Our Reformation Heritage

It's truly a pleasure to be here today.

Thank you, Jason, for inviting me down.

Would you please bow with me as we go to the Lord in prayer?

Almighty gracious Father, since our whole salvation depends on our true understanding of your holy word,

grant that our hearts, freed from worldly affairs, may hear and understand your word with all diligence and faith,

so that we may rightly discern your gracious will, cherish it, and live by it with all earnestness.

To your praise and honor, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Would you please turn in your copy of God's word to Romans chapter 5, and we will read verses 1 and 2.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

And please stand for the reading of God's word.

And when I'm done reading, I will say, this is the word of the Lord, and your reply will be, thanks be to God.

Romans 5, 1 and 2 says this,

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through him, we have also obtained access by faith into his grace in which we stand,

and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Please be seated.

Political activist Marcus Garvey said this,

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.

Friends, today we're going to take a brief look at our history and roots as God's covenant people.

The verses in Romans we just read summarize well the heart of the Protestant Reformation.

And there's no better day than Reformation Sunday,

and no better place than Reformed Heritage Church,

to talk about our legacy that was birthed in the unlikely place of Germany.

Now, while tomorrow most of the nation will be celebrating Halloween,

we as Protestants must remember that October 31st stands as one of the most important days in our history for the past 505 years.

Why is this?

Because it was October 31st, 1517, that a young German monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses,

which was a challenge to the Roman Catholic Church doctrine,

to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany,

sparking the move known as the Protestant Reformation.

So why the church door?

Because at the time, the church door acted as a type of town bulletin board,

a medieval Twitter, if you will.

And Luther's 95 Thesis was an invitation to public debate with his fellow university professors

over the sale of indulgences.

And because the printing press had recently been invented,

Luther's ideas were printed and spread rapidly throughout Europe.

So what prompted Luther?

So visually picture this.

A church built in the 4th century.

It's called the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran Church

and was built in honor of John the Baptist.

Above the entrance, the builders engraved these words,

the mother and head of all the churches in Rome and all the world.

And these engraved words accurately express the authority that the Roman Catholic Church

held over Europe for more than a thousand years.

And at the time, for Luther, there was no other church in Europe.

And the Western world was dominated by the power of the Roman Catholic Church.

It controlled and shaped all religious activity and heavenly influence politics in Europe

since approximately 476 AD.

Now, despite its power, there was a darkness within the ranks of the Roman Catholic Church.

It was characterized by political intrigue, moral corruption, and Burdesen ritual.

The church had replaced the authority of Scripture with its own traditions

and obscured the message of the gospel

by making grace only available to the sinner if you did your part by works.

Now, as Luther studied the Scriptures, these corruptions troubled him.

But his breaking point came through the work of a Dominican friar by the name John Tetzel.

Now, Tetzel was commissioned by the church to raise money for the ongoing construction

of St. Peter Basilica in Rome.

And Tetzel, like a door-to-door salesman, would move from town to town selling indulgences.

Now, indulgences were written promises from the Pope

that if you purchased one, you or a loved one would get time reduced in purgatory.

Tetzel would call out in an authoritative voice,

As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.

Now, Tetzel's falsity spurred Luther into action.

So, let's take a minute to understand who Luther was.

Throughout history, Martin Luther has been portrayed as a simple or obscure monk.

But in reality, at the time he posted his 95 Thesis,

he was head of his monastery and the district superior over 11 other monasteries.

He had a master of arts and a doctorate in theology.

Luther was known as a great preacher, lecturer, and teacher at Wittenberg University.

He was the first professor in Germany to lecture in the Bible's original languages of Hebrew and Greek.

And he was also one of the first professors in Germany to lecture in the German language

instead of the traditional Latin that was advocated by the Roman Catholic Church.

No, Luther was not a simple or obscure monk.

So, what was his 95 Thesis?

