It Still Matters

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” ~Ephesians 2:8-9

Five hundred and eight years ago today a young monk named Martin Luther nailed a piece of paper to a church door in a small town in Germany. The paper contained ninety-five points of contention with the Roman Catholic Church. This move sparked what has become known as the Protestant Reformation. The question is: Does it still matter? Let me offer five reasons why it does.

One: The Protestant Reformation teaches that our salvation is by God’s grace alone. What a blessing to know that not only can we not earn our salvation through meritorious works, but we don’t have to! God saves us because of His loving grace toward us in Christ Jesus.

Two: The Protestant Reformation recovered the biblical doctrine of justification through faith alone. This is the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. Belief that salvation is based on faith plus anything is not the true, biblical gospel. Luther and his contemporaries reclaimed the unadulterated good news that God saves sinners through faith in His Son.

Three: The Protestant Reformation emphasized that the only way to God is in Christ alone. There are so many competing ideas of how one gets to heaven, but the Bible teaches that Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life. The Reformation returned Christ to the center of our doctrine of salvation. It made Him the author and finisher of our faith. 

Four: The Protestant Reformation roots all our beliefs in Scripture alone. Man-made doctrines have enslaved people for millennia. In Luther’s day, the Roman Catholic Church had elevated tradition and the teaching of the Church as equal in standing with God’s holy Word (which it still does today). But the Reformers knew the only perfect rule of faith and how to live was Scripture. We value our history, the teaching of godly men of old, and the Christian tradition in which we stand, but our ultimate source of authority is Scripture alone.

Five: The Protestant Reformation encourages us to live all of life to the glory of God alone. We’re all searching for a purpose, and that purpose is worship. We were created to worship, we have been saved to worship, and our eternal destiny is the worship of Almighty God. The Reformation reminds us that we don’t live to please man; rather, we live to please the Lord who made us and redeemed us. 

The Reformation still matters. It has recovered for us the biblical gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It has granted us freedom from man-made commandments and expectations. It has focused our interest on the Bible, where God’s desire for His children’s lives is summarized. It has oriented our lives heavenward, as we live fully for God’s glory and His alone. The Protestant Reformation is about life in, with, and for Christ, who lives in us, died for us, and is with us, even unto the end of the age.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor