Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

Happy Reformation Day!

This year’s holiday is particularly special because it marks the 500th year since Martin Luther supposedly nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenburg.  Some say that the act of nailing them on the door is just a legend.  Regardless of whether this account is literal or not, the point is, Luther had made known on this date the strong opposition he had for the Roman Catholic Church’s practice of selling indulgences and challenged them for debate.  Thus – though there were various figures prior to Luther that attempted to challenge and reform the Catholic Church, like Jan Hus and John Wycliffe – the event has become widely considered as the start of the Reformation movement.

What is the Reformation?  In most History classes, it is simply touched upon in a very broad manner, that it was the onset of Protestantism, when many European churches and churchgoers denied the authority of the pope and Rome, seceding themselves from the Roman Catholic Church.  Not only is this a criminally incomplete story, it doesn’t even scratch the surface.  The Reformation is far richer and deeper than this.  Aside from its impact on religion and theology, it also had a profound effect on politics, philosophy, ethics, culture, arts, industry, economics, and other aspects.  But, at its most essential, the Reformation was basically the recovery of biblical Christianity from a corrupted Church, and the rediscovery of the pure Gospel that had been lost underneath the clutter of dogma and tradition that had piled on top of it due to centuries of its accumulated misrepresentation, mistranslation, and misinterpretation.

Indeed, the Reformation is more complex and interesting than how it is commonly deemed.  An entire book may not be even enough to provide an exhaustive, comprehensive account and analysis of it.  Much less an article like this (which is this blog’s way of celebrating it).

Fortunately, the Reformers loved slogans.  Thus, the core teachings of the Reformation can be presented in a nutshell through them, allowing someone to have a basic gist of it.

SOLA SCRIPTURA

The first one is sola scriptura, which is Latin for “Scripture alone.”  It means that, for the Reformers, the only infallible, definitive, supreme authority on faith and practice is the Bible – the Word of God.  All teachings, preachings, traditions, and doctrines must adhere to it and be governed by it.  Therefore, studying the Scriptures is not limited to the clergy and theologians.  The laity must do so as well.  Every professing Christian has the right and duty to read, meditate, understand, and obey the Scriptures.  They must not allow others, even their teachers and leaders, to do their thinking for them, defining what doctrines to believe in.  Rather, they must personally seek for themselves the validity of the things being taught to them if they are truly in accordance to God’s Word.  Meanwhile, the teachers and preachers must point towards the Scriptures as they instruct and guide their congregation.

So with the sola scriptura as their guiding principle, the Reformers were able to derive these following Scripture-based truths…

SOLA GRATIA

Sola gratia is Latin for “grace alone.”  By that, it means that salvation is by God’s grace alone.  Grace means an unmerited gift; thus, salvation is given by God to someone who doesn’t deserve it or didn’t do anything to warrant it.  Salvation is never ever dependent on any human works or contribution or action, in any form or at any time.  There is zero human factor in bringing it about.  It is 100% the prerogative and initiative of God.

This is probably the most essential teaching of the Reformation, as it is basically what the term “Reformed Theology” is all about.

SOLA FIDE

Sola fide is Latin for “faith alone.”  It means justification is by faith alone.  Sola fide goes hand in hand with sola gratia.  Once again, what is asserted is that good works is never a prerequisite for salvation.  For one to be saved, there must be justification, which is to be made righteous in the sight of God.  And, per Scripture, justification is received through faith, not works.

Again, sola fide and sola gratia go hand in hand.  One is saved by grace alone through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8).

SOLUS CHRISTUS

Solus Christus is Latin for “Christ alone.”  It means that Christ is the only qualified mediator between God and man, and that his sacrificial atonement on the cross is sufficient to pay for past, present, and future sins.  Thus, salvation is found in no one else but Christ.

This means that the “faith” mentioned in sola fide must be faith in Christ – faith that he is the Savior, faith that he is the only way to be saved, and faith that salvation is only secured through his atoning work.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

Soli Deo gloria means “God’s glory alone.”   Yes.  Since salvation is by God’s grace alone (sola gratia), then all glory for it is His alone.  The Reformation brought about a renewed understanding and appreciation of how great and big God is, along with the realization of the utmost glories that exclusively belong to Him, especially with regards to salvation.  Hence, Biblical truths regarding this – like God’s sovereignty, election, and predestination – were eagerly relearned and happily taught by the Reformers.

CORAM DEO

Sola scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria are known as the “five solas” or “five solae.”  These are the foundational set of Biblical principles that the Reformers adhered to with regards to soteriology or the doctrine of Man’s salvation.  However, out of these five, there are other slogans.  The most popular of non-solae slogans is probably coram Deo.

Coram Deo means “in the presence of God.”  It basically describes the Christian life.  In the presence of God.  This means that a Christian must have the awareness and appreciation that God sees his or her thoughts and actions – for not only is God omnipresent, but more importantly, because He is living in him or her.   And thus, this belief must be apparent in his or her life.  In other words, living coram Deo is having utter submission to the authority of God (through the Scriptures – sola scriptura) and pursuing things that would glorify Him.

This was the life philosophy that the Reformers lived with and advocated.

POST TENEBRUS LUX

Post tenebrus lux is another Reformation slogan.  It means “after darkness, light.”  The pre-Reformation status of Christianity was indeed quite dark.  In fact, that span of history has been appropriately named the “Dark Ages.”   False teachings, legalism, superstitions, ignorance, and illiteracy were rampant.  The Church had become drunk with power and lusting for wealth.  But, by God’s grace, the Gospel was able to shine through and disperse the dark clouds of corruption and heresy.   The Scripture became accessible to the masses, and God’s illuminating truths were widely known and relished again.  In view of this, post tenebrus lux became a fitting rallying cry for the aflame, grateful Reformers – Luther, John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, John Knox, and many others – whom the Holy Spirit used as instruments to bring this about.

I thank God for their lives.  And I thank God for the Reformation.

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