03.64\00:19:06.88
He refused to hand him
over to the authorities of Rome,
00:19:06.91\00:19:09.84
saving Luther
from certain death.
00:19:09.88\00:19:11.91
¤[Music]¤
00:19:11.95\00:19:17.95
>>Announcer: Every Word
is a one-minute Bible-based
00:19:19.45\00:19:21.96
daily devotional presented
by Pastor John Bradshaw
00:19:21.99\00:19:24.89
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:19:24.93\00:19:27.56
Look for Every Word
on selected networks
00:19:27.60\00:19:30.30
or watch it online
everyday on our website
00:19:30.33\00:19:32.87
itiswritten.com.
00:19:32.90\00:19:35.84
¤[Cricketts chirping]¤
00:19:36.34\00:19:38.54
[Wolves howling]
00:19:38.57\00:19:40.88
¤[Music]¤
00:19:40.91\00:19:48.58
[Camera equipment rattling]
00:19:48.62\00:19:51.55
[Rustling in bushes]
00:19:51.59\00:19:54.12
[People talking]
00:19:54.16\00:19:56.12
[Wind blowing]
00:19:56.16\00:20:01.10
¤[Music]¤
00:20:01.13\00:20:11.17
¤[Music]¤
00:20:11.17\00:20:20.22
[Cheering]
00:20:20.25\00:20:29.49
¤[Music]¤
00:20:29.52\00:20:42.94
>>John: Luther
was excommunicated
00:20:44.41\00:20:46.14
from the Roman Church.
00:20:46.17\00:20:48.34
It's said that this
tree here in Wittenberg
00:20:48.38\00:20:51.61
marks the spot where he
publicly burned the papal edict
00:20:51.65\00:20:55.98
announcing his excommunication.
00:20:56.02\00:20:59.35
Luther's writings began
to spread throughout Europe
00:20:59.39\00:21:02.66
when he was summoned
to appeal before a council
00:21:02.69\00:21:05.16
in the city of Worms.
00:21:05.19\00:21:07.20
Huge crowd greeted
him when he arrived there.
00:21:07.23\00:21:10.00
If he was found to be a heretic,
00:21:10.03\00:21:12.60
that was almost a given,
00:21:12.63\00:21:14.34
he'd be sentenced to death,
00:21:14.37\00:21:15.80
and the cause of the Reformation
might just die along with him,
00:21:15.84\00:21:19.54
but if by some miracle
00:21:19.57\00:21:20.58
he escaped the
sentence of death,
00:21:20.61\00:21:23.11
then the cause of
the Bible would advance.
00:21:23.14\00:21:26.51
When he was asked to recant,
00:21:26.55\00:21:28.35
to retract his views
and submit to the authority
00:21:28.38\00:21:31.65
of the Church of Rome,
00:21:31.69\00:21:33.39
Luther replied in words
that would live forever.
00:21:33.42\00:21:37.13
"I cannot submit my faith either
to the pope or to the councils,
00:21:37.16\00:21:41.13
because it is clear
as the day that they
00:21:41.16\00:21:43.16
have frequently erred
and contradicted each other.
00:21:43.20\00:21:46.53
Unless therefore I am convinced
by the testimony of Scripture,
00:21:46.57\00:21:50.64
or by the clearest reasoning,
00:21:50.67\00:21:53.24
unless I am persuaded by means
of the passages I have quoted,
00:21:53.27\00:21:56.78
and unless they
thus render my conscience
00:21:56.81\00:21:59.48
bound by the Word of God,
00:21:59.51\00:22:01.65
I cannot and I will not retract,
00:22:01.68\00:22:05.05
for it is unsafe for a Christian
to speak against his conscience.
00:22:05.09\00:22:09.06
Here I stand; I can do
no other; may God help me.
00:22:09.09\00:22:14.83
Amen."
00:22:14.86\00:22:16.20
The council refused to
deliver Luther up to the church,
00:22:16.23\00:22:19.27
but as on his way
back here to Wittenberg,
00:22:19.30\00:22:22.30
Luther was captured.
