It's Not Halloween. It's Reformation Day.

The great event of October 31, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenburg Church.

We do well to remember what Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Cranmer, Hooper, Ridley, Latimer, and a host of others fought for.

J. C. Ryle's book, Five English Reformers helps us do just that:

Let men say what they will, or pick holes where they may, they will never succeed in disproving these facts. To the Reformation, Englishmen owe an English Bible, and liberty for every man to read it. To the Reformation, they owe the knowledge of the way of peace with God, and of the right of every sinner to go straight to Christ by faith, without bishop, priest, or minister standing in his way. To the Reformation, they owe a Scriptural standard of morality and holiness such as our ancestors never dreamed of. For ever let us be thankful for these inestimable mercies. [HT: CQOD]

Elsewhere, he also says:

Let us thank God that the foundations of the Reformed Church of England were laid by such men as John Bradford. Let us clearly understand what kind of men our martyred Reformers were, what kinds of doctrines they held, and what kind of lives they lived. Let us pray that the work they did for the Church of England may never be despised or underrated. Above all, let us pray that there never may be wanting among us a continual succession of English clergy, who shall keep the martyr's candle burning brightly, and shall hand down true Reformation principles to our children's children. [p. 138.]

That is a worthy goal on this day — that we remember the cost and benefits of the work of god through the Reformers, that we give thanks to God for them, and that we continue to stand in such a way that the gospel of God is honored and upheld. Perhaps a way to begin that is by reading a good biography on the reformation or one of the reformers. Ryle's book is a good place to start, as are a number of books authored by Stephen J. Nichols.

Last year I also noted several resources for information about Luther, and the Reformation in general. Or read some short quotes ("Reformation quotes") about the Reformation.

Reformation Week Reflection #4

John Calvin:

As all mankind are, in the sight of God, lost sinners, we hold that Christ is their only righteousness, since, by his obedience, he has wiped off our transgressions; by his sacrifice appeased the divine anger; by his blood, washed away our stains; by his cross, borne our curse; and by his death, made satisfaction for us. We maintain that in this way man is reconciled in Christ to God the Father, by no merit of his own, by no value of works, but by gratuitous mercy. When we embrace Christ by faith, and come, as it were into communion with him, this we term, after the manner of Scripture, the righteousness of faith.

Reformation Week Reflection #3

The story of the death of the two English Reformers Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley is well known. Ryle recounts their meeting and death at the stake:

Ridley first entered the place, and earnestly holding up both his hands, looked towards heaven. Shortly after, seeing Latimer, he ran to him, embraced and kissed him, saying, “Be of good cheer, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flames or else strengthen us to abide it.”…

Then they brought a faggot kindled with fire, and laid it down at Ridley’s feet, to whom Latimer then spake in this manner: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

And so the fire being kindled, when Ridley saw the fire flaming I up towards him, he cried with a loud voice, “Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit: Lord, receive my spirit!” and repeated the latter part often. Latimer, crying as vehemently on the other side of the stake, “Father of heaven, receive my soul!" received the flame as if embracing it. After he had stroked his face with his hands, and as it were bathed them a little in the fire, he soon died, as it appeared, with very little pain.

We do well not to forget why they gave their lives for Christ: it was for the purity of the doctrine of communion. Had they agreed that the elements of communion contained the literal body and blood of Christ, their lives would have been spared. But they vehemently refused to agree to the Catholic doctrine because such teaching destroys the doctrines of the finished work of Christ, and the priestly work of Christ.

May God give us similar resolve to stand boldly on gospel truth.

All Saints Day

“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” (Heb. 13:7; NASB)

The typical American neighborhood was inundated last night by an assortment of ghosts, goblins, witches, and vampires, interspersed with a few pirates, angels, cartoon characters, bunnies, puppies, scarecrows and ballerinas. Last night was Halloween, and much ink has been spilled by Christians in the debate over how to handle the day.

