The Road Rarely Traveled, The Faith of One Man that Changed the Second Mellinimum

The Road Rarely Traveled,
One Man’s Faith that 
Changed the Second Millennium

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Romans 1:17 NRS     For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous will live by faith."

Once upon a time in a land far away full of knights and castles there was an extraordinary man.  But, still a man born of humble beginnings, beaten as a child for his misdoings because daddy believed, along with most in Germany, that God was vengeful and you had to work or buy your way out of purgatory.  For Martin Luther (1484 - 1546) this made no sense and haunted him, for his first 20 years, Luther felt God was a loving God, but there was no one to help him or show him.

Martin Luther

Now, Luther’s daddy loved books, the family could be hungry because of buying books and Luther unknowingly learned to love books.  As it turned out, loving books, courage to travel, and the fear of God lead him to boarding school, Erfurt University, Priesthood, and Wittenberg University to teach, and to strike out at the wrongs of the Catholic Church*1 of the 1500's.  In his education, at age 20 he discovered a Bible in a library, and for the rest of his life he found himself on a road leading other people to a new relationship with Christ.  Martin Luther (1483-1546) in the journey to change the Catholic Church, had to abandon the Church and begrudgingly begin a Reformation.  Others before him with similar beliefs were burned at the stake, John Huss for one.  In April 1521, at a Diet (Conference of high officials) in Worms Germany, he told the Pope's high representative and the Emperor he would not 'recant' his writings against the writings and leaders of the church.  In May, 1521 Luther's excommunication from the Church was completed with Emperor Charles V declaring him an outlaw, to be killed on sight.

Luther took the Road Rarely Traveled in his day changing the world.  His writings gave birth to the Protestant Reformation, a revolution, and the beginnings of the slow change in the Catholic Church.  Luther, as he came to know God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, showed his genius mind, even translating the Latin Bible into German during a three month period.  Perhaps no writing instrument has ever been as powerful as Luther's pen and the Gutenberg Press (invented around 1450).  He became who he was because he had a pain in his heart and in perseverance, searched for a solution.

Some things out of many we learn from Luther about his quest for Christ in his life: 
1-  Choose your goals wisely.
2-  Seek your goals relentlessly.
3-  “Never ever give up”
4-  Above all else, Seek a greater relationship with Christ in your life.
5-  Be courageous for the Lord God, believe in Christ as your Savior, and allow the Holy Spirit to Guide and Protect your life. 

Luther survived excommunication from the Church and the outlaw status.  In 1530 at the Diet of Augsburg a confession of Protestant faith was read to the Emperor and accepted as legal in the Empire.  Luther's outlaw status was also rescinded.  Never raising a sword Luther depended only on his Faith in Christ and scripture to support and defend his work as he toured the Road Rarely Traveled.  

As Luther, we too must seek God's Love and Mercy through Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to help us build our Trust in God and Jesus.  It is a Road Rarely Traveled that will contain rocks, brambles, and snakes, but Faith and Trust will conquer.

Changed people change the world.  To change the world, we step onto a Road Less Traveled.  What part of the world can you change, if you just step out, become as Luther, and pursue your Christ and goals relentlessly?  Who needs your help to do the same?

Seek first the Kingdom of God in your life, and
let His goals be your goals,
Be like Luther and pursue them without fail. 


You too could change the world around you.

Thanks Be to God

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*1 -  My apologies to my Catholic friends.  In no way do I feel the present Catholic Church is reflected in the Church of Luther’s time.  All churches have problems in every time, as long as a church is seeking God’s wisdom and salvation in the manner He desires, the church will be in His Grace.  In simple terms, the Church of Luther’s day was highly focused on money and that lead to its fall from Grace during that era.

The information in this article came primarily from
“The History of the Protestant Church” by John Wiley,
Books 5, 6, 9.
 http://doctrine.org/?page_id=2002

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Publication  0088