Final answer:
The verse Romans 1:17 endorses Martin Luther's idea that faith alone is enough for salvation, opposing the Catholic Church's view of combining faith with good works. This sparked the Protestant Reformation, emphasizing Scripture Alone as the basis for Christian belief and practice.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Bible verse that supports Martin Luther's spiritual discovery is Romans 1:17, which states "The just shall live by faith." This verse became the cornerstone of Luther's theology and the Protestant Reformation. Luther's interpretation of this Scripture led him to conclude that faith alone (sola fide) was sufficient for salvation, challenging the Roman Catholic Church's teaching that both faith and good works were necessary.
Faith Alone was a radical notion because it proposed that God's grace couldn't be earned through good deeds or donations to the Church, such as buying indulgences. Luther was ultimately excommunicated for his beliefs and writings, which included the Ninety-five Theses, as they directly challenged the authority of the pope and the Church's teaching on salvation.
Luther's reading of the Bible, facilitated by the advent of the printing press and translations of the Bible into the vernacular, made Scripture more accessible to the people and allowed for individuals to interpret the Bible directly. This principle of Scripture Alone (sola scriptura) was another foundation of the Reformation initiated by Luther.