What most of us forget is the day after Halloween.

November 1 was established in the seventh and eighth centuries as “All Saints Day,” or “All Hallow’s Day,” the day to remember the great believers and martyrs of the faith. [The night before All Hallow’s Day came to be known as “All Hallow’s Eve” — and ultimately — “Halloween.”] In fact, Chrysostam reported that the practice began as early as in the fourth century in the Eastern Church (though not on November 1). The day was established by the church as an alternative to the pagan ritualistic celebrations of October 31.

The spiritual significance of the day is not just remembering, however. It is in imitating the lives of faithful believers, as the writer of Hebrews demonstrates.

Hebrews was written to a persecuted group of believers who were considering turning away from Christianity and back to Judaism. In the epistle, the writer exhorts these weary believers to stand firm in the faith by considering Jesus and His work and, among others, those faithful men and women who had died for their faith in God and Christ (11:13, 39-40; 12:1).

And then at the conclusion of the letter he offers one more similar exhortation: remember your spiritual leaders; evaluate the outcome of their lives; imitate their faithfulness.

The encouragement is equally significant today.

Remember who God has placed in your life for your spiritual benefit. It might be a parent, a friend, a pastor, a special mentor, a book, or even a passing acquaintance. Many people have contributed, by the providence and direction of God, to your spiritual progress. And don’t merely remember who those people are but examine their lives carefully. Contemplate and consider the result of their faith in their lives.

And if at the end of their lives, it could be said that they were good and faithful servants (Mt. 25:21, 23) who fought the good fight, finished the course that God had established for them, and kept their faith in God to the end (2 Tim. 4:7), then imitate them. They have been a gift of God to you to mentor and guide you spiritually (2 Cor. 11:1). Follow them.

Tozer said it well: “Before we follow any man we should look for the oil on his forehead. We are under no obligation to aid any man in any capacity that has not upon it the marks of the cross....God has His chosen men still, and they are without exception good listeners. They can hear when the Lord speaks. We may safely listen to such men. But to no others.” [The Root of the Righteous.]

Reformation Books

Are you curious about the reformation, but don't know much about it?

Here are three books that I've found helpful (this is not intended to be an extensive listing, but just enough to give you an introduction and taste of the lives of some of the key men of the Reformation). They all offer brief biographies on some of the leading men of the reformation, and help explain the theological issues at stake for each of these men. I highly commend them all.

• Catherwood, Christopher. Five Leading Reformers: Lives at a Watershed of History [Luther, Cranmer, Calvin, Knox, Zwingli]. Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus, 2003.
• Piper, John. The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God's Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2000.
• Ryle, J. C. Five English Reformers [Hooper, Taylor, Latimer, Bradford, Ridley]. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1999.
  

Reformation Week Reflection #2

John Calvin:

…justification by faith [is] the first and keenest subject of controversy…Wherever the knowledge of it is taken away, the glory of Christ is extinguished.

And later:

How comes it that we are "carried about with so many strange doctrines" (Hebrews 13:9)? Because the excellence of Christ is not perceived by us.

So of first importance is the gospel (1 Cor. 15:3) and the glory of Christ. That's a message for today, too!

Just what did Luther say?

Yesterday Elizabeth asked me what Martin Luther said in his 95 theses (declarations) to the church in Wittenberg. You may read the theses here. The statements were his attempt to bring the church to a point of repentance for its corruption of the truth of the gospel -- that man is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. His first declaration summarizes the rest very well: "When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said 'Repent,' He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance."

For more information about Luther's life and influence, you may read or listen to John Piper's biographical message that he did at the Bethlehem Baptist Church pastor's conference ten years ago.

Reformation Week Reflection #1

In honor of Tuesday being Reformation Day (the 489th anniversary of the posting of Martin Luther's 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg), here is the first in a series of quotes from some of the reformers on the importance of the gospel:

"Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want." [Martin Luther]