The 95 Thesis reflected Luther's great theological mind

and would later become the foundation of the Reformation itself.

It was written in a remarkably humble and academic tone,

questioning rather than accusing,

and the overall thrust of the document, nonetheless, for the time, was quite provocative.

The first two points of his Thesis contained Luther's central idea.

One, that God intended believers to seek repentance,

not penance, but repentance.

And second, that faith alone and not deeds would lead to salvation.

The other 93 Thesis that followed supported these first two

with a number of them directly criticizing the practices of indulgences.

Again, the 95 Thesis was intended to spark debate,

to stir some soul-searching among his fellow brothers in the church.

And the 95 Thesis sparked far more than just a debate.

It revealed the church was far beyond rehabilitation.

It needed reformation.

The church and the world would never be the same.

The Protestant Reformation itself was a callback to biblical Christianity,

to acknowledge that the authority on all matters,

both for the church and believers,

is God's word alone,

and that sinful man is reconciled with God by faith in Christ alone.

It literally changed the European cultural, religious, social, and political landscape,

and is often referred to as the birth of the modern age.

Although there were earlier movements in response to the corruption of the church,

modern technology in the form of the printing press

allowed for the dissemination of Protestant literature

and the publication of the Bible in the vernacular,

resulting in widespread support for the movement.

This brought an end to the monolithic religious, cultural, and political authority

that the Roman Catholic Church had held on Europe.

This evident corruption of the Roman Catholic Church

had left the church's theological landscape

as dry tinder,

waiting for combustion,

and Luther was the match.

Though Luther ignited the fire that started the Reformation,

God used Luther's work to influence other men in other countries.

In the Swiss city of Zurich,

Ulrich Zwingli was introducing reform

on the basis of citizens reading the Bible.

In England, William Tyndale was influenced by Luther's ideas,

and he was working on translating the Bible into English,

which actually he'd be burned at the stake for.

John Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland,

was writing and reforming the city into a literal city of God.

John Knox in Scotland adopted Luther's position on justification

and helped write the Scottish Confession.

Thomas Cranmer, Theodore Beza, Philip Melanchthon,

and other scholars and churchmen

contributed to the Protestant Reformation

that would reform all of Europe and the Western world.

Now, in the following years of Luther's ministry,

he would continue to challenge the most powerful organization in the world

on their authority and on their doctrine.

At the historic interrogation of Luther,

at the Diet of Worms in 1521,

where he was summoned by the church to recant of his writings,

he answers his accusers this way,

unless I am convinced by Scripture of the clear reason,

of by clear reason,

for I do not trust either in the Pope or councils alone,

since it is well known that they have erred and contradicted themselves,

I am bound by the Scriptures that I have quoted,

and my conscience is captive to the Word of God.

I cannot and will not retract anything,

since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience.

I cannot do otherwise.

Here I stand.

May God help me.

Now, Luther's dramatic performance at the Diet of Worms

ended any hope of reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church.

He was officially declared a heretic and an outlaw,

which effectively was a death sentence at the time.

Yet, despite this burden,

Luther would go on to develop and refine his view of ecclesiology

and the doctrines that would fuel the Protestant Reformation.

Now, although not written down in a tidy list as we have them today,

what flowed out of Luther's writings and the writings of other reformers

is what we know as the five solas.

These five Latin statements serve as a summary of the core beliefs

that separate Protestantism from Roman Catholicism.

And it captures the core of the gospel in all its graciousness

and Christ-centeredness,

just as we read about it in Scripture.

The five solas show the glory of God's gracious way of salvation

in a way that sets the tone for us to have true theology,

resounding in how we think and live in this world.

Therefore, it's worth us studying and knowing them.

Now, for clarity, the term sola in Latin simply means alone.

So it's in these five scriptural points alone that we are saved,

and they work together collectively.

So let's take a quick, brief look at these five statements.

Our first sola, and the most important sola, I would say,

is sola scriptura.

