Reformation Day - in Commemoration and Celebration of the Event that went on to shake the World

Martin Luther is known as 'the Monk who shook the world'. The event that set off this religious
earthquake was his nailing of his 95 Thesis against the sale of indulgences to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The subsequent tremors were felt across the nations of Europe for decades and centuries to come.

Selling Indulgences

The selling of salvation by the means of the hawking of indulgences around the nations of Europe in order to increase ecclesiastical wealth was a growing scandal in the Roman Catholic Church. In particular the selling of a 'Jubilee Indulgence,' authorised by Pope Leo X to pay for the rebuilding of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, infuriated Luther and stirred him to take action.

Romanism based this corrupt practice on a verse in the Gospel of John, where Jesus gave the Apostles the authority to forgive or retain the sins of humanity, John 20:23: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. The Roman Church justified this practice of selling indulgences by citing that, although God released the offender from his heavenly obligation, he was still required to pay an earthly price for his sin.

This practice greatly benefited nobles and the wealthy, who could literally pay for their crimes and sins. Correspondingly this practice severely disadvantaged the poor, who could not pay. The practice also included the selling of indulgences to the families of deceased relatives to release their souls from Purgatory.

It also highlighted the lack of compassion in the Pope and Roman Church. They claimed this power to released souls from the consequences of sin, yet would never employ this power out of love for those facing purgatory or already there. They would only grant deliverance upon payment of money. How callous, unfeeling, insensitive and uncaring can anyone be to only deliver souls from pain and suffering when the money is received.

Luther's 95 Theses

Luther, having written his ninety-five theses against the selling of indulgences, nailed them to the Castle Church doors on All Hallows Eve [31st October 1517], where they would be observed by many who would be attending the following All Saints Day observance. This was not an unusual practice. The doors of churches were often utilised for posting public notices, and were like a public noticeboard.

The date on which Luther nailed up his 95 Theses has become known as Reformation Day. This day, 31st October, is still a public holiday in five German states, namely Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.

Mass Circulation

Luther wrote his 95 Theses in Latin, the language of the scholar and of learning and the universities. He was seeking a scholarly debate and not a controversy. However, the recent invention of the
printing press changed everything. Luther's 95 Theses in Latin were taken down and translated into German. This allowed Luther's 95 Theses to be circulated throughout Europe, thereby bringing him to the attention of the Romish Church and the Papacy.

Luther's Excommunication

The Roman Church were not interested in any discussion or debate about the issues Luther raised. It concluded Luther to be in opposition to Papal authority, and, accusing him of heresy, sought to have him arrested. With the support of the faculty at Wittenberg University and the Elector, Prince Frederick III of Saxony, Luther avoided imprisonment and any appearance at a trial that most likely would have ended with his execution. However, by 1521, Luther was excommunicated from the Church and labelled as a heretic and fugitive.

The reaction of the Romish Church against Luther and its steadfast refusal to discuss his Theses prompted an internal schism that eventually became the Reformation movement. By 1530, the division was set, and an official statement of faith, known as the Augsburg Confession, brought into being the first Protestant Church.

A Church standing or falling

Luther went on to declare that a Church's teaching on the doctrine of Justification indicated whether that church was standing or falling. It is still the same today. Rome hasn't changed her views on Justification. Sadly many so Protestant churches have abandoned the doctrine of Justification by Faith alone and have accepted Rome's teaching. They are fallen, and failing, churches.

The Reformation was the greatest revival since the Day of Pentecost. May God grant another Reformation.