The Catholic Church threatened Martin Luther with excommunication (and death) if he did not recant. Martin Luther's reply was, “Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture, or by the clearest reasoning, unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the Word of God, I cannot and will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience.
Ngunit sumagot si Luther: "Hanggat hindi ako nakukumbinsi ng pahayag ng Kasulatan, o ng malinaw na pangangatwiran, hanggat hindi ako nakukumbinsi ng Salita ng Diyos na aking pinagbabatayan ng aking pangunawa at malibang matanto ko na sumasalungat sa Bibliya ang aking budhi, hindi magbabago ang aking paniniwala, dahil hindi ligtas sa isang Kristiyano na labanan ang kanyang sariling budhi.