00:22:22.34\00:22:23.91
He was captured by
the man who protected him,
00:22:23.94\00:22:25.81
Frederick,
00:22:25.84\00:22:27.21
because Frederick
knew it was not safe
00:22:27.24\00:22:29.21
to leave Luther in circulation.
00:22:29.24\00:22:31.05
So he took him to the Wartburg
Castle to keep him safe.
00:22:31.08\00:22:35.08
and while he was there,
00:22:35.12\00:22:36.65
Luther translated the
New Testament into German.
00:22:36.69\00:22:40.16
Meanwhile, back
here in Wittenberg,
00:22:40.19\00:22:42.39
reform within
the church continued.
00:22:42.42\00:22:44.96
Priests began to marry, the
worship service was altered,
00:22:44.99\00:22:48.60
things that had been
strictly forboden by the church.
00:22:48.63\00:22:52.97
Luther didn't do
it all on his own.
00:22:53.00\00:22:55.77
His right-hand man
was Philipp Melanchthon,
00:22:55.80\00:22:58.24
a religion professor
who taught with Luther,
00:22:58.27\00:23:01.48
apart from
Luther and John Calvin,
00:23:01.51\00:23:03.68
it's likely no figure
stands higher in the development
00:23:03.71\00:23:06.72
and history of the
Protestant Reformation.
00:23:06.75\00:23:09.32
Melanchthon is kind
of the forgotten one,
00:23:09.35\00:23:11.55
but he was absolutely
essential to the work of Reform.
00:23:11.59\00:23:14.32
The establishment
of the Lutherian church
00:23:14.36\00:23:16.69
and the crafting
of the public witness
00:23:16.73\00:23:18.76
would largely be
accomplished through his work.
00:23:18.79\00:23:22.63
Luther married
Katharina von Bora,
00:23:22.66\00:23:25.03
a former nun,
00:23:25.07\00:23:26.37
a woman that he had
helped escaped from a convent.
00:23:26.40\00:23:29.94
With the Bible being the
ultimate guide in his life,
00:23:29.97\00:23:32.07
he came to view
enforced or mandated celibacy
00:23:32.11\00:23:35.24
as being completely unbiblical.
00:23:35.28\00:23:37.38
And he realized that his
church taught that Peter,
00:23:37.41\00:23:40.68
said to be the first
pope, had himself been married.
00:23:40.72\00:23:45.19
Now unfortunately, not
all of Martin Luther's legacy
00:23:45.22\00:23:49.12
has been
positive for Christianity.
00:23:49.16\00:23:51.53
There are many of
Luther's admirers today
00:23:51.56\00:23:53.80
who are embarrassed by
the very antisemitic views
00:23:53.83\00:23:58.57
that he often espoused.
00:23:58.60\00:24:01.07
How in the world do you
reconcile this idea of Luther
00:24:01.10\00:24:03.71
on the one hand proclaiming
the righteousness of Christ
00:24:03.74\00:24:07.14
then on the other
hand being a hatemonger?
00:24:07.18\00:24:09.94
It has been said by
commentators and critics
00:24:09.98\00:24:12.88
that Luther fueled
the fires of antisemitism
00:24:12.91\00:24:16.02
which Adolf Hitler
picked up on centuries later.
00:24:16.05\00:24:20.22
Well you probably
don't reconcile it,
00:24:20.26\00:24:21.79
but there are a
couple of things that,
00:24:21.82\00:24:23.16
I think a person,
really ought to keep in mind,
00:24:23.19\00:24:25.53
Luther came to Christianity
out of the abject darkness.
00:24:25.56\00:24:29.70
He came to the Bible from
no Biblical frame of reference,
00:24:29.73\00:24:33.64
so to expect complete spiritual
maturity from Martin Luther
00:24:33.67\00:24:36.71
is maybe a little bit too much.
00:24:36.74\00:24:38.14
Luther was wrong in
his antisemitic views.
00:24:38.17\00:24:42.54
Nevertheless, there
have been a lot of people
00:24:42.58\00:24:44.28
down through the years who
had been wrong particularly
00:24:44.31\00:24:46.48
about matters of faith.
