Pastor’s Podium

At the end of the month the Lutheran Church commemorates the Reformation which began Oct. 31, 1517. This year will be the 502nd anniversary of Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg. It became the triggering event that led to a reformation in the church.

Many people are confused about what the word reformation means. Reformation is not the same as revolution. It is not about innovation. It is not about creativity. Reformation is about getting back to the basics. Reformation is about going back to the truth.

Most of the time, when Lutherans say Reformation, we mean the 16 century reformation in Europe. While that reformation was important, while that reformation was a great event in world history, it is not the only reformation. In fact, there have been many reformations.

There are many reformations in the Bible. Israel often strayed from the Lord, and God often sent a reformer to bring them back to the truth. In a way, Jesus Christ Himself was the greatest of all reformers, for He led the people back to the truth. In the Gospel according to St. John, Jesus said,“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

After Jesus ascended, He sent many people to lead the church back to the truth. Martin Luther is one of a long line of reformers that God used to bring a straying church back to the truth. We could say that because we are always straying from the truth, we always need reforming. We always need to get back to the truth. Reformation is not about starting something new. Instead, it is about getting back to the way things are supposed to be.

When Luther posted the 95 Theses, he had no intention of being a reformer. He only wanted to host a scholarly debate on indulgences. The 95 Theses were simply the points he wanted to debate. He not only posted them on the door of the church, but he also mailed them to people that he thought would be interested in the topic. He had no idea that he was exposing the corruption in the church. He had no idea that the church hierarchy would respond so aggressively.

As the church reacted to Luther’s posting, they forced Luther to study the words of Holy Scripture in order to defend himself. As Luther immersed himself in Holy Scripture, he discovered a way of salvation that was very different from the teachings he had received as he grew up. The teaching that he received growing up filled him with terror and dread over his sins and the punishment he deserved. The teaching he discovered in Holy Scripture filled him with confidence in his salvation through Jesus Christ.

The Holy Scriptures taught Martin Luther that he had absolutely nothing to do with his salivation. Instead, Justification before God is solely through the righteousness of Christ, imputed to the believer, without the works of the law. If our salvation depends on Christ and Christ alone, then it is done. Jesus promised, and He died to keep that promise. It is just as St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

The posting of the 95 Theses was like a small sound that triggers an avalanche. There are times when the deep snow accumulates in the mountains, and the smallest sound can trigger an avalanche of incredible power. Laughter, a sneeze, a shout, a baby’s cry, and suddenly it is as if the side of the mountain has come to life, villages buried, lives lost, and so on. In October of 1517, all of Europe was like a mountain piled high with snow. Luther’s 95 Theses set off a historical avalanche that we still feel today, an avalanche that restored the Gospel to the church and gave us comfort and confidence in our salvation.

We give thanks for Martin Luther and his fellow reformers today, this month, and throughout the year. We also remember that we still stray, and God still works reformation in us to bring us back to the truth in His word.