Reformation
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(NIV) 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
I received a newspaper editorial last Sunday in which the author complained that our country is not doing much to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The author believes that our government should be sponsoring events to mark this historic event since our country was founded by predominantly Protestants with Protestant beliefs and what he calls the “Protestant work ethic.” One could counter his arguments by noting that there is a reason we have a separation between church and state and that the Reformation began in Germany and we don’t live in Germany. Nevertheless, even though our government isn’t sponsoring Reformation commemoration celebrations, we as heirs of the Reformation do well to give some thought and appreciation to the positive results of the Reformation.
First and foremost is the restoration of the biblical teaching that “the just shall live by faith” which had been clouded by an over emphasis on works and personal suffering as a result of sin.
The second is the movement to put the Bible into the hands of the people which was accomplished by Luther translating it into German and the printing press which made the cost of personal Bibles affordable for the first time. This led to the ability of the common layman to be guided directly by God’s Word instead of being mislead by the hierarchy’s heretical teachings of the church.
Another blessing is that our worship services are more participant friendly than just having the worshipers observe. The Reformation led to more involvement in the liturgy (spoken and sung) and the singing of hymns by the congregation and not just by choirs.
The blessing I want to talk about today has to do with how Christians are taught the chief doctrines of the word of God.
First of all, learning and believing what the Bible says should be considered a high priority for every Christian.
Passages on its importance.
Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Vows we make at baptism. We express our belief on how important it is when we baptize infants, promising to help the parents teach the truths of the Bible to those who have been baptized so that their faith in Jesus may become stronger.
Vows we make at baptism.
During the Reformation there was the potential for this being done more so than for centuries. For a long time the religious instruction of the faithful was very top heavy with the church instructing the masses without the authority of the Word of God. The people were instructed about many aspects of religion, (I would say for the most part the people were much more religious than they are now). But this was not guided solely by the Word of God as many traditions (some extra biblical) had become predominant in the church.
Example: Although the Bible teaches that the future of those who have died is either an invitation to heaven or condemnation to hell, the church taught very strongly that the souls of the dearly departed had almost definitely gone to Purgatory and would spend thousands of years their being purified of their sins and that their surviving relatives and friends could speed this up by saying prayers for them, paying for Masses in their name, and purchasing Indulgences. Faith in Jesus didn’t get you into heaven and your sins needed to be purified in Purgatory because you sins outweighed your good deeds. Many other false teachings became a part of their belief system as well.
One could say that the Protestant Reformation began with Luther’s 95 theses against the sale of Indulgences but it did not stop there. He became a prolific preacher, teacher, and author and always centered by message on the clear teaching that we are justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
Luther soon had followers who broke from the Catholic church and Lutheran pastors and congregations were formed.
As a conscientious leader, Martin Luther wanted to learn first hand what his followers were teaching and what the new group of “Lutherans” believed. So he carried out a Visitation of surrounding parishes. But much to his dismay, this is what we discovered (research).
"The deplorable, wretched deprivation that I recently encountered while I was a visitor has constrained and compelled me to prepare this catechism, or Christian instruction, in such a brief, plain, and simple version. Dear God, what misery I beheld! The ordinary person, especially in the villages, knows absolutely nothing about the Christian faith, and unfortunately many pastors are completely unskilled and incompetent teachers. Yet supposedly they all bear the name Christian, are baptized, and receive the holy sacrament, even though they do not know the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, or the Ten Commandments! As a result they live like simple cattle or irrational pigs and, despite the fact that the Gospel has returned, have mastered the fine art of misusing their freedom” (Kolb/Wengert, 347-348) Luther saw the Catechism as a book to be used in home and congregation. “While Luther addressed the catechisms to pastors, he still envisioned the head of the household as the primary teacher.”i13James Nestingen observes “The Small Catechism, in chart and pamphlet form, quickly became one of the most important documents of the Lutheran Reformation. It moved the village altar into the family kitchen, literally bringing instruction in the faith home to the intimacies of family life."14ii The careful literary craftsmanship evidenced in Luther’s nuanced phrases and his repetition of key words would make the Catechism a useful tool for reinforcing the evangelical message that the laity were hearing from Saxon pulpits as God’s Word echoed in ordinary households.
Problem: Many Lutherans were woefully ignorant of what the Bible taught.
Solution: Create a text book (actually two of them) to train the Pastors and for Pastors and parents to use to train the young. The result was the writing of the Small and Large Catechisms.
You wold be most familiar with the Small Catechism since it is the textbook we use to instruct our youth and adults prior to Confirmation. Our Small Catechism is actually much larger than the original because the original only had the chief parts of doctrine and Luther’s answers to the very Lutheran question: “What doe this mean?” Ours has additional thought questions and answers as well as the Bible verses from which those answers are derived.
Historically, the publication, use, and upgrades to the Small Catechism have been taken seriously by the leadership of our congregations. (Display of some of those upgrades.)
The same thing happens in our public schools with their textbooks. Obviously, history books need to be updated. But in reality all textbooks receive upgrades. But consider several facts in regard to textbooks and what we learned in our youth in school.
As a student I loved math. I liked to be able to solve problems and explore its concepts. But other than having to figure out change at the store or do my taxes, I don’t have a lot of use for math especially geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. The same could be said for having read and discussed many of Shakespeare’s plays or other famous literature. Some of what we learn has no lasting impact and therefore it is not necessary to stay up on it.
But other areas of learning have much more long term effects. Farming, use of electronics, (see other examples)
Recall again what the Bible says about the importance of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
How can we do this?
Attend worship services regularly.
Review what we have learned and become convinced of (see Shepherd Under Christ)
Be involved in personal Bible reading and study as well as group opportunities.
Use your Small Catechism as a guide and a springboard to greater things.
Why?
Command of God.
Personal benefit. Our faith is strengthened. We are more certain of who God is and what he has done to save us. We are equipped and motivated to do good works. We are able to more clearly share the Gospel with others. This religious instruction has great practical value in our daily lives and assures us of our eternal future in heaven through faith in Jesus.