00:24:46.51\00:24:47.42
David, wrong about a lot,
00:24:47.45\00:24:49.22
Solomon, his lifestyle,
00:24:49.25\00:24:51.09
his practices were
in many cases wrong,
00:24:51.12\00:24:53.69
James and John wanted to
call fire down from heaven
00:24:53.72\00:24:57.23
and incinerate
people simply because
00:24:57.26\00:24:59.69
they weren't on the same team.
00:24:59.73\00:25:00.90
That was wrong,
00:25:00.93\00:25:02.26
there were church men
in the United States who
00:25:02.30\00:25:04.37
defended slavery
and used the Bible
00:25:04.40\00:25:07.67
to justify their
aberrant positions.
00:25:07.70\00:25:10.91
Wrong.
00:25:10.94\00:25:12.74
So on the one hand,
Luther was a revolutionary,
00:25:12.77\00:25:15.21
Luther was a radical,
00:25:15.24\00:25:16.48
Luther was a reformer,
00:25:16.51\00:25:17.51
he saw so much in the
church and in the world
00:25:17.55\00:25:20.35
that he called to people's
attention and pointed out
00:25:20.38\00:25:23.49
as being outside of God's will.
00:25:23.52\00:25:25.19
On this one though for
the most part, he missed it.
00:25:25.22\00:25:28.46
You wonder why that can happen.
00:25:28.49\00:25:30.53
A bit of a mystery really.
00:25:30.56\00:25:33.60
Luther's final sermon would be
delivered here in his hometown
00:25:33.63\00:25:37.60
of Eisleben on
February 15, 1546,
00:25:37.63\00:25:42.10
three days before his death.
00:25:42.14\00:25:44.34
He didn't set out to form a new
church, to be a troublemaker,
00:25:44.37\00:25:48.84
he simply wanted the
church to look to the Bible
00:25:48.88\00:25:52.08
and embrace the
teachings of Jesus
00:25:52.11\00:25:55.05
and allow people to
read the Bible for themselves
00:25:55.08\00:25:58.22
and be guided
by the Holy Spirit.
00:25:58.25\00:26:00.69
In fact, Luther
coined the phrase
00:26:00.72\00:26:03.73
"sola
scriptura," the Bible alone.
00:26:03.76\00:26:07.23
Luther wasn't
guided by tradition
00:26:07.30\00:26:10.10
and would be
faithful to God's word.
00:26:10.13\00:26:12.80
And this form the basis of
the most profoundly impactful
00:26:12.83\00:26:16.07
religious movement
in almost 2,000 years.
00:26:16.10\00:26:21.04
The supremacy of the
Bible and the teaching of
00:26:21.08\00:26:23.31
justification by grace
alone through faith alone,
00:26:23.35\00:26:27.42
in Christ alone were Luther's
passions and they lit a fire for
00:26:27.45\00:26:32.02
the gospel that
illuminated the world
00:26:32.05\00:26:34.02
and has led millions
and millions of people
00:26:34.06\00:26:37.03
to faith in Jesus Christ.
00:26:37.06\00:26:39.39
Now do you think Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
00:26:39.43\00:26:41.33
would say the work he started
has really been completed?
00:26:41.36\00:26:45.13
Or do you think
that he might think
00:26:45.17\00:26:46.80
there's a little more
work that needs to be done?
00:26:46.84\00:26:49.90
The same is likely
true of Martin Luther.
00:26:49.94\00:26:53.14
There's still work
that needs to be done.
00:26:53.17\00:26:55.68
There are still
people the world over
00:26:55.71\00:26:58.41
who must hear the
great truths of the Bible
00:26:58.45\00:27:00.62
and be led to a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:27:00.65\00:27:05.12
So how is it with you, friend?
00:27:05.15\00:27:06.19
How's that
working out in your life?
00:27:06.22\00:27:09.22
How is it with you?
00:27:09.26\00:27:10.76
¤[Music]¤
00:27:10.79\00:27:16.23
The prophesies of
the Book of Revelation
00:27:17.30\00:27:18.93
announce startingly
that Babylon is fallen.
00:27:18.97\00:27:23.44
What does that mean?
00:27:23.47\00:27:24.37
How do we
understand the Fall of Babylon.
