Halloween or Reformation Day?

Today is 31 October 2011. What do you call this day?

My assumption would be that many of you know this day as "Halloween".

However, I prefer to call 31 October by its less known designation: "Reformation Day".

On this day, many Christians remember the historical period in the 16th century known as the Reformation and, in particular, Martin Luther's nailing of his "95 Theses" to the door of the church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517. This event sparked the Reformation, in which Luther and other reformers such as John Calvin and John Knox spoke out against false doctrines and practices of the church in an attempt to reform it.

The reformers pointed to the Bible as the inspired Word of God and the sole authority for religious faith and practice (sola scriptura). They confirmed the biblical teaching that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man - there is no other way of salvation (solus Christus). Furthermore, as God's Word says in Ephesians 2:8-9, salvation is a gift of God given by grace alone (sola gratia) and through faith alone (sola fide) - it cannot be earned or achieved by good works. Therefore, since salvation is totally a work and a gift of God, all the glory belongs to God (soli Deo gloria). These beliefs have become known as "the five solas."

So do we remember today as Reformation Day or Halloween? Shall we think about Luther and the Reformation or about the devil his doings? Who is the winner?

Actually, I don't mind what name you want to give for this day. Although I prefer the designation "Reformation Day", I have no problem with people who refer to today as "Halloween", as that is what it is most commonly known as. I'm not interested in a "name game" or in scoring points in favour of one name over the other or the like.

But I do want to get address this symbolic "fight" between Martin Luther and the devil... Although symbolic by way of the names "Reformation Day" and "Halloween", there was and is also a real fight going on between the devil on one side and Luther and every other human being on the other side.

 Room in Wartburg Castle where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German
and where he is said to have thrown an inkwell at the devil

As much as I greatly admire Martin Luther, I readily admit that he is no match for the devil. The devil is real and evil and far more powerful than Luther, or than any of us human beings for that matter. Indeed, that is precisely what Luther wrote in the first stanza of his most famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God:

For still our ancient foe

Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow'r are great,

And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

So there is no hope for anyone to stand a chance against the devil.

However, neither Luther nor any of us are the devil's greatest enemy. The devil's greatest enemy is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And although we are no match for the devil, the devil is no match for Jesus Christ.

These are the next two stanzas of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God:

Did we in our own strength confide,

Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,

The Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth is His name,

From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And tho' this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us;
We will not fear, for God hath willed

His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim --

We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,

For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

If you do not have Jesus Christ, you will most certainly lose the battle against the devil and will remain forever under his bondage and, like him, suffer eternal punishment. Jesus Christ is your only hope to be freed from the devil and from sin, death and hell. When Jesus Christ is at your side, you can know that the devil is no match for Him and you need no longer fear him.

How is this possible?

When Jesus, the perfect and holy Son of God, came to this earth as a sinless man, He came to die and to provide eternal life. Although He had done no wrong, He died on the cross to bear God's just wrath against the sins of all who put their faith and trust in Him. By doing this and by rising from the dead after three days, Jesus destroyed the power the devil had over sinful beings like Martin Luther and you and me. And He provided a way for us to escape.

In Hebrews 2:14-15, we read:

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Anybody who believes on Christ and calls out to Him for salvation in faith and repentance, will be saved (Rom. 10:13). Who or what are you trusting in today? Yourself and your own strength? A church? A religion? Good works? None of this will be able to save you! Run to Christ - He alone can save! (Acts 4:12)

This morning, I read the following lines in a book called The Valley of Vision:

Jesus strides forth as the victor, conqueror of death, hell, and all opposing might;
He bursts the bands of death, tramples the powers of darkness down, and lives for ever.
He, my gracious surety, apprehended for payment of my debt, comes forth from the prison house of the grave free, and triumphant over sin, Satan, and death.

May you have the same assurance that Martin Luther expressed in the words of this prayer:

O Lord, I do not deserve a glimpse of heaven, and I am unable with my works to redeem myself from sin, death, the devil, and hell. Nevertheless, you have given me your Son, Jesus Christ, who is far more precious and dear than heaven, and much stronger than sin, death, the devil, and hell. For this I rejoice, praise, and thank you, O God. Without cost and out of pure grace you have given me this boundless blessing in your dear Son. Through him you take sin, death, and hell from me, and do grant me all that belongs to him. Amen.

The story of John Calvin

500 years and 19 days ago, John Calvin was born (10 July 1509).



Most people - including myself - don't know much about this man, even though he had a tremendous impact on history. But his life story is very interesting. I found the following two-part documentary on Calvin on the German TV channel "Deutsche Welle (DW-TV)". They are about 30 minutes each but well worth watching in my opinion.

Martin Luther and Reformation Day

Today is Reformation Day. But why is it celebrated on the 31st of October and what does it have to do with the Reformation? It all goes back to one of my favourite persons in history...

Martin Luther was born on 10 November 1483 in the German town of Eisleben. At the age of 17, he started studying law at the University of Erfurt, in accordance with his father's wishes. But one day, after being caught in a thunderstorm and fearing for his life, he vowed to become a monk. During his time in the monestery, Luther learned more about God, and in this light, he saw more and more of his own sinfulness and recognised that he could not please God through his good works. This was confirmed even more so as he started to study the Bible which did not yet exist in the German language and was thus a closed book to most people. Martin Luther was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic church and then went on to become a teacher of theology at the University of Wittenberg. But the more he studied the Bible and the more he compared it with the teachings and practices of the Catholic church, the more he saw the need for a reform of the church. In particular, Luther condemned the sale of indulgences, which were written documents sold by the church supposedly to save people from torment in the afterlife. The church's teaching was that faith alone did not save anyone. Martin Luther saw this as a complete contradiction to the teaching of God's Word in Ephesians 2:8-9:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.

So Martin Luther wrote up a list of 95 Theses - different statements about true repentence and the sale of indulgences - and posted them on the door of the Wittenberg church to stimulate a debate on those issues. The date was 31 October 1517. It is considered by many to have been the start of the Reformation in Europe.

Luther never intended to start a new church, but since the Catholic church refused to be reformed and instead excommunicated him for his belief in Scripture alone (i.e. only God's Word and nothing added to it) and in faith in Christ alone as the basis for salvation, a new church did emerge as more and more people understood God's Word and recognised the errors of the Catholic church which persisted in holding on to its traditions.

In just under 10 years time, on 31 October 2017, will be the 500th anniversary of Luther's posting of the 95 Theses and of the Reformation. Last month saw the beginning of a series of events and special exhibits in Germany in the 10 years running up to this anniversary, which has been named the "Luther Decade".

I love the Luther movie that came out in 2003:



Martin Luther is one of my greatest heroes because he had the courage to stand up for the truth of God's Word and do what is right no matter what the consequences. He also had a passion to share the love of Christ with other people, in word and in deed, and to give them hope for the future. Finally, Martin Luther was also the first person to translate the Bible into the German language, which is in my eyes the greatest privilege a German person can be given. Luther's translation of the Bible became the basis for the standardisation of the German language and it is still the most used and recognised Bible in Germany today.

How thankful we can be for people like Martin Luther! That's what makes Reformation Day so special.