Journal of Religious Comparative Studies DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1992/jrcs.v1i1.3720 Martin Luther and The Concept of The Reformation of a True Church (An Analytical Study and Phenomenon On The Denominations Of Church) Syamsul Hadi Untung* Universitas Darussalam (UNIDA) Gontor Email:[email protected] Khoirunisa* Universitas Darussalam (UNIDA) Gontor Email: [email protected] Abstract Church reforms carried out by Martin Luther centered on Christians who wanted to be saved from the teachings of the deviant Catholic church. One of Martin Luther’s thoughts in reforming the church is his unique understanding of the problem of sin and his acceptance of God’s presence. This research uses the library research method which is sourced from the works of Martin Luther and the text of the Holy Bible. The approach used by the author is the historical-historical approach (analysis-history), with this approach the writer can arrange and conceptually arrange the course of the history of the Catholic Church and Martin Luther. The purpose of this writing is to read the events that Martin Luther has done in reforming the church, he has a different influence on Christianity today. Their forms of belief differ from the way in which the Scriptures are conveyed. So the author can conclude that the ideas of Martin Luther appeared to submit 95 theses of criticism for the teachings of the church which according to him to deviate and after the success of Martin Luther in reforming the church. The church denomination was created after reforming the Catholic church. So some Christians feel worried about the denominations of the church around them that will only make them divided and united until now. Keywords: Reformation, Martin Luther, Church, Denominations, Teachings. *Dean of the Faculty of Usuluddin, Darussalam University of Gontor, Jl. Raya Siman Km. 06, Ponorogo, Tel. 0352-483762. Fax: 0352-488182. *Student of the Faculty of Usuluddin Darussalam University Gontor Campus 5 Kandangan, Kediri Vol. 1 No. 1, November 2019 2 Syamsul Hadi Untung, Khoirunisa Abstrak Reformasi gereja yang dilakukan oleh Martin Luther berpusat pada orang-orang Kristen yang ingin diselamatkan dari ajaran gereja Katolik yang menyimpang. Salah satu pemikiran Martin Luther dalam mereformasi gereja, adalah pemahaman unik tentang masalah dosa dan penerimaannya ke hadirat Allah. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode library research yang bersumberkan dari karya-karya Martin Luther dan teks Kitab suci gereja Katholik. Adapun pendekata yang digunakan oleh penulis yakni pendekatan analisis- sejarah (analysis-history), dengan pendekatan tersebut penulis dapat merangkai dan menyusun secara konsepsi jalannya sejarah gereja Katholik dan tokoh Martin Luther. Adapun tujuan penulisan ini untuk membaca peristiwa yang telah dilakukan Martin Luther dalam mereformasi gereja, ia memiliki pengaruh yang berbeda terhadap kekristenan dewasa ini. Bentuk-bentuk kepercayaan mereka berbeda dengan cara di mana Kitab Suci disampaikan. Sehingga penulis dapat menyimpulkan bahwa gagasan Martin Luther muncul untuk mengajukan 95 tesis kritik untuk ajaran-ajaran gereja yang menurutnya menyimpang serta setelah keberhasilan Martin Luther dalam mereformasi gereja. Adapun denominasi gereja diciptakan setelah mereformasi gereja Katolik. Sehingga beberapa orang Kristen merasa cemas tentang denominasi gereja di sekitar mereka yang hanya akan membuat mereka terpecah dan tidak bersatu sampai sekarang. Kata kunci: Reformasi, Martin Luther, Gereja, Denominasi-denominasi, Ajaran-ajaran. INTRODUCTION he term “Reformation” directly gives the impression that something, namely Western European Christianity, is being Trenewed. The fact shows that the term “reform” is generally accepted as an appropriate designation for this movement because this movement is associated with the recognition of the need for a thorough examination of institutions, practices, and understandings of the Western church. The term really helps to show that there are social and intellectual dimensions of the movement.1 After the emergence of The Renaissance that made civilization in science, but has not been able to overcome the pain of society from the confines of the church, there emerged a movement that fiercely opposed the deviant church dogmas, namely the reformation movement of the church. Dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church grew in the 15th century and reached its peak in 1517 when Martin Luther (1483-1546), 1Alister E. McGrath, Sejarah Pemikiran Reformasi, (Jakarta: BPK Gunung Mulia, 8th edition, 2016), 2. Journal of Religious Comparative Studies Martin Luther and The Concept of The Reformation of a True Church 3 a monk from the Society of Augustine who worked in Wittenburg, Germany, hung 95 “theses” at the door of the palace church in the city that. He criticized the Catholic Church for selling indulgences to increase funds to be used to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.2 Luther was excommunicated in 1521. Luther rejected many religious doctrines and practices which did not prove to have a biblical basis. The