On October 31st, 500 years ago, one man stood alone against an empire. Unbeknownst to even himself, Martin Luther completely upended the current religious system. He initially sought to clarify church doctrine and reform it from within. Despite attempts on his life and retaliation and persecution, his persistence led to one of the most significant events in history that quite literally changed political and religious institutions forever.
The Holy Roman Church had ruled the Holy Roman Empire through a feudal system of kings, queens, lords, landowners, and bishops. It stretched across several continents and rivaled other empires for thousands of years in economic and military prowess. Rome was its capital; the Vatican, the seat of its state religion and papacy.
The Roman Catholic Church imposed taxes on everyone except its clergy. Its bishops ruled with an iron scepter, collecting taxes, and torturing and imprisoning those who couldn’t pay. The church regulated nearly all areas of life, including literacy. Its edicts were in Latin; no bibles existed in anyone’s native language.
What especially gnawed at Luther’s soul was one verse: “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘the righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)
On October 31, 1517, Luther posted Ninety-Five Theses to the front door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, which listed the issues he could not reconcile between Roman Catholic doctrine and the Bible. Fearing for his life, Luther hid for nearly one year under a false name (Junker Jorg, “the Knight George”) and translated the New Testament into German in just a few months. The first “Lutheran” New Testament was published in 1522. The complete Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments and Apocrypha, was published in 1534.
Because of the gospel message– that every person has value and worth because they are created by God– peasants demanded their freedom. A light pierced through the Dark Ages; those who had been trapped in poverty and despair began to question the status quo and learned to read in their own language. New believers called themselves Protestants, marked by their protest of and separation from the Roman Catholic Church and empire. Luther’s protest and what became known as the Protestant Reformation, sparked reformation movements throughout the continent.
He believed that the Bible is God’s Word communicated to humankind so that they may know and love their Creator. It offered wisdom, hope and guidance for all areas of life. That God’s Word was the sole authority over all of life, the only source of truth about life, and clearly communicated how one can know, love, and spend eternity with God. And anyone could freely read the Bible and have direct access to God. The Pope was not the sole authority on scripture, or anything else for that matter. No one need pray to, or pay for, prayer or access to God through a priest or anyone else. Luther, and millions after him, staked their lives on these truths
Luther affirmed that he (and no one) could ever attain “the righteousness of God.” It was only by God’s mercy; only through faith in Jesus and his imputed righteousness that anyone could be saved. Salvation was already purchased by the blood of Jesus on the Cross. He clarified the ultimate distinction between Protestantism and every other belief: salvation was possible through Christ alone. Truth comes from scripture alone. Faith comes from Christ alone. Anyone, regardless of their ethnic, cultural, religious or social background could be saved. This conviction led to widespread social and political change. It led to an untold number of lives saved.
The Bible, not the state religion, provided the foundation for all knowledge. People no longer were enslaved to false promises and salvation through taxation. Rather, they could enjoy fellowship with other believers, and have freedom. Freedom to read, learn, and think for themselves. Freedom to work and love without the regulations and restraints enforced by the Roman Catholic Church.
The outworking of Luther’s transformation of the church was the emphasis of corporate worship. This meant that one could read– and sing– in one’s own language. The days of not being able to understand Latin or have access to knowledge were over. Martin Luther revolutionized praise and worship by teaching Christians how to read and sing. Martin Luther wrote often about the importance of praising God through music and song.
Imagine no choirs, no carols, no singing in church. No praise and worship bands. No reading hymnals. Martin Luther, and the Protestant Reformation made this possible. The legacy of singing in church is directly credited to Luther and his counterpart reformers in other European countries.
In 1529 German princes officially “protested” against Rome, thus becoming called Protestants. Their acts following Luther’s initial protest is what Protestants worldwide celebrate and remember 500 years later.