507 Years of the Reformation

A historical context

This is what it says in the Apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.¹ This sentence sums up the essence of the Reformation. There is probably no more fitting one. What the reformers were concerned about 500 years ago was Jesus Christ. In the following, I would like to provide a historical context for the Reformation and its impact.

Luther und die 95 Thesen

To give us a better idea of what it was like to live in the late Middle Ages, I would like to start with the following short story.²

Some Wednesday in the year 1507:

The sun rises and I get to work in the fields like every day. I'm about to go to mass. As a simple person, I can't read the Bible myself, because that's only for the monks in churches or monasteries. But our priest knows the holy words and tells us how we can save our souls. A preacher of indulgences visited us recently. He explained that with a letter of indulgence we could shorten the punishment for our sins - in purgatory, which awaits us all after death unless we live holy lives. I was very afraid of that. So many people in the village bought these letters, including me and my wife. It's as good as all our wages, but who wants to risk eternal atonement? I also bought one for my deceased aunt. The priest assures us that the money will also go to good causes, for example to build a big church in Rome. That can't be wrong. We also have holy relics and they are said to be miraculous. Once a year we are allowed to see a fragment of the holy cross and I feel awe when I kneel in front of it. Sometimes, however, I wonder how many such splinters there are and how they can all be real. But I want to believe. Doubt only shows unbelief and questioning the church? Even worse. You keep hearing that there are people who question all this, but here in our country it's as normal as the daily bread. After all, this is the path that the Church shows us. We trust that this is the right path. Whether we understand it or not.

The beginnings of the Reformation:

The beginning of the Reformation can be roughly dated to October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, a German Augustinian monk and professor of theology, published his 95 theses against the sale of indulgences. The posting of the theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg is regarded as the symbolic starting point of the Reformation - which is why we also celebrate Reformation Day on this day every year. In these theses, Luther denounced the practice of selling indulgences, through which believers could buy forgiveness of their sins in exchange for money. In his theses and subsequent writings, Luther argues that the forgiveness of sins is granted exclusively by God and that the faith and repentance of the individual are of greater importance than material offerings. The sale of indulgences, very widespread at the time, was used by the Catholic Church as a means of raising funds and building gigantic churches in Rome, for example, as we have just read in the story. However, the faithful were led to believe that these letters of indulgence could shorten their time in purgatory or free the deceased from purgatory after death. Pope Leo X urgently needed funds for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and thus authorized the sale of indulgences, which generated vast amounts of money. Johann Tetzel, a great indulgence preacher who was active in the German regions, quickly became famous for his lurid sale of indulgences. His influence and his indulgence sermons prompted Luther, among others, to protest publicly.

Luther's 95 Theses, which were originally written in Latin, were actually intended as an invitation to a theological discussion. However, the printing press, which had been invented not so long ago, enabled his theses to be disseminated quickly throughout Germany. The theses were soon translated into German and found a wide readership who shared his criticism of the abuses in the church. The core of Luther's criticism lay in the claim that faith and the individual relationship with God were more important than church doctrine and the practices prescribed by Rome. Precisely because it was so fatal and wrong. The faithful were lied to for decades or even centuries. The Catholic Church's reaction to Luther's criticism was initially restrained. Under public pressure and fear of losing influence, Luther was summoned to Augsburg in 1518 to Cardinal Cajetan to recant his theses. He refused and was excommunicated by Pope Leo X with the bull “Exsurge Domine” in 1520. The Reformation was in full swing. From now on, it was no longer a criticism within the church, but a religious revolution that still had a major impact. People were tired and disappointed with the Catholic Church. As the most powerful institution in the Middle Ages, it was increasingly perceived as corrupt and morally degenerate - and rightly so.

In the following decades, the Reformation spread across large parts of Europe and led to a division of Christianity, which Luther had not wanted but which was necessary. The Reformation was led by famous reformers such as John Calvin (1509-1564) and Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531) in Switzerland and John Knox (1513-1572) in Scotland. Other important theologians were Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560), Martin Bucer (1491-1551) and Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1574). The Protestant denomination was born. Social unrest and political conflicts increased. Luther did not want this split, but it was necessary because the Catholic Church did not acknowledge its own mistakes and did not move away from its previous practices. It was quite uncompromising. Of course, it was not only about indulgences, but also about other issues such as the Lord's Supper and the sacraments, the Pope, ecclesiastical authority and the Holy Scriptures.

Controversial topics of the Reformation:

The Catholic Church taught that, in addition to the Bible, church traditions and the decisions of the Pope and councils were also binding for faith. One of the principles of the Reformation was “sola scriptura” (by Scripture alone). The Bible is the Word of God, which should be the basis of faith. Church traditions that contradicted the Bible were in no way binding. This principle made it possible for believers to have a personal relationship with God without the church or priesthood taking on a direct mediating role.

Another point of conflict was the priesthood of all believers. The Catholic Church taught that priests had a special role in mediating between God and people. They were responsible for the sacraments, which were seen as a means of grace and through which people could attain salvation. Quite apart from personal faith. The reformers contradicted this view. They claimed that every believer could pray to God directly and hope for God's grace without having to rely on the sacraments (ex opere operato or without faith) or the mediation of a priest. Faith is necessary for the sacraments to work. Anyone who receives the Eucharist without faith, for example, is judged by God through this sacrament.³ The Catholic Church recognized seven sacraments, including baptism, confirmation, communion, penance, anointing of the sick, ordination and marriage. Luther reduced the number of sacraments to two. Simply for the reason that only baptism and communion are mentioned in the Bible. Sola Scriptura acted as the principle. In the Lord's Supper, the Catholic Church taught transubstantiation, according to which bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. Luther rejected this and emphasized a “real presence”, while other reformers such as Ulrich Zwingli interpreted the Lord's Supper purely symbolically. The disagreement on this issue led to theological conflicts, which even had an impact within the Reformation movements and made it difficult for the Reformers to unite. In future articles, I will make more reference to transubstantiation, the Real Presence and the Spiritual Presence, as this would go beyond the scope of this article.

Another contentious issue was the veneration of saints and the cult of relics. In the Catholic Church, the veneration of saints and relics was highly valued. It was taught that the saints were intercessors with God who could intercede on behalf of the faithful. Relics of saints were regarded as objects of special spiritual power, and pilgrimages to these relics were common practice. As an Augustinian monk, Luther was of course familiar with these practices and also rejected the veneration of saints, as he could not find a single call to worship saints in the Bible. They played no role whatsoever in salvation, which is why only God should be worshipped. Of course, this does not mean that the saints do not pray for us, they do, but this is also worth discussing in another article. Criticism of papal power was another important element of the Reformation. The Pope and the church hierarchy had abused their power for their own benefit and had thus strayed far from Christian ideals. Luther called for a repentance of the church and a return to the early Christian communities in which all believers were considered equal and no one exercised power over another in such a way. In his 1520 treatise On the Freedom of a Christian, Luther argued that the faith of the individual and trust in God's grace were sufficient to achieve salvation, without the mediation of the Pope or other church leaders.

Summary of the topics of dispute:

The Reformation was ultimately triggered by Luther's posting of his theses in 1517, which was motivated by the sale of indulgences and the perceived corruption of the church. But behind this lay deeper religious, social and political issues that affected society as a whole and called for comprehensive reform. The central points of contention were. Here is a brief overview of these:

• Criticism of the sale of indulgences and the forgiveness of sins through financial benefits

• Demand for the Bible as the sole source of faith (sola scriptura)

• Direct access of the individual to God (priesthood of all believers)

• Reduction of the sacraments to baptism and communion and a new interpretation of communion

• Rejection of the veneration of saints and the cult of relics

• Demand for social justice and criticism of the economic exploitation of the faithful

• Criticism of papal power and demand for a less hierarchical church

The well-known solas of the Reformation are as follows:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) Only Holy Scripture is the foundation and the only infallible authority in matters of faith. No ecclesiastical tradition can stand above Scripture. Sola Gratia (Grace alone) Man can only be saved by the grace of God. The grace of God brings us to faith. Sola Fide (Faith alone) We can only be justified in Christ by faith, not by works. Works are a consequence of faith. Solus Christus (Christ alone) Only in Christ can we be saved. There is no other way to God and to eternal life than through Jesus Christ alone. Soli Deo Gloria (To God alone belongs the glory) God has created all that is for his own glory. It is God's sovereign decision to save man in Christ. The goal of life is to honor and serve God.

Die Reformation war daher nicht nur ein religiöser Protest, sondern eine vielschichtige Bewegung, die tiefgreifende Veränderungen in der Kirche und in der Gesellschaft anstrebte. Der Ruf nach einer Rückkehr zur Bibel, zu persönlichem Glauben und zu einer gerechten Gesellschaft prägte das Geschehen und führte zur Spaltung der Christenheit in Europa, zu Konflikten und zu grundlegenden Umgestaltungen in der Gesellschaft bei, welche zur modernen Neuzeit beitrugen. Meiner Ansicht nach war die Reformation wichtig und notwendig.

Unfortunately, that time is over. Nowadays, the annual Reformation holiday (October 31) is more likely to be celebrated as Halloween. Someone who has nothing or very little to do with the church no longer even knows what the Reformation was about, let alone what the Reformation actually was. Secularization continues to increase, at least if we focus on Christianity.⁴ Our once Christian countries, or in other words: our Western society, which owes its rise to Christianity, is moving away from the Christian faith and ultimately from God himself more drastically and quickly than ever before. We are godless. And unfortunately, really unfortunately, many churches in the US, Europe, but also in Germany in particular, are affected by this. The Gospel is no longer preached in its pure form, as the Reformers had it in mind, but is being replaced with political content and other social issues. The spirit of the times plays a role. It is no longer the churches that pass on morals to society, but secular, unchristian society that is increasingly shaping the churches. Churches where Jesus Christ is spoken of as our Savior, or where repentance and conversion are preached, have to be sought out. These are all developments that frighten me. Precisely because we live in the country where a large part of the Reformation took place. Do we really want to throw our heritage completely overboard? Give up everything? I am not alone in this assessment.

“No one can lay any other foundation than the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.” If we meditate on this verse and allow the Holy Spirit to work on us, I have hope for the churches of the west.

1. 1 Cor 3:11

2. Of course, I can only describe people's lives in a very simplified way. On the other hand, that would go beyond the scope here. However, the grievances are brought into focus.

3. 1 Corinthians 11:27-30

4. In general, people are longing for religion and spirituality, so you could even say that society is becoming more religious. However, Christianity is no longer really the first choice. New Age or Buddhism, for example, are quite popular in society. Alternative religions or personal views are playing an increasingly important role.