If you continue in My Word, then you are My disciples indeed; A Meditation on John 8, for the Feast of the Reformation

As the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation quickly approaches (commonly dated from Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses in 1517) many questions continue to arise.  What was the point of the Reformation?  Why should we celebrate it?  Was it a good thing or a bad thing in the life of the Church?  Has it run its course?  How do we measure the Reformation relative to its fruits in history through the current day?

Because of the cloud of various Christian traditions which emerged from the Reformation and populate the modern Christians landscape, it is difficult to get a straight answer on any of these questions.  Even if we managed to summarize the answers in light of the three chief Reformers (Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin) we would find that even they had significant problems with each other’s teachings, and the various theological schools and synods which emerged from their influence were even more hostile to each other.  Division built upon division, until we have the tens of thousands of different Protestant Christian groups out there today, most of which in some way fall under the historical influence of Luther, Calvin, or Zwingli.  Rather than attempt to reflect on the meaning of the Reformation from Calvin’s inheritance of highly rational and systematized theology, or from Zwingli’s charismatic and enthusiast offerings, I’ll consider a perspective from Luther’s patrimony in which I reside.

For Luther, as evidenced by his own writings and the eventual compilation of the Lutheran Confessions by him and his fellow theologians, the central and abiding issue of the Reformation was the Word of God.  For Luther, the Word of God was everything—the means by which the Holy Spirit created saving faith and delivered grace to the sinner; the means by which we can know who God is and what He demands of us; the means by which we can know ourselves and our just sentence under God’s Holy Law; the means by which we may know Jesus as the only Way, Truth, and Life; the only means we can trust with infallibility, because it is breathed out by the only infallible God; the means by which disciples of Jesus Christ are made, sanctified, and glorified; the means of knowing the love of God and remaining in His gracious fellowship forever; the only necessary ground of theology, and the only reliable reference for the theologian; the only reliable canon or rule of faith against which all teachers and preachers and theologians are rightly judged; the only source of the abiding presence of Christ Jesus with His people, who is the very Word Made Flesh, the Logos of the Father.  For Luther, the Word of the Lord is the beginning, middle, and summit of the Christian life, and the only thing which abides forever:  His great and holy Law shining forth the reality of truth and righteousness, and His great and holy Gospel shining forth the forgiveness of sinners for Christ’s sake alone.

This is why, among the various texts often reflected upon for the Feast of the Reformation, we hear Jesus speaking in John 8:

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye

continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and

were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye

shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily,

verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the

servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the

house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son

therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Should the Reformation exist to perpetuate schisms and sects?  Absolutely not—there is but one Jesus, and His Body should be one in His one Holy Word!  Should we celebrate the Reformation as a successful ongoing rebellion against Rome, or any other authority in the Church?  No, not at all—all authority in heaven and earth belong to Jesus, and by His Word alone should we submit to every rightful earthly authority.  Should we live into the dark prophecy of Roman theologians at the time of the Reformation, who declared that every man would become his own pope, forming his own church with his own Bible and as many followers as his charisma could woo together?  God forbid—for Jesus alone is the one head of the Church, into which all the faithful are knit, and to Whom are all teachers accountable!  The Reformation is not, at least in the way Luther and his fellow confessors envisioned it, a selfish plea for rebellion, sectarianism, licentiousness of mind or body, or anarchy.  It was an appeal to the Word of God as central and foundational to everything, since by the Word of God alone are we saved, brought to faith and repentance and newness of life in Christ Jesus our Savior.  There, in and by the Word of God, we find the truth which sets us free from sin, death, hell, and the power of the devil.  This is the enduring point worth celebrating in the Reformation, and which continues to shape and form the Church of Jesus Christ in every age.  It is not unique to the 16^th century, but has echoed in every generation as those who live in the Word of God call others to that same forgiveness, life, and salvation.  It is the same plea of Moses and the Prophets, the Apostles and the Martyrs, and the Confessors of every time and place who stand against the lies of the devil and fallen world, shining forth the light of Christ’s Word into every dark corner of creation.  It is the eternally abiding truth that only by Christ’s Word are His disciples alive in Him, and only by His Word does Christ set them free indeed.

And so, wherever you are, dear Christian, in fellowships great or small, of traditions ancient or modern, of languages common or arcane, in lands near or distant, that same Word calls to you with the same demands of the Law and the same great promises of the Gospel.  The Reformation is no more worth celebrating than any other time, place, or personage in all of history—but the white hot flame of God’s Word which kindled the Reformation, reaches out to kindle your heart, as well.  Be you Roman or Anglican, Eastern or Western, Lutheran or Presbyterian or Baptist, or whatever other name your fellowship has been called, it is the same Word which calls us all together in Christ, and the same Word by which our faithfulness is measured.  There alone do the faithful abide forever, living free in Christ Jesus their Savior, knowing their brothers and sisters by the same Holy Spirit which has worked the same faith by the same Word in each repentant heart.

Do not be dismayed by the fractious and sectarian scars left on the Body of Christ by those who love their peculiar bureaucracies and privileges.  Likewise, do not trust in denominations and synods and names given by men for your salvation.  Rather, hear the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ call you to faith and repentance, that by His grace you might live in Him forever, forgiven and free.  For if the Son who abides forever sets you free, you are free indeed.  Amen.