October 31st.
Most people associate this day with Halloween. But Protestant Christians have remembered this day for a reason far more important.
On this day in 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther would protest the catholic church in a way that would forever change church history. But why October 31st? The following day, November 1st, held significance in the church calendar as All Saints’ Day. Many pilgrims would visit Wittenberg, Germany on this day to see historical relics and take thousands of years off time in purgatory and expedite their journey to Heaven.
You read that correctly. “Time off” of “Purgatory.”
Some context may help: The catholic church sold indulgences (payments to the church to reduce the penalty for sins committed) that would take time off of purgatory. More simply stated, the papacy encouraged Christians to try to buy their way into Heaven.
This sickened Luther.
None of this seemed fitting. Luther was vexed! As he slaved to overcome his sin, he became a student of the Bible. Coming to know the Biblical Christ, he realized that he could do nothing to earn God’s favor. If this was the case, how could dropping some coins in an offering box get anyone to Heaven? There was nothing he could do to earn God’s grace. He rediscovered the central truth that he must rely on the finished work of Christ alone for his salvation.
He picked up his quill, penned his 95 theses, and hammered them to the church doors in Wittenberg, hoping to spark conversation and call the church back to repentance. However, it seemed the church was beyond repair and required a reformation.
Luther’s 62nd thesis states, “The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.” This is what the reformation was all about. Centuries of human tradition clouded the clarity of the Gospel. Salvation became about works and the sale of indulgences rather than God’s free grace. But the reformation helped the liberating message of the true Gospel shine through.
So what is Reformation Day? It’s a day that marks the beginning of a movement that brought the Church to its knees before God. It’s a day that reminds us that we hold God’s Word as our highest authority. It’s a day that reminds us of the strength of the Gospel message, that we are justified by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone.
Luther’s legacy lives on in the hearts of people that want to see Christ be magnified. The reformers’ influence lives on in the church that holds God’s Word as its highest authority.
Let us not forget the mission of the reformation, that we should never cease to be transformed by the Word of God, not conform to the traditions of our culture. Let us always compare our doctrines and practices to the Scriptures and never delay to cut away what doesn’t align with the Bible.
Reformation Day is a day that changed the history of the world, ultimately bringing the light of the Gospel to people in spiritual darkness.
Post Tenebras Lux (“After darkness, light”).
