How many of you know what happened 503 Halloweens ago? My theological friends know full well. On October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther, an unknown monk and university professor, approached the Castle Church in the small German town of Wittenberg. His goal was to hammer 95 Theses to its door. It was All Hallows’ Eve, the Church’s alternative to “Halloween.” In those days, it was not unusual to post theses for debate in public, even on church doors. Those passing by at the time it occurred would probably not have noticed. In fact, years later, Luther expressed surprise at the response of the church of his day to that insignificant action: “I would never have thought that such a storm would rise from Rome over one simple scrap of paper.”
But what a scrap it was. The time was ripe for turning a fresh ear to what the scripture has to say about the gospel of God’s grace, or God’s merciful and undeserved favor bestowed freely upon us in Christ. There was a problem in Luther’s day that threatened to create confusion over the role of divine grace in the Christian life. This problem was the sale of “indulgences.” Indulgences were connected to the doctrine of penance. Penance was practiced in response to sin. It involved contrition of heart, confession, and a penitential act. Under the category of penitential acts, church authorities could award a letter of “indulgence,” which involved the lessening of the temporal punishment the Church imposed for wrongdoing or simply as recognition for a noble deed. The intent though was not to secure eternal salvation for lost souls. But once indulgences were marketed for purchase, extravagant claims began to be made about their spiritual benefits. Luther feared that many were receiving the impression that salvation itself were up for sale.
Luther wrote his 95 Theses to bring some clarity to the situation. The very first thesis confronts the concern over penance but removes it completely from the marketplace of blessings for sale: “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent,’ he called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Repentance here is more than a ritual act or the purchase of the church’s recognition. It is a response to the good news of salvation in Christ that calls for a constant turning away from sin in the direction faith in Christ for salvation, which involved also an allegiance to the cause of Christ in the world. The gospel of God's grace is like the precious pearl in Matthew 13:45-46 that a merchant is willing to give all to have, except this passion should now define our entire lives. Those who think that indulgences can be a substitute for this will suffer loss according to Luther. Note thesis 32, “All those who believe themselves certain of their own salvation by means of letters of indulgence, will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.” Luther did not mince words.
Of course, one can only repent this way by the grace of God, and one must grow by grace in the capacity to do this. We are in constant need of grace for repentance and faith, and God is abundant in mercy to provide it and to forgive. How many idols will we be called to abolish as grace calls us ever deeper into its glorious freedom. And we will gratefully learn from our failures and join with others in the journey onwards. Grace frees us for nothing less than this.
Make no mistake about it though, salvation is indeed free; it cannot be earned or deserved. Luther is clear in the 95 Theses that we are not saved by the power of our repentance but by what Christ did for us to overcome sin and death and to break open a path to God. Luther thus wrote in thesis 62, “The true treasure of the church is the holy gospel of the glory and the grace of God.” All treasure that we lay hold of by our feeble repentance is taken from Christ and is totally undeserved by us. We deserve none of the glory. It all belongs to God. We live from gratitude our entire life.
Those who have studied the life of Luther know that he was not always a paragon of virtue but tragically compromised in some ways with the worst impulses of his time. But he nevertheless left us a legacy from which to learn, we who have also compromised with the spirit of the age in ways more significant than we know. This is why thesis 1 can serve as a guiding light: “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent,’ he called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” I believe the greatest value of the Reformation is the call to semper reformanda, always reforming, always turning a fresh ear to the gospel, especially at times when the church has settled for (and grown accustomed to) a weak or contrary imitation.