00:27:24.41\00:27:27.48
I'd like to send
you today's free offer.
00:27:27.51\00:27:29.31
It's entitled
"The Fall of Babylon."
00:27:29.34\00:27:32.58
Call us on 800-253-3000.
00:27:32.61\00:27:35.78
Or visit us online
at itiswritten.com,
00:27:35.82\00:27:39.52
or you can write to
the address on your screen.
00:27:39.55\00:27:42.29
I'd like you to
receive our free offer
00:27:42.32\00:27:44.13
"The Fall of Babylon."
00:27:44.16\00:27:47.20
Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:27:47.23\00:27:48.86
exists due to the gracious
support of the people like you.
00:27:48.90\00:27:52.83
It's your support that makes
it possible for It Is Written
00:27:52.87\00:27:55.10
to share Jesus and the
great truths of the Bible
00:27:55.14\00:27:57.84
with the world.
00:27:57.87\00:27:59.57
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:27:59.61\00:28:01.48
to the address on your
screen or you can support
00:28:01.51\00:28:04.08
It Is Written
through our website
00:28:04.11\00:28:05.78
itiswritten.com.
00:28:05.81\00:28:08.38
Thanks for your
generous support.
00:28:08.42\00:28:09.85
Our number is 800-253-3000
00:28:09.88\00:28:13.25
and our web
address is itiswritten.com.
00:28:13.29\00:28:16.99
>>John: Let's pray together now.
00:28:17.79\00:28:19.33
Our Father in Heaven,
00:28:19.36\00:28:20.60
we've been on a journey as we've
traced this outstanding life,
00:28:20.63\00:28:26.03
an ordinary person,
00:28:26.07\00:28:27.37
blessed by the great
Sovereign of the universe,
00:28:27.40\00:28:30.77
to do extraordinary things.
00:28:30.81\00:28:32.37
And today we are
the beneficiaries
00:28:32.41\00:28:34.14
of much of what Luther did.
00:28:34.18\00:28:36.34
He's left us so
much that's positive,
00:28:36.38\00:28:39.08
we don't have
to imitate the man,
00:28:39.11\00:28:40.62
but his ethic,
00:28:40.65\00:28:41.92
his approach to you,
00:28:41.95\00:28:43.45
we thank you.
00:28:43.49\00:28:45.12
That You've given us
the opportunity to say,
00:28:45.15\00:28:46.99
"Here I Stand."
00:28:47.02\00:28:49.49
Lord let the fire of
faith burn in our hearts.
00:28:49.52\00:28:52.43
I pray that we'll have
love for You like Luther did.
00:28:52.46\00:28:54.36
What You did
through him was miraculous,
00:28:54.36\00:28:56.00
it'll take a miracle,
but You can do it in us.
00:28:56.03\00:28:58.87
I pray that You will,
00:28:58.90\00:28:59.87
somethere there's a
man, a woman, a young person,
00:28:59.90\00:29:03.14
looking at his or
her life and wondering,
00:29:03.17\00:29:05.64
"what next?"
00:29:05.67\00:29:06.54
I pray that You'll
encourage that one,
00:29:06.57\00:29:08.64
that there is
salvation by faith,
00:29:08.68\00:29:11.75
that there is salvation
00:29:11.78\00:29:13.35
through the grace of
this great God of Heaven.
00:29:13.38\00:29:16.42
Lord we thank You, we know that
the reformation must be finished
00:29:16.45\00:29:19.09
must be finished soon,
00:29:19.12\00:29:20.09
we're looking
forward to going home.
00:29:20.12\00:29:21.72
Let it be so we pray,
00:29:21.76\00:29:22.96
we thank You
00:29:22.99\00:29:24.16
In Jesus' name,
00:29:24.19\00:29:25.86
Amen.
00:29:25.89\00:29:27.46
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:29:27.50\00:29:28.53
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:29:28.56\00:29:30.47
Until then, remember:
00:29:30.50\00:29:32.50
"It is written, man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:29:32.53\00:29:36.77
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God."
00:29:36.81\00:29:40.74
¤[Music]¤
00:29:40.78\00:29:55.79