Reformation Day Celebration!

Today is a very big celebration for the church. Why? Because today, we’re celebrating the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s reformation. And that is quite a big deal!

Just as a refresher, Martin Luther was a German priest back in the late 1400s; he came to disagree with the Catholic view on several biblical teachings and wanted to reform the Catholic Church from within. So, He proposed an academic discussion on 95 controversial topics and nailed it to the door of the Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany.

Now, you can imagine that Luther’s actions did not find favor with the Pope… in fact, he was excommunicated and made an outlaw! But it was that courageous stand against false doctrine that started the Reformation. Other Christian leaders like Luther agreed that salvation was not earned by good works, but was the free gift of God’s grace through a believer’s faith in Jesus. Luther’s theology also challenged the authority of the Pope by proclaiming that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge. And his translation of the Bible into the common language of the people made God’s Word accessible to everyday followers of Christ.

And friends, just look at what God did through the Reformation! The Gospel is reaching all over the world; believers are celebrating the amazing grace of God’s gift of salvation. It’s free to all who would but embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Salvation isn’t just for those who join a certain church, pay homage to certain leaders, or follow church rules and regulations. Salvation is only for those who are sinners; for those who, like us, know that our hearts are deceitful and wicked above all things and in constant need of rescuing.

That’s what the Reformation secured for us 500 years ago, and so today we celebrate the brave stand that Martin Luther took on behalf of the Gospel of Christ!