On this day, October 31st, in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the chapel in Wittenburg, Germany.  This was the modern day equivalent of posting to an extremely well read internet message board.  The crux of Luther’s writings was to decry the sale of indulgences in order to finance the building of St. Peter’s in Rome.  What was an indulgence?  It was a ticket of sorts to free yourself or a deceased loved one from years spent in purgatory.  Purgatory was the place where one went after death to be “purged” of all sin making them truly fit for heaven.  Luther saw how the sale of these indulgences struck at the heart of the gospel- that man is saved by grace alone through faith alone.  Luther lit a match that set the entire known world on fire.

All Christians owe a great debt to this Reformer who sought to recover the Biblical gospel in his day.  Luther was preceded by such men as John Hus and John Wycliffe.  Following Luther were such greats as Ulrich Zwingl, John Calvin, and John Knox.  All made significant contributions in recapturing a right view of Scripture and justification by faith alone.  Their arguments were not that something totally new needed to be started but that the church needed to return to the “old paths”.  They sought and led true reforming and thus we got the “Reformation”.  All Protestants trace their roots to the events that were kicked in motion on this day.  In one sense all Protestants are Reformed though such a term has come to refer to those who hold to classic Reformational theology with its emphasis on God’s sovereign grace.

A great movie you should see and add to your family DVD collection is “Luther” starring Joseph Fiennes.  This film does a very good job of capturing the events and issues surrounding this remarkable figure, Martin Luther.  This is a great tool to learn more about your own spiritual heritage.

We’re still in need of Reformation today.  The gospel has been lost in many evangelical churches.   The positive thinking, health and wealth gospel of Joel Osteen and others has taken our focus off of Christ’s work and led to a man centered gospel- one where God exists to give me my “best life now.”  Once again we need to focus on the message that the Apostles preached the essence of which was “Christ, and Him crucified”.

I’m reading a book right now that is a call for continued Reformation.  It’s Michael Horton’s book Christless Christianity. So far, its been a great read.  Here’s something pretty cool to mention: there will be a LIVE web chat with Dr. Horton today at 1PM EST.  You can check it out by going HERE.

Once again, happy Reformation Day!