The Real Reformation

            In 2000 an international association of historians decided to vote on who the man of the millennium was.  Thomas Jefferson narrowly won over Martin Luther, a guy who was all about the Reformation.   

While there were many players in the Reformation, indeed many Catholics spurred their own church to Reformation in 1563, Luther seems most associated with the era.  I had a discussion with Dr. Alvin Schmidt, historian-ret. Illinois College, and expert on Luther, a few days ago concerning the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation.  The common date for the Reformation is Oct. 31, 1517, but many historians object.  Luther’s 95 Theses weren’t translated from Latin into German until January 1518, which subsequently set off a firestorm.  Yet by the end of that year, Luther and Pope Leo had patched things up and the 95 Theses looked like a non-event. But the Dominicans were the scholars of Europe and very much tied to the Acquinas medieval model of “no salvation outside the church, no grace except given by the church” They tricked Luther into a debate. On (a date that Americans can remember) July 4, 1519 Luther and Eck squared off and Luther made many statements against absolute authority of the Bishop of Rome, role of the church as the only source of grace, transubstantiation, and celibacy.  This was a culmination of Luther’s theology of the cross and beyond this point Protestantism and Catholicism were split.  Hence many historians say that 1519 should be the real Reformation date.

            But I insist that the political splits, the church practice divisions, and the subsequent wars are not the real Reformation.  The spark occurred spiritually when Luther found his basic belief given in his motto, Sola Gracia, Sola Fides, Sola Scriptura.  And so what date was that?  I had picked August 1513 but Al thinks it is more like 1514.  He recommended a couple books now out of print, Luther and His Times, E.G. Schwiebert, and The Theology of Martin Luther by Paul Althaus.  William Durant’s The Story of Civilization, Vol. VI, The Reformation is much easier to get dates from but less inclusive.  After a lot of reading, we still can’t pin down the date any closer than August, 1513 to November 1514.  But that does mean that right around now is the 500^th year anniversary of the Reformation, at least the part that counts.

            Let me give a brief synopsis of events in Luther’s life that led to this spiritual awakening.  Martin Luther was born to a hard-driving entrepreneur peasant who pulled himself up by his bootstraps to owning 7 mines and 2 smelters.  Self-made men  often have big plans for their kids and Hans Luther was no exception, pushing his eldest son, Martin to get a law degree.  Marty’s mother was also very stern.  The church around 1500 promoted views of faith around Scholasticism, a variety of theories of how a soul gained justification through works after believing in the work of Jesus’s death on the cross. From his demanding parents and church Luther grew up greatly fearing the wrath of God, like most people of his time.

            While working on a law degree, he was walking home to Mansfeld and was caught in a thunder storm. He was nearly struck by lightning and cried out in fear, promising God that he would become a monk.  His dad went beserk. But just as stubborn as his father, Luther became an Augustinian monk.  He struggled with his worries that becoming a monk didn’t cleanse his mind or remove his sins and doubts.  But Luther was brilliant.  His grades were as good as his confessions and austerities worried the leaders of the monastery that he would kill himself.  Luther launched into doctrine and scholasticism to try to find answers for himself.  In 1511 he was sent to Rome, the hope being that he would become endeared to the church.  It backfired.  He found Italy and Rome decadent, Popes and Cardinals had out of wedlock children, and money ruled everything.  In 1512 he earned his doctorate in theology and was given the assignment to teach at Wittenberg College.  In the summer of 1513 he was preparing to lecture on Psalms.  Psalms were big eye-openers for him, seeing the prayers of the faithful and their struggles as well.  While working on Psalm 31 or 71 (historians are unsure which since both contain a critical phrase) in his tower study, he came across the phrase “deliver me in Thy righteousness”.  That was significant since he had struggled with the meaning of Righteousness of God.  Traditionally it meant the right character of God, a terrifying thing to Marty.  But here Luther realized that it also referred to the determined and inexplicable love of God that pursues worthless humans, even to death on the cross.  Thus he could understand Rom 1:17 and Habbakkuk 2:4 as justification by a person’s faith. With that understanding, Luther realized suddenly that all scripture made sense.  Faith, and only faith Luther alleged, justifies a believer.  Scripture trumps all church councils, edicts and statements by a pope.  Grace—God’s mercy manifest in His plan and work of salvation—is the key to everything Christianity is about. And the fact that Luther was a doctor of theology gave him a unique ability to criticize the church in its beliefs from top to bottom.

            We don’t know when that tower experience happened.  Perhaps it isn't noted closely because most Augustinians believed in grace and faith so it was not a new or outlandish idea. It was in the fall of either 1513 or 1514. In 1515, Luther lectured on Romans and the notes, Compendium of Romans, recently ‘discovered’ by the Vatican, is full of Luther’s reformation. In fact, it is so compelling that the Catholic Church of Germany met with the Lutherans in the mid 90’s and issued a statement that they agreed with Luther’s Grace-filled explanation of salvation. The presiding cardinal was the future Pope Benedict. 

            Once you think scripture is the sole work of Christianity, once God’s Grace is the sole means of salvation, Faith is the sinner’s reaction and has nothing to do with working one’s way to a justification.   It isn’t long before papacy and councils lose their authority when scripture is the only guide. Sacraments become mysterious means but only through God’s Word, and reach the believer with Grace.  And a relationship with a God who loves you closer than anyone else, supercharges your desire to live like Jesus to the world.   The Revolution was on. And the unfolding of that revolt began about 500 years ago today.