The Reformation wasn’t about Martin Luther. It wasn’t about Protestantism. It was about one thing only: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From 1 Peter 1:25, “The Word of the Lord endures forever” was the driving focus of the Reformation of the Church more than 500 years ago.
Without a commitment to the preaching and teaching of Holy Scripture in all its truth and purity, there is no Reformation. If men would never err, the Reformation would never have been necessary.
What Christians can learn today from the Reformation of the Church is that we should put our trust not in rulers, priests, or princes (Ps. 146:3), but solely in the everlasting Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Word is ever-living and always active, coming to the Christian daily and abundantly in Holy Scripture.
The one holy and apostolic Church — that is, the universal Church of all believers of this Gospel of Christ — delivers this salvific message of grace and salvation through faith to the Christian.
The reformers of the Church questioned the notion that men could earn satisfaction for their sin by the purchasing of indulgences and the attaining of righteousness by burdensome effort. This lifestyle inevitably drove many to despair — for indeed, none can ever make satisfaction for their sin.
The Reformation focused on the everlasting truth that the only act possible to make satisfaction for sin was done by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, where he hung with the weight of the sin of the whole world — past, present and future — so that man may be declared righteous.
The sanctifying life of the Christian is carried out under the grace of justification by faith, apart from works of the law. Only because Christ has declared the Christian righteous can he then live righteously — all by the grace of God.
The sacrificial act of Christ on the cross brings salvation and eternal life to the Christian who grasps this free gift with faith. At the same time, this declaratory act of Christ on the cross sets the Christian free (John 8:36) to live according to the statues of God.
The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ changes the life of the Christian forever — for the remainder of his years on earth but also in the glorious eternity of heaven — where all believers in Christ, those declared and made righteous throughout all ages, will live in restored unity with God forever.
But the Christian must be on guard. This free gift of Christ is constantly under attack by Satan, the age-old deceiver of men. The devil constantly prowls around the Church, always looking for opportunities to undermine her and distort her message of salvation to her people.
The Christian’s response to these attacks must always be to flee to the Word of God and to his salvation Christ has accomplished on the cross. Only that has the power to free the conscience of the Christian and allow him to live in the grace that has been gained for him.
The Church should never bind the conscience of its people to believe that somehow their purchases, efforts, or works gain satisfaction with God and refuge from the devil. Only Christ can shield the Christian from Satan and the consequences of sin. Indeed, He has done it.
On fleeing to Christ, found in the Word of God alone and received by grace through faith alone, Martin Luther said this:
“So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it?’ For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also.”
When the devil declares the Christian guilty of damnation, the Christian should point to the work of Christ. That is the core of the Reformation of the Church, and the restoration of that truth . The Word of the Lord endures forever. That’s why the Church gravely needed the Reformation, and why she will always be sustained, strengthened, and saved by Christ.
