Ever since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517, the history of Christianity has never been quite the same. At that time, no one including Luther himself, would have foreseen that his sincere act of expressing his pastoral concerns to his superiors within the religious establishment would have such a profound effect.
After all, closer to Luther’s time, there have been others such as John Wycliffe (England, 14th century), Jan Huss (Prague, 15th century), and Ulrich Zwlingi (Zurich, Luther’s contemporary) who raised similar issues or had begun their program of reform in their respective locales. Moreover, Luther’s theses were but a list of arguments against certain abuses of the papacy, in this case largely centering on the sale of indulgences by the Roman Church. Why would the comments of one lowly Augustinian monk generate so much interest from the laity and agitate the religious authorities? Now that 500 years have passed since that fateful day, why do we who worship Jesus Christ as God and Saviour commemorate such an event and continue to remember those other flawed individuals associated with the Reformation such as John Calvin, John Knox and others?
Firstly, it is important to understand that marking the anniversary of the Reformation is not meant to be about revelling in past glories or pining for some golden age of Christianity. In the first place, we are not commemorating the Reformation as if with the emergence of Luther and others, there was a sudden appearance of a particular doctrine. Upon closer examination, one would realise that the Reformation was not so much about moving away from Rome but about moving back to the gospel. It was a rediscovery of the good news buried under centuries of human tradition and distorted by human agenda. For the Reformers, they were not so mesmerized by theological novelty or religious innovation as they were about being faithful to what Scripture teaches and having faith in Christ alone.
If the Reformation had been merely a few men’s reaction to a historical situation 500 years ago, then one would expect it to be over. But as a Spirit-initiated call to move ever closer to the truth of the gospel, it cannot be and must never be. After all, we who are familiar with this phrase “ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda” (church reformed, always reforming) will recognise that we too are in need of a continuing reformation until Christ comes again. More than just the externals of Christian liturgy and church polity, we must always be seeking the Spirit’s help to ensure that our churches, our hearts and our lives are being reformed by the Word of God. This is because it is so easy for us to slide into nominalism or self-righteousness and lose the delight of trusting in and following Jesus.
Secondly, when we think about the Reformation, hopefully we will also be able to catch a glimpse of the radical joy and revolutionary liberty that they rediscovered. For many of the reformers, they would have felt that the church was in darkness until God graciously shone the light of his gospel afresh again. The five Solas associated with the Reformation (Scripture alone, Christ alone, Faith alone, Grace alone and to God’s glory alone) were more than just creeds for mental assent or doctrinal clarity. Right at the heart of the Reformation was this joy and conviction that comes from having faith in the authority of Scripture alone about God’s saving grace as demonstrated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Nothing could be more counter-cultural than what the Reformers taught, given that the Church in those days were misleading people to place their faith in their moral efforts and religious practices. Like Luther and many others, rediscovering the Gospel led them to delight in glorifying God and to be freed from anxiety since they can now rest in the assurance that despite their failings, they are truly loved and fully forgiven because of Christ. For the men and women who came to believe in this truth, whether they were educated or illiterate, wealthy or poor, their convictions were so strong and their joy so unshakable that many were often prepared to lay their lives down instead of recanting and going back to their former way of life.
Finally, it should not be surprising that the message that springs forth from the Reformation is one which continues to have relevance because it is ultimately the good news of Christ. Indeed, this is what Jesus himself taught and is the faith that the apostles contended for since the time of the New Testament. When we look at the world around us today, people are still being bombarded with the message that we will be more loved when we make ourselves more attractive. Although it may not always be God-related, it is still a form of works and one that will only bring about much restlessness, brokenness and eternal separation from God. For us who are recounting 500 years of God’s cumulative grace (as one pastor puts it), may our hearts be overflowing with thankfulness and lead us to faithfully and lovingy proclaim the good news of Christ to the ends of the world.
