Comparing Protestant Reformation And Martin Luther

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One of the most famous exchanges in western history is of Martin Luther, founder of German Reformation, and Desiderius Erasmus, figure of the Protestant Reformation and Renaissance humanist, who both have different ideas and themes throughout their writings. Erasmus and Luther both suggest being very diverse from one another, and as the two debate, the men not only show humanisms programmatic reputation, but also the first discussion of the fundamentalist ideas of the Reformation. Erasmus and Luther both view sin differently due to their individual position and assessment on salvation. Throughout this paper, we will look at the different views and how the authors think sin affects our capacity to know what is right, do what is right, and act…show more content…
As such, there is no free will for civilization because any will they might have is inundated by the effect of sin. Sin is already inside humans and resides there naturally. As it is written in the book Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther: Discourse on Free Will, Luther states the following about evil man, “Since they are prevented and evil, being carried along by the motion of Divine Omnipotence, they cannot but do what is perverse and evil.” (Winter 132) Unless God chooses to change humans, we can’t do anything about it. For in this world and existence we do not find ourselves in a place where justice resides. However, with God's grace, Luther argued that works contribute nothing to one's salvation. Luther believes that if you are a sinner, sin boldly and trust in sin, but let your trust in Christ be…show more content…
Erasmus’s understanding of sin is that God’s hatred to sin is not an infinite hatred of sinners; otherwise no sinner should be forgiven. People strive to do all that is necessary in order to forsake their sin and to seek after holiness. Sin is forgiven by God’s grace towards us and that is why it is left up to His children to decide what path we must take. It is necessary for the sinner to prepare his heart for grace, and then once received, it would then be used to fulfill the law and human efforts thus to attain righteousness. We are all commanded in life to follow Christ and that implies striving and possible failure, such as sin. By failing, humans obtain a measurable sense of knowing what is right and what is wrong. God’s children need to work harder to obtain Gods grace. “A Prize can only be won by somebody who has fought. Only one who has earned it can receive it as a presentation.”(Winter 49) Erasmus believed that original sin was not something passed on to all human beings, but rather a natural falling as a result of their own desire and decision to
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