3 Invaluable Treats We Have Received from Martin Luther's Bold Act on October 31
For the Christian, good things do
happen on Halloween. 502 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the
Wittenberg church door, an act comparable to a Facebook post today. In it he
challenged the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and its selling of
indulgences, which offered forgiveness of sins apart from repentance and faith,
but for the right price.
This act ignited the Protestant
Reformation which changed both church and world history. In fact, after the
year 2000, the editors of Life
magazine listed Luther’s act as the second most momentous event of the past
millennia, after the invention of the printing press in 1440, and before the
discovery of America by Columbus in 1492, which was listed at number three.
Luther, despite his weaknesses, was a
man uniquely prepared for a very unique moment in time. I have listed below three treats that we inherit from his bold act of faith on that Halloween day.
Treat #1
Courage to Stand for Truth
We live in a time when Christian
values are under attack. Christian morality is mocked in the media and
Christian students are subjected to ridicule in the classrooms of America. It
is a time for courage, and in this Luther has left us a living legacy and
example.
If Luther was anything, he was
bold and courageous, so much so that his friends sometimes thought he was too
bold. In giving a report to Spalatin about Luther’s bold stand at the Diet of
Worms, Frederick the Wise said, “How excellently did Father Martin speak before
the Emperor and Estates. He was bold enough, if not too much so (Hyatt, TheCharismatic Luther, 67).
It was,
however, no time for timidity or reticence. The church was in shambles. God’s
people were enslaved to an oppressive religious system that was obsessed with
power. The times called for a courageous voice that would not flinch in the
face of the greatest powers on earth. Luther became that voice that God used to
change the course of history.
Such bold voices are in great need
in the church today. There is so much hedging, evading and ducking by Christian
leaders today when it comes to making a clear sound for truth.
For example, this author was
astounded to hear a well-known evangelical pastor and leader, dance in circles
when asked by a popular TV icon if Jesus is the only way to God. Instead of
giving a simple straightforward answer, he ducked, swerved and feinted, but
never gave a clear answer to such a simple, straightforward question.
Contrast Luther, who in a letter
to Pope Leo X, dated September 6, 1520, and while still a Catholic priest,
spoke with such clearness and boldness. He spoke with respect, even addressing
Leo as “Holy Father,” but he did not mince words. He wrote,
I have truly despised your
see, the Roman curia, which, however, neither you nor anyone else can deny is
more corrupt than any Babylon or Sodom ever was, and which, as far as I can
see, is characterized by a completely depraved, hopeless, and notorious
godlessness.
We can all be thankful that Luther
did not duck, feint and dance around the issues of his day. He obviously made
mistakes, but no one could ever complain of not knowing where he stood. He
changed history by being clear, concise, courageous and bold.
May God raise up a generation to
proclaim His truth with that same spirit of courage and boldness.
Treat
#2
Individual Freedom and Religious Liberty
Luther struck an incredible blow
for individual freedom of conscience and religious liberty when at his trial
for heresy he boldly resisted demands that he retract his teachings, declaring
that “it is unsafe and dangerous to do anything against one’s conscience.” He
went on to say, “My conscience is bound in the word of God, and I cannot and
will not recant anything” (Hyatt, The Charismatic Luther, 27).
Freedom of individual conscience
was practically unheard of in the medieval world into which Luther was born.
Individualism was suppressed. Conformity to the religious and social norms,
determined by those in authority, was demanded and enforced.
Those who veered from the
established religious norms were punished, imprisoned and even put to death.
Individual freedom was sacrificed for what was considered the good of the whole
by those in power. Most often, however, it was not for the good of the whole,
but for the good of those in power that individualism was suppressed.
By his bold stand at Worms, Luther
unleashed a powerful ideal of individual freedom. Others took that ideal and
brought it to America—the land of the free--where it was further developed on
American soil. Freedom of conscience and individual religious liberty then
became hallmarks of freedom-loving people and nations throughout the Western
world. We have Luther to thank for this.
Treat #3
The Power and Priority of God’s Word
When you
hear a public figure quoting the Bible or hear how the Bible continues to be
the perennial all-time best seller, you can thank Martin Luther. Luther
directed the attention of the church back to the Bible as the ultimate guide
and source of authority for morality, life and faith.
In Luther’s
own life, the Bible was supreme. His boldness came from his conviction that
Scripture is the highest authority to which one can appeal. When, therefore, he
stood before the tribunal at Worms, his appeal was to Scripture. “My conscience
is captive to the word of God,” he declared (Hyatt, The Charismatic Luther, 27).
Luther’s
high esteem for the Scriptures is expressed again and again in his writings. In
his book, To the German Nobility of the
Christian Nation, he wrote,
I
would advise no one to send his child where the Holy Scriptures are not
supreme. Every institution that does not unceasingly pursue the study of God’s
word becomes corrupt (Hyatt, TheCharismatic Luther, 70).
The
popularity of Bible studies within Protestantism, and now also within
Catholicism, can be traced to Luther and his emphasis on sola Scriptura. When modern evangelists, like Billy Graham, hold
their Bible aloft and preface their statements with, “The Bible says,” that is
a direct legacy of Luther. Christians who are seen carrying their Bibles to
church are acting in the legacy Luther.
In
later life, when asked how he, a simple monk and teacher, had been able to have
such an impact when opposed by both the pope and the emperor, Luther replied,
I
simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. The Word so
weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it. I did
nothing. The Word did it all (Hyatt, The Charismatic Luther, 29).
Luther’s
priority of Scripture for the individual believer, was something new and
radical to the world of medieval Europe, which placed ultimate authority with
the pope and church tradition. Luther’s placement of Scripture as the final
authority above church tradition and hierarchy was momentous for the history of
the church and Western society.
Conclusion
Yes, good
things do happen on Halloween. The above treats, or blessings, have come down
to us because one man chose to stand against the corrupt cultural and religious
tide of his day with God’s truth. Luther’s faith and courage were deeply rooted
in his belief that God’s truth would ultimately prevail. This is clearly
expressed in the following excerpt from his great hymn, “A Might Fortress is
Our God.”
And though this world, with
devils filled,
Should
threaten to
undo us.
We will not fear, for God hath willed,
His truth to triumph through us.
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