“One hammer in the hand of an obscure Augustinian monk
changed the world forever.” These words from Dr. R.C. Sproul are a good
summation of probably the greatest historical event of the past 1000
years. No hammer rang louder than the
one wielded by Roman soldiers as they nailed the Lord Jesus Christ to a rough,
wooden cross 2000 years ago; no hammer since then rang louder than the one
that Luther swung as he nailed his 95 theses, or complaints, to the door of the
castle church in Wittenburg, Germany on October 31, 1517. The echoes of that hammer are still heard
today, in tens of thousands of churches all over this continent and around the
world, as preachers stand behind pulpits and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. While the world celebrates a pagan
holiday of fear, death and despair, we celebrate the new life of freedom in the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the recovery of that doctrine from the layers of
centuries of tradition that had obscured it.
Luther took a stand for truth in a time when to do so meant
trial, imprisonment, and even death. It
took extraordinary courage and supernatural boldness for Luther and the other
Reformers to proclaim the truths of God’s Word.
The establishment of Church and State were the fierce enemies of this
truth, and dealt severely with any who opposed their agenda and rule. However, the truths of the Gospel fell upon
the fertile hearts and minds of millions who were hungry for freedom. The day in which we live today is not unlike
the one Luther lived in almost 500 years ago.
Moral relativism of the age, the secular humanism of the state and a
hostile media are all diametrically opposed to the Gospel and Biblical
Christianity. That is why it is
imperative that, in every generation, we declare the Gospel anew, with clarity,
boldness and the power of the Holy Spirit. The five solas of the Reformation are still
the rock upon which our faith is founded: Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Gratia
(Grace Alone), Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Solus Cristus (Christ Alone),
Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone).
In honour or Reformation Day (October 31) and Martin Luther,
I am going to sing Luther’s most famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our
God” in our church services tomorrow. It is based on Psalm 46, his
favourite Psalm, and was a source of great encouragement during the darkest
days of his life. Steve Lawson writes, “Many times during this dark
and tumultuous period, when terribly discouraged, he would turn to his
co-worker, Philipp Melanchthon, and say, ‘Come, Philipp, let us sing the
forty-sixth Psalm.’
As you listen to this great hymn, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADamVJaXZMg my prayer is
that the words will not only encourage you, but will embolden and empower you
to stand for the truth of the Gospel and to herald the Word of God as Luther
and the Reformers did so many centuries ago.
Soli Deo Gloria!
