| Author | Message | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 962 Registered: 3-2005 |
On this day when we will be passing out candy for a different holiday, let us take the time to remember another very important holiday on the Lutheran calendar. On October 31, 1517, a stocky monk posted the 95 theses on the Wittenberg door, and so the shock waves of the Protestant Reformation were sparked. 488 years later, the church is still disputing these great issues of the Reformation. I have been reading a Luther biography over the weekend by Stephen J. Nichols published by P and R publishing that has some delightful history on Luther and the Reformation. We talked a lot about him on an earlier thread, but I would like to post some other interesting things about his life as my time permits today. There are so many interesting aspects to Luther's life that I think are worth remembering on this important anniversary. Luther was a great hymn writer, and he was known as an innovator when it came to music, as he was considered a liberal in his day, since he brought musical instruments into church, and in fact "A Mighty Fortress" was a german pub tune which was turned into a great hymn, "A mighty fortress is our God" A bulward never failing: our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe. doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great: and armed with cruel hate. on earth is not his equal." Stan | ||
| Ric_b Registered user Username: Ric_b Post Number: 349 Registered: 7-2004  |
I thought I had read that Luther's stockiness didn't develop until later in his life. Should we consider Luther not only the father of the Reformation, but the father of contemporary worship? | ||
| Jwd Registered user Username: Jwd Post Number: 128 Registered: 4-2005 |
Stocky, perhaps, Ric and Stan, because they did not have "light beer" back then? Last evening the Covenant Presbyterian Church we have been attending had a Reformation Celebration party at the home of one of the members, an M.D. They had the young people take turns reading the history of the Reformation and some interesting facts; then we all had a multiple choice quiz over the material. The top two bets scores got a candy bar. Then they had a Triathlon Bible Race, including a Quick Find Bible text competition; a Relay Race Bible test; and a "Fewest Flips" to find the text race. For extra credit was the question: What citation is actually incorrect? It was Philemon, as it was shown as Philemon 1:25 and Phelemon has no chapters. I came home with enough Snickers candy bars to make my dentist VERY happy. It was a blessing to see the young people, from around 10 years up to near college age, having fun with the adults and talking and sharing with great interest the facts, corrections and errors previously held concerning the Reformation. This was our first Reformation Day celebration and we found it delightful. Of course treats were there for all to enjoy. Quite refreshing to do something educational and inspiring as well as fun, rather than simply face goblins and ghosts and goulish-looking outfits. I thank God for Martin Luther and the other great, courageous Reformers! Truly our GREAT spiritual Grandfathers. Jess | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 963 Registered: 3-2005 |
Jess, That is exciting that the children were being taught the truths of the Reformation. There will be always some churches who will uphold the vital truths of the Reformation. Here is the prayer from the Lutheran Hymnal that is prayed on Reformation Sunday, "Almighty God, who through the preaching of thy servants, the blessed reformers, hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine forth: Grant, we beseech thee, that knowing its saving power, we may faithfully guard and defend it against all enemies, and joyfully proclaim it, to the salvation of souls and the glory of thy Holy Name; through thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. Yes, that is what it is all about. As Paul said, "the gospel is the power of God unto salvation", and something that powerful is worth proclaiming as well as vigorously defending it from the attacks that are mounting again even today. This message of the Reformation, the heart of the gospel, that we are saved entirely by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, has been attacked for centuries by Satan and his allies, but according to our Lord Jesus, the true church will stand firm to the end, and even the powers of hell will not be able to destroy it. I am praising God today for His marvelous grace, and for raising up great men of God, who helped preserve the faith, so that we could all be free. Stan | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 965 Registered: 3-2005 |
Here is another quote from Luther regarding the spiritual battle he fought, "Satan often said to me, 'What if your teaching by which you've overthrown the pope, the mass, and the monks should be false?' He often assailed me in such a way as to make me break out in sweat. Finally, I answered, 'Go and speak with my God, who commanded us to listen to His Christ.' Christ must do everything." I think Desmond Ford must have had these same feelings when he was challenging the SDA "papal structure" at Glacier View. No one did more than Ford did to bring the true light of the Reformation gospel to many former SDAs. He was only reiterating the basic gospel taught by Paul and then rediscovered by Luther. Stan | ||
| Jwd Registered user Username: Jwd Post Number: 130 Registered: 4-2005 |
Thank you for those quotes and the prayer, Stan. I find my heart growing in gratitude and a humbling appreciation for the sacrifice, the integrity, the genuineness in their search for God and His Truth among the Reformers. Much higher than all the stars of Hollywood, the excitement of auto racing, the stats of the hottest sports figure, the greatest golfers, etc. stands individuals like Martin Luther among the other giants of that era; men of integrity, purity of purpose, great minds dominated by a desire to know God and to discover His truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit. It is truly a blessing unparalleled to discover and be able to embrace the "faith of our fathers." And yes, thank God for men of principle like Des Ford and thank God for every precious saint, like yourself and the other precious saints on this forum, who took their OWN stand for truth and have exchanged a sectarian "club membership" for the banner of the Cross of Christ. We form a "new band of brothers and sisters" with which I rejoice to be a part. Jess | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 970 Registered: 3-2005 |
