On this day in 1517 a German lecturer on theology named Martin Luther nailed his “95 These”s to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany. The 95 theses were challenges made particularly to the sale of indulgences which was then taking place in the church. The story of Johann Tezel is infamous, especially the jingle, “As soon as the coin in the money-box rings, the soul from purgatory springs!” The key idea being that with the purchase of an indulgence, specific sins would be washed away (even if someone raped the Virgin Mary) thus buying time off of purgatory.
Luther posted his theses condemning the practice, containing such fiery lines as, “All who believe they are sure of salvation because they have papal certificates of pardon will be eternally damned, along with their teachers” (#32), “The true treasury of the Church is the holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God” (#62) and, “Why doesn’t the pope set all the souls free from purgatory simply out of holy love and the supreme need of those souls? This would be the most righteous of reasons, seeing that he can redeem countless souls for the sake of filthy money with which to build a chapel, which is the most trivial of reasons” (#82).
These were points he was holding out for debate, and he planned on doing so the very next day. Church historians often remind us that when he posted these on the door, it was not intended to be the kind of dramatic event you see in paintings. The door of the church acted as a sort of community message board, Luther, being a professor at the University, would have not drawn much attention by doing this. And though it is fun to wear our Luther shirts and everything today, it is worthwhile to keep this historical detail in mind. Why? Because it is demonstrative of the fact that Luther did not think he was starting a movement, least of all something like what the Protestant Reformation would become. He was simply someone who had imbibed the Renaissance idea of Ad Fontes (to the fount, or to the sources) and had begun to criticize some of the recent developments in the church out of the medieval scholastics. Many of Luther’s main contentions, not just on indulgences or purgatory, were things that had been criticized by others before him. That is one of the interesting things, that the very doctrines Rome claims to have been “passed down from the Apostles” were criticized almost as soon as they were developed!
Luther simply wanted to debate, but in God’s Providence much more would be in store for this teacher of the Bible. The printing press was one of the most influential developments in human technology, and unlike preceding generations, Luther’s writings were able to be printed and spread throughout the country like wildfire. Without Luther’s approval, thousands of copies of his theses were printed, and this gained him massive support throughout the nation. And the Lord God eventually turned this into one of the greatest episodes of spiritual revival Europe, and the world at large, has ever seen.
Why It Matters Today
But is this just the stuff of antiquity? Are these merely interesting stories to tell in history class, or do the issues of the Reformation matter today? I am not ashamed to say that the ancient doctrines, like Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide, still matter today. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say that they are the fundamental issues of life and death.
The fact that the Holy Scriptures are the ultimate standard for human knowledge, as the sole infallible God-breathed revelation we possess, has not become irrelevant as time has gone on. In a talk he gave a few years ago, Dr. K. Scott Oliphant had an interesting quote where he said, “the history of philosophy has been an abysmal failure… they’ve made no progress in 4,000 years.” Though human knowledge, as it has been understood, has changed and evolved from generation to generation the Word of God has remained pure and true. We have yet to see the day when the precious words of Genesis, the Proverbs, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John have become irrelevant, and I am assured we will never face such a day. If all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:3) then we will always need to go back to the very voice of God (which is found in Scripture, 2 Timothy 3:16) as the source of our wisdom and understanding. As long as human authorities seek to subject our consciences to the traditions of men we will need to cry out that the Bible alone is binding upon the Christian conscience. And since false philosophies and worldview perspectives, false religious schemes and traditions are still seeking to lead men away from divine truth, the fundamental issue of Sola Scriptura remains relevant.
God has always, from Abraham down to you and me, saved sinners by way of justifying them by faith alone in Christ alone (Galatians 3:6-9). This point is not just important for looking at the Reformation historically, this is something you need to grapple with as it relates to your own soul. If you are a sinner and you know God is holy, then Sola Fide is a truth for you! As long as it remains that God is holy and we are not, this issue remains relevant and must be contended for.
The temptation is to see the political and cultural issues of our day as “more pressing” matters, and thus put these theological distinctions to the side. Now I do not for the slightest moment deny that the varying issues in the culture and world at large are important and need our attention, they can never subvert the importance the grace and glory of God Almighty have for us. And so, the Reformation matters.
Just as our reformers, like Luther, Tyndale, and Calvin, were willing to take risks for the truth they saw in the Bible (and even giving their lives, in Tyndale’s case) we need to be equally bold and courageous. Let me be clear, although it is fun to post memes on the internet about Luther and say “we affirm against the papacy” we must understand that we will never be popular as long as we take these issues seriously. We will be called divisive, we will be called “purity-spiraling pietists” (a label I’ve basically come to embrace) but that need not discourage us. As the great John Knox put it, “a man with God is always in the majority”.
Rejoice in the truth of the Reformation doctrines today, hold fast to them, but remember that they are not just relevant on October 31st, they are relevant each and every day. The issues we are dealing with culturally will be forgotten 100 years from now, but Jesus’ church will still be proclaiming the Bible as the sole infallible rule of faith, and that justification before God is by faith alone.
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https://youtu.be/SbBJCvbFRbk?si=RWbzlonmVP0S_8Ux