The Reformation Continues Today
* In last blog I addressed the need for personal Reformation… change in life… the need for improvement in the way we think, in our attitudes and behavior. We all need it, not just the politicians in Washington. Show me a human being and I’ll show you someone that needs reformation in some aspect of his/her life - you know, in the hidden/secret areas in our life we never want to reveal to anyone. We do not like to admit it, but we all have to deal with them… Fixing these areas always starts with admitting that there is a problem & asking God to forgive us. And then… make a commitment to change. This can only be accomplished if we allow the Holy Spirit to change us. If that personal reformation does not happen, we will continue to deal with these issues and they will not allow us to be who we are designed to be. It is like a poison that will continue to poison us every day until we finally resolve that something needs to be done about it.
* But today I also want to say a few things about what the Reformation means and how it continues today… even though it began in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Church of All Saints. So how does it continue? It continues on at least two fronts:
A. By strongly emphasizing the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Any church/denomination that does not stand firm on this doctrine needs to come to repentance. We need to clearly teach that we are saved by the grace of God that is in Jesus Christ and that we receive that gift only through faith created in us by the Holy Spirit. If we add or eliminate anything from this doctrine we are not worthy of calling ourselves believers in Christ or Christians. The Roman church was not teaching this doctrine and that was profoundly disturbing to Luther.
B. By standing up against all forms of tyranny. Martin Luther stood up against the spiritual tyranny of his day. Tyranny continues today. It occurs any time a spiritual authority sets itself up as lord over another person and claims to be a ruler over their life - whether explicitly or, as is more common, implicitly by requiring obedience to rules and traditions that are not in the Bible. Luther pointed out that such actions are contrary to the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, as well as Sola Scriptura - the primacy of Scripture over human rules and tradition. Scripture always trumps tradition & human requirements. Human nature likes to control/dominate others, but Scripture tells us that if we want a position of authority we need to be servants of all.
* Today we still face tyranny… such as the corrupt political systems on the right and on the left. These tyrants only look out for their own financial well-being ignoring the needs of the people. As children of the Reformation, do we stand up against such injustices? I say yes! Because when tyrants and corrupt politicians do not allow citizens to be all that God created them to be, they are distorting God’s creation. We need to find legitimate and ethical ways to help society to rid itself of these tyrants. Together we all have a responsibility to ensure that leaders both within the church and without are leading according to what is right, ethical and true.
* Do we as a church need a Reformation or have we reached perfection especially when it comes to the way we practice our belief? Is our doctrine in complete harmony with our corporate life as a church? Back during the time of the Reformation the church and its leaders were blatantly political. False doctrines were established for personal gain. Indulgences (forgiveness of sins) were sold… and the Bible was ignored.
* We need to be aware as children of the Reformation that we still face dangers: 1. Killing our orthodoxy - that will happen when we do not put orthodoxy into practice. Then orthodoxy becomes a misleading notion. If true faith in Christ is present in our lives & preached in our churches, then it must be influential in the life of our people and transformational in the community. But here is the warning: The pure Gospel cannot exist in a vacuum – it needs to live in real lives otherwise it is dead… and we just killed orthodoxy. 2. Liberalism – to deny or distort the basic tenets of Scripture means we are distorting that which the Reformation brought back… Sola Scriptura. If we believe and state that God provided us with His Word to guide us to salvation, then we cannot believe & teach anything that goes against that which God revealed to us. Our whims or dreams can never be the determining factor in the content of our sermons or life. It needs to be Scripture alone.
* The Reformation is a heritage we need to live every day. God bless us all! Rev. Don Sonntag
* In last blog I addressed the need for personal Reformation… change in life… the need for improvement in the way we think, in our attitudes and behavior. We all need it, not just the politicians in Washington. Show me a human being and I’ll show you someone that needs reformation in some aspect of his/her life - you know, in the hidden/secret areas in our life we never want to reveal to anyone. We do not like to admit it, but we all have to deal with them… Fixing these areas always starts with admitting that there is a problem & asking God to forgive us. And then… make a commitment to change. This can only be accomplished if we allow the Holy Spirit to change us. If that personal reformation does not happen, we will continue to deal with these issues and they will not allow us to be who we are designed to be. It is like a poison that will continue to poison us every day until we finally resolve that something needs to be done about it.
* But today I also want to say a few things about what the Reformation means and how it continues today… even though it began in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Church of All Saints. So how does it continue? It continues on at least two fronts:
A. By strongly emphasizing the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Any church/denomination that does not stand firm on this doctrine needs to come to repentance. We need to clearly teach that we are saved by the grace of God that is in Jesus Christ and that we receive that gift only through faith created in us by the Holy Spirit. If we add or eliminate anything from this doctrine we are not worthy of calling ourselves believers in Christ or Christians. The Roman church was not teaching this doctrine and that was profoundly disturbing to Luther.
B. By standing up against all forms of tyranny. Martin Luther stood up against the spiritual tyranny of his day. Tyranny continues today. It occurs any time a spiritual authority sets itself up as lord over another person and claims to be a ruler over their life - whether explicitly or, as is more common, implicitly by requiring obedience to rules and traditions that are not in the Bible. Luther pointed out that such actions are contrary to the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, as well as Sola Scriptura - the primacy of Scripture over human rules and tradition. Scripture always trumps tradition & human requirements. Human nature likes to control/dominate others, but Scripture tells us that if we want a position of authority we need to be servants of all.
* Today we still face tyranny… such as the corrupt political systems on the right and on the left. These tyrants only look out for their own financial well-being ignoring the needs of the people. As children of the Reformation, do we stand up against such injustices? I say yes! Because when tyrants and corrupt politicians do not allow citizens to be all that God created them to be, they are distorting God’s creation. We need to find legitimate and ethical ways to help society to rid itself of these tyrants. Together we all have a responsibility to ensure that leaders both within the church and without are leading according to what is right, ethical and true.
* Do we as a church need a Reformation or have we reached perfection especially when it comes to the way we practice our belief? Is our doctrine in complete harmony with our corporate life as a church? Back during the time of the Reformation the church and its leaders were blatantly political. False doctrines were established for personal gain. Indulgences (forgiveness of sins) were sold… and the Bible was ignored.
* We need to be aware as children of the Reformation that we still face dangers: 1. Killing our orthodoxy - that will happen when we do not put orthodoxy into practice. Then orthodoxy becomes a misleading notion. If true faith in Christ is present in our lives & preached in our churches, then it must be influential in the life of our people and transformational in the community. But here is the warning: The pure Gospel cannot exist in a vacuum – it needs to live in real lives otherwise it is dead… and we just killed orthodoxy. 2. Liberalism – to deny or distort the basic tenets of Scripture means we are distorting that which the Reformation brought back… Sola Scriptura. If we believe and state that God provided us with His Word to guide us to salvation, then we cannot believe & teach anything that goes against that which God revealed to us. Our whims or dreams can never be the determining factor in the content of our sermons or life. It needs to be Scripture alone.
* The Reformation is a heritage we need to live every day. God bless us all! Rev. Don Sonntag