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Salvation by Faith and not by Works In the sixteenth century a revolt arose within the Catholic Church. A man by the name of Martin Luther protested against the Catholic view an obtaining salvation. The Catholics sought salvation by leading a blameless life or by performing holy acts. Another critical view which also led towards the reformation was the “unholy motives of the church officials.” Catholic priests would allow people to pay off their iniquities. And as good as this may sound it also put a financial burden on those who were less fortunate. The Pope and other officials were living a life of luxury while the people were paying for their indulgences. The Protestant Reformation was an attempt to correct and purify the Christian religion. Luther put it very simply “Justification by faith alone.” His thought as well as the Protestant thought was that our salvation could only be achieved by our faith in Jesus Christ. The belief in salvation by faith and not by works is a core doctrine of the Protestant religion and so in the eyes of a Protestant the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven. But why all of a sudden did Luther challenge centuries of beliefs and practices? He didn't feel that all of the praye