Whilst Halloween may be widely celebrated on the 31st of October, for many believers this day holds special significance for a different reason: it is Reformation Day.
What circumstances led to the events of Reformation Day?
The 31st of October is an important date, as it marks the anniversary of Martin Luther’s theses being nailed to the Castle Church doors, all the way back in 1517. This very first Reformation Day took place in Wittenberg, Germany. At the time, the Church was the dominant religious power throughout Europe, however, it was not wielding that power in entirely ethical ways. In fact, there was a lot of corruption, and Christians were being exploited left, right and centre.
With the Church holding a position of such seemingly unwavering dominance, it would have been deemed almost impossible for anyone to challenge their authority, let alone a lowly monk. However, Martin Luther’s famous act of defiance and bravery in late October 1517 would change everything.
Who was Martin Luther?
The heir of Bishop Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther came from an upper-working class background. He was born in a town called Eisleben, Germany, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. He grew up in a very religious, pious family, so faith in God was always a key part of his life. However, it was not until 1505, when he left his life as a trainee lawyer to become an Augustinian monk, that he began to develop a deeply personal relationship with God. During his time as a monk, Luther dedicated a great deal of time to studying Scripture, which opened his eyes to the corruption that was going on around him.
Corruption within the Church
There were two major issues within the Church that Luther found himself in opposition to — the prioritisation of church tradition over the Bible and the means by which people gained salvation. It was a common practice at the time for church tradition to be given precedence over the authority of Scripture, which led to a great deal of inaccurate and heretical teachings. There was also a practice of ‘selling indulgences’, in which believers were promised that, by buying pieces of paper, they could make themselves righteous.
This connected to one of the most prevalent teachings — that one could earn their salvation through various good works and purchases. Through studying the Bible, Luther discovered the dangerous inaccuracy of this doctrine. He found that the Bible actually teaches the complete opposite view of salvation. The New Testament is filled with examples of Jesus and His followers preaching that salvation is gained by grace alone, through faith alone. In other words, it is only through Christ’s death and resurrection that we can ever be saved from the consequences of our sin. There is nothing we can do to add to the salvation bought for us by Christ. Whilst this teaching is central to the Christian faith, the Church had lost sight of it during Luther’s time. In an attempt to bring the Church back in line with true, biblical teaching, Luther decided to do something radical.
What happened on the 31st of October 1517?
Martin Luther set about writing a set of documents, known as ‘theses’, laying out his most pressing issues and concerns, and the ways in which he proposed rectifying them. As part of this, Luther suggested a general ‘reformation’, which would bring the Church back into alignment with and beneath the authority of Scripture.
On the 31st of October 1517, Martin Luther made his way to the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nailed his 95 Theses to the door. Many regard this as the official start of the Reformation, which was a movement that would go on to change the political and religious landscape of Europe forever.
What were the after-effects of Reformation Day?
Reformation Day sent a shock wave across Europe. People had expressed concerns before, but none had done so in such a public manner. Some of the after-effects of Reformation Day and the resulting movement were as follows:
- The emergence of Protestantism: Following the Reformation, Protestantism started to gain real traction and become one of the three main branches of Christianity (alongside Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy). Various Protestant churches, groups and movements began to emerge over time as a result.
- Biblical translations sky-rocketed: One of the after-effects of Luther’s theses was an increased push for each believer to have access to and the ability to read the Bible in their own language. To facilitate this, translations of the Bible into German, French, English, and a range of other languages, were produced.
- The sale of indulgences came to an end: As it was one of the leading practices condemned by Luther in his theses, the sale of indulgences came to an end a number of years after Reformation Day.
- The Thirty Years’ War (1618–48): Multiple religious wars came about as a result of the Reformation movement. The Thirty Years’ War was amongst them. The majority of European countries took part in this conflict, which was caused in part by a power struggle between the Roman Catholics, Calvinists, and Lutherans, resulting in the loss of eight million lives.
- The Peace of Augsburg (1555): The Peace of Augsburg was a treaty that put an end to some of the early conflict between German Lutherans and Catholics. It gave German princes the right to decide whether their domains would be deemed either Lutheran or Catholic.
How can you celebrate Reformation Day?
Whilst Reformation Day is indisputably important, it may not seem as though it really lends itself to celebrations. However, there are lots of different ways that people commemorate Reformation Day every year. Why not try these out yourself?
- Sing Reformation Hymns: You can celebrate Reformation Day through song, by singing some of the hymns written by Reformers. This is a great thing to do in community with other believers, perhaps at a designated Reformation Day service. Some of the most popular Reformation hymns include ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God’ (by Martin Luther), ‘By Grace Alone’ (adapted from the original by Martin Luther), ‘I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art’ (by John Calvin).
- Study the Lives of Other Reformers: Although it was Martin Luther who kicked off the Reformation, he was not the only Reformer who played a key role in the movement. There have been many other believers to make a significant impact on Church history in this regard, including John Calvin, John Knox and Philip Melanchthon.
- Sola Scriptura: Martin Luther’s teachings were centred around the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God. So, there is no better way to celebrate Reformation Day this year than by reading the Bible.