Is the Protestant Reformation Bad News?

By Rev. Tan Eng Boo

508 years ago, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk,  initiated the Protestant Reformation by challenging the Roman Catholic Church’s practices, particularly the sale of indulgences, He nailed his 95 statements (famously known as the 95 Theses) on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. It sparked a widespread theological upheaval, leading to the 16^th Century Reformation. The Reformation was a return to biblical Christianity.

It also caused the Roman Catholic Church to split. The birth of the Protestant church was the outcome of this revolution. Was the Reformation good or bad?

 During a Reformation Tour to Wittenberg, Germany in 2014, I visited the Castle Church where Martin Luther had nailed the 95 theses on the church door. The photo on the left shows the replica door on which the statements were  nailed.  The door that now stands in this place, is cast in bronze and bears Luther's theses. The castle church has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It was a memorable visit for me.  

October is the month where many Protestant Churches usually recall this event. But in recent times, it seems that most churches do not commemorate the Reformation anymore. In fact, today, if you ask some Christians about it, they will not know what you are talking about. You may try asking them the meaning of “Protestantism", and they will not know the meaning of it, too. In fact, churches today will embrace the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). The RCC will always say that their beliefs and doctrines are the same as the Protestant Church. If that is so, the Reformation would have failed. We must always remember our roots.

“If you are Anglican, Baptist, Brethren, Congregational, Independent, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, or Reformed, then these are your roots. Your history can be traced back to these events 500 years ago” (“Why the Reformation Still Matters” – Michael Reeves & Tim Chester)

The Cost of Standing for the Word of God and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ

Persecuted for the faith? How can we understand it, when we live in a nation where peace and comfort exist for us? Have we ever been persecuted for our faith? No! We have enjoyed peace for the many years of our existence. But it was not so for the reformers. Martin Luther was excommunicated from the RCC. He was earmarked to be executed.

“Pope Leo issued a papal *bull condemning many of Luther’s points in his Ninety-Five Theses and called on him to repent within sixty days of receipt upon threat of excommunication.” (“The legacy of Luther”)

*A bull (Latin ‘bulla’ = a seal)

Luther took the papal bull and burnt it. This act  resulted in  his permanent break from the RCC.

To stand for biblical Christianity means trouble at times. Martin Luther was committed to Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone. And for that he faced the wrath of the RCC.

The Emperor Charles V condemned Luther as a heretic and pronounced the death penalty on him.

The day may come when we will have to endure such trials. How can we be prepared for it?

The Bible in our Hands Today

I visited Wartburg Castle  where Luther hid for eleven months after the pronouncement of the death penalty on him during the 2014 Reformation tour. It was  at this castle that he translated the New Testament into German in 1522. His countrymen quickly purchased this text.

Luther’s Bible stoked the Reformation fires, causing its gospel-centered truth to spread like wildfire across the land. When Luther was asked to explain how such a powerful work had come to realization, He responded:

“I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything” (“The Legacy of Luther”)

The Reformation  resulted in a return to biblical Christianity. It was a “back-to-the-Bible” movement. Thank God for the Bible we hold in our hands today. Millions of people still have no access to God’s Word in their own language. We are the privileged few who have access to it. And it all started with the Reformation. May we read it, treasure it, and apply it to our lives for Christian living.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly….” (Colossians 3:16).

May we treasure this event, remember it and tell it to other Christians. May we never forget to commemorate Reformation Sunday in the church, too. It is always  held on the last Sunday of October.

How precious is the Bible to you? Many will say that it is a precious Book. But that Book has been sitting on the bookshelf or the study table, hardly opened to be read. If it is a precious Book, we should always look into it and let the Word fill our hearts.

Luther said: “When I was young, I read the Bible over and over and over again, and was so perfectly acquainted with it, that I could, in an instant, have pointed to any verse that might have been mentioned” (“Of God’s Word” by Martin Luther)

We must view the Word of God, like the Psalmist, in this manner:

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:10, 11)

Is the Protestant Reformation Bad News?

Going back to the 14th century, there was a man by the name of John Wycliffe who was known as the “morning star of the reformation.” He translated the Bible from Latin to the language of the people, English. Wycliffe’s Bible was the first English translation of the whole Bible. Luther did the same in the 16^th century. Their objective was to give the people, God’s Word in their own language. The Protestant Reformation achieved that objective.

We can’t only remember the Reformation in our minds,  we must also put the Bible in the hands of believers and non-believers.

I carry a Gideon’ Bible with me, and I am ready to pass it to a non-believer. I have done so before and will continue to look out for opportunities to do so.

The day where we commemorate the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th century should not be removed from our church calendar. I thank God that Grace church has always kept this date and event. Commemorating such a time in history is always a blessing to the church.