Thursday 31st October is the 502nd anniversary of Reformation Day; with Martyn Luther: The monk who shook the world.
On that day he started his journey, and made the great discovery that he could be saved by faith alone in Christ.
Yet who was this strange character born in 1493? Was he just a crazy man with a bad haircut? If not, what possible relevance does his story have to any of us today?
Luther, whose father Hans had been a miner, was sent to Law school where he quickly established himself as a brilliant young student.
One day when riding home he found himself caught in an unexpected but terrible storm. In his terror he cried out “St Anne save me and I shall become a monk”. He did indeed do just that at 21 years of age.
Yet here was his dilemma - the harder he tried to keep Gods’ commandments the more he realised he could not! He would fast and pray around the clock. Make confession for up to six hours per day - yet his guilt was in no way removed.
What could he do? Well he started to scour the bible for the answer to his problem; and that is where we also will find the answer to ours if we come sincerely looking for The Lord to speak to us and give us direction.
How did he go from a searching soul to the famous figure and giant of the Christian Faith he is known as today?
A friar by the name of Johan Tetsel started to sell indulgences (a document claiming to forgive sin in return for money). Luther was outraged! He famously wrote and posted his 95 theses on the door of Castle Church, Wittenberg. These were stolen and printed and the rest as they say is history!
In his quest to find God as he read in Romans 1v17:
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.”
He found the answer to his great dilemma. A right relationship with God could not be bought or earned - it comes by faith! So simple yet so profound! Life changing for this young monk as it will be for you if you truly understand what this means.
Counted as a just person - not guilty - by faith in The Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work at Calvary. Luther put it like this:
“When I discovered that, I was born again of The Holy Ghost., the doors of paradise swung open, and I walked through”.
As he eagerly and earnestly shared his “discovery“, he would quickly find himself in hot water . Why? The religion of his day did indeed believe in being saved by faith - yet here lies the issue - not by faith alone but a mixture of faith and your own good works. That my dear friend today will never get anyone to heaven for the bible declares in Isaiah 64v 6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness’s are as filthy rags”
Now that leaves us with a big problem. Our best works are no good to God let alone what we consider to be our worst faults and failings. That is why Christ came - to perfectly keep God’s law on our behalf. To die, the just for the unjust. By faith in Him and in Him alone we too can and indeed must have our own personal reformation.
Luther went on to write books, preach and translate the bible in to his native German tongue - at that time forbidden and in fact punishable by death.
We need more men like him today. At the famous diet of Worms when asked to recant of his teaching in peril of death he said;
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.”.
For all his faults and character flaws - and like all of us he had them. This man truly found peace with God, a certainty of eternal life and relationship with Christ.
As we remember him this Reformation Day may we also find our peace with God through faith in His dear Son.
Every blessing till next month - Pastor John