The Protestant Reformation

October 31st is more important than just Halloween. It is one of the most important days in church history. Sadly, most Christians are unaware of the significance of this date. If you are a Christian and not Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, then you are indebted to Martin Luther. On October 31, 1517, Luther (a German monk and professor) nailed a list of 95 complaints that he had with the Catholic Church to the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The list is called the 95 theses. This move would ultimately lead to the Protestant Reformation. (The picture above is of the reconstructed doors with the 95 theses written on them. Luther is on the left offering his German Bible to Christ. Philip Melanchthon is on the right offering his systematic theology, the Loci Communes.)

The Backstory

At 1517 there were only 2 churches: the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. The former had a dominance over most of the western world. If you found yourself in the Catholic church, you went to a service performed in Latin, whether you knew it or not. You would have been taught that you needed a priest to stand between you and God, and that you needed to do good works for salvation, such as gazing at relics, doing penance. One such work was the purchase of indulgences.

Indulgences were certificates that one could buy in order to cut down on his time (or a loved one’s time) in Purgatory (a halfway place between heaven and hell, that was very much like hell, where one went to be purged from sin). John Tetzel was trying to raise money for Pope Leo X in order to help build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Luther got wind of this and on October 31st nailed his list of complaints (95 theses) to the church door, knowing that thousands of people would show up on November 1st to see Prince Frederick the Wise’s multitude of relics. The idea was that if they saw them they would have some time cut down in Purgatory. So, Luther thought it would be a good time and place to post his 95 theses for all to see.

He posted them in Latin, which was the language of the clerics and professors. He hoped to start an academic and theological debate in an effort to reform the Church. However, someone took his list down and translated them into (what would later be) German. Thanks to the printing press his list was printed and disseminated to the masses. With the help of the printing press and some political protection from Frederick, the people of Germany stood up to what was seen as abuses of the Roman Church.

Luther was excommunicated. Frederick feared that he would be captured at his hearing with the Church and so he had Luther kidnapped by his own forces. Luther spent about 2 years in hiding at the Wartburg Castle (pictured here), where he translated the New Testament into what would be German. In fact, it was this translation of the NT that would be a catalyst for the German language.

The Results of the Reformation

The Augsburg Confession was soon written, which outlined the new beliefs, and the Protestant Reformation was under way. It soon spread across Europe as north as England and Scotland from whence it would affect the United States.

If you read an English Bible you can thank those of the Reformation, such as William Tyndale who died because he dared to translate the Bible into English. Many people, including priests, did not have the Bible, let alone in their own language as the common language for it was Latin. It is hard for us to understand how blessed we truly are to have God’s Word in our language and in so many convenient formats. It is because of men like Luther and Tyndale that we do.

The Reformation also allowed people to enjoy Church services in their own languages. In these services people would be taught the great “Solas” of the Reformation:

Salvation is by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), for God’s glory alone (soli Deo Gloria), and  Christ alone is our Savior (solus Christus). These truths are found in God’s Word which does not need a priest to be interpreted. The Church was no longer the sole arbiter of the Scriptures. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) was another one of the several solas of the Reformation. This countered the notion that the Church was required as an authority. According to the Reformers, Scripture is the higher authority.

In short, the Reformation marked a time when people such as Luther and Tyndale stood up for what they thought was the true gospel. We are saved by grace, through faith, and not of works. Christ is our ultimate sacrifice and our works add nothing.

Knowing Our History

The Church needs to be more aware of its history and this is a major event in our history. Share this to help Christians be more aware.

If you are interested in learning more about the Reformation, watch this movie (Luther). It is very well-done and accurate. A classic book on the topic is Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther.

Soli Deo Gloria!