Sem. Romnick C. Nidar Rev. Fr. Jayson B.

Miranda, MPM, MAT

Theology II Theological Currents

Protestantism

I. Introduction

This study dwells primarily on the concept of Protestantism as a result of the

Reformations of different movements against Catholicism. It will discuss the history of
Protestantism, when did it started and the causes of the Reformation and its impact to the
Catholic faith. It will also tackle the proponents of Protestantism especially Martin Luther who
became the most important figure of the Reformation of the sixteenth century. Afterwhich, this
study will also look into the difference of Protestantism to Catholicism. It will discuss the five
solas of Protestantism as counterpart of the doctrine of Catholic faith.

II. Body

The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century

The Roman Catholic Church, in the year 1500, was very powerful both in political and
spiritual aspect especially in the Western Europe. During this time and in the previous centuries,
the power of papacy is very strong that many had abused it. One must keep in his/her mind that
for some time in the past there had been an internal struggle of power in the Church. Church
authorities abused their power and distorted the spirituality of the Church as lived by our
spiritual ancestors. They lived a luxurious life like that of a king rather than that of a spiritual
leader. Abuses were rampant on that particular moment in the history of the Church. Popes
devoted much of their time and attention to secular things rather than the salvation of souls of the
faithful:

The existence of administrative and financial abuses in the Church, and especially in the
papal Curia, was widely recognised in the fifteenth century. Political and financial
exigencies had compelled the Papacy to devote an increasing attention to its situation as
one of the many contending civil states in the Italian peninsula, diminishing thereby its
spiritual authority. (Sykes 10)
 The corruption in the Church is clearly seen in the sixteenth century and there were
several movements and attempts to raise this issue and at least try to make a reform in the
Church but it seems that none of them were successful in challenging the Church until the time
of Martin Luther who made a great impact in the sixteenth century.

Martin Luther and His Ninety-Five Theses

Martin Luther was born on the 11th day of November 1438 in the insignificant village of
Eisleben, Germany. His parents were poor at the time he was born. His father was a copper
miner but soon managed to be wealthy. Little is known about Luther’s childhood.

At the age of eighteen, Luther began his studies in Erfurt – then the greatest university in
Germany. He got his baccalaureate degree in 1502 and soon his master’s degree three years later
(Hughes 98). His father wanted him to become a lawyer but Luther insisted that he wanted to
become a monk – a friar of the order of St. Augustine which is the dominant religious life of
Erfurt. Luther made this decision because of his vow to become a monk dedicating himself to St.
Anne whom he attribute his safety when he was in the danger of death due to terrible storm. He
arrived safely in his destination and then decided to enter the Augustinian monastery on July 17,
1505.

Luther was a brilliant and a good student. He was indeed a promising recruit to the
Augustinian friars. He was ordained on April 3, 1507, barely nine-months after his religious
profession then after that he began his theological studies. Soon after, Luther became a Professor
of Theology at the University of Wittenberg during his Catholic years. He could have been an
asset to the Church but because of his critical studies of the Bible with his own interpretation and
criticism to the Church’s doctrine and Church authority’s wrongdoings he became a torn in the
Church. Although Luther caused a great division in the Catholic Church, he became its
instrument to its reflection and renewal.

Luther ignited the Reformation on the 31st day of October on the year 1517 when he
posted his 95 Theses on the door of castle-church in Wittenberg, Germany. Some historians
would say that he nailed it on the door of castle-church to emphasize the fury of Luther against
the Church. These theses (Luther’s ninety-five propositions) contain Luther’s concerns about
certain Church practices which are largely on the issue of the selling of indulgences and some
deeper concern regarding the Church doctrines. They are meant to address the abuses that are
happening in the system of the Church. As stated by Hughes:

