Monday, October 31, 2016

Happy Reformation Day!


On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the doors of the Catholic church which provoked much debate and finally culminated in the Protestant Reformation.
 
It seems that the church had become so focused upon their own traditions that they had forgotten the basic salvation truths of the Bible which God clearly states that "by grace you have been saved through faith. And this not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
 
The Catholic church at this time falsely believed they could sell salvation to those who could pay the price. They were placing heavy requirements and restrictions upon those who claimed to be Christians and burdened the people by commanding them to work so that they could earn their salvation. Rather than exhorting the people to work from salvation, they demanded their members to work for salvation.
 
The leaders of the supposed church at this time in history had fallen from grace and had forsaken the elementary teachings of Christ. Martin Luther became one of the many heroes of the Great Reformation who stood up against all odds in order to magnify the light of the Gospel of Christ and His free gift of salvation to all who believe (Romans 6:23).

His 95 thesis, which was nailed to the front door, was a direct assault on the false teachings which had corrupted the message. Later in his life he was able to translate the Bible into German so that the common people would have ready access to God's Word and be able to study it for themselves. What Luther was willing to do changed the world for the better.

No matter who we are, whether we believe God's Word or not, we have all benefited from this bold move on the part of a monk who may have been the unlikeliest person to do such a thing. Yet because he was willing to risk his life and reputation for the truth, God's Word brought freedom to more people than we can count.

Freedom, not candy, is the single greatest accomplishment of this day in history!

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