Martin Luther

Martin Luther, Theologian, (1483 –1546) was a German professor of theology, priest, author, and a key figure in the Protestant Reformation. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God’s grace through the believer’s faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.