Martin Luther and Christian Liberty

Paper Summary:

This paper interprets Martin Luther's vision of Christian liberty and explains why his teachings about the freedom of the Christian were responsible for triggering the European enlightenment.

From the Paper:

"Luther has been viewed as a champion of freedom who couldn't interpret freedom correctly. For while he wanted people to be free of servitude to the church, he bound them to servitude of God so much so that he termed man completely helpless. Luther believed that man was a servant of God who was utterly helpless in every aspect of his life and thus completely refuted the idea of freedom of will or choice. He writes: "Free choice without the grace of God is not free at all, but immutably the captive and slave of evil, since it cannot of itself turn to the good." He felt that liberum arbitrium i.e. free will or free choice was "plainly a divine term (divinum nomen), and can be properly applied to none but the Divine Majesty alone; for he alone can do and does...whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth.""

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