Are you aware that this year marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation? Martin Luther’s ninety-five theses nailed to the door of the Whittenberg Church declared the beginning of reform. That happened on Saturday, October 31, 1517. Martin was thirty-three years old.
Why was the reformation a big deal? It wasn’t just a big deal. It was huge. It restored to churches the true gospel. For centuries the gospel had become almost totally lost in the churches teaching. Instead of the gospel of salvation by faith in Jesus’ atonement the church taught salvation by performing the works instructed by the church, buying the way to heaven through indulgences and added to the Bible the invented teachings of the church. All gospel-teaching churches today owe their gratitude to God for using the reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, John Wycliffe, and Huldrych Zwingli.
But here’s the thing. Many modern Christians know very little about the reformation. So here’s a Reformation Anniversary Challenge: click here and take a look at Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, read #1 and then pick out and read any 10 of those remaining. Just see what an eye-opening experience it is. And if you would, please, report back here in a comment what you see. I’d love to see what happens.
These things will be especially pertinent for our church in the upcoming weeks since we are now beginning a teaching series through the Epistle to the Galatians. In it the Apostle Paul addresses the exact same thing as happened in the reformation – the reclaiming and defending of the gospel.
