Lessons From The Reformation

Lessons from the Reformation (Romans 1:17)

ESV: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”

GNT: “For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, ‘The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.’”

Friends, do you know the significance of October 31st? Beyond being Halloween, it marks a pivotal moment in church history: Reformation Day. 1On that day in 1517, a Catholic priest and professor named Martin Luther nailed a document—his 95 Theses—to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. 2This single act publicly challenged the practices of the established Catholic Church and, thanks to the newly invented printing press, the message spread like wildfire, igniting the Protestant Reformation. 3This event drew a line in the sand, marking the end of the medieval church and the dawn of the modern church. 4

To understand why this was so revolutionary, we must first understand the spiritual climate of the time, a period often called the "Dark Ages." 5For nearly a thousand years, from about A.D. 590 until the Reformation, the institutional church held immense power, often placing its authority and traditions on par with, or even above, the authority of the Bible.

But Scripture is God’s Word, and it is meant to judge the church, not the other way around. 7Yet during this time, the church actively kept the Bible out of the hands of the people. 8The only authorized version was the Latin Vulgate, a language the common person could not understand. 9 Anyone who dared to translate the Bible into a common language faced severe persecution. John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible into English in the 1300s, was declared a heretic decades after his death; his bones were dug up, burned, and cast into a river. 10In the 1400s, William Tyndale was executed for his work translating the Bible into English. 11

With the doors to God’s Word shut, the people lived in spiritual ignorance. 12They didn't understand sin, grace, or true salvation. 13Priests, many of whom were ignorant themselves, led congregations through rituals in a language they couldn't comprehend—it was the blind leading the blind. 14This darkness allowed for corrupt practices to thrive, such as the selling of indulgences. 15A man named Johannes Tetzel infamously promised that for a payment, your dead relatives could be freed from punishment in purgatory, saying: “The moment your coin clinks into the box, the soul flies to heaven.” 16

This was the world Martin Luther lived in. As a monk, he was tormented by his own sinfulness and desperately sought to make himself right with God. 17He dedicated himself to prayer, fasting, confession, and penance, yet all his religious efforts—what we might call human righteousness—left him feeling distant from God, unable to meet His perfect standard. Despite engaging in countless religious practices, he could not find peace in his heart. This was because, before the perfectly holy and righteous God, he realized that even his best efforts could never bring him into a reconciled relationship with God. Although he had made a pilgrimage to Rome, the experience there only deepened his despair.

Moved with compassion for Luther, who was struggling so deeply, the prior of his monastery gave him the opportunity to teach the Bible at the university, allowing him to devote himself to biblical study. While preparing his lectures on Romans, Luther came face to face with Romans 1:17. While studying the book of Romans, Luther’s world was changed by this single verse: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (ESV); "For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, ‘The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.’” (GNT)

In that moment, Luther understood. There are two kinds of righteousness. There is human righteousness, which is based on our works and always falls short. 20 But then there is

God’s righteousness—a perfect righteousness that is not achieved by our efforts but is given to us as a free gift when we believe in Jesus Christ. 21 It is received, not earned. 22 This profound discovery became the foundation for the core principles of the Reformation.

1. A Return to the Bible (Sola Scriptura)

Luther’s personal breakthrough came directly from Scripture, leading him to challenge the church to return to the Bible as the ultimate authority for faith and life. 23 His 95 Theses were a direct attack on the man-made traditions that had obscured the truth of the gospel. 24For instance, Article 62 states, "The true treasure of the Church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God." 25The real treasure wasn't a relic or a papal decree; it was the good news found in God’s Word. 26