That Scripture alone is our standard.

So would you please turn with me to 2 Timothy 3.

I'll read 14 through 17.

Just follow along as I read.

But as for you,

continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed,

knowing from whom you've learned it,

and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings,

which are able to make you wise for salvation

through faith in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is breathed out by God

and profitable for teaching,

for reproof, correction,

and for training in righteousness,

that the man of God

may be complete, equipped

for every good work.

Friends, our theology

must be scripturally grounded.

God's life-giving speech

reveals to us his salvation

and calls us to faith

and repentance.

The doctrine that the Bible alone

is the ultimate authority

was the formal principle

of all the reformers during the Reformation.

The God that commands light

to shine out of darkness

shines in our hearts,

giving us the light of the glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ.

We see that in 2 Corinthians 4.

God always does this

by the Spirit working through the Word.

The Holy Spirit is the author of the Scriptures,

and He speaks through the Scriptures.

The Scriptures teach us everything

that we need to make us wise

for salvation through faith in Christ,

and to be thoroughly equipped

for every good works.

Yet without the Spirit,

even the Scriptures cannot help us.

We're dead in our trespasses and sins,

and our minds and hearts are darkened.

And we need someone to raise us from the dead

and turn on the lights.

We see that in Ephesians 5.

If Scripture is sufficient

to make us wise for faith and life in Christ,

then Scripture alone

can be our guide to walking with God.

Our second sola is sola fide,

that our justification is by faith alone.

Please turn to Galatians 3,

and I'll read verses 6 through 11.

Just as Abraham believed God,

and it was counted to him as righteousness,

know then that it is those of faith

who are sons of Abraham.

And the Scriptures,

foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith,

preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham,

saying,

In you shall all the nations be blessed.

So then,

those who are of faith

are blessed along with Abraham,

the man of faith.

For all who rely on the works of the law

are under a curse,

for it is written,

Cursed be everyone who does not abide

by all things written in the book of the law,

and do them.

Now,

it is evident that no one is justified

before God by the law,

for the righteous shall live by faith.

Again,

church,

theology must be faith-driven.

Without faith,

it is impossible to please God.

We see that in Hebrews 11, 6.

Like the hand,

like the empty hand of a beggar,

faith reaches out

to receive Christ.

By faith,

we believe that he who is promised

is able to perform that which he promises.

God will fulfill his purposes,

but if we do not believe,

then we will not be established in his ways.

We are justified by faith

without the works of the law,

and we are not saved by good works,

but are saved for good works.

Knowledge of Christ through Scripture,

assent to these truths in our minds,

and spirit-wrought trust from our hearts

characterize saving faith.

So knowledge,

assent,

and trust

characterize

saving faith.

And we live by faith

in the Son of God

who loved us

and gave himself for us.

We see that in Galatians 2, 20.

Our third sola

is sola gratia,

meaning salvation

is by grace alone.

Please turn to Ephesians 1,

and I'll read

verses 3 through 8.

Blessed be the God

and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us

with every spiritual blessing

in the heavenly places,

even as he chose us in him

before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy

and blameless before him.

In love,

he predestined us

for adoption

to himself as sons

through Jesus Christ,

according to the purpose

of his will,

to the praise

of his glorious grace,

with which he has blessed us

in the beloved.

In him,

we have redemption

through his blood,

the forgiveness

of our trespasses,

according to the riches

of his grace,

which he lavished upon us

in all wisdom

and insight.

Again, church,

our theology

must be grace-saturated.

If we are saved

by faith,

then we are saved

by grace alone,

not by works.

Grace is God's

generous disposition

by which he lavishes us

with good things

that we do not deserve.

Everything we receive

from God

is by grace

from our daily bread

to our final resurrection.

The grace of God

is vested in Christ,

and he alone

gives saving grace.

The Holy Spirit

teaches us

through Scripture

that salvation

is by grace alone

because salvation

is by faith

in Christ alone.

