Concord Minute: Happy Reformation Week

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 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….” - Romans 3:21-24

Our goodness or works do nothing to assuage our Father or get us closer to heaven. At present, so many people think that by being “a good person”, they should get into heaven. How many funerals have I heard the deceased be referred to as “a good man” or “a good person”!

Fewer times I hear the remarks “he believed and was baptized”; “she believed in Jesus”; “he had faith in Christ.” Oh, how far off the path do Christians go when they think their goodness does much of anything before God!

The goodness of God is only ours by faith in Jesus Christ. The only way that human beings are considered “good” in God’s sight is through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. If you or I could offer God our goodness in exchange for entrance into heaven, we would be taking Jesus off His cross. If you or I could assuage God of our sins, why did Jesus have to die for you?

Five hundred years ago, a man named Martin Luther had these realizations. As a Catholic monk, Martin Luther saw how far off his beloved church had gone from scripture with teaching salvation by works, not by faith in Christ. Luther’s intensive study of God’s word provoked what you and I now call the Protestant church or Protestantism (those who protested the Catholic church’s teachings). Luther NEVER wanted to develop another church. Luther was devoted to his Lord and wanted his Lord’s church to return to faithfulness of doctrine and practice. What Luther started many years ago is now called the Reformation, celebrated Oct. 31 each year.

Unfortunately, Luther’s church did not appreciate or understand the reforms he submitted. Much has been written on Luther and his excommunication from the Roman Catholic church. Yet, Luther held onto what Paul wrote in Romans 1,500 years prior to that excommunication: we are saved by grace through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.

If you profess to be Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian or any of the other “Protestant” denominations (even non-denominational), you have Martin Luther to thank for what you believe today. Indeed, even Catholics who teach that you are saved by faith in Christ have Luther to thank. We “Lutherans” might get a bad wrap for having the name “Lutheran” as our middle name. However, we hold firm that you and I are redeemed by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone apart from our works. Happy Reformation Week!

The Rev. Matthew Berry is pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Sikeston, Missouri. Based in Sikeston’s Historic North End, Concordia is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), a theologically conservative, biblically sound, Christ-centered church.