October 31st, 2011 was Halloween, and as I wrote this I was with my wife handing out candy to the neighborhood kid during one of the few times a year we have intentional contact. However, it was also Reformation Day, the 494th anniversary of Martin Luther’s famous nailing of the 95 Theses onto the door of the Wittenberg church. What started as an attempt to debate with his fellow professors about indulgences (i.e., purchasing the release of dead believers in purgatory) became the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation. Because I am no historian, I would encourage you to read two recent online articles: in one, Justin Holcomb briefly explains the 95 Theses; and in another, Matthew Barrett provides a fairly detailed history of how this event led to Luther’s later doctrines. My goal is to show how this event 1) is all about the Gospel of Jesus, 2) grew out of an understanding of God’s heart for justice, and 3) informs our Christian life today.
It’s all about the Gospel
When Luther nailed the document onto the door of the church, he was just beginning to understand the scriptural teachings that later became known as The Solas - that the Bible alone is God’s Word (not the Pope) and that we are saved from the penalty of our sin in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, and for the glory of God alone. He desired to reform the Roman Catholic Church from emphasizing the “very small matter” of selling indulgences to emphasizing the “very great matter” of heralding the good news of Jesus.(Thesis 55). Sadly, the Catholic leadership was not ready for this conversation. Some argue they are not still, but that is not my purpose here. I know several Catholics that show true signs of conversion. My point here is that the truth of the Gospel was penetrating Luther’s heart, and scores since.
This good news alone liberates our souls from an eternity separated from the God who loves us (John 3:16). In our sin, we desire to place ourselves and others equal to or above God in terms of authority. In our sin, we desire to earn our own salvation or the salvation of others. In our sin, we have faith in ourselves alone. In our sin, we desire glory and fame. In our sin, we want everything on our terms. But the Gospel breaks down these strongholds of our sinful nature and gives us the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the “sweet exchange.” Luther came to understand this in a profound way. How did the 95 Theses allude to this?
God’s heart for Justice
When I think of justice, I usually think of Law & Order or some other cop show. Or I think of a movie like A Few Good Men. In my better moments, I think of great literary works like To Kill A Mockingbird. With varying success, these stories present examples of the very sinfulness described above. Human history is full of examples of wrongs that needed to be righted. Some were made right, but some were not...many are still not. The joy or anger or emptiness we feel is, from a biblical worldview, a window into the very nature of God. He not only desires Justice, he embodies it. He is so holy that he cannot be in the presence of sin, but he is so loving that he chose to save his people from their sin. This is most evident in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is God in the flesh who lived a perfect life, died a bloody death, rose again in victory, and promises to come again as King and Judge (Hebrews 10:30-31; Revelation 20:11-15).
So is that it? God makes us righteous by grace through faith, and therefore we are exempt from God’s final judgement? Well, in a word, yes! And in a word, no, but we will get to that. The good news that justice has been done by God’s wrath being placed on Jesus in our place is enough. What more could we ask for! The Apostle Paul marveled in God’s grace and mercy in Romans 11:33 when he exclaimed “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (ESV, emphasis added). The finished work of Christ on the cross is certainly enough to satisfy God’s holy justice. Only through a relationship with God can our internal need for justice be satisfied.
However, something begins to happen once we are saved. We become acquainted with God in a very new and intimate way. Jesus Himself speaks of the Holy Spirit coming as a helper for us (John 14:15-31). We begin to mature as we spend time in God’s word and around God’s people. We begin to understand God more, which causes us to continually repent and thank Him for his grace (Thesis 1). The selfishness which previously defined us becomes less and less (oh, if only it could happen more quickly, right?!) as we are overwhelmed with God’s grace. At the same time, our affections (what we love) are transformed into God’s affections. We notice external injustices with new eyes. We care about what he cares about. He cares about justice because He is just and wants to justify the world and restore it to Himself. We care about justice because He has justified us, and we want the world reconciled to Him also. We burn to share His justice with a dying world. This is where the conversation turns to Luther’s actions on this day in 1517.
A selection of Luther's 95 theses:
40. A truly contrite sinner seeks out, and loves to pay, the penalties of his sins; whereas the very multitude of indulgences dulls men's consciences, and tends to make them hate the penalties.
