Showing posts with label Luther. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luther. Show all posts
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Why We Celebrate October 31st
We like to celebrate on October 31st. It is a fun day to get together with friends. It is a great day for fellowship and food. It is enjoyable to talk about amazing things that have happened in the past - some of them scary things.I'm not talking about Halloween (we don't celebrate it). I'm talking about Reformation Day.
Reformation Day is a celebration of what began in earnest on October 31st, 1517. On that day, the German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This was one of the first acts in the great Protestant Reformation.
The Reformation, while not perfect, was an attempt by various different people to return to the bible as the only authority for the Christian life. This flew in the face of the established traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther, for one, wanted to see reform within the Catholic Church. Despite his desires, he was cast out.
The Reformers taught us to look to the bible for what it means to be right with God. Luther rightly emphasized that we cannot be justified by our works. Instead, justification only comes through faith (which in itself is a gift of God).
Out of the Reformers' teachings came the "5 Solas of the Reformation." These are:
Sola Gratia – Grace Alone
Sola Fide – Faith Alone
Solus Christus – Christ Alone
Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone
Soli Deo Gloria – Glory of God Alone
We have much to celebrate on the 31st. Let's enjoy and live out these solas.
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