Reformation Sunday

Oct 28, 2007

TEXT: John 8:31-38

What Does It Mean to be Free?

Today Christian Churches around the world celebrate the Reformation.

What is the Reformation? 

The root word gives us a clue, Areform.@  To reform something is to change what it is into something else.   For example, a ball of clay can be reshaped and molded if the artist deems it necessary.

What needed AReforming in The Apostolic Church?@

The Church; and the only church at that time of The Reformation was the Roman Church and the Eastern Church.  One with its headquarters in Rome and the other in Constantinople, today’s Istanbul.  The Western and Eastern Church split in the 5^th century over the issue of what is known as the Afilioque,@ the relationship between the Son of God and the Father.

There were no Baptist Churches.  There were no Methodist or Presbyterian Churches or Nazarene, or Pentecostal.

The Roman church at the time of Luther had added to the scriptures of God’s Word rules and regulations that the church made binding on its followers.  Not that all its teaching had been affected but some had.  This was similar to what the Pharisees had done with God’s Word at the time of Jesus.  Their rabbi’s added to the Word of God too many traditions that were not in the Torah or the Missnah. 

In the Roman churches what had been added also came about from the decisions of Church Counsels.  They were elevated to the same status as the Word of God.

Also at the time of Luther what had changed the Word of God being the solely norm and source for teaching was its church leaders, specifically, The Pope.  He could add to the Word of God his opinions.  Pastor then and now are bound not by their opinions, but only from the Word of God alone.  Not synodical conventions, Not the opinions of the local congregation, but solely the Word of God determines teaching.

At first Luther was only concerned with the abuses within the church.  He didn’t desire to form a new Christian body of believers, but to reform the old and correct the abuses. 

It all started innocently enough with AIndulgences. 

To raise money to build St. Peter Basilica in Rome, The Pope came up with the idea of selling forgiveness of sins for money by offering a signed piece of paper called an indulgent.  Luther was horrified that the Pope would do such a thing.  You cannot pay for the forgiveness of all your sins!

In response to these indulgences Luther wrote 95 Statement or Thesis for theological discussion and debate.  He nailed them on the church door at Wittenberg on October the 31, 1517.  The church doors were considered public bulletin boards were notices could be posted for all to read. (And by the wayCthese 95 Theses almost went unnoticed because they were written in Latin.)  Had it not been for the printing press, the for runner of e-mail for you young folks, Luther may have not been as effective in his writings on salvation in Jesus Christ alone, and grace alone, and faith alone.

But as Luther wrestled with these abuses he also wrestled with his faith and the teachings of the Roman Church.  Luther knew the anger of God from the Old Testament and His demands for perfection.  The Law of God said, AThese Commandments of mine you must keep or you will surely die eternally.@

Luther was held captive by God’s Law, which is good and righteous.

Luther’s mentor, Stalpits, knowing that Luther was a good and pious man, who truly desired to serve God first so he sent Luther to Rome thinking if Luther saw the magnificent buildings and all the relics of the church that his would lift the spirit of Luther.  But this only served to drive Luther deeper into despair and fear of an angry God who would punish all sinners!

The next step in Luther’s Life would begin to ASet Him Free!@

Luther was to become a teacher, a theologian at the prestigious university of Wittenberg .  There Luther studied and taught, and earned the degree of Doctor of Theology.  If you know anything about teaching, you know that before you can teach others you must teach yourself.  Luther dug into the New Testament both in the Latin, The Vulgate, but also in the Greek to see if there was any discrepancy between the translations.

As Luther studied in order to teach he began to see the light of day, you might say, or more correctly, The Light of The Gospel Set him Free!

In Paul letter to the Romans Paul makes a discovery that was missing in his life and that of the Roman Church at that time.  Let me read it to you once again.  I want everybody to close your eyes and listen not only with your ears, but more importantly with your heart and that of the Holy Spirit.

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.  But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; (Rom. 3:19-24).

More and more Luther realized that God had set him Afree@ from all his sins.  The function and purpose of God’s sending Jesus was to set us Afree@ from the punishment that would have been our’s.

Now all that remained was to know and believe in God’s Son, Jesus.  That He has taken all your sins away.  That He died to forgive you!  That He rose from the grave on Easter morning, just as He said He would.  That God the Father accepted Jesus death, and now there will be no punishment for those who are in Christ Jesus!

This Good News lifted Luther’s spirit, and set him free to love God in return for this great gift of grace and mercy.

Of course, the rest of the story is also History.  Luther realized that the Roman Catholic Church taught that works were necessary for salvation.  Luther now wrote directly against these teachings of the Roman Church.  He wrote, number one, because they were wrong, and number two, because Luther’s discovery was not something just for him, but for everybody; for you and for me.  This great discovery and teaching of God’s Word was that man is saved from sin and eternal damnation by the grace of God alone through faith in Jesus Christ.

Out of Luther’s discovery of the Gospel others followed with the zeal and knowledge that God’s Words regarding Jesus is the only way of salvation through faith in Christ alone.   This became the battle cry or slogan of the Reformation which followed.

What followed the Reformation and the forming of other Christian Churches was Rationalism or the Enlightenment movement.  Lutheranism was not affect by this movement and retain the mystery of Baptism and The Lord’s Supper.  Prominent leaders of this Rational movement in Europe were Zwingli and Calvin.  They denied the real presence in The Lord’s Supper because rationally it didn’t make any sense.  However, the Holy Christian Church has always believed and taught what the Apostle believed and taught concerning Baptism of infants and the real presence in the Lord’s Supper.

Freedom is not just a concept but a reality for those of us who life in the good old U.S. of A.  At the time of the writing of the New Testament over half of the world’s population were slaves.  They were not Afree.@  One worked for his/her freedom.  To be free from something is usually a positive thing.  To be free from smoking cigarettes.  To be free from cancer.  To be free from certain debts. 

It is no wonder that the New Testament especially talks about being free; and that freedom is far greater and important than being free from cancer.  This Afreedom@ is the topic of both the Gospel lesson and the Second reading from St. Paul to the Romans.

It is the Gospel and the forgiveness of sins that still sets us free!  In today’s Gospel Jesus confirms and reaffirms this with these words.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him,

In other words, Jesus is warning Jews who did in fact believe in Jesus as the long awaited Messiah.  But notice the tense of the verb: Awho had believed.@  They were teetering on not believe.  And what is it that they were teetering on?

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

They were teetering on staying faithful to God’s Word, namely believing in Jesus, who is that embodiment of The Word, which became flesh and dwelt among.

Were these Jews willing to both accept Jesus as the Messiah, and were they then, willing to follow Him.  They are not mutually exclusive but are together what faith in Jesus is.

However, if they did continue in God’s Word as it is revealed in His Son, then they would be true disciples.  And that doing so they would be ASet Free@

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free

Jesus Is The Truth!

The truth about God!  The truth that sets you and I free from sin and death.

There are many defections from the truth not only then but equally as many today.  Jesus earlier in this same Gospel of John reminds us that Abiding in the Vine is necessary for salvation.

Likewise to Abide in Jesus is to be set free.

In the motion picture ABrave heart,@ Mel Gibson cries out AFREEDOM@

It is still our cry too AFREEDOM@ in Jesus Christ.

AMEN.