Luther

According to Luther, there are two parts of every one man. There is the inner man and the outer man. The inner man was the most important to Luther and to his ideas tat lead to the reformation of the church. The outer man, according to Luther was not necessary and looked down upon by God.

The inner man is described as, “The spiritual nature, which they name the soul, he is called the spiritual, inward, new man.” The soul is the most valuable of the two “men” because, “Though our outward man perish, yet the inner man is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. iv. 16).” According to Luther, a man’s works do not justify their connection with god. These works include using money and gift as a way to gain salvation in the church. Luther claims that the outer body is less important because it is temporary and sinful. But, in contrast, the soul, or inner body never dies and is closely connected to god and his word. Luther believed that faith (the inner body) alone was the way to salvation. He stated that “believing in the soul, by the pledge of its faith in Christ” rather than the outer man, one “becomes free from all sin, fearless of death, safe from hell, and endowed with the eternal righteousness, life, and salvation of its Husband Christ.”

These ideas of the inner and outer man were important for people to understand, because it was one of the bases for Luther’s 95 Thesis and the reformation of the church. It aloud people to see that they did not need salvation through work or through gifts to the church. All one needed was the faith in God and the word of Christ in order to seek salvation.