Revivals bring hope in challenging times! Considering today’s date, we are looking at a revival of sorts from history, known as the Reformation. In the early 16^th century, there was only one church. In those days, you had no choice of churches to attend. There was only ONE—the Roman Catholic Church. And in those days, there was no assurance of salvation. The RC Church was the most powerful institution in medieval Europe and religion was everything. In medieval theology, if the priests do not give you the sacraments, you go to hell. Further, the church at that time was selling indulgences. An indulgence was the remission of temporal penalties from purgatory and it had to be purchased. Indulgences took the place of penance and was the selling of religion—despicable in the sight of God.

Well, into such a world was born Martin Luther, a man who lived over 500 years ago. This affable yet courageous and heroic German stood as a boulder in the midst of the stream of history and diverted it from its channel. On the morning was October 31, 1517, a monk named Martin Luther, moved by the Spirit of God, drew up a list of Ninety-five Theses or propositions in which he challenged the validity of indulgences and nailed them to the Wittenberg church door.

When the pope read Luther’s 95 thesis, he was furious. And on January 3, 1521, he excommunicated Luther from the church. An ecclesiastic censure excluded Luther from the communion of believers, from sacraments of a church, and the rights of church membership, and considering the power of the church in that day, it had civil and political consequences as well. Luther was subsequently summoned to a Diet at Worms (a formal ecclesiastical and political assembly) to recant his views. There the full pressure of church and state fell upon him. After a night of prayer, Luther replied, “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason, because I do not recognize the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other, my conscience is captive by the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.” A huge roar went up from the crowd crying, “Burn him, burn him.” Over the howling and barking of the people, his interrogator Johann von Eck heatedly queried, “Will you or will you not recant?” Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Luther uttered those immortal words, “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

Emperor Charles and the ecclesiastical authorities were irate and banned his writings and declared him a heretic and an enemy of the state. His life was in grave danger! However, on his return trip Luther was snatched at night by Frederick the Wise who hid him in a Wartburg castle for 9 months.  There he translated the entire Greek NT into German, which for the first time allowed the Bible to be read in the vernacular of the people. Imagine not having a Bible to read in your own language.

By emphasizing faith in Christ alone, Luther told people they could have a personal relationship with God. He helped break the monopoly that the medieval church had on the souls of men. Luther’s views sparked the Reformation of the church and eventually led to the birth of the protestant church. It was a turning point in history and brought about a revival of the church of that day. That revival took a man of prayer, a man of Scripture, and a man willing to give up his own life for the core teaching of the Bible—salvation by grace alone through faith. O how we need people in our day willing to stand up for what is right!  May your posture be one of devoted, untiring prayer and may the Holy Spirit use YOU to initiate a needed revival in the twenty-first century.

Dr. Ray Ballmann
Glen Rose, Tx