WHY  WAS  THE  REFORMATION  NEEDED?

In an attempt to unite the church, Roman emporer Constantine, in the fourth century, declared Christianity the official religion of the empire.  He gave church leaders, especially those in his capital city, Rome, enormous economical, religious and political influence.

In the middle of the fifth century, Leo, bishop of Rome, commanded -- through an edict from the emporer -- that all should obey the Bishop of Rome because he held the "Primacy of St. Peter."  This means he was made Pope or Peter's successor, and as such, Peter would continue to minister as the one who held the "keys to the Kingdom." Leo's claim was widely disputed, particularly by the eastern wing of the Christian church which centered around Constantinople.

Gradually, a rift broadened between the Eastern and Western churches.  A major break came in 1054, when the Eastern church refused to accept the authority of Pope Leo IX; by 1350 the split was final.

As the Western church grew, it began to add certain doctrines that were not in accepted cannon.  Not everyone agreed with these new teachings primarily because they were not supported by Scripture.

Finally, in 1517, a leader of the opposition emerged.  His name was Martin Luther. Luther did not intend to break with the church.  He merely wanted to turn it back to its foundations, to reform it, to root out the man-made teachings, to put fresh emphasis on the teachings of the Bible.  Luther took the Bible as his one and only authority. He discovered that the heart of Christian faith is a direct and personal relationship with Jesus Christ -- not with the church who was deciding for individuals the depth of their spirituality and what they had to do to earn the favor of man standing in for God.

But the Roman Catholic Church rejected Luther's views, so he and other "protesters" were forced out. They began to meet separately.  They studied the Bible, allowed God to speak to them through it, and followed its teachings.  This was the start of the branch of Christianity known as Protestants.

Luther did everything a dedicated monk of the sixteenth century was supposed to do.  He fasted, he prayed, he whipped himself, he performed penances, he went on pilgrimages (on hands and knees), and even confessed the slightest fault to a priest.  He said that no pen could describe the mental torture of the struggle to achieve salvation through good works.  Despite his efforts, he knew he wasn't saved.

Then he found the Scripture in Roman 1:17 which said, "The righteous shall live by faith."  He had found that ONLY faith was needed for Salvation.

The Council of Trent ruled that mere faith in Jesus Christ alone was not enough for the foregiveness of sins.

The Bible teaches that genuine faith in Jesus death and resurrection, automatically, naturally produces good works and "fruit of the Spirit;" it is proof of the personal application of faith.  The opposite cannot happen; i.e.: doing good works cannot produce faith and a belief in Christ.