Revival - Part 4: The Reformation

The Reformation which took place in the sixteenth century was the most significant event in the history of the Christian Church since the Day of Pentecost. It was called a reformation because the leaders, the Reformers, did not seek to introduce anything new but rather to purge the church of its corruption and return to the purity of the early church.
The period of preparation had been long and costly in terms of men's lives, and can be traced through the Waldenses and the Lollards down to Martin Luther. Many had come to deplore the worldliness of the Church with its obsession with money and secular power, particularly the sale of indulgences. According to the Roman Church, the soul on death went to Purgatory to be purified and made fit for Heaven, and early release from its torments could be obtained by purchasing an indulgence from the Pope. "When the coin in the coffer rings , the soul from Purgatory springs". Whenever the Pope was short of money the sale of indulgences was turned to as an easy source of income. Luther was incensed by the activities of Johann Tetzel who travelled throughout Europe selling these indulgences, much as nowadays we see articles being sold from stalls in an open air market. Luther asked why the Pope as a merciful man did not release all of the souls in Purgatory free of charge.
The Reformation can be said to have started on 31 October 1517 when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg Church. These challenged the accepted teachings of the Church and invited a debate on matters of faith and practice. From this time the Reformation spread quickly through the many small states that then made up Germany. To the godly it was an opportunity to preach the Gospel and reform a corrupt Church, but to many of the rulers it was the occasion to seize Church lands and property, and to shake off the power of the Holy Roman Emperor. Here is an example of God overruling the sinful plans of men for his own purposes, because the protection of the princes and nobility was to play a vital part in saving the Reformers from the persecution of the Church.
So much of what we take for granted in the Protestant Church today was recovered and established at the time of the Reformation. The great doctrines of the early Church became its very hallmark.

1. Justification by faith alone. The only way to be declared not guilty by God is by faith in JesusChrist. We cannot be saved by sacraments or by good works.
2. The Priesthood of all believers. The individual is in direct personal relationship with God, and every believer is a priest. Jesus Christ is our advocate with the Father, not the Virgin Mary, or the saints, or the priesthood.
3. Sola Scriptura, The Bible Alone. The Bible is the only rule for the faith and practice of Christians, which rules out the traditions of men. It is the duty of every believer to read the Bible, and to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.

Christendom was never to be the same again and the Protestant Church had been born, although it did not receive this name until later. The response of the Catholic Church was predictable and there followed times of great persecution and warfare, but nothing was able to stop the spread of the Reformation throughout Western Europe. Sadly, within a short space of time the Protestant Church started the process of fragmentation that still continues in our own time. The Church split into Lutheran and Reformed branches reflecting the particular emphases of Luther and Calvin respectively.
The Reformation was a mighty act of God to revive His Church, and we should be on our guard against those who would minimise its true significance in the hope of patching things up with the present Catholic Church. The precious truths that we hold dear were purchased with the blood of the martyrs, and we should pray that God in his mercy will once again reform all of our churches and raise up men of the calibre of Luther and Calvin.