Reformation Day - Celebrating and Guarding the Gospel
“I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me.” — MARTIN LUTHER
One of the most important moments in church history was the Protestant Reformation which many believe began on October 31, 1517. On this day, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church doors in Wittenburg, Germany. This was so important because Luther sought to bring clarity about the gospel and access to the Scriptures at a time when Roman Catholicism had distorted the gospel and hijacked the truth. Much can be said about the heresy of the Roman Catholic indulgences, but the essence is this: the Roman Catholic church believed that a financial transaction was the means of grace in order to atone for sins. This is not the true gospel, and Martin Luther knew it and exposed their heresy for the first time.
Martin Luther was far from perfect, yet his defense of justification by faith alone at the Diet of Worms in 1521 was a pivotal moment in church history. After his bold stance at the Diet of Worms, he was labeled an outlaw and fled for his life. During his time in hiding, Martin Luther translated the New Testament from Latin into German in approximately 11 weeks. Soon after, Luther also translated the Old Testament as well. His translation work put the Word of God into the hands of the common German people for the first time. Christianity took on a whole new chapter as the power of the Scriptures was able to be known by everyone. This shift cannot be overstated: the people of God finally had full access to the Word of God!
“Insofar as the gospel is always in danger of being distorted, it has to be maintained with clarity and urgency in every generation, including our own.” — R.C. SPROUL
Every generation has the responsibility to not only teach their children and grandchildren about the timeless truths of God’s Word (Deut. 4:9, 6:4-9) but we must also remind ourselves of those who have come before us to herald the gospel and preserve it.
Today, October 31, we should celebrate Reformation Day! We should be grateful that God used a very imperfect man like Martin Luther to be a small part of history that make the Bible more accessible to the common man and gave us a great heritage of faith that rests in the trustworthiness of the Scriptures.
My encouragement to you is to share the story of Martin Luther with your kids, grandkids, and friends. We share this not to elevate Martin Luther, but to remind ourselves that the faith we hold to today has undergone great adversity over the centuries and we should be thankful for the faithfulness of men like Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, John Hus, John Knox, and many others.
Below I’ve included some resources that may help you and your family learn more about the Reformation as well as grow in your understanding of why it was so crucial to the Protestant faith tradition:
Free LUTHER documentary for adults and older kids
The 5 Solas video for adults and older kids
John Piper “Why do we celebrate the Reformation?” video for adults
A song written by Martin Luther