Martin Luther made a mistake with his translation of the Bible. He added the word “Alone” in one verse. The problem that has arisen, however, does not concern biblical truth, but rather the template given to those who have hypocrisy as an integral part of their being.
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A disastrous “alone”
Saved by faith (alone). The “alone” is put in brackets because this has been a rhetorical hook of the Roman Catholic Church for around 500 years to use it to attack Martin Luther and his disclosure of the Gospel. Martin Luther, one can easily blame him, added this “alone” on his own initiative when he translated the Bible into German.
The passage in question in the Bible concerns Romans 3:28. This is e.g. in Schlachter 2000:
“So we come to the conclusion that man is justified by faith, apart from the works of the law.“
The following wording can be found in Luther’s translation from 1545 (Source):
“So we hold that man becomes righteous without the works of the law, through faith alone.“
The King James “translation team” who translated the Bible into English up to 1611 stuck to the original Greek language and came up with the following translation:
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
The word “alone” is not included in English either.
Outcry in Rome
For the Catholic Church, this statement from a renegade monk who was excommunicated in 1521 was of course an affront. According to Catholic teaching, “faith alone” is out of the question at all. This completely contradicts their interpretation and narrative of the gospel. The Church of Rome sees itself as the “Successor of Peter” and assumes the continued role of the apostle. She is the church founded by Jesus, the body of Christ, and the Pope is the representative of Christ (“vicarius christi”) on earth. In addition, there is “of course” the infallibility of the church due to the pontiff’s incapacity for error when he proclaims his teachings and decisions from the bishop’s chair (“ex cathedra”).
There is a saying: “He who constantly makes a fool of everyone will one day become a fool himself.” One could certainly accuse the clerical heads of this church of such things and therefore assume that they actually believe in it and that the Pope truly considers himself to be the person that some of this guild have already described themselves as. Basically God on earth (Info).
Martin Luther was basically right.
Having lost all connection to truth and reality, a violent reaction from the Church of Rome due to a single uncomfortable word is entirely understandable. Martin Luther added the word “alone” to this one verse in Romans. But did he thereby falsify the theology or the truth about salvation? No, he didn’t. Simply because the statement “by faith alone” is completely correct.
Two other verses of the Bible confirm that righteousness comes through the grace of Jesus Christ alone through faith alone.
Romans 1:17:
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.“
Ephesians 2:8-9:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.“
Yes, but…!
A supposed trump card up the sleeve of the defenders of works righteousness is a statement from James. James 2:24:
“Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.“
Gladly presented and thereby “proved” that works are the prerequisite for salvation. The presentation of this verse is usually done without context. Therefore, any verse presented should be read in context in the Bible on your own responsibility. In this way you also come to the conclusion that James 2:24 in no way describes righteousness by works.
In the first chapter the reader is informed what it is all about, James 1:22:
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.“
Another important note can be found in James 2:14:
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?“
The penny should have dropped by James 2:17 at the latest:
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.“
In other words, if someone claims that they have true faith, but the good deeds (works) motivated by faith do not occur, then this is very, very likely hypocrisy. Real faith leads to visible actions. “By their fruits you shall know them.” With this information, James 2:24 appears in a completely different light.
The Roman Church, on the other hand, tells people about righteousness by works. One must first confess the sin to a priest and he has the authority to forgive the sin (presumption). The believer then has to ensure that the remaining debt is paid off. This in turn is associated with some deeds (works). Otherwise the believer would be threatened with purgatory. If the priest has refused absolution and God is bound by the decision according to Catholic dogma (!), then the person goes straight to hell after his death.
This means that the biblical statement that justification alone (!) is based on faith, without works, makes such a monstrous construct like the papacy completely unnecessary. To this day, this has to be avoided by every possible means.
Anyone who did not believe the nonsense of Catholic theology and openly expressed this was quickly branded as a heretic and, after failing to return to full obedience to the Church, excommunicated. This usually resulted in imperial ban in the church’s catchment area. You were outlawed and could even be killed without the murderer having to answer for it. After all, he didn’t do anything wrong. After a year of failing to repent to the church, this usually meant death at the stake. Either burned alive, or, with the bishop’s “mercy”, strangled before the burning.
A well-known example is Jan Hus from Bohemia. A preacher with a catchment area in Prague, Czech Republic. He had openly expressed the controversies between Catholic teaching and the Gospel. After the betrayal by the German Emperor Sigismund, who promised Jan Hus safe conduct, Hus was burned at the stake in Constance on July 6, 1415.
This cruel tyranny in the “name of God” and in the self-proclaimed “embodiment of Christ” on earth.
The monopoly of interpretive sovereignty broken
With his “rebellion” against the infallible church of Rome, Martin Luther had broken the clergy’s exclusive authority to interpret. The Roman Catholic Church banned the distribution and possession of the Bible. This also applied to excerpts from Holy Scripture. Translation into a language other than Latin and “unauthorized” interpretation were also prohibited. Violations ended in “embarrassing questioning”, the confiscation of assets, including those of next of kin, and often in death. Preachers were instructed to shout the official dogmas of the church, i.e. the traditions, from the pulpits.
The Reformer put a sudden end to the monopoly power of the Church of Rome, the exclusive interpretation of the Bible. A severe blow to the papacy. From this point on, people had the opportunity to experience the Word of God and thus his (actual) will for themselves. The Roman Church’s construct of lies was in danger of collapsing. This is the real reason for the unnaturally loud clamor over the word “alone” in Luther’s translation. People simply call his Bible corrupt through and through. After all, the infallible church has the only truth. However, a very flexible truth, as the new Bible editions prove.
Continued hypocrisy
Given the Bible translations in circulation today, the uproar caused by the addition of a single word can only be described as unprecedented hypocrisy. These “modern” Bibles contain around 14,000(!) deviations from Luther’s original translation and also the English King James Version according to the “textus receptus”. Any protests heard from Rome? Nowhere.
These new interpretations of the Bible also include the ecumenical standard translation. Officially “sanctioned” by the Roman Catholic Church. These modern Bibles, based on the basic texts of Eberhard Nestle and Kurt Aland, also deviate from the historical “household Bible” of the Church of Rome, the Latin Vulgate. But in the spirit of ecumenism this appears to be completely unproblematic.
Anyone who takes a closer look at the sometimes massive changes and omissions in the modern Bibles will see that these are predominantly aimed at denying Jesus Christ His position, His message and His will. He can only be an ordinary itinerant preacher and prophet. It must be compatible with the ecumenism driven by the Roman Catholic Church. Numerous examples of Bible falsifications – here.
Your own conscience decides
You can twist and turn it however you want. One only needs to look at the history of the papacy as it actually exists. The Church of Rome and the former Protestant churches have agreed to remember this unchanging history “differently”. (Info), but the person with a conscience is ultimately not forced to follow this institutional mendacity.
It is very helpful to know who or what the papacy is about (Info). And at this point the once Protestant churches also play an important role. Their downfall is even biblical, as they are described as the “false prophet”, a part of Babylon (Info).
The tussle over the “alone” in Luther’s translation is merely the diversionary tactic of a thief who wants to divert attention from himself by shouting, “Stop the thief!”, while also acting as an accuser and judge. This is just the nature of the one who is also referred to as the “Whore of Babylon” with her residence in the city of 7 hills.
And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Revelation 17:5
Bible verses from King James Version