reforms were ignited in the 16th century by Martin Luther in Germany and by John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli elsewhere in Europe.3 Martin Luther began to inch his way toward his distinctive understanding of how sinners can enter into the presence of a righteous God, classically expressed in the doctrine of justification by faith. While the relationship between the emergence of Luther’s theological distinctive and the historical origins of the Reformation as a whole is more complex.4 From the many thoughts of Martin Luther about a reformation of the church, he had a unique understanding of the problem of sin and its acceptance into the presence of God. Luther wrote of books to the archbishop of Mainz in 1517. The archbishop was selling indulgences to raise money for the new cathedral. Luther wrote in his letter that people were getting the wrong impression. They were buying indulgences to pay for their sins and thought this would make sure they went to heaven after they died. Some even thought they did not need to be sorry for their sins and that no sin was too great. Luther said no priest or bishop could guarantee that a person would be saved. Only Christ could do that. He said it was much better for people to do good works than to buy indulgences. In the same year, Luther made lists of all the things that were bothering him about the indulgences and called it the 95 theses. He nailed this list to the door of the Wittenberg Church.5 The way Martin Luther dealt with the problem of the sins of Christians by writing a warning letter to the archbishop (to) not to sell indulgences to pay for the sins of Christians. This received special attention from Luther because Christians get the wrong 2What is meant here is to give a guarantee to someone to be able to go straight to heaven after death when making a contribution to the Church. 3Michael Keene, Kristianitas, (Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2006), 68. 4Alister E. McGrath, Luther’s Theology of the Cross, (United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 1985), 17. 5Martin Luther, Reformation and Enlightenment 1500-1800, (United States: McDougal Littell, 2002), 32-33. Vol. 1 No. 1, November 2019 4 Syamsul Hadi Untung, Khoirunisa impression and assume that if they have bought indulgences, then the person will go to heaven. From this statement, Martin Luther’s idea emerged to put up 95 theses of criticism for the teachings of the church which he thought were devoted. After the success of Martin Luther in reforming the church. A new case arises, namely church of denominations created after the reformation of the Catholic church. A denomination is potentially one of God’s good gifts to the church. A denomination is a form in which Christians can live out varying understandings of faith in Jesus Christ and of what that faith requires in terms of the right belief and right practice. Denomination provides a form in which new insights into the faith, or new applications of old insights to changing contexts and circumstances, can be tested by being lived out.6 Some Christians feel anxious about the church denominations around them which will only make them divide and not unite until now. And that is the reason, the writer wants to discuss these issues more deeply. The Concept of Christian Reformers on Reformation of Church John Calvin was a leader of the church reform movement in Switzerland. He was the second generation in the ranks of pioneers and leaders of the 16th-century church reform movement, but his role was very large in reformist churches. Churches that follow the teachings and governance of the church outlined by Calvin are spread throughout the world. The churches are named after the Calvinist church.7 Calvin was the best theologian and exegete among the Reformers. He never abused reason, like Luther, but assigned it the office of an indispensable handmaid of revelation. Philip Schaff constructed with his logical genius the severest system of Protestant orthodoxy which shaped French, Dutch, English, and American theology, and fortified it against Rationalism as well as against Romanism.8 Out of the Lutheran church arose another, which was called the reformed, and which was founded by Ulrich Zuinglius, a native of 6Paul M. Collins and Barry Ensign-George, Denomination: Assessing an Ecclesiological Category, (London: T&T Clark International, 2011), 14. 7F. D. Wellem, Riwayat Hidup Singkat Tokoh-Tokoh Dalam Sejarah Gereja, (Jakarta: BPK Gunung Mulia, 2002), 49-50. 8Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Volume VII. Modern Christianity. The German Reformation, (Grand Rapids: Christian CLassics Ethereal Library, 1882), 27. Journal of Religious Comparative Studies Martin Luther and The Concept of The Reformation of a True Church 5 Switzerland. Zuinglius began a successful opposition to indulgences and to the whole fabric of papacy in Switzerland, about the time that Luther began in Saxony. The Swiss reformer differed widely from Luther in many articles and was much more evangelical and consistent in his views of the eucharist, and other matters both of faith and practice.