Born on the 10th of November 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony, Luther was the son of a well-to-do German peasant. His father Hans was a miner and former village mayor but like most peasants, the family was quite poor and at one stage struggled financially to such an extent that Luther was obliged to sing from door to door for a meal on his way to school.

Despite this Luther’s parents were industrious and worked hard to provide the best for their children and Luther was sent to university, becoming a rare exception among the peasants of his day.

He entered the University of Erfurt in 1501 and graduated with a bachelor of arts in 1503 and as Doctor of Divinity in 1505. While he was at Erfurt he discovered a complete copy of the Bible in the library and this had a profound impact on his spiritual life. He had not been aware of the existence of such a book, having only heard portions of the gospels and epistles read aloud to him at church and assuming that these constituted the entirety of scripture.

In 1505, on his way back to Erfurt after a visit to his parents, Luther was caught in a thunderstorm and nearly struck by lightning. In absolute terror, he promised to become a monk if God would spare his life and upon his safe return to Erfurt made good on his promise by committing himself to the priesthood and joining the  Augustinian Order. This placed a strain on his relationship with his father, who, being a man of high integrity, intuitively distrusted the entire monastic system and it was two years before they were reconciled again.

Johann Von Staupitz was a doctor of Theology, who was appointed as Vicar General of the Augustinian Monks in Germany. He met Luther at Erfurt in 1506 as a young monk riddled with thoughts of spiritual inadequacy, who once spent six hours confessing his sins to Staupitz. Staupitz was instrumental in helping Luther to understand the basics of the gospel and grasp a picture of God that was more gracious and merciful than the cruel and exacting judge that presided over the troubled thoughts in Luther’s mind. Luther himself said “if it were not for Dr. Staupitz, I would have sunk in Hell”

One of the most significant influences in Luther’s early years was the close connection he had with Staupitz and the impact that Staupitz had on his young life. There is so much potential in spiritual mentorship and wise, Godly counsel. Discipleship is a biblical concept, Jesus discipled 12, Paul discipled Timothy, Silas and many more, Elijah discipled Elisha. If you are an older Christian, then take the time to invest in the lives of younger Christians around you and if you are a younger Christian make use of the wisdom of those older in faith. There is such a need for discipleship in the church today. So many young people, like Luther, flounder without a clear understanding of who God is and what he desires for them and from them and there is a need for spiritually mature Christians to stand in this gap and offer the support and guidance that the youth need so much.