October 31st is recognized as Reformation Day! Why?
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a Catholic monk posted his 95 theses on the door at All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This unintentionally led to what is called the Reformation.
If you are a Protestant believer, then you are a child of the Reformation. Believers, followers or disciples of Jesus Christ who hold the belief that you have been saved by faith alone and not by works have been called “protestants”. The fundamental characteristic of the Reformation was Martin Luther’s breakthrough on the subject of Salvation. To understand Luther’s view of Salvation, we must first understand the view of salvation in medieval times – prior to 1517 and during Luther’s time.
Salvation according to the medieval view:
The following components were beliefs and practices prior to the Reformation – Infant Baptism, “State of Grace”, Confession of sin, Penance, Indulgences, Purgatory and Heaven.
For believers who lived in medieval times, the process of salvation essentially began after birth.
Infant baptism was performed seven days after and the infant soul was believed to have been regenerated at baptism. The soul’s original sin is wiped away and entered in to a “state of grace” by the Holy Spirit.
As the child grew up in the world, he or she was taught to “work out salvation” to rid of sins. This “working out” of salvation was primarily by confession of sin to a priest of the Church. The priest would “absolve” sin after Confession. The priest would then assign penances to the absolved sinner. Penance included giving of alms to the church, pilgrimages, attending Mass or taking the Sacrament. The requirement for penance was to rid of sin and also to exercise the spiritual “muscle” so that future sins could be avoided.
Lay people were required to confess once a year. So if all sins were not confessed or enough penances not performed then they would remain in purgatory after death. Purgatory was a place before heaven and is sort of the final penance.
Indulgences bypassed the need for penance so that the person confessing could return to a “state of grace”. So an indulgence essentially “purchased” penance on behalf of the sinner so that time in purgatory is shortened. Church folk could also purchase or buy indulgences on behalf of dead relatives.
Here was the view of salvation during Luther’s time – Infant baptism gained entry into a “state of grace” and you could continue to remain in this state by performing good works like penances or buying indulgences.
Luther’s breakthrough. Our freedom.
Luther was a Catholic monk and went to a monastery. He believed that he was there not to save himself but rather to not lose himself. The perception during those days was that those who lived a monastic life took their faith more seriously than a lay person. This perception is still true today in some contexts.
Luther knew the doctrine of Confession but struggled to have a wholly penitent heart. He called his state of frustration, anxiety, depression, fear or spiritual temptation – anfechtung in German.
Luther had frequently confessed his sins to his mentor Staupitz but was really troubled about a lack of seriousness for his own sins. He was so troubled by his conscience that Staupitz once told Luther “you must not inflate your halting, artificial sins out of proportion”1 ; However Luther’s conscience was unrelenting. Luther’s breakthrough came when he was teaching Psalm 72 and Romans. He came to a new understanding of righteousness in Romans 1:17. Luther thought “could it be that God’s righteousness not only condemned sinners but also in the end blessed them on account of Christ? 2. Luther said, “No one is justified by faith unless first through humility he confesses himself to be unjust” 3. By the time Luther completed his lectures on Romans in the Fall of 1516, Luther understood that righteousness was a gift that God bestowed upon sinners. This righteousness was the “alien” righteousness of Christ imputed to us by faith. To this I say AMEN!
Is Luther’s view of justification adequate for our church today? Yes!
Luther said that humans could yearn for God and wish to be truly good, but for all the wrong reasons – mainly the self. I could not agree more.
“Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself” Job 22:2
May the Lord lead you to do a good deed today – to share with someone about the greatest good the Lord Jesus Christ has done in you! You were saved for good deeds not by your good deeds.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10