Luther’s Struggle for Assurance

This journal article examines Martin Luther's inner spiritual struggle for assurance of salvation, particularly his acute sensitivity to sin and his desperate quest for peace with God before the posting of the Ninety-five Theses. Koole argues that Luther's personal theological breakthrough—his discovery of justification by faith alone—was the spiritual foundation that preceded and motivated his public reformation challenge to Rome's abuses. The article traces how Luther's profound inner conflict and its resolution shaped the course of Western history and the Protestant Reformation itself.