On Theology and the Christian Life - The Reformation: A Brief History

We were last left warming our hands over the fire of burnt papal decrees, canon law, and the bull, “Exsurge Domine,” which called for Martin Luther’s recantation and excommunication.

The year was 1520. Almost two decades after this climatic scene, Luther would write the “Smalcald Articles,” which were a concise confession of the Christian faith. He prepared them in the event that a free council was called so the Lutherans would be prepared to give a defense for the hope they clung to by faith (I Peter 3:15). In the “Smalcald Articles,” among and chief of other things, Luther wrote of “the office and work of Jesus Christ, or our redemption.”

This particular article of faith — namely, fidelity to the Gospel of our salvation and due honor toward Christ who does all for the sake of our forgiveness and justification — became the fundamental issue for Luther. It is, he writes, “the first and chief article” of our Christian faith. “That Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, ‘was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification’ (Rom. 4:25); and he alone is ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29); and ‘the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all’ (Isa. 53:6); furthermore, ‘All have sinned,’ and ‘they are now justified without merit by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus … by his blood’ (Rom. 3:23-25),” (“Smalcald Articles” Part II, Article 1, paragraphs 1-3).

This confession is the one Luther would plant his feet upon in 1521 at the Diet of Worms. The Diet of Worms is not a reference to the food on Luther’s menu at the time. A diet was a kind of hearing held in order to address a particular issue. In this case, it was to deal with the “boar in the vineyard” with the end in mind that Luther would recant what he had written against the authority of the Roman pontiff, papal indulgences, merits, and a host of other matters. Luther’s hearing was before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.

There, Luther would not recant and, in turn, made what is perhaps a quote he his most famous for, “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason — I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other — my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.” The earliest printed version of this confession of Luther added the words: “Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.” There is no doubt Luther was a man of great conviction, which is a quality rarely found among mankind in our present age — least of all and unfortunately even among clergyman. Luther’s conviction and courage was ultimately grounded upon what was at stake. For him, this was a matter that dealt with the honor of Christ and, therefore, had eternal ramifications for the Christ. He could not recant and he could not remain silent.

In Luther’s “Preface” to his Latin writings, he reflects upon the period leading up the Diet of Worms, writing “At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, ‘In (the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.”’ There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which they righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’ Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.”

By and through this German monk turned priest turned reformer, God would re-illumine the Gospel in the life of the Christian Church. On the Reformation, therefore, we do not celebrate the man — Martin Luther. We celebrate the graciousness of our Lord and what He accomplished through this man. God grant to you, dear Christian reader, the faith by which you cleave fast to the promises of your crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ; the faith alone by which you stand before God declared free from sin, that is, righteous in his sight.

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Pastor Marcus Williams

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Havre

Zion Lutheran Church, Chinook