The seeds of the reformation were planted well before Luther published his ninety-five theses in Wittenberg in 1517. The significant decline of the church driven by the rampant corruption in the fourteenth and fifteenth century laid the foundation of the reformation. This corruption led to early reformers including John Wycliffe and John Huss to openly question and challenge church doctrine.
The final spark that ignited the reformation and Luther’s ninety-five theses involved the continued practice of selling indulgences by the church. These indulgences were a mechanism used to raise money for the papacy and the brokers who sold them. In turn, those who bought them were granted forgiveness of sins, not only committed in the past, but also for future sins. This practice made a mockery of the gospel of grace and confirmed a doctrine of works, which epitomized the corruption in the church.
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While the words of Luther were seen as radical ideas by the church, they were viewed in Germany as nationalistic stand against the corrupt Italians. After defending his statements from a biblical perspective and not retracting anything, Frederick, the wise of Saxony protected Luther against reprisals by exiling him to the Castle Wartburg. It was here that Luther translated the New Testament into the German language.
Luther’s marriage to Katherine von Bora in 1525 provided further impetus to the protestant movement with the establishment of a Protestant clerical family. It also served as another bold statement against the Catholic Church and the celibate clergy. Luther and Katherine established their family and home while balancing the strengths and weaknesses found in each other as they served their community and students who studied under