41. Papal indulgences should only be preached with caution, lest people gain a wrong understanding, and think that they are preferable to other good works: those of love.
42. Christians should be taught that the pope does not at all intend that the purchase of indulgences should be understood as at all comparable with the works of mercy.
43. Christians should be taught that one who gives to the poor, or lends to the needy, does a better action than if he purchases indulgences.
44. Because, by works of love, love grows and a man becomes a better man; whereas, by indulgences, he does not become a better man, but only escapes certain penalties.
45. Christians should be taught that he who sees a needy person, but passes him by although he gives money for indulgences, gains no benefit from the pope's pardon, but only incurs the wrath of God.
46. Christians should be taught that, unless they have more than they need, they are bound to retain what is only necessary for the upkeep of their home, and should in no way squander it on indulgences.
There is more information in just these 7 of his 95 theses than I can possibly cover in this post. But I want to point out some of the wisdom Luther puts forward.
The first occurs in his first thesis (not shown), which asserts that repentance is a constant part of Christian living. That sounds harsh, but those of us overwhelmed by God’s grace are actually comforted by this. Repentance is turning from our sin and toward God, an act of faith. It means we’re “all in,” so to speak. It is an active engagement with the Holy Spirit of God Almighty. Even in the Old Testament, this was evident in King David as he prayed,
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)
The second comes in the phrases “good works: those of love” and “works of mercy.” See how these actions are argued to be of greater significance than purchasing indulgences. This is radical talk in those days, because I am confident that the average believer truly thought they were “doing justice” when they purchased those indulgences to get their loved ones into Heaven, even though it was not biblical. Moreover, the clergy were busy building fancy cathedrals with the money they received from indulgences paid for by these average believers who weren’t being taught to use their resources wisely (Thesis 46). It was a spiritual and sociological collapse of ethics. For Martin Luther, this broke his heart. He understood that “by works of love, love grows and a man becomes a better man.” This echoes a consistent theme in the Bible, that there is a connection between belief and behavior; specifically, our behavior toward those being exploited.
Relevance for Today
This monumental event reveals a pattern: God acts, we respond, He changes us, we act, repeat. This is a picture of how the Gospel works in real time. Look at book of Acts. After Jesus rose again, he commissions his disciples to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Shortly thereafter, the book of Acts records how they received the Holy Spirit and began making disciples. Part of this process was distributing possessions to those who had needs (Acts 2:45). This was not done under compulsion or as the result of a government program, but was the result of the transformative power of the Spirit as the Gospel was rightly preached.
Psalm 72 reveals some of Solomon’s famous wisdom when we writes, “May all kings fall down before him...for he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.” (vv 11-12). We could go on and on looking at various examples of this pattern. God acts, we respond. This is how the Kingdom of Heaven expands. Our transformation process occurs at various paces, but always includes an increase of godly characteristics over time. Of course, there are ebbs and flows, but God works through us to bring Himself to others. He especially does this as we seek the good of others. As God himself puts it, speaking through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7).
Recently, there has been much ado in Christian circles about “social justice.” I would encourage you to listen to Dr. Timothy Keller speak on this. Obviously, this is not a new conversation. Centuries after Luther’s time, another debate came up between Fundamentalist Christians and Liberal Protestants. Fundamentalists like Charles Hodge or Dwight L. Moody argued that a Christian’s primary purpose is to share the Gospel, with less intentional focus on “works of mercy.” The focus was on redemption and Christ’s imminent return. Liberal Protestants like Walter Rauchenbusch argued that Christians should primarily try and make the world a better place (i.e., “The Social Gospel”), with little intentional focus on evangelism. The focus was on restoration and the practical working out of God’s will “on earth as it is in Heaven.” Both arguments have flaws, but at least the Fundamentalist view focuses on the Gospel. And as we have learned, Christ’s finished work on the cross reorients not only our eternal destiny, but our current affections. We care about what He cares about. He cares about justice because He is just. We care about justice because we are justified at the cross.
Martin Luther sought the welfare of his people, but then God really got a hold of him. He desired to see the Church reformed and renewed. God spoke to him through His Word, began to change his heart, and then he acted on behalf of others. He knew he needed to repent, bringing himself before God continually to be changed and renewed. As he grew in love, he acted in love. God used him to bring the Church back to the Bible. Truly, “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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:9-10 ESV, emphasis added).
