Daily Devotional

October 31 is a controversial day in Christian circles. Now before you, dear reader, start mustering arguments in favor of whatever your family does on that day, know that I have no intention of wading into the “Halloween wars” in this devotional. (For the record, I think our GLOW Outreach, which moves past the controversy and centers on sharing the good news with our neighbors, is a fantastic way to approach this. Make sure you come this year!)

But centuries before October 31 featured kids in costumes collecting candy from their neighbors, the day was important to Christians for a very different reason. On October 31, over five hundred years ago, an obscure teacher at a German university published a series of debate points regarding a controversial church practice. The reaction to this document ignited a massive theological debate, tackling deep questions regarding salvation, authority, and church structure. The document was the 95 Theses, the movement was the Protestant Reformation, and the man was Martin Luther. Have you heard his story before?
 
The year is 1517. An itinerant preacher named Johann Tetzel is running around Europe selling pieces of paper called indulgences in a sort of money-for-spiritual-benefits system.  These papers could, among other things, forgive sins and set loved ones free from Purgatory. An indignant Martin Luther, a monk-turned-Bible professor at the University of Wittenberg, wrote a list of 95 arguments (or “theses”) against the practice of selling indulgences. Legend says that on October 31, 1517, he nailed them to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenburg—the equivalent of a modern church bulletin board.
What Luther meant as an academic debate escalated quickly. Church officials in Rome were quick to condemn Luther’s position, while Luther doubled down against indulgences and other perceived ills within the Church. Luther’s writings quickly found a wide readership; at one point, his writings accounted for one-fifth of all published materials in Europe. In 1521, Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms (a hilarious name today, but normal back then) on charges of heresy. According to tradition, when asked to recant his writings, Luther said, “My conscience is held captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since to go against conscience is neither safe nor right. Here I stand, I can do no other. So help me God. Amen.”

Over the decades that followed, Luther and the other Reformers that sprang up across Europe broke with the Roman Catholic Church on several issues, later categorized as the five solas. Following Luther’s example of reasoning from Scripture, they would argue that we are saved by grace alone (sola gratia) through faith alone (sola fide) in Christ alone (solus Christus) according to Scripture alone (sola scriptura) to the glory of God alone (soli Deo gloria). These five distinctives continue to be the theological backbone of every traditionally-Protestant church, including Campus Bible Church. And it all started with the 95 Theses on October 31, 1517.

To commemorate Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, a Christian school where I worked would host an annual Reformation Day party around October 31. The event included dramatic retellings of episodes from Martin Luther’s life, Pin the Theses on the Wittenburg Church Door, and a “95 Reeses” exhibit. I’d be down to see Reformation Day parties take off in Fresno, too. Luther was far from perfect (his rhetoric toward his theological opponents makes social media comment sections look tame), but his impact on us as evangelicals is hard to understate—certainly worth celebrating. Do you go to a church that doesn’t report to the Bishop of Rome? You can thank Martin Luther for that. Is your pastor married? Before Luther, priests and church leaders had to be celibate. Do you read the Bible in your own language? Luther’s German New Testament was the first vernacular translation of the Bible published in 1200 years. Does your church have congregational singing? Guess what? Popularized by Martin Luther.  

So whatever your plans are for October 31 this year, don’t forget about Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s courage and commitment to God’s Word is a great example of “not being ashamed of the gospel” in the same way as the Apostle Paul (Romans 1:16). May that be true of us as well.

"English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers."