If you are Lutheran, then good, the question remains, “Why”? … If you can’t answer that question then you better figure it out. And if the reason that you are a Lutheran is because your parents were, or you just like the hymns, or you like the feel of your little congregation, or you really dislike the Roman Catholic Church, well then, you should probably find a better reason. Because none of those reasons are good. And none of those reasons are standing with the whole purpose of the Reformation, the whole reason why Luther nailed some theses on a church door, the whole reason why the Reformers literally risked their lives to proclaim the message that they were proclaiming. … 500 years later, is it still all about Jesus? And if it is, then what does that even mean?
The Reformation isn’t about a church that began 500 years ago. It isn’t about the Reformers or even about Martin Luther. It is about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It is about God for you, always for you! It is about a righteousness that comes apart from the Law, apart from the works of our hands or the intentions of our hearts. It is about a salvation that stands free and clear from any of those things, free and clear from anything that you do. The Reformation is about the truth of Scripture that stands sure and steady in the face of sin and death and the devil, that stands ready to justify the one who has faith in Jesus, that stands firm in the assurance that everything has already been done (and done for you) by God and God alone. The Reformation is about a dead Jesus on a cross with the sins of the world upon Him, a buried Jesus in the tomb to stare death in the face, a risen Jesus from the grave that puts an end to death and the devil, and an ascended Jesus at the right hand of the Father who has everything, EVERYTHING, placed under His feet.
The Reformation is about the gift of the liturgy in which we get to speak the truths of the Scriptures back and forth to each other. It is about the proclamation of God’s Word into our ears on a regular and even daily basis. It is about the voice of Jesus speaking through the voice of a pastor to proclaim to you that your sins are all forgiven. It is about a Baptism that washes you clean in the death of Jesus and brings you to new life in His resurrection; a Baptism that is just as important to you today as the day in which water was splashed upon your forehead. It is about God communing with His people; Jesus both the victim and the priest; Jesus the Bread of Heaven and the cup of the new testament; Jesus in bread and wine; Jesus making you one with Him and one with the person you kneel next to and one with the entire Church spanning all of time and space. … The Reformation is about all of this. And if it isn’t then it is pointless and we, more than any denomination that calls itself Christian, should be pitied. Because if the Reformation isn’t about all of this then we are living a lie.
But it is! The Reformation is about all of this because the Reformation is still and only about Jesus, Jesus for you. It is about an eternal Gospel that will have no end; an eternal Gospel that is Jesus Himself; an eternal Gospel that is to be proclaimed to all those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. The Reformation is about the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. The Reformation is about the truth that will set you free. And that truth is that God would die for sinners like us; that even while we were still sinners, Jesus climbed up on that cross and died for us; that He is faithful to us to the bitter end even when we are faithless and turn from Him in sin and doubt His promises for us. The Reformation is about Jesus and Him for you, about the forgiveness of sins that are yours in Christ, about the eternal life that you have even right now as you await your death, about the crushing of the head of that old satanic foe that doesn’t want you to hear the truth, doesn’t want you to be forgiven, doesn’t want you to know that you have a God who loves you to the cross and back, and that there is nothing that can ever separate you from His love. … That is the Reformation. And we will continue to celebrate it for as long as we have breath.
In Christ,
Rev. Eli Lietzau
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Something Worth Reading
[All books are available in our church’s library or may be borrowed from the pastor]
Luther, Biography of a Reformer—Frederick Nohl
Martin Luther had one goal: peace with God. He didn’t find it in the holy relics and indulgences of the church or in life as an obedient monk. Luther discovered God’s treasure of truth buried under human laws and regulations. He discovered the Gospel in the Word of God. Luther took his stand on that Word, defying the highest authorities in the church and state. In so doing, he started the oldest continuing evangelical movement in history. This is Luther’s dramatic story.
What We Believe—The Formula of Concord, Epitome
- Original Sin
Note: Is sin part of mankind’s very essence? No, for if it were, God could be accused of creating sin. However, sin is a very deep and thorough corruption of our human nature—a horrible and terrible corruption. No one except Christ Jesus, our Lord, can overcome this corruption for us and save us from it. Because of this sin, spiritually we are utterly and completely dead. But there is hope! As Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, so today He brings us to life again through His Gospel in Word and Sacraments. The biblical position on this issue is explained in Articles I and II. (See also AC II; Ap II; SA III I; FC SD I.)
Negative Statements: Rejection of the False, Opposite Teachings
- Now, original sin is called by Dr. Luther “nature sin,” “person sin,” and “essential sin.” This is not because the nature, person, or essence of man is itself—without any distinction—original sin. He uses such words in order to show the distinction between original sin, which belongs to human nature, and other sins, which are called actual sins.
- Original sin is not an actual sin that is committed. It is inherent to the nature, substance, and essence of humanity. So even if no wicked though should ever arise in the heart of a corrupt person, no idle word should be spoken, no wicked deed should be done, human nature is still corrupted through original sin. Original sin is born in us because of the sinful seed and is a source of all other actual sins, such as wicked thoughts, words, and works, as it is written in Matthew 15:19, “out of the heart come evil thoughts.” Also [Genesis 8:21 says], “The intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” (See also Genesis 6:5.)
- There is also to be noted well the different uses of the word nature, by which the Manichaeans hide their error and lead astray many simple people. For sometimes this word means the essence <the very substance> of man, as when it is said, “God created human nature.” At other times it means the attitude and the base quality of a thing, which belongs to its nature or essence, as when it is said, “The nature of the serpent is to bite, and the nature and way of man is to sin, and is sin.” Here the word nature does not mean substance of man, but something that belongs to the nature or the substance.
- Now, consider the Latin terms substantia (substance) and accidens (a nonessential quality). They are not words of Holy Scripture and, besides, are unknown to the ordinary person. So they should not be used in sermons before ordinary, uninstructed people. Simple people should be spared them. But in schools, among the learned, these words are rightly kept in disputes about original sin. For they are well known and used without any misunderstanding to distinguish exactly between the essence of a thing and what attaches to it in an accidental way.
The distinction between God’s work and that of the devil is made in the clearest way by these terms. For the devil can create no substance, but can only, in an accidental way—with God’s consent—corrupt the substance created by God.
Bible Study
Join us for Bible Study every Sunday before Service. Beginning throughout the summer we will be studying “Why we do what we do?”. This is a great opportunity to come and be reminded (or learn for the first time) why we worship the way that we do and how the Divine Service is structured to grant to us God’s good gifts. …. You are also invited to Midweek Bible Study each Tuesday morning at 10:00am (starting again in August). Currently, we are studying the book of I Kings. If you have not had the chance to join us for Bible Study please use this opportunity to begin fresh as we delve into the Word of God together.
