October  2010

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING…

In 1517, a priest and theology professor named Martin Luther would confront the practices of a Dominican monk by the name of Johann Tetzel. What the nature of this confrontation? Tetzel was doing a rather brisk business of selling indulgences to those people who could afford to purchase them. Much to Luther’s dismay, this business was being openly conducted with the approval of the Roman Catholic Church, the very same church that Luther had so zealously served.

So what is an indulgence? An indulgence is a document issued under the authority of the Church granting its’ holder full or partial remission for sins that have already been forgiven. In order words, those people who had the resources to do so could buy their way into heaven. As for those poor individuals who did not have the financial means to purchase one of these highly coveted pieces of paper… well, let’s just say that their eternal destiny didn’t look very promising.

What’s wrong with this picture? Indulgences are a clear denial of God’s promises to you and me. The purchase of  indulgences cannot be found anywhere in the pages of Holy Scripture. That same Scripture makes it clear. Our eternal salvation does not rest in temporal treasures such as silver or gold, but only in the holy, precious blood and innocent suffering and death of God’s only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And Jesus Himself makes this unmistakably clear to us when He says…

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

His Apostle Paul confirms this when he writes to the Romans …

“The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

To even suggest that we can somehow compensate for the forgiveness of sins which Jesus had paid for in full upon the cross is an offense to God the Father, “who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all” (Romans 8:32a).

When Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, the Reformer never sought to divide the Church that he loved with all of his heart. His heartfelt desire was to return the Church to the authority of Holy Scripture, and nothing else. What Luther and the reformers sought to achieve would be summarized in these three simple phrases… (Sola Gratia) Grace Alone… (Sola Scriptura) Scripture Alone… and (Sola Fide) Faith Alone. Put these phrases together, and what do you have? The very essence of God’s revealed Word to us through the Holy Bible, and that live giving Word from the pages of Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 is this, and this alone… “Christ crucified and Christ risen”.

The treasures of heaven are yours through faith in Christ, and in Christ alone. What can you do? Gather in His House. Rejoice! Give thanks and praise!

Pastor Bruce