Here I Stand … (October 2017 Update)
October 31, 2017 will mark the 500th Anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation. It was on October 31, 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany. His theses started the debates that would lead to the Reformation and ultimate separation from the Church in Rome. His goal was not separation but reformation. He wanted to bring the church back to its doctrinal foundations found in the Bible alone. The Roman Church had grown so corrupt and powerful that something needed to be done. Luther’s 95 Theses began the Reformation.
Ultimately the reformation of the Roman Church failed and a conflict ensued between the Protestants (protesters) and the Roman authorities. At the Diet of Worms (1521), the break with the Roman Church was finalized when Luther refused to recant his teachings. At the tribunal to convict him of heresy, Luther stated:
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason…. I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound. Here I stand. I can do no other. So help me God. Amen.”
So Luther stood only on the Word of God and the Reformation continued. Luther’s stance, along with many others who joined him, resulted in the separation of the church into Roman Catholic and Protestant. It resulted in a return to the Word of God as our sole authority. It returned to the doctrine of salvation by faith alone.
This Reformation has changed the map of history, but more importantly, it has changed the lives of many people who came to see that Christ’s death was sufficient for them, apart from the traditions and rituals of the church. Churches and missionaries around the world minister on the same basis as Luther did in 1517: Our conscience is captive to the Word of God. We are here in Ukraine for this one reason: to teach the Word of God to ministers in Ukraine so that they too might have consciences bound to God’s Word alone. So, while we miss our homes and families in the states, we can say with Luther, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Here I stand, I can do no other. So help me God!” Thank you for standing with us so that the gospel of His grace might be spread to the people of Ukraine and the former Soviet Republics! Continue Reading »
