This post is part of The Reformation Symposium
A preacher once said, “Love is the most prostituted word in the English language.” What he was referring to was the overuse, misuse, and even abuse of the word. No matter what language we speak, our present use of the word “love” has been watered down in every culture. As we all know, “talk is cheap” and “actions speak louder than words” – and the reason we are still talking about Martin Luther 490 years after he nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg is because of his true love for the Word of God.
Luther’s love prompted the sacrifice of himself
In order for us to understand the magnitude of Luther’s stand in 1517, we must understand the religious climate and rule under which Luther lived. He was involved in the Catholic religious system. All persons within the Catholic Church were forced to submit to the Pope and his rule or face excommunication – or even death! Luther’s love for the Word of God (which he called the external Word) prompted him to reject the indulgences and false sense of forgiveness provided by the Catholic Church. When Luther said, “Here I stand…” it was a pure stand of opposition – not one of selfish ambition. Luther never intended to receive fame, spark a reformation, or get his name “tagged” on thousands of blog sites in the years to come! Luther was motivated by a love for the Word which drove him to stand up in the face of a powerful giant – even if it cost him everything. Even if it cost him his life.
Luther’s love prompted the sacrifice of his time and energy
Luther’s deep love produced rigorous labor in the Word. Martin Luther was not a lazy man. No man can lead a reformation while approaching ministry casually. Luther’s love for the Word of God produced labor that shaped the German language and enriched it with his translation of God’s Word. Luther did not have the ability to utilize Logos or any other computer program in his translation work. Intense and unwavering labor was the product of Luther’s love for God’s Word.
Luther’s love prompted proclamation of God’s Word
Luther called the Word of God the “external Word” because it was outside of man’s ability to mold it into something of his own thinking. God’s Word was not the product of man – it was the divine revelation of God. Therefore, Luther would often refer to it as the external Word in order to make that point. Luther was not a secluded theologian who only came out of his office for personal pleasure. Luther spent years faithfully preaching and teaching the Word to people. It was not enough to study, translate, and write for Luther! He had a burning desire to preach the Word of God. “Luther was one of the greatest preachers in the history of Christendom … Between 1510 and 1546 Luther preached approximately 3,000 sermons. Frequently he preached several times a week, often two or more times a day.”1 Luther put emphasis on the Book! He loved it and he preached it! “Luther had one weapon with which to rescue the incarnate Word form being sold in the markets of Wittenberg. He drove out the money changers—the indulgence sellers—with the whip of the “external Word,” the Book.”2
Luther’s love prompted the Reformation
As mentioned earlier, the goal of Martin Luther was not the Reformation. However, God used a man who had an intense and unwavering love for Him to spark it. How did Luther come to know God and His love? It was through the Word of God – the divine revelation – the external Word – that God revealed Himself to Luther. It changed Luther from a religious Catholic scholar to a man who loved God and became saturated with His Word. This spark turned into a flame that roared through Wittenberg and through the world liberating our worship from the rule of the Catholic system and spreading the Word to the common person. It was not a superficial love or a selfish love. It was a genuine love for God which was rooted in a Book – The Book – The Word! October 31st 1517 should always be remembered. It changed the Luther and it changed the world – for the glory of God.
#52 of 95 – It is vain to rely on salvation by letters of indulgence, even if the commissary, or indeed the pope himself, were to pledge his own soul for their validity.3
Rev. Josh Buice
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Footnotes:
1. Walther von Loewenich, Luther: the Man and His Work, trans. by Lawrence W. Denef, (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1986, orig. 1982), p. 353.
2. Piper, John, Martin Luther: Lessons from his Life and Labor – http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1470_Martin_Luther_Lessons_from_His_Life_and_Labor/
3. Luther, Martin, The Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences – Commonly Known as the 95 Theses – http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/95theses.htm
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