Reformation Day

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church in Germany. A reformation had already begun in his own heart and life, but little did he know that his act was about to completely reform Christianity on a global scale.

As a youngster, Luther was drawn to the monastic life, though, at the behest of his father, he began studying to become a lawyer. But by his early 20s, the draw religion had on his life proved too great, and Luther moved into an Augustinian monastery.  

By his late 20s, Luther finished his studies, obtained a doctorate, and became a biblical studies professor at the university at Wittenberg.

The questions

During that time, in the early 16th century, European scholars and theologians began to question some of the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. This was brought about in large part because that period in history saw translations of the Bible and early Christian writings become more widely available to the common man.

Luther was among those who began to question Catholic teaching. He was convinced that according to Scripture, salvation is a gift that comes only by God’s grace, not dependent on any good works, and that the Word of God was the ultimate authority rather than the church. These two beliefs did not square with Catholic doctrine.

Luther also had a problem with the sale of indulgences. Page 370, Section X, of The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines indulgence as follows:

A remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints. … An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin. The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.

Luther’s questions, coupled with being troubled by his knowledge of the extravagance and corruption of the pope and Catholic clergy, prompted him to post his famous 95 Theses, a move he hoped would encourage scholarly debate. However, a firestorm erupted instead.

The outcome

Catholic officials pushed Luther to defend his positions before an assembly. Luther wouldn’t back down, and eventually the pope declared Luther a heretic.

In 1521, before an imperial council, Luther was ordered to recant his beliefs and writings, which he refused to do. It was there he made one of his most well-known statements.

Luther declared, “If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God’s Word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it cannot be either safe or honest for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”*

Luther’s act sparked the Protestant Reformation, which would expand throughout Europe and eventually have far-reaching impacts on the spread of Christianity worldwide.

As Robert Rothwell, senior writer for Ligonier Ministries, wrote in 2021: “Today, Luther’s legacy lives on in the creeds and confessions of Protestant bodies worldwide. As we consider his importance this Reformation Day, let us equip ourselves to be knowledgeable proclaimers and defenders of biblical truth. May we be eager to preach the gospel of God to the world and thereby spark a new reformation of church and culture.”

Editor’s note: This is a condensed version of a blog that was posted in October 2022 at afa.net/thestand, in which the author noted that some Catholics deny and do not agree with the practice of indulgences. But the fact that it is part of Catholic doctrine is undeniable.