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Author’s Note: The following account is fictional, but based on a composite of numerous historical facts. It serves as the backdrop to my forthcoming series in honor of the 500th anniversary of William Tyndale’s translation and publication of the New Testament in English. I hope you enjoy this letter, written to you today from a 16th-century plowboy.
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I love studying the Reformation at this season of the year. I am invigorated by listening to lectures about it on sunny, summer walks, thinking about the coming fall, which points toward another Reformation Day.
Recently my mind was drawn back to the Wartburg Castle, and I thought of Luther spending nearly a year in hiding there from May of 1521 to March of 1522, following his victorious stand at the Diet of Worms. I wonder if, while he was enduring such a trial, he ever considered his stay to be a waste of precious time.
“The reformers certainly had a point. While Christmas itself marked something good, in medieval Catholic Europe, it was part of a litany of other “religious” holidays that filled the calendar with false gods and false teachings.” - TGC
What had Luther discovered that made him so unflinching in the face of being burned alive? What convictions were beginning to drive him? This sermon explores Luther’s theological journey and his personal discovery of justification by faith alone. - Ligonier
Happy Reformation Day!
October 31 is a glorious day to remember and celebrate salvation by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, through Scripture alone, for the glory of God alone.
The passage that transformed the Western world on this date more than 500 years ago makes the whole issue plain:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Rom. 1:16-17)
The heart of the Protestant Reformation is that God declares you to be righteous by faith alone, in Christ alone. If you don’t believe this, then you do not have the true good news. This doctrine is often called “justification by faith.” It’s a churchy phrase that has lost some of its punch—many Christians know it’s “good,” but perhaps they can’t explain what it means. This article will show how the apostle Paul explains this vital truth. It’s a very big deal. Maybe the biggest deal ever.
We can trace the “Christian” family through three broad streams:
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I must confess, I have never seen anything like the intensity shown for Halloween this year—in stores, around homes and now, of course, in advertisements for the most frightening movies imaginable. It began in earnest by midsummer, which made me wonder if it could really last all the way to October 31! But it surely has, demonstrating the grip that the fascination and “fear of death” (Heb. 2:15) has upon so many in our culture.
“The First Helvetic Confession of 1536 was an attempt to unite the Lutherans and Swiss Reformed. It was called for by seven Swiss leaders and was to be held in Basel. Many of the points of the confession could be agreed upon, but it was section 23 regarding the Eucharist that became a sticking point.” - P&D
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With the election of a Chicagoan, Cardinal Robert Prevost, to be the first American pope, the world was understandably intrigued. His selection of the papal name Leo XIV only added to the public’s fascination with him—and mounting speculation regarding the type of international ecclesiastical leader that Leo might become.
There was nothing remarkable about that day in October, 1517, when a Roman Catholic priest by the name of Martin Luther fastened his now famous ninety-five theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenburg, Germany. He certainly did not expect to ignite a religious revolution. As a loyal son of the established church, Luther merely wished to engage his university town in theological discussion about certain church doctrines that troubled him. His goal was to try to rein in some of the most grievous abuses of the Church by discussing them openly.
Little did he know that his theses would be copied, printed, and distributed across Europe within days. In the providence of God, Luther’s modest debate propositions ignited a fire that is still burning today. On this five-hundredth anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, it is fitting to remember how it all began, and more importantly, why.
There are some today who question the validity of this great schism with Rome. They believe that the Reformation, though probably warranted in its day, is no longer necessary. They assure us that the abuses of Luther’s day have been addressed, and it’s time to acknowledge the mistakes of the past and join hands as fellow members of Christ’s body.
