On Luther and the German Reformation

In this video I’m on site in Worms, Germany where Martin Luther stood trial in 1521. No matter who you were if you were alive in those days, this fight was huge, and it was almost certainly interesting to you. It changed just about everything in time. The church’s reformation in Germany, in time, changed the world. It changed governments in the western world. As pertaining to my own culture today I would argue that Luther’s influence in the German reformation, and its spreading theological influence on English theology in the generations following, is precisely why America developed its form of government with a separate church and state. Luther, by failure at times, showed us the value of having it so. The Anglican Church, by failure at times, showed us this as well. By the 18th century, in a land far away and not divided historically along any well-worn battle lines, the wisdom of separation became apparent. We needed to protect the church from the state. And sometimes it was the inverse. European history hammered this lesson home. So, consider Luther’s influence in the world therefore. Not just in the west, but globally in time. More important than any of its influence on politics, however, since it was not primarily a political revolution at all, the Reformation changed forever the landscape of the church. By it, according to the Jesus’ historically demonstrated truth of Sola Scriptura, Roman Catholicism was shown plainly to be a devolved, corrupt, apostate system. Luther’s own movement out from its views by 1521 had moved into a necessary challenge to the pope’s authority in general. There is no biblical warrant for the papacy in the Bible. None at all. It’s just not there. It’s a developed idea with roots tied to directly the power of the Roman government in history, and only loosely based in some sort of pathetic biblical argumentation. Romanism became and remains anti-Christian ideology today. The Reformation in Germany did not fail. It succeeded. Justification by faith alone was championed. Scripture was lifted up. We stand on this man’s shoulders therefore. Dr. RC Sproul once described the Protestant Reformation in Germany (there were others) as the most important event in church history since Pentecost. To that I say amen. I give thanks to God for the memory of brother Luther. As a Reformed Baptist, I would not be welcome in Luther’s Wittenberg. I am not a Lutheran. Today, however, should I get to converse with him I’m confident he’d leave our talk a Reformed Baptist. Luther has helped me learn about Jesus. From both his great successes and his abysmal failures, I stand on this man’s gigantic shoulders in humble thanks to God. I want to honor him in this brief talk. I don’t want any cartoon figures of Luther. He was not Jesus. He was a wretched sinner in need of a Savior, but I want to try to understand the man in my life so that I can let Luther be Luther and continue to look to Jesus with him, the author and finisher of our faith. I hope you enjoy this talk and a scene or two here from Worms, Germany. God bless you. And God bless the work and the memory of brother Luther.