Friday, September 29, 2017

I’ve made it to my fourth year of seminary education. I remember applying to my undergraduate school, Concordia University Irvine for the pre-seminary degree and thinking that I was out of my mind. However, God has kept me going forward in my formation as to being a pastor. And now as I am getting closer to completing my Master of Divinity degree at the seminary, we are celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation.

What is this Reformation? How do I explain this? When I told people in California that I am a Lutheran, I would get the response, “Is that Christian or Catholic.” I used to reword their question so that they would use the correct vocabulary. I would say, “What you mean is, ‘Is that Roman Catholic or Protestant?’ ‘I am Protestant.’” After my reply, the person I would talk to would stop asking questions because I just confused them even more. I don’t think I insulted their intelligence, at least not intentionally. It’s just that they don’t know where to start nor do they know where to carry out the conversation.

So again, what is this Reformation? Now, I could give the nice short and sweet answer and say that the Reformation celebration is about Martin Luther who posted the 95 theses on the doors of the Catholic Church 500 years ago to begin the debate and discussion about why the church sells indulgences for the people’s forgiveness of sins even though Jesus Christ has already paid the price of sin on the cross, but I can already tell that I would probably lose most people at the word Reformation. I can already hear the questions now. What is a Reformation? Why is the guy who led the civil rights movement in the 1960’s also posting something against Catholics 500 years ago? What is a 95 theses? What is an indulgence? And what is this sin already paid for on the cross?

Let me go back the question, “What is a Lutheran?” I stated that the Lutherans are under the Protestant branch of Christianity. They were given the name Protestant for they were a group of people who are gathering together to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. What were they protesting? 500 years ago many groups of people were protesting against the Catholic Church to saying that they could do a better job at taking care of the people. What were these things that they could do better? Like protesters today, many have their own reason for protesting. Somewhere there to better the community. Others were there just to make a fuss. But what Martin Luther was doing was pointing the leaders of the church to the truth. He thought that they could do a better job at telling them how Jesus loves them.

Now, some of his followers might have been rioting in front of the church buildings. But Martin Luther was simply standing before those who were leading the Catholic Church to witness the Scriptures state. He was telling the people that Jesus had already paid for the sins of the people on the cross and all Christians have to do is allow God to work this faith into their hearts.

Now, this Martin Luther, he was born and spent most of his life in Germany in the 1500’s. He was a church monk who was given credibility to teach and preach to those in Germany. And as he was going through his studies, he was trying to clear his conscious as to how does he know he is saved? How does he know that God loves him and that he will have eternal life in God’s Kingdom? And through his studies and his humble service to God, he has made such an impact on Christians that today his actions have been made acknowledged all over the world today.

Now, did the Catholic Church turn around and listen to Martin Luther and the other first protestors? No. In fact, they thought they were out of their mind. The Catholic Church more recently has changed their beliefs and practices that are better for the people. But still, after 500 years, there are still some things that Lutherans are waiting for before they can work in ministry in a partnership.

You need to keep in mind that Martin Luther wasn’t trying to start a new denomination. He was just speaking up for the people on God’s behalf. His separation from the Roman Catholic Church was a decision made by the church when they rejected him. Martin Luther was more faithful to God and his Word rather than being faithful to the practices of the Catholic Church. This discussion is what was changing how people believed they were saved. This debate was changing the way the church taught. This reformation was changing the way people viewed themselves as Christians. And thus, this time of change as a community of believers in Jesus Christ has been given the title ‘Reformation.”

Martin Luther began his discussion, or reformation, with the Catholic Church when he posted his handwritten 95 theses on the front doors of the Wittenberg Church in Germany on October 31, 1517. They were 95 points that were intended for discussion. Martin Luther was trying to understand some ideas that the church was practicing after long studies in God’s Word, in the Scriptures.

Today we have electronic social media to send and duplicate our thoughts somewhere else. 500 years ago, the printing press was developing with moveable letters. These moveable letters could be placed easily into a frame. The people didn’t have to make a whole new stamp that contained message every time they wanted to print a document. Now all that they had to do is move around a bunch of little stamps to get the letters of words in order to make one large document. This invention was the Facebook of their time.

One day a man who had a printing press decided to use Luther’s 95 theses as something to print and experiment with his printing press. After all, Luther posted the information on the church doors for everyone to see. Now Luther’s points of discussion were that mass produced for the whole neighborhood to read. Luther didn’t have any idea was he was getting himself into. Is words were now headline news. He was just trying to make a little discussion. Because Luther’s little discussion was now big discussion, he had to quickly develop his questions and his comments. He didn’t realize that he was reforming the church. He didn’t realize he was going to change the way the church thinks about Jesus and sin.

One key statement from his 95 theses was statement #51. It says, “Christians should be taught that, as it would be the duty, so it would be the wish of the Pope, even to sell, if necessary, the Basilica of St. Peter, and to give of his own money to very many of those from whom the preachers of pardons [indulgences] extract money.” Luther is suggesting here that if all it takes is money to pay off sins, why doesn’t the Pope himself, as an act of charity, buy off the sins of the people so that they too can go to heaven?

Why were people paying for sins with money? The workers of the Catholic Church told their people that if they gave the church money for their sin, their shortcomings from being good and perfect, would be paid for, and their soul would then be safe in Haven. The people who made such a payment for their sins would receive a piece of paper that would appear as a receipt that their sins have been paid for. In some cases, people would stop attending worship services at the church. They thought that if they could just buy off their sins, there’s no need to attend church worship anymore.

Martin Luther, at the time, was one of those church workers who saw what was happening. He was concerned as to why people weren’t showing up to worship services anymore. He was concerned that their spiritual health was at stake. So he began to explore this indulgence thing.

After much study. Martin Luther learned that people are not saved from their sins through payments of money. He learned that people don’t need to work off their sins at all. They have already been paid for through Jesus Christ. For Romans 3:23-24 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Or more simply stated, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” It is through Jesus’s dying on the cross for us that we who believe are saved. God freely gives us faith to believe in Jesus Christ. It is something we don’t need to pay for or work for. Jesus Christ already did the work for us through the cross on Friday night. It is through the cross of Jesus Christ our sins are paid for.

Martin Luther rediscovered this good news of Jesus Christ so that all people can have this hope that it is through Jesus Christ they are saved and will live with joy for eternity. Luther’s point #62 on his 95 theses was, “The true treasure of the Church is the Holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.” And we are still treasuring this Holy Gospel, this good news of Jesus Christ today.

This year, Lutherans are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation because, over the 500 years, the Good News of Jesus Christ is still being proclaimed for all. It doesn’t matter how much money a person has. It doesn’t matter how many good works a person does. It doesn’t even matter how a person is feeling. What matters is that people cling on to the truth. We thank God for using Martin Luther to rediscover the truth and standing up for this truth so that those who hear the good news of Jesus Christ will have the right understanding for their eternal life.

As I am a student at Concordia Seminary, I plan to continue to proclaim this good news to wherever I am sent after this school year. I thank you for your love, your prayers, and your financial support as I have spent several years in my pastoral formation. I look forward to the road that is ahead of me, and I hope that one day I’ll be in your shoes supporting another seminary student passing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generation.

God’s blessings,
Sylvan Finger