October 31 rings a bell for me because it was the day my dad was born in 1909 and the day my mother died in 1972. For some reason Halloween does not come to mind when thinking of Oct. 31. Perhaps it was because we never dressed up for it with spooky costumes. Mainly what I recall was carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds. But today Halloween is big business with 8.8 billion dollars being spent on events and costumes for adults, kids and even dogs. It is now second only to Christmas in dollars spent. Dr. Albert Mohler attributes this to a resurgence of paganism in the vacuum of our former Christian society. Halloween underlines the fact that man is created a spiritual being with a God-shaped hole that needs to be filled. Even when we turn away from the God of the Bible we sense a need to fill that emptiness with a god of our own making. Often it is devilish and dark.
Christians thinking of this day need to recognize the pagan past but also to look to the great spiritual change that took place when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the Wittenberg church door in Germany on Oct. 31, 1517. That event now comes to mind on Oct. 31 after having studied this important time of history when Chris, myself and our wives attended a conference on the subject in Wittenberg on the 500th anniversary year (2017). There we not only studied the history but walked in it. The building and churches still stand where these events took place.
Luther didn’t intend to cause a stir with his 95 theses. He simply listed problems that needed to be addressed in the Catholic Church. But his list reached Rome and resulted in a huge stir that has been equated to a priest working in a bell tower who slipped and grabbed the bell rope waking the entire community. Luther unintentionally woke the church as well as Europe. It didn’t stop there but even spread to America with the Pilgrims.
This is the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church where Luther taught and nailed his 95 thesis. The original door was burned in a fire but replaced by this newer door that actually has the 95 thesis engraved in it. The door weighs around two tons and may be the most important door in history even though it is largely forgotten. The church still functions as a church today and also contains the remains of Luther.
Chris and I had the unique privilege of being allowed to stand in Luther’s actual pulpit in his church. This is just a few blocks away from the Castle Church where he nailed the 95 thesis. Here was where he preached to his people the simple truth of salvation. He also wrote much and was instrumental in getting the Bible into the people’s hands in a translation they could read (German).
When I bring up Luther and the Reformation up I often hear about Luther’s faults. I am aware of his statements about Israel or the Peasant Rebellion etc.. We are reminded that men, even great men, are still sinners. Men like Moses, David, Peter, Paul and others had their moments but what they did changed history and should not be forgotten. God used them. Can He use you?
Luther, was the voice of the Reformation that we should be aware of and revisit. He was mainly responsible for bringing people back to the Bible and not just the word of the Church. He clarified that salvation was not a matter of doing good works to get into heaven. The truth of salvation by grace alone in Christ had been buried in the mass and erroneous teachings of Catholicism of the day. It was taught that a person could gain merit by doing good works and hence receiving a portion of grace from the treasure of the church.
Luther was struck by his own sin even though he was a pious priest. Yet, he couldn’t get away from his sense of guilt until he realized the truth of Romans 1:17. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”“ We must realize our sinfulness and inability to save ourselves by good deeds or merit because anything we offer is from a life stained with sin.
But when we come to Christ alone in repentance for our sin, He gives us His complete forgiveness based on His perfect sinless sacrifice to God. God then forgives us and grants us Christ’s righteousness in exchange once for all.
These truths are what we celebrate on October 31st. God knows we need another reformation in America and Europe. Pastors and churches need to teach these simple yet profound truths from Scripture. Parents should teach them to our children and grandchildren so they too may experience the truth of the gospel in a millennial age that has forgotten them and replaced them with the god of self.
With that in mind I have placed a link below on a relatively new documentary about Luther and the Reformation of 1517. Get to know the history through this excellent and accurate video entitled Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer.
Coming up Sunday Nov. 3 our missionaries to Ukraine, Mike & Rachel Gustafson, will be reporting back in two parts. Part 1 in our 9:30 Adult Sunday School class and Part 2 in the 10:30 Worship service. We will also be having a baby dedication during the service.
Got a comment? Let me know by dropping me an email at mark.suko@discoverybaptist.org.