Over the years, there have been many conflicting views on faith perspectives. The range beliefs have challenged how humans perceive God's power from how humanity shall reach salvation. The examination of original sin, free will and grace in Martin Luther's Christian Liberty, Paul's Letter to the Galatians, and the Decrees of the Council of Trent; will bring forth the differences between the Catholic and Lutheran traditions. Martin Luther's idea on bondage of the human will is contradictory to Paul's theology regarding justification by faith. With these conflict of beliefs we can gain insight into generations of mystery.
Paul and Luther both believed that humans needed Christ's sacrifice. If by works we are justified by God and weren't originally sinful there would be no need for Christ. Humanity needs to be acquitted from their sins; because one man, Adam, had spread sin through humanity, and this makes Christ's suffering necessary for human salvation. Paul believes that Christ "gave himself for our sins to set us free (Galatians, 1:3)" therefore we are acquitted from our sins. Humanity must have faith to be acquitted from original sin. On the idea Christ was needed for humanity's salvation, Luther agrees that if you believe that Christ had suffered for the human race and died, "your sins are forgiven and you are justified by the merits.of Christ alone. (Luther, 10)" The Council of Trent supports the views of Luther and Paul, "since all lost their innocence in the sin of Adam, became unclean.as set out in the decree on original sin. (Trent, 113) However, Luther and the Catholic stand point very on how faith comes from original sin. Luther's view on how humanity acquires faith is by God's ability alone. The Catholic view is that humanity receives faith through God, but has the ability to stray from faith. With regard to original sin humanity's free will is destroyed in Lutheran tradition and in the Catholic tradition free will is still intact just merely damaged.