Grace is not

a sentimental idea

leading us

to ignore our sins,

nor caring

for how we live.

For the grace

of God

has appeared,

bringing salvation

for all people,

training us

to renounce

ungodliness

and worldly passions,

and to live

self-controlled,

upright,

and godly lives

in this present age.

We see that

in Titus 2.11.

Our fourth sola

is Solos Christo.

By Christ's work alone

are we saved.

Please turn

to 1 Timothy 2.

We'll look at

verses 5 and 6.

For there is

one God,

and there is

one mediator

between God

and men,

the man

Jesus Christ,

who gave himself

as a ransom

for all,

which is the

testimony given

at the proper time.

Again, church,

our theology

must be Christ-focused.

Christ is in the

main point

of the Bible,

and the whole Bible

itself testifies

to him.

Without the Spirit,

we could not

receive God's

testimony in Scripture,

and without Christ,

even God's word

could not save us.

Theology is

Christ-focused

because no one

comes to the Father

apart from him.

We see that

in John 14, 6.

And because the Spirit

seeks to glorify him

for our salvation,

Jesus is truly God

and truly man.

He alone

can reconcile

God and man,

killing the animosity

between us

and creating friendship.

the Father.

The Father is well

pleased with his Son,

and he is well

pleased with us

only when we are

in the Son.

And he is well

pleased with us.

Excuse me.

Jesus alone

can save his people

from their sins

because he alone

is our prophet,

revealing to us

by his word

and spirit

that the will of God

is for our salvation.

He alone

is our priest

who offered himself

as a sacrifice

to satisfy

divine justice

for us.

And he alone

is our king

who rules

and defends us.

There is no fellowship

with God

apart from Christ,

and we count

all things as loss

compared to the

excellencies

of the knowledge

of Christ Jesus,

our Lord.

Philippians 3, 8.

Our fifth

and final sola,

the sole

Deo Gloria,

for to God alone

be the glory.

Please turn

to Romans 11,

Romans 11:36

verse 36.

For from him

and through him

and to him

are all things.

To him be glory

forever.

Amen.

The Reformation

reclaimed

the scriptural

teachings

of the sovereignty

of God

over every aspect

of the believer's

life.

All of life

is to be lived

to the glory

of God,

and the Westminster

Shorter Catechism

asked this,

what is the

chief end of man?

The answer being,

man's chief

end is to glorify

God and enjoy

him forever.

Because we have

nothing that we

have not received,

we should do

all things in the

name of the Lord

Jesus Christ,

keeping thanks to

God the Father

through him.

Colossians 3, 17.

So if we go back

to the beginning

of our lesson

today,

and we think

back to what

Marcus Garvey

said,

a people

without the

knowledge of

their past

history,

origin,

and culture

is like a tree

without roots.

These five

statements of the

Reformation

are our history,

steering us back

to our roots

in our faith,

and these

teachings and

beliefs are the

collective pillars

which uphold the

biblical revelation

of God's plan of

redemption and the

execution of that

plan.

The five

solas work

together collectively,

affirming through

scripture,

teaching us that

the person and

work of Christ are

the sinner's only

hope of escape

from God's wrath.

self.

The only way

that any sinner

receives the benefit

of this work

is through the

application of it

by the power of

the Holy Spirit.

Effectively,

the Father

plans redemption,

the Son fulfills

all the requirements

for redemption,

and the Spirit

applies the benefits

of redemption

to each and every

sinner who

receives it.

The historicity

of these statements

should be known

and studied

because through

them we know

our family history

is Protestants

and the deep

roots that

provide the

foundation of

our saving

faith.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father,

thank you for

our family history

and thank you

for the men

and women

throughout your

history who

you have used

to bring your

flock back

to be centered

on you.

For from you

and through you

and to you

are all things.

To you, Lord,

be the glory of God

forever.

Amen.