Peasants represent the small community mainly composed of farmers, agricultural workers of low social status, a county man or a worker from a common and poor community. They are the natives of rural areas and usually the people who are untouched by citizen laws and practices. Peasants live in every country, but the Peasants of Germany are famous for the Peasant’s revolt in the 16th Century.
Before talking much about the revolt, one must understand the concept of ‘Christian Liberty’, which has the main role in the Peasants’ Revolt. The Christian Liberty concept is used by many communities in the way they want to use it, but what the Bible says or refers to it is more important. Christian liberty originated in the Bible in more than a few concepts. For case in point, liberty and freedom for the Christian can stand with the intention that he or she has been unchained from the outcome of sin by belief in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). Also, Christian liberty can pass on to being at liberty from the power of sin in one’s existence by daily faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of one’s nature as well as conduct. In the bargain, Christian liberty can represent that Christians are unchained from the Jewish Law of Moses.
As a final point, Christian liberty can denote that Christians are not tied up with respect to such commotion that is not particularly forbidden in the Bible. Consequently, one can undergo liberation to be involved in that commotion on condition that it doesn’t “stagger” or “offend” any other citizen Christians. For the most part, these activities rotate just about the societal and communal norms, for instance, whether or not to be dressed in certain types of clothes, jewellery, make-up, dancing, piercings, tattoos, as well as carrying out some things, for instance, smoking, public drinking, leisure gambling, either videos or watching films and dramas.
Besides, Christians who are inclined to vigorously encourage such liberties can every now and then fall into a loose standard of living an unmanageable living, and on the supplementary side, the native Christians who have a predisposition to energetically limit these liberties can occasionally plunge into a legalistic way of life of being described by what they are “in opposition to.” Thus, it is prudent to look and seek what God said in his book and check whether or not a particular doing is essentially prohibited in God’s words. If it is, it must be evaded and passed on. If it is not prohibited, then we are supposed to seek to settle on how the movement reflects on our standing as Christians, plus whether it will lend a hand to us or hinder us in presenting on behalf of Jesus to unbelievers around us, whether it enlightens them or not.
The above was all the Bible says about this concept and how it should be used. Now, we must see the side where the Peasants used this term as the cause of their revolt. The peasants’ concept of Christian Liberty was very flexible with time. According to them, being corrupt by not paying taxes and doing civil duties is not a sin, as per Christian Liberty. The peasants were of the view that they were spending their lives as per the Bible’s leisure of Christian Liberty, and no one could enforce any law on us. Before the revolt, they were supposed to pay heavy taxes and follow a formal law, which they denied, and a revolt happened.
Peasants represent the small community mainly composed of farmers, agricultural workers of low social status, a county man or a worker from a common and poor community. They are the natives of rural areas and usually the people who are untouched by citizen laws and practices. Peasants live in every country, but the Peasants of Germany are famous for the Peasant’s revolt in the 16th Century.
Before talking much about the revolt, one must understand the concept of ‘Christian Liberty’, which has the main role in the Peasants’ Revolt. The Christian Liberty concept is used by many communities in the way they want to use it, but what the Bible says or refers to it is more important. Christian liberty originated in the Bible in more than a few concepts. For case in point, liberty and freedom for the Christian can stand with the intention that he or she has been unchained from the outcome of sin by belief in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). Also, Christian liberty can pass on to being at liberty from the power of sin in one’s existence by daily faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of one’s nature as well as conduct. In the bargain, Christian liberty can represent that Christians are unchained from the Jewish Law of Moses.
As a final point, Christian liberty can denote that Christians are not tied up with respect to such commotion that is not particularly forbidden in the Bible. Consequently, one can undergo liberation to be involved in that commotion on condition that it doesn’t “stagger” or “offend” any other citizen Christians. For the most part, these activities rotate just about the societal and communal norms, for instance, whether or not to be dressed in certain types of clothes, jewellery, make-up, dancing, piercings, tattoos, as well as carrying out some things, for instance, smoking, public drinking, leisure gambling, either videos or watching films and dramas.
Besides, Christians who are inclined to vigorously encourage such liberties can every now and then fall into a loose standard of living as an unmanageable living and, on the supplementary side, the native Christians who have a predisposition to energetically limit these liberties.
However, in my opinion, the Christian liberty described by Luther in his 9 Thesis is clearer and more concise. It is a well-formulated and balanced form of freedom which is not harmful at all to the state. Luther’s interpretation of this concept is not rigid and is applicable. However, peasants have evidently imposed the ways they wanted to.
Works Cited
Luther, Martin, Henry Eyster Jacobs, and Adolph Spaeth. Works of Martin Luther: With introductions and notes. Vol. 2. AJ Holman company, 1915.
Luther, Martin. “Admonition to peace: a reply to the Twelve Articles of the Peasants in Swabia.” Luther’s Works 46 (1967): 17-43.
