If you happen to follow the church calendar then you know that this Sunday (Nov. 1) is both Reformation Sunday and All Saints (or All Hallows) Day–which of course makes Saturday, October 31, All Hallows Eve. Granted, this is not the way that most of the population will reflect on Halloween–I would imagine that some would struggle to decipher where the term “halloween” comes from–but then I digress. Arguably, the most famous October 31 would have to be the one that took place in the year 1517. It was on the north door of the Castle Church in the little town of Wittenburg, Germany where Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on that famous day and, at least in the popular mind, began the Protestant Reformation.

Before I continue allow me to make 2 disclaimers:

#1–Since Martin Luther was a human being and certainly no saint (at least in modern use of that word), I am well aware of many of his imperfections. So in writing this short piece regarding him I am in no way encouraging any kind of reverence for the man. Therefore I won’t extol his virtues or decry his vices. He was just a man.

#2–More volumes than I am aware of have been written about the Reformation, the counter-Reformation, etc., so I am writing some very brief and simple thoughts about a complicated and extensive subject–understanding there is far more that could be said.

If you don’t have any church history background this post will make little, if any, sense to you. If I tried to set the story up for you (even briefly), and you know about it, it would be unnecessary, if I set it up, and you don’t know about, it would bore you to tears. Suffice it say that Luther was a man that was overwhelmed by the justice, righteousness and wrath of God–and the sense in his mind that there was no way he could ever “earn” God’s favor, absolutely haunted him. It was almost a neurosis. That is why when he finally came to the realization (via Romans 1: 17) that the salvation that God offers came through what Jesus Christ did on the cross and not based on anything that he could do–when he suddenly glimpsed the love, grace and mercy of God–he was radically transformed.

This discovery propelled him to announce this truth where anyone would listen and he would do intellectual/biblical/rhetorical battle with any that would teach contrary to salvation being “by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone” and that was made evident through “scripture alone.” Therefore he did confront Pope and church and council and creed–standing only on the truth of the Word of God. Probably the most telling (and most familiar) words he spoke were those uttered at the Diet of Worms when asked if would recant what he had written (much of it against the church):

Unless I am [convinced] of error by the testimony of Scripture or (since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Pope or councils, since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted themselves) by manifest reasoning, I stand [convinced] by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God’s word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us.

On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me.

Amen.

Pastor Jeff