Ephesians 2:8 For by Grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the Gift of God.
While the world celebrates today as Halloween, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ knows it to be Reformation Day. On October 31, 1517, German Monk, Martin Luther, posted his 95 Thesis on the doors of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This action resulted in the Protestant Church being formed causing this day to be known as Reformation Day.
Martin Luther was an intelligent child who excelled in grammar school. At the age of 14, he moved away from home to continue his studies at Magdeburg. He then enrolled in another school to study grammar, rhetoric, and logic. Although he did very well, he hated every minute of it.
He later received a degree from the University of Erfurt in grammar, logic, rhetoric, and metaphysics and was well on his way to begin a lawyer. However, God had a far greater plan for Luther and in July of 1505, he was caught in the midst of a terrible thunderstorm and overwhelmed with fear. At that moment, he reached out to God for help and promised to become a monk if He would save his life. The storm passed and Luther kept his promise to God, entering a monastery.
Luther was afraid of the Wrath of God and feared he would end up in Hell. He longed to find Salvation but was not content with what the monastery had to offer. His spiritual mentor advised him to meditate exclusively on Jesus Christ, which he did and the enlightenment he so desperately sought began to come.
Having been given the opportunity to be a delegate to the Catholic Church Conference in Rome, Luther made the move. However, the more he got involved with the Catholic Church, the more disillusioned he became. He was discouraged and horrified by the immorality and corruption he witnessed among the Catholic priests and wanted nothing to do with any of them. He also found their practice of taking monetary donations from the people to cancel out penance for sins to be abominable. So, he returned to Germany where he enrolled in the University of Wittenberg where he received a doctorate degree and became a professor of Theology.
The more Luther studied, the more he became disheartened with the Catholic Church. While preparing a lecture on the Book of Romans, he came across Paul’s words, “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17) After much meditation and prayer, Luther came to the realization that the key to Salvation was not to fear God or by doing works, but totally by faith alone in the Cross of Christ. With this Revelation, Luther was a changed man and born again!
This new Revelation caused Luther to become even angrier with the Catholic Church and especially with Pope Leo X who had recently rolled out a new round of indulgences to build St. Peter’s Basilica. Many of the people were poor but they were told if they did not give to the Church they would not be saved.
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back and on October 31, 1517, Luther posted his 95 Thesis on the front doors of the Church for all to read! He also sent a copy to Archbishop Albert Albrecht of Mainz admonishing him to put a stop to the sale of indulgences.
The printing press had just been invented and it was used to duplicate Luther’s 95 Theses. Within two weeks, the copies spread throughout all of Germany and in two months' time, everyone in all of Europe had a copy! Needless to say, the Catholic Church was not at all happy with Martin Luther. He was ordered by the Pope to retract his 95 Theses, but he refused. He was standing strong on what the Bible said and he wasn’t moving!
Well, they excommunicated him from the Catholic Church but that didn’t stop him either. God had gifted him with a brilliant mind and he translated the New Testament into German so the people could, for the first time, read it for themselves. Luther declared that the Pope’s words did not take precedence over the Holy Word of God!
Martin Luther had heard from God and he knew it. No one could take that away from him and he was compelled to share this Revelation of Truth with the whole world. That’s exactly what he did and because of the courage and determination of Martin Luther, we know Freedom and Salvation through faith in Christ and His Finished Work on the Cross.
Instead of celebrating Halloween, let us celebrate Reformation Day and pray for courage to stand on the Word of God!
God is about to……….turn the tide
Standing strong! Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
