Dear Fellow Children of God,
Do you know what day we celebrate on Monday, October
31? That’s an easy question for
most. October 31st is
Halloween*. Right? Yes, but more importantly, October 31 the
anniversary of the day that Martin Luther nailed The 95 Theses to the door of
the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, where Luther was a professor at the
University. These theses, or statements,
were simply meant to debate the practice of that time of selling indulgences. These theses or statements were also meant to
look at the larger issue of how God works to save the world. But, in Luther’s time as the printing press
was just coming into use, these 95 statements, written in a backwater town in
Germany, spread quickly. It has been
estimated that most literate people in Europe had read these theses within 30
days of their posting!
Therefore, the posting of these theses began what is
known as “The Reformation”, which still affects and influences our world
today. In fact, in 1999 when lists were
being published, Life Magazine named Martin Luther as the 3rd most
important person of the millennium. Time
Magazine named him number 4. And, worth
noting is that Luther posted these theses on October 31, 1517. This year, 2016, is 499 years since this important
event. Next year we celebrate 500 years
since the beginning of the Reformation!
This may all be good information about history, but you
may wonder what this has to do with our own lives, and our own faith. The Reformation was an outward expression of
Luther’s inner spiritual struggle about sin and salvation. Ultimately, the principle issues of the
Reformation were described in the phrases, “Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola
Scriptura.” Or, translated from Latin, the
motto of the Reformation was, “By Grace Alone, By Faith Alone, By Scripture Alone.”
So, I will share with you how this affects me personally. These statements continue to be my
understanding of what God’s word says about His work in Jesus, and how He saves
and guides us today. These principles of
“By Grace Alone, By Faith Alone, and By Scripture Alone” continue to guide me
as a Christian and as a pastor. Or put
in another way, when life gets complicated I find that it is important to go
back to the basics, back to the foundation.
So when church, or politics, or personal life is difficult, these
principles are basics that guide me.
These
principles guide me because I believe they actually state what God’s word
says. There is an inner voice in all of
us that constantly asks, “What must I do to please my Creator?” That was the struggle Luther had. The church of Luther’s time taught the
salvation was gained as people kept various laws and ceremonies of faith. But, in Ephesians 2 we have God’s answer to
this inner question and struggle. “4 But because of his great love for us, God, who
is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved. . . 8 For it is by grace
you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Luther
learned that Scripture teaches that all are sinful and have rebelled against
God. No
one deserves or can earn salvation by their own good work. It is only by God’s grace, His undeserved
love and mercy in Jesus, that people are forgiven and saved. It is only by faith that people receive this
gift, not by works.
So, when
I wallow in guilt, or when I swell in pride, it is humbling, freeing, and
empowering to know that my eternal life in heaven is not something I earn. O, what a fix I would be in if my eternal
life depended on my own good works!
Forgiveness and salvation have been won for me by Jesus’ death and
rising. I can’t trust myself, but I can
trust God! My eternal life is a gift I
receive as I believe or as I trust in Jesus as my Savior from sin! What a gift!!
Part
of Luther’s struggle was also where to find believable truth in the midst of
many competing claims in the church of his day.
Does that sound familiar? Luther
saw that Scripture, in many places, claims to be the very word of God Himself
given to His people. His experience
proved this claim to be true. Luther
found that when other teachings or claims are confusing, or can’t be trusted,
Scripture alone is from God alone. As
Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the
man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So, when there are questions or disagreements today, my
practice is to go to the word of God. I
don’t just look for one verse, but for what all of Scripture says. Even if I don’t totally understand in my
human mind, I trust God to guide me by His word!
All of this may seem to make Martin Luther some kind of
super hero. But, like all the other
characters in Scripture, Luther was a man who struggled with temptation and failures. So, another “sola” came to be stated. “By Christ Alone.” It is Jesus who is the center of Scripture
and the center of history. It is by
Jesus that God has saved me, and the whole world. And, when we are struggling and the world is
going crazy, it is in Christ alone we find hope and strength and life.
So, now how do you answer? Do you know what day we celebrate on October
31?
A Child of God, Thankful for Luther’s Contribution to
Biblical Christian Faith,
Pastor Jonathan
*
Halloween by the way is derived from the title for this day as “All Hallows’
Eve.” The church celebrates November 1
as “All Saints Day”, a day to remember those the Lord has called home. The night before All Saints’ Day is “All
Hallows (saints) Eve.” How different is
our cultural celebration of Halloween compared to this religious observance!
P.S. Here are some pictures from last Sunday’s
“Alaska Potluck” on Discipleship / Stewardship Sunday. (I should have taken pictures of the food
too.) https://goo.gl/photos/hUefn7SvoYKbFEDS6
P.P.S. Martin Luther did not, by the way, want the
church that followed his return to Scripture to be named after him. He wanted it to be called, “The Evangelishe
(or Gospel) Church.” However, after
Luther’s death his followers called it the “Lutheran” Church.
P.P.P.S Twice in the last 15 years Kathy and I have
toured Germany and sites of the Reformation.
Here are some pictures of important places. https://goo.gl/photos/GqESkRtsgR9Qs6PR9
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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE
PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to
all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am regularly
adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this
e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this
e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for
this message.
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