Some days make a big difference. On July 4, 1776, American colonists stood against
tyranny and for independence. On June 6, 1944, Allied troops stood against tyranny
and for freedom. And on October 31,
1517, Martin Luther stood against tyranny and for truth.
Luther was a German monk and priest (and professor of theology)
who through his own study of Scripture and spiritual struggles realized that several
teachings and practices of his Catholic church were not Biblical. On October 31, 1517, Luther wrote a letter to
his bishop protesting one of the Church’s greatest offenses—the abuse of
indulgences. Indulgences were “supposed forgiveness”
which could be bought as penance for one’s own sins or for the sins of loved
ones suffering punishment in purgatory. “As
soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs” was the
famous buy-line of indulgence sellers whose profits funded the building of St.
Peter’s cathedral and padded the pockets of church officials. Luther’s letter contained 95 points of dispute
centered on two principles of truth—the Bible is our spiritual authority and people are saved from an eternity without
God by their faith and not their deeds.
Luther also posted his list of grievances on the door of All
Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany, as an invitation to fellow scholars to
debate and discuss the issues, but such an event never took place because
Luther’s 95 Theses were soon translated from Latin into German, widely
distributed, and the uproar had begun.
The spiritual and cultural reformation resulting from this
stand for truth changed the course of the world history and shaped where and
how we live today. In reality, neither
July 4, 1776, nor June 6, 1944, would have happened if a brave German monk hadn’t
picked up his quill—and then his hammer.
A raging fire starts with a spark.
May the truth of God’s grace
blaze brightly in our lives and make a big difference today.
No comments:
Post a Comment