Selections from the Table Talk of Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a German clergyman, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and Augustinian friar who lived from 10 November 1483 to 18 February 1546. He was a pivotal player in the Protestant Reformation, and his theological convictions served as the foundation for Lutheranism. In 1507, Luther became ordained as a member of the clergy. He began to criticize various Roman Catholic Church teachings and practices, particularly the perspective on indulgences. In his Ninety-five Theses of 1517, Luther urged an academic examination of the practice and efficacy of indulgences. His refusal to disavow all of his publications at the request of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 ended in his excommunication by the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor's sentencing as an outlaw. Luther died in 1546, with Pope Leo X still excommunicating him. Luther preached that redemption, and hence eternal life, are not won through good works, but are only gained as a free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ, the redeemer from sin.