Reformation Day
Reformation Day was this week on Tuesday, October 31st. This year is in fact the 506th celebration of Reformation Day! 506 years ago (1517 AD) in Germany, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg and formally began the Protestant Reformation. Leading up to 1517 there were many men who labored to reform the church, but Luther is credited with bringing the snowball to the edge of the hill and pushing it down to gain speed and size. Luther was a Roman Catholic monk at the time, and through his own study and searching of scripture sought reform. He was convicted in his heart regarding the true Biblical teaching of justification. He was concerned with the pattern and teaching of the Roman Catholic church on the topic of justification and whether it aligned with scripture. In response, he took to pen and paper and wrote down his 95 grievances concerning how the Roman Catholic Church handled specific teachings and spoke of the growing corruption within the Church. He sought not only to reform the church, but to reclaim the Gospel and true Biblical teaching on justification. This reclaiming was to center the Gospel back on justification by faith alone (Romans 3:28).
It is by our faith in Jesus that we are justified – declared not guilty before God. It is not the good works that we do or keeping the tradition of the Church, but only by our faith in what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross. This central point of justification by faith alone was the stone that rippled through the 16th century, and some 500 years later, we still see the effects of this stone. While justification by faith alone was the central issue for the Reformation, many will say the formal issue of the reformation related to biblical authority. Luther, and the reformers that followed him, held to the view that scripture alone was our final authority. The Pope placed himself in equal authority to scripture and positioned himself as having the authority to emphasize and dictate interpretations of scripture. Luther stood in opposition to this, claiming that scripture alone holds final authority.
Throughout the Reformation, the reclaiming of the Gospel and biblical authority struck the hearts of men and women through Europe, making its way to England. The establishment of the Puritan movement made its way over to America in the middle to late 17th century, and from that movement, this great country was founded. Not only can we trace the legacy and lineage of our faith from this great Reformation some 500 years ago, but also the freedoms we enjoy while living in America. We can gather each Sunday in worship, knowing that we have the true Gospel and that men and women for centuries risked their lives to fight for this reform in the Church. We have confidence in knowing that the Lord has worked throughout the ages to refine and build up His Church to preach and teach the biblical Gospel.
As an outpouring of the Reformation, many doctrines were solidified and brought to the masses. To help capture the heart of the Reformation, we look to five key doctrinal teachings that give us a summary of the theological gold that was mined. These are called the Five Solas of the Reformation. Sola is Latin for alone or by oneself. The Five Solas of the Reformation are the following:
1. Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone): Scripture alone is the sole source of divine revelation, the only inspired, infallible, final and authoritative norm of faith and practice.
2. Sola Fide (Faith Alone): We are justified by faith in Christ alone. Without faith it is impossible to please God. We are not saved by good works, we are saved by our faith in what Christ has accomplished for us.
3. Sola Gratia (by Grace Alone): Salvation comes by grace alone. Salvation is a gift of God by grace. This doctrine points to the fact that God saves us because of His mercy and goodness and not on the basis of anything we could do.
4. Solus Christus (In Christ Alone or Through Christ Alone): This emphasizes the role of Christ in salvation. It is through Christ’s penal substitutionary atonement on the cross that sinners are reconciled to a Holy God. His redemptive work on the cross is what brings the believer into right relationship with the Father
5. Soli Deo Gloria (For the Glory of God Alone): This brings it all together to show that salvation and God’s redemptive work is all for His Glory. It is not for the keeping of rules or our own interest, but we evangelize, we preach the Gospel and proclaim Christ as Lord for the sole reason that God deserves our praise and glory because of what He has done on our behalf. We should be doing all things to honor and give the Lord thanks.
My prayer this week is that we as believers in Jesus would look to the past and see how the Lord has worked and sustained the Church through uncertainty. The true Gospel will never be lost. One phrase that has stuck with me from reading and learning about the Reformation is Semper Reformanda (always reforming). We always need to look at the things we do in Church to make sure we are biblical and aligning ourselves to what the Lord has commanded for us to do. When we find ourselves outside of the Lord’s parameters, we must reform and reclaim God’s intention for worship and living. For further reading check out The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World,by Stephen J Nichols.
May we trust the Lord as He continues to build His Church,
Kelvy Donovan