The Reformation was a movement started by Martin Luther, a German monk. It was his intention to restore the Christian Church to its original teachings.

There were many causes that led to this important movement. They can be summed as religious, politics, economics and intellectuals causes. Some political leaders embraced the Reformation for political reasons. Some people joined it because they saw an opportunity to run away from Papal taxes. Others were against the church because of its attitude regarding to the Renaissance. But the most important cause, without doubt, was the religious one.

The situation became critic. The Church had been deformed by false teachings and corrupted practices. Luther was worried to be a faithful Christian, but in these circumstances he had to face two basic problems.
The First problem: He did not find peace in that (false) doctrine of salvation by good works. He tried hard, but he could not feel accepted before God. Finally he discovered that the Bible says exactly the opposite: THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (Romans 1:17). It means that the only thing needed in order to be saved and accepted by God was – and still being – the faith in Christ.

The second problem: The Church had a system of selling and buying forgiveness of sins. It was usually said that, by paying some amount of money (indulgences), the faithful would have their penalties on purgatory diminished. This system became a great income to the corrupted pockets of the Pope and bishops, which were then able to live in power and luxury.

In many ways, Luther intended to change this degrading situation. When he saw that the people were deceived by the selling of indulgences and had put their trusting in a wrong way to salvation, he challenged the theologians and doctors of his time to a debate about his “95 Thesis”. Luther posted this document on the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg, Saxony, October 31st 1517, day in which now is celebrated the Lutheran Reformation.

The church tried to silence Luther by all means, but its attempts were worthless. Luther had decided to go on and did not recant anything. He knew he was right. His source was the Bible.

In 1521, Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church and considered an Heretic. In fact, Luther did not want this happen, instead, he was only looking for the restoration and propagation of the pure gospel of God. As says the Bible: “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5.29)

Soon afterwards, the number of Luther’s followers increased, including princes, formers priests and nuns, professors, farmers. They were spread all over Germany and, soon, in other countries. So was the birth of the Lutheran Church.