Happy Reformation Day!
On this day, 484 years ago, a pastor in his mid-thirties
walked up the steps of his church with a bulletin announcement to call the
clergy of his community to a conversation and a debate. Little did Martin
Luther know that as he posted a list of ninety-five ideas that he was embarking
on an amazing adventure. Little could he know that what he was doing
would change the world. He began those statements with these words, “Out
of love and zeal for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the
following theses will be publicly discussed at Wittenberg . . . .” He
went on to list ideas he wished to discuss. Here are some of them.
1. When
our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent”, he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
27. They preach only human
doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks in the money chest, the soul
flies out of purgatory. (Referring to the selling of indulgences.)
28. It is certain that when
money clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased; but when
the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone.
32. Those who believe that
they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters
will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.
37. Any true Christian,
whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the
church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.
94. Christians should be
exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their head, through penalties,
death and hell;
95. And thus be confident of
entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false
security of peace (Acts 14:22).
Luther chose to speak up out of love and zeal for the truth,
to proclaim and show that we are saved by God’s grace through faith as the
Bible teaches us. There is no outward work that we do, but God has done
everything for us through Jesus. What a great heritage we have! It
is even greater because Luther did not pursue his disputation against the
selling of forgiveness because of zeal for truth, but also out of love.
Many times in life I have argued with people because, “I was
right.” Zeal for truth is a powerful motivation. But Luther was not
only motivated by that zeal, but also by love. It was love for his
parishioners that urged him to speak up. As he grew to understand God’s
love and forgiveness, he was also moved by his love for God. He wanted
all people to have the comfort and assurance of God’s love that only comes
through Jesus’ death and resurrection. He cared enough about people to
speak up and to take action, and that changed the church, the world, and our
lives.
Love, too, is a powerful motivator. The biblical idea
of love is caring about the wellbeing of others and acting on their
behalf. I would submit that one of the most loving things we can do is to
share the love of Jesus with others. It is a loving thing to confront the
lies of the world, the false doctrines people cling to, and the petty
idolatries we have in our hearts that keep us from fully knowing the joy of
God’s salvation. It is a loving thing to speak up against the world and
for the Kingdom of God.
The beautiful good news of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection
are totally taken for granted in our day. It is a sad state of affairs
that we see in our world. But God has not given up on the world. He
placed us here as His witnesses. He chose this time and place for
us. I encourage you to be the heirs of Martin Luther, sharing the Good
News that God redeems people through the cross and empty grave. Speak up
and be God’s witnesses. We often pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed
be Thy name.” This is how we hallow God’s name; that is, keep it
holy. We teach God’s Word in its truth and purity. This happens in
our conversations at work, home, the store, or wherever we are. We are
always witnesses of God’s truth and love. And we live our lives according
to God’s Word. That is, we trust God’s promises and live in the hope that
we are forgiven, so we daily face this life with the hope God has given us in
Christ.
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