Four hundred ninety-nine years ago, Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door and altered church history forever.
Luther’s actions birthed the Protestant Reformation.
“The 95 Theses, which would later become the foundation of the Protestant Reformation, were written in a remarkably humble and academic tone, questioning rather than accusing. The overall thrust of the document was nonetheless quite provocative,” history.com reports.
“The first two of the theses contained Luther’s central idea, that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation. The other 93 theses, a number of them directly criticizing the practice of indulgences, supported these first two.”
As we celebrate Luther’s action, Pastor John Piper says to consider these five thoughts:
- What are we celebrating ultimately?
- What are we celebrating foundationally?
- What am I celebrating in between as the greatest achievement of God flowing from grace, leading to glory?
- What am I celebrating in between as the decisive means of my enjoyment of peace with God that Christ achieved?
- What great Reformation truth will I be celebrating concerning how I experience the living Christ through His Word?
Piper elaborates:
When Martin Luther came to the end of his life, he regarded his book The Bondage of the Will as his most important work.
The reason is that he regarded the issue of human autonomy versus sovereign grace as the key underlying issue of the Reformation. He said, “I condemn and reject as nothing but error all doctrines which exalt our ‘free will’ as being directly opposed to this mediation and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. For since, apart from Christ, sin and death are our masters and the devil is our god and prince, there can be no strength of power, no wit or wisdom, by which we can fit or fashion ourselves for righteousness and life.” Which means that, as long as someone insists on ultimate human self-determination, they fail to grasp the depth of our need, and they obscure the greatness of the free and sovereign grace of God, which alone can give life and faith. So, I am going to celebrate that as bottom. That is the bottom.
Do you agree? Sound off!
