Someone recently said “People that are deceived don’t know they are deceived.”
That’s the tricky part about bringing Reformation.
As parts of the church embraces the feel good theology of Progressive Christianity, I sense my fire grow for a Reformation….to get back to what the Bible actually says.
This is where Martin came in and fans my flame to keep going.
I think him and I would have been friends.
If you don’t know who Martin Luther is, he brought on the Protestant Reformation that denounced such things as paying to cover the sins of yourself and others, including the dead. Clearly, the Roman Catholic Church had gotten off. For the most part, people weren’t reading the Bible to know the difference. They were just unquestionably submitting to their leadership at the time.
“When he made it clear that he feared God’s judgment more than the judgment of the powerful figures in that room, he electrified the world.”
“Luther defied them, humbly but boldly….”
“It was Rome’s mystifying inflexibility that drove Luther to bolder and bolder public positions.”
“He had no patience for theological bromides (feel good) and had no fear of being burned at the stake.”
“…they did all they could to talk him out of it. But the young man was immoveable.”
“..for he (Luther) not only read it (the Bible) but almost devoured it.”
“His view of truth was far too high for him to let confusing things or errant things slip by the wayside.”
“If feeding the Word of God to hungry flocks was the point of it all…”
“Everywhere Luther looked, he was horrified.”
“As Luther often said, no one at that time read the Bible.”
“Luther put forth the idea that to truly be a part of the church of Jesus Christ was inevitably to enter into a spiritual battle. And he believed that now this battle must be fought within the church against those who would pervert God’s doctrines and deeper meanings of God’s word. Such enemies had formally been outside the church, but now they were inside it and had gained leading positions in it. So to battle against them, one would suffer too, and to suffer for this was a noble honor.”
October 31 (the date I was SAVED!!!!) 1517, Luther posted the 95 Theses.
“The pieces of the bigger picture were coming together and one of them of course concerned what Luther clearly saw as a church that was no longer in love with the truth and the pursuit of the same, that answered good and honest questions with an imperious ‘Be silent and do as we say, or else.'”
“….he knew that to expose it as such was the most important thing imaginable.”
“Luther heard all too plainly what was going on and was more than anything concerned for the souls of the flock.”
“Luther naturally supposed that this was something with which an archbishop should be concerned, unless he was an archbishop in name only…Luther was very humbly bringing something important to the attention of someone who ought to care and who ought to be in a position to do something to correct it.”
“For all these souls you have the heaviest and a constantly increasing responsibility. Therefore I can no longer be silent on this subject.”
Luther wanted a debate but “not a soul showed up for this debate.”
1st point on the theses: Repent.
“quickly placing Luther in the incendiary heretical category”
“Be silent and revoke all you had said. Unless you do so, the Church will crush you. Amen.” (in response to Luther)
“Luther knew he himself stood on a firm theological ground…”
“Luther was abundantly clear that although his respect for the church and the pope was genuine and very deep, the truth of the Gospel itself must take precedence.”
“He knew that reform must happen in the church, and as far as he was concerned, he was doing his solemn duty as a doctor of the church in presenting his findings…somehow combining both deep humility and an almost arrogant boldness-were something to behold.”
“In all this I fear nothing, as you know, my Spalatin. Even if their flattery and power should succeed in making me hated by all the people, enough remains of my heart and conscience to know and confess that all for which I stand and which they attack, I have from God, to whom I gladly and of my own accord entrust and offer all of this. If He takes it away, it is taken away. If He preserves it, it is preserved. Hallowed and praised be His name forever. Amen.” — Letter by Martin Luther to Georg Spalatin
When confronted about not submitting to the Pope’s authority, like that was his only hope and questioned what protection he would have without it, Luther responded his protection was “under heaven.”
Luther would not recant.
“Luther’s greatest fears were realized. He saw the cardinal cared not a fig for the Holy Scriptures….the theological foolishness of this, and the disturbing evidence of it, were horrifying to Luther. They were blithely floating down the river toward a greater cataract and didn’t seem to notice that they had ever moved.”