As a further example as to how the Reformation is being attacked today by even people who call themselves evangelicals, there is a new book out called "Is the Reformation Over" co-authored by Mark Noll, a professor at Wheaton College. Noll was interviewed by Michael Horton of the White Horse Inn www.whitehorseinn.org last Sunday night, and you can listen online. Anyway during the course of the interview it became apparent that this author did not think that the distinction between faith and works was all that important. He believes that Catholics and evangelicals are actually quite close on this issue, and he even said that it was acceptable to include human MERIT in the article of justification by faith! In other words Rome has not budged from their position taken at the Council of Trent when they declared Luther damned eternally for believing that faith alone justifies! But it is OK for the evangelical church to embrace Catholicism and adapt a theology that totally destroys the gospel. This wouldn't mean very much except that this is a respected professor in evangelicalism saying these things. The panel on the WHI, then proceeded to refute what this professor said. But as Martin Luther said, the Christian church stands or falls on the article of justification by faith alone. We may be losing the evangelical church, if this book gets any traction. The SDA church has also taught faith plus works equals justification also, and that was Desmond Ford's fight for so many years. Stan | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 2856 Registered: 12-2003  |
How interesting. I am often amazed at how certain statements of Ellen actually seem to be "true" in a way, but not in the way she said them. She said that Protestant churches would (or had) joined hands with Catholicism, and they would all be outside of truth. The Adventists alone would have truthóthe Sabbath. Believing as I do that Ellen did not just make up all her visions and dreams but actually had evil influence, I've often thought it's not surprising that her words would have that ring of almost-truth. Satan, after all, knows his plans. He's not limited to our three dimensions, either. How odd if the real apostasy is in both Protestants and Catholics compromising the truth of SALVATION--not the Sabbath. Once again, Ellen had a sort-of partial "truth", but she way missed the true mark. (Another of her partial truths, of course, was her predcition that just before the end, many would fall away, and many of the brightest lights would go out. Well, we are proof that many are "falling away", but it's not into apostasy. It's into the arms of Jesus.) Deception is effective precisely because it so closely resembles the real thing. Ellen's statements are no exception. No mere human could come up with such clever deceptions. Colleen | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 973 Registered: 3-2005 |
That is an excellent point Colleen, and I have just been thinking the same thing about the doctrine of the human spirit. Think about it. Why would spiritism, or bringing up spirits from the grave be forbidden if there was no such things as spirits? If it were well known that there is no spirit that lives on after death, then it would not make much sense to have laws against bringing back something that doesn't exist anyway. Back to the subject of mixing faith and works. Yes, if it were not true that apostate protestantism and Catholicism would join hands to probably work a syncretistic religion with Islam to bring Global Peace, then there would be no need to put up the partial truth that was given EGW about the same general fact. Except, that the final test that will separate true Christians from false Christians cannot possibly be Sabbath vs. Sunday, but I believe it will be over this very salvational issue. Is mankind saved by God's grace alone through faith alone, because of Christ alone? Or, does man somehow have something to contribute even in the slightest way to his salvation? There are only two religions in the world--the religion that is man-centered with all of its various theologies of works-righteousness where man somehow helps God save himself,--and the true religion which is entirely God-centered. I believe Luther will be proved right in the end that the article of justification by faith alone is what separates true religion from false religion. I believe he was right about the pope being the anti-christ, and we are seeing prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes with the compromise of apostate protestantism with Roman Catholicism. Stan | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 993 Registered: 3-2005 |
I am really enjoying the biography of Luther that I am reading. He was quite a song writer, and he was an innovator in his day, as he brought musical instruments into church. John Calvin frowned on musical instruments, and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church of today holds to no musical instruments, and they only sing the Psalms a capella. But Luther was different. As stated at the top, Luther got that great hymn "Mighty Fortress" from an old german beer drinking bar song. That hymn was written after the Diet of Worms, when he was forced to go into hiding and exile for several months at Wartburg castle hiding from the Catholic church and there is one line from the hymn that represents his thoughts regarding the enemy he was fighting. "though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us" Another hymn he wrote was also sung at his funeral: "From trouble deep I cry to thee, Lord hear thou my crying; Thy gracious ear turn to me, open it to my sighing, For if thou mean'st to look upon the wrong and evil that is done, Who, Lord, can stand before thee?" Another hymn was based on 1 Cor. 2:2 that we should know nothing but Christ and him crucified: "Hope therefore in my God I will, on my deserts not founding; Upon him shall my heart rely, All on his goodness grounding. What his true Word doth promise me, My comfort shall and refuge be." "Although our sin be great, God's grace is greater to relieve us; His hand in helping nothing stays, the hurt however grievous. The Shepherd good alone is he, who will at last set Israel free, From all their sin and sorrow." Another great hymn written in 1524: "Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands, for our offenses given; But now at God's right hand he stands and brings us life from heaven; Therefore, let us joyful be and sing to God right thankfully, Loud songs of hallelujah. Hallelujah! "No man yet death overcame, all sons of men were helpless; Sin for this was all to blame, for no one yet was guiltless; So death came that early hour, over us he took up his power; And held us all in his kingdom." "It was a strange and dreadful strife when life and death contended; The victory remained with life, the reign of death was ended; Holy Scripture plainly saith, that death was swallowed up by death, His sting is lost forever. Hallelujah!" The last hymn he wrote just before his deaath and the final stanza: "To God the Father praise be poured; To God the Son, the only Lord; To the consoling Holy Ghost; Now and forever, ending never." I wonder if that last hymn would be in an SDA hymnal, especially in the 1941 edition? For SDAs to claim to be heirs of Luther and the Reformation is a shallow claim indeed, when for much of their history up to 1980, they spent a lot of time denying the Trinity, and many are doing the same thing today. Stan |
