Miltitz, the papal nuncio who previously had failed to reconcile Luther
and the pope, tried again in October, 1520. He had Luther agree to write
a letter to Leo X assuring him that there was nothing personal in his
attacks on the papacy.
In the letter, Luther cautioned Leo against listening to those of his
advisers who would make him a demigod, who put him above councils, who
make him the final authority in interpreting Scripture, “for through
them Satan already has made much headway.” He also assured Leo that he
was an obedient servant of the church and that he was not inveighing
against him personally.
Accompanying the letter was a copy of Luther’s latest pamphlet, “A
Treatise on Christian Liberty.” It expresses calm Christian reflection
quite different from the theological conflicts which were carried
forward in his other treatises. At the outset it poses two propositions
which seem to be a paradox: “A Christian man is a perfectly free lord of
all, subject to none,” and “A Christian man is a perfectly dutiful
servant of all, subject to all.”
The first proposition acknowledges man as a sinner, but one who has been
liberated and restored to a right relationship with God through
justifying grace. In justifying man, God has freed him from the
consequence of his sins because of Christ’s atonement.
This freedom affects a man’s whole life. Not only is he free from the
consequences of sin, but he is no longer shackled by his own hates,
passions, and wilful desires. Because this freedom is based on his own
personal relationship with God, no one can interfere. He is “subject to
none.”
The second proposition indicates that the free man’s life takes a
different direction. Originally he was concerned with himself, but now
the reborn person, in gratitude for his own freedom, serves his
neighbor. His motive is not merely humanitarian, but stems out of a
sincere desire to help others become free too. Love permits him to do no
less than become the servant of all.
The treatise and letter would have scant effect on Pope Leo. Five months
previously he had signed a bull excommunicating Luther.