The famous ninety-five Theses of 1517 are not, and were not in the mind of their author,
any mere academic protest. They are a manifesto calling to the discontented everywhere
– to those reasonably discontented with the abuses and to the as yet scarcely discernible
few who are discontented with the system itself. (119)
The Problem of Indulgences
Originally, indulgences are used in order for one’s soul to enter heaven more quickly by
reducing its time in the purgatory. It serves as atonement for one’s sins by means of donations
and charitable works. Pope Leo X used indulgences to raised money for the restoration of St.
Peter’s Basilica. These indulgences were being sold and Luther found it disturbing and
inappropriate. For him, indulgence is not a passage from heaven and as he pointed out in his
sermon at Wittenberg:

Indulgences were never said to be, or intended to be presented as, a forgiveness of sins
committed, nor a permission to commit sin with an assurance that there would be no
penalties to pay. Indulgences always presupposed that a man’s sins had been already
forgiven, that he had turned from sin and was resolved to lead a new life. (Hughes 111)
There is indeed a problem in the system of the Church regarding indulgences. There were
certain abuses regarding their uses. Many have abused the selling of indulgences and even fake
relics to the people who wanted to merit heaven through them. And Luther only wanted to
correct this malpractice of the Church. He had a pure intention in his reformation but
unfortunately things did not happen as he had planned. He and his teachings ware banned in the
Imperial Diet of Speyer (was a Diet of the Holy Roman Empire held in 1529 in the Imperial City
of Speyer in Germany which prohibited reformation and future reformation) . On that same year
of April 19, six princes and representatives of fourteen Imperial Free Cities protested and
petitioned the Imperial Diet of Speyer against the imperial ban that was sentenced to Luther. This
protest resulted to a wider movement of reformation outside the Catholic Church.

Other Proponents of Reformation

Reformation that led to Protestantism is not only attributed to Luther alone. There were
other individuals attributed to the birth of Reformation. Before Luther, one of the early Protestant
reformers of fourteenth century was John Wycliffe. Like Luther, Wycliffe preached against the
indulgences. Wycliffe then influenced Jan Hus who was a priest from Prague. Hus adhered to his
teachings and preached also against indulgences and criticized the corruption of clergy. Martin
Luther in turned was influenced by Hus.

After Luther made a move against the Catholic Church soon after a movement began in
Switzerland under the leadership of Huldrych Zwingli. During this time, the Reformation was
largely been debated by different theologians in large part of Europe. It was also during this time
that the Church of England under the rule of Henry VIII separated from Rome. England then
became involved in the reformation of Zwingli. On the other hand, another important movement
of Reformation was brought by John Calvin through his works and writings. His movement
which was soon after called Calvinism took a special path in the spread of the Reformation with
the cooperation of other movements against Catholicism.

Protestantism vs. Catholicism

While Catholicism and Protestantism differ in so many ways, there are still common
bonds of unity between the two. They still share in some common beliefs. Catholics and
Protestants share a common belief in God and to Christ Jesus. They are united in the acceptance
of the Ten Commandments. The Nicene and Apostles Creeds and even pray the same Lord’s
Prayer (Whalen 18-19). Likewise there were many other commonalities between Catholic and
Protestant in terms of practices and beliefs. While they share these beliefs and practices, they
differ mainly in their view of the sacraments and of the justification by faith. Protestants
denounce good works in acquiring salvation. “They also deny the doctrine of transubstantiation
but differ among themselves on the belief of Real Presence” (Whalen 22). They also reject the
notion of papal supremacy and emphasize the common priesthood of all believers. In addition,
the existence of purgatory was denied while claiming that after the death of a person his/her soul
was assigned either to heaven or hell.

The basic difference in theological beliefs and opposition of Protestantism to Catholicism

can be summed-up in the Protestantism’s “Five solae” namely:
Sola Gratia

The Protestants believe that salvation is a free gift from God and that it is not merited
through good works on the part of the Christians. Salvation is given by God’s grace alone and
not from anything else. The Protestants got this concept of Sola Gratia in the Letter of Paul to the
Ephesians 2: 8-9: “For by grace you have been saved though faith, and this is not from you; it is
the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.”

