What is the Lutheran Tradition?

When he proposed his "95 Theses" on October 31, 1517, the German monk Martin Luther initiated a chain of events whose repercussions continue to be felt today.

Luther began by critiquing "indulgences," which church-licensed fundraisers were selling in exchange for promises that the dead would be released from part or all of the punishment that they deserved for their sins. As Luther continued to work through the implications of his protest (thus the term "Protestant" as a designation of the Lutherans and the other post-Reformation churches), he quickly came to challenge the authority of the Pope (and, by implication, the entire church hierarchy), and to substitute in its place the authority of the Bible.

Luther's reforms included the translation of the Bible into local languages (in his case, German), the promotion of individual Bible study (an effort aided by the invention of the printing press a few decades earlier), the reduction of the sacraments from seven to two (baptism and the Lord's Supper), the decision that clergy should be allowed to marry (Luther himself married in 1525), the substitution of the authority of the Bible for the authority of the church, and the promotion of the notion of salvation by grace through faith (rather than through the accumulation of good works).

Luther's prolific writings (produced sometimes at a rate of one new book every two weeks) proved wildly popular among the Germans of his day. They also proved influential in the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland), who are predominantly Lutheran to this day.

Luther's overriding principle is summarized in the Latin saying: Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura (Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone). In this statement, he asserted, first, that we are saved by the grace of God alone - not by anything we do. Second, he asserted that we are saved through faith alone - we only need to believe that our sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, who died to redeem us. Thirdly, he asserted that the Bible is the only norm of doctrine and life - in other words, it is the only true standard by which teachings and doctrines are to be judged.

Accordingly, in most of the Lutheran churches today, scripture is affirmed as the sole rule of faith, and justification (freedom from punishment for sin) is by the grace of God alone. Humans are considered to be fundamentally lost and unable to please God through their own efforts. Only through the initiative of God's grace are people able to receive salvation by faith, thereby being judged righteous in the eyes of God.

Over the years, Lutheran churches in the ELCA have developed a tradition of ministering to the mind as well as to the heart, and this has resulted in a great deal of intellectual diversity. However, the doctrinal principles listed above continue to be central to our faith.