Authority and Power in The Catholic Church History Essay Example

Up until 1871, the Catholic Church was a prominent figure in society with the amount of power and prestige it resided over citizens. Their authority was rooted in the idea that the church had sole possession of the truth and that this truth was the sole source of knowledge and wisdom to which society must adhere. Pope Boniface VIII, the ruler of the Catholic Church from 1294 until 1303, discussed the Papal Primacy in his letter to King Philip titled Unam Sanctam. Bonifas describes the authority of the Catholic Church in Unam Sanctam with the utilization of the “Feed my sheep '' meaning described in John 21:17. Bonifas states, “meaning, my sheep in general, not these, nor those in particular, whence we understand that He entrusted all to him [Peter]” (Sanctum, pg.1). Bonifas is commenting that the church has law and validity everywhere and “not these, nor those '' meaning that the Catholic Church has the authority of not only Christians but of society in general. The power structure is further discussed later in Bonifas' Sanctum when he states, “Certainly the one who denies that the temporal sword is in the power…but at the will of and sufferance of the priest” which continues to discuss the idea that the priest is in charge of everyone, Christian or Non-Christian. 

Martin Luther, a prominent figure in the challenging of the ‘truth-revealing’ Catholic Church and eventually an important figure of the Protestant Reformation, proposed a different approach to the Catholic Church which stated that it is a necessity to perform works in order to be granted salvation. In Luther’s The Freedom of A Christian, he comments on the Catholic Church’s approach to focusing on one’s works as an “utter ignorance of Christian life and faith, that a man should seek to be justified and saved by works and without faith” (The Freedom of A Chrisitan, pg.16). Luther’s approach focused on living through faith, an unshakeable confidence in God’s grace, or the works one commits freely and lovingly without being coerced and demanded by the obligations of the authority. Luther deems that this form of salvation can be achieved through listening to Scripture and Christ and further believed that faith will automatically lead one to works without questioning their significance. He explains this argument in his works when he states, “the Chrisitan who is concerned by his faith does good works, but the works do not make him holier or more Christian, for that is the work of faith alone”(The Freedom of A Chrisitan, pg.17). Luther provides a strong argument that combats the ideology of salvation proposed by the Catholic Church through his comments on faith and the inner man.

Luther discussed the necessity of works demanded by the Catholic Church for Christians and compares it to civil law which is focused on the outer man or ‘life according to the flesh’. Luther believed in faith or the inner man meaning if we have sole faith in God, we will be granted salvation because we are believing in God’s words freely and lovingly. The Commandments are an example of works that the Catholic Church demands Christians to follow. Luther believed that the commandments served a purpose, as a baseline for the path to salvation, but not the only goal Christians should keep in mind. Luther states in his Freedom of A Christian, “The commandments show us what we ought to do but do not give us the power to do it. They are intended to teach man to know himself, that through them he may recognize his inability to do good and may despair of his own ability” (Freedom of A Christian, pg.15). Luther comments that the Commandments are there partly to make us aware of our sin and that we need guidance because humans are not just inner people. Luther further states that the Commandments are more to keep humans in line with the teachings of Scripture when he states, “As long as we live in the flesh we only begin to make some progress in that which shall be perfected in the future life” (Freedom of A Christian, pg. 15) and emphasizes that, “faith alone is the righteousness of a Christian and the fulfilling of all the commandments” (Freedom of A Christian, pg. 13). Paul comments on this issue of individuals solely obeying the ‘truth-seeking’ Catholic Church for the necessity of works by stating, “no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Letter to the Romans 3:20). Paul believed that works alone were not enough and that works without faith are more of a baseline for salvation. Both Luther and Paul seem to agree that the Catholic Church’s approach to salvation or the good life is not sufficient and one that should focus not only on works but on the sole importance of faith. 

Luther’s approach to the path of salvation results in Christians ‘fulfilling the law’ which involves the individual participating in the work lovingly and freely and one who is not constrained by the legitimate law or in this case, the Catholic Church. Luther believed that through ‘fulfilling the law’ or through faith, “he is free from every law and does everything out of pure liberty and freely” (Freedom of A Christian, pg.17). Since people would believe in and trust God, there is no need to do good works or even contemplate such works because, “A Christian who is consecrated by his faith does good works” (Freedom of A Christian, pg. 17). Luther believed in the sole importance of faith, not the church’s notion that faith is not enough and that Christians must do works in order to be virtuous and ascend to heaven. The Catholic Church believed that a sinner could not rely on faith or the mercy of God, which is contrary to Luther’s opinion on the fact that Scripture and the Gospel were sufficient. The church demanded more from Christians, emphasizing the need to keep yourself justified by your own good works and to merit grace and eternal life by your works. 

Included in Luther’s approach on the importance of faith for salvation is the meaning of the Holy Spirit and how both faith and the Holy Spirit work hand in hand. With the incorporation of faith, the Holy Spirit is able to return and render the heart glad and free. In Chapter Five of Paul’s Letter to the Romans, he states, “our hearts will be filled by the Holy Spirit with the love which makes us free, joyful, almighty workers and conquerors over all tribulations, servants of our neighbors, and yet lords of all” (Freedom of A Chrisitan, pg. 21). The Holy Spirit is what aids humans with their love for God and what allows humans to live freely without coercion. 

The importance of Luther’s argument can be applied to the modern-day and how there has been a massive decline in the amount of Christians who choose to not attend mass each year. Growing up in a Catholic household, the notion was that attending mass, praying, and penance was deemed as the proper forms of reaching heaven. Luther would suggest that if attending mass was not done through the individual’s personal connection to Christ or the ‘inner man’, then that action is deemed more as a baseline and near meaningless since, “whoever does not have faith will have nothing” (Freedom of A Christian, pg. 10).  Reinstating Paul’s argument in Chapter 3 of Letter to the Romans that, “no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law”, humans who are forced to attend mass by an authoritative figure is not beneficial because the demand is not improving the individual’s relationship with God. Luther’s interpretation of the path to salvation is a slight deviation from the Catholic Church, but one that should be favored in the realm of Christianity.