Thus because of this biblical passage, they confer that God’s grace alone is the source of
salvation. While Catholics and Protestants agree that grace us a gift of God, Protestants claimed
that God is the sole actor in grace and man has nothing to contribute in it. In addition, Protestants
also claimed that man’s action even under the influence of God’s grace cannot cooperate to the
grace that God alone gives.

Sola Fide

This sola declares that by faith alone does man achieved salvation and that good works
have nothing to do to merit God’s salvation. Thus, God does not require or accepted good works
for granting salvation. This Protestant teaching means that justification is received by faith alone
and nothing else. Good works of the believing individual is not an issue, they do not determine
salvation. Luther got the idea of Sola Fide in the Letter of Paul to the Romans which states that
“The just man lives by faith.” (Whalen 27) Likewise, he also took it in the Letter to the Galatians
3:11: “the one who is righteous by faith will live.”

Sola Christus

This sola emphasizes that Christ is the only Mediator between God and man and that
salvation is through Christ alone. This means that there are no other outside intervention and
intercession that could grant or merit salvation, not even the priest, bishop or the pope. Sola
Christus does not deny the office ministry of the Church for the administration of the sacraments.
However, it claims that Christ is the only one who can mediate between man and God. Christ’s
ministers are there to bring the light and life of salvation and not to be a mediator between God
and man. They are only God’s messengers and not as administrators of salvation.
Sola Dei Gratia

This Protestantism’s doctrine teaches that all glory is due to God alone. It is rooted from
the reformers opposition to the glorification of the popes and the clergy. Protestants believe that
glorification is for God alone. Therefore, no human beings, not even the priests, popes and saints
canonized by the Catholic Church is worthy of glorification.

Sola Scriptura

Protestants believe that the Bible is the sole rule of faith. Because of this belief, the
Protestants denied the Sacred Tradition which Catholics believe to be another source also of
faith. For them, only the Bible is the authoritative source of faith and nothing else.

Protestantism in the Present Time

As of this day, there exists other form of Protestantism. Actually, some of these
Protestants are Protestant only in the sense that they do not belong in the Roman Catholic Church
just like Mormonism, Christian Science, Unitarianism, Spiritualism and other separated brethren
from the Catholic tradition (Hughes 125). Some of the Protestants do not know their difference
from the Catholic Church for they are seen attending masses in Catholic Churches.

Although separated from each other, there are significant moments where Catholic and
Protestants improve their relations with one another. There are movements initiated by the
Roman Catholic Church that intend to restore the unity among Christians. Actually, in one of the
documents of the Second Vatican Council of the Decree on Ecumenism, the very first statement
states that: “The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the
Second Vatican Council”

III. Conclusion

Through the course of the history of Christianity, there had been many issues and
problems that the Church had faced in terms of its doctrine and ecclesiastical system. Though
these issues and problems caused troubles and divided the Church, they also became rod that
whipped the Church to examine its way and to renew its faith and doctrine. One big event in the
history of the Church that brought division in Christianity are the Reformations of the sixteenth
century. These Reformations showed how imperfect the Church is and its ruler. It exposed a
wounded Church who is in need of treatment and healing. If only the Church did an earlier move
to mend this despaired bond of unity with its members, further Reformation could have been
prevented. If only the Church had been more welcoming to the criticism of its members and tried
to have a better dialogue with them, there could have been peaceful agreement between them and
misunderstandings could have been repaired. Nevertheless, the Church did not remain ignorant
of her errors and shortcomings. It accepted the errors and shortcomings of its members and did
certain actions to put them right. This humbling act of the Church can be observed until the
present time. The Church continues to reflect the deposit of faith that was handed down to her
and tries to be an exemplar of the living faith although she struggles many times. And this is the
Church that I am looking up to – a living Church that is not self-righteous but puts into action the
Good News that it preaches.