October 2025
The Reformation – The ROCK – October 2025 – Rev. Logan Landes
The Reformation is a topic of discussion, remembrance, and celebration in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and is rightly so. To understand why The Reformation is a matter of great enough importance to earn it a special Sunday celebration in the Church, we must first dive into the history that led to Martin Luther’s movement.
In the late medieval times, the Roman Catholic Church was largely the Church. Martin Luther was a part of this church too. While he had originally walked the path toward becoming a lawyer, a lifechanging experience in a thunderstorm altered his path toward the monastery and a life dedicated to God and the Church.
The Church of the time was littered with corruption, indulgences, and the weight of works-righteousness. By the early 1500s, the Roman Catholic Church had fallen into the trap of teachings and practices that obscured the Gospel of Christ. Many church leaders were entangled in political power struggles and were caught up in the chase of worldly wealth.
This chase of wealth and the greater mess of off-the-mark theology resulted in a broad system of works-righteousness teachings and practices. Believers were taught that their salvation depended not solely on Christ but also on their own efforts, merits, and satisfactions. Pilgrimages, relics, fasting, and other acts of devotion became burdensome requirements of the law rather than joyful expressions of free faith. If one desired to be saved, then one had to earn it- yes, Christ necessarily needed to be involved for this salvation, but nevertheless, the believer needed to put in enough work or enough satisfaction to earn the forgiveness of sins and the reward of eternal life.
One of the most troubling practices was the sale of indulgences. These were slips of paper that a believer purchased with money as a promised means to reduce the time a soul would spend in purgatory. Indulgences turned forgiveness into something that could be purchased for a worldly price rather than something won on the cross and given by Christ to His Church by grace and love. These indulgences could be purchased for the self or for a loved one- even a loved one who had already died and was supposed spending time in purgatory. This heretical teaching and practice was in direct contradiction with the Gospel of Christ and His infallible Word. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
This spiritual crisis set the stage for Martin Luther’s rediscovery of the Gospel in Scripture. Martin Luther, at the time a monk, was so troubled by his own sin and the weight that the church was now placing on him to make satisfaction for his sin, that he despaired. He only was able to see God as a wrathful God who demanded the sinner to atone for himself rather than a loving God who had given His son in love for the justification of the sinner. This view of God led Martin Luther to his lowest places.
By the grace of God, Martin Luther, despairing and seemingly hopeless, turned to Scripture and searched for a gracious God- any Word that would draw him back to a God that loved him rather than condemned him. And in Romans 1:17 Martin Luther found that God. “For in it [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall love by faith.’” This rediscovery of the Gospel for Martin Luther was a spark that the Lord used to draw the Church back to the Gospel and away from the self-centered practices of the early medieval church. Martin Luther then dove all-in into Scripture to discover what the Bible actually said about God and about salvation, and what’s more, he then desired to take this rediscovered Gospel and share it with the people. This was news that couldn’t be kept to himself. He had to let the whole Church know this! And thus, The Reformation was born. It was Martin Luther’s desire to reform the Roman Catholic Church of which he was a member, not break away and start a new church. But, that was not how it played out.
Martin Luther famously posted the Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 spelling out the need for a reformation within the church and where he saw the need. This was not intended as an attack on the church but a call to repentance and faithful change. This posting changed the church and the world. Many rallied behind Martin Luther and desired to see these very reformations made for the sake of the Gospel and the peace of the Church. However, many opposed these changes and were not going to sit back quietly while Martin Luther published his ideas across the German nation.
This disagreement led to a series of debates and writings. From this, writings such as Luther’s Small Catechism, Luther’s Large Catechism, The Augsburg Confession, The Smalcald Articles, The Power and Primacy of the Pope, The Formula of Concord, and even the German translation of the Bible were penned. Changes to the church’s hymns and worship practices were seen as well. Martin Luther’s life was threatened and great division was wedged between Luther and his followers and the Roman Catholic Church. Rather than all coming to an agreement and a true Reformation of the whole Church occurring, The Protestant Church was born, of which the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod is.
While the particular doctrines of the Luther Church – Missorui Synod are extensive and much time could be spent dissecting them and comparing them to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, in the essence of time, let it be understood in broad strokes, that Luther led the Church, which shall be labelled the LCMS for the sake of this article, into confessing these broad theological themes: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), that God’s Word holds perfect authority over all worldly authority or church traditions, Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), that salvation is a free gift of God in Christ, not earned whatsoever, Sola Fide (Faith Alone), that the believer is justified, or made righteous, through faith in Christ alone, totally apart from works, Solus Christus (Christ Alone), that Christ is the only mediator between God and man and He alone has made satisfaction for sin, and the theology of the cross, that is that Christians look to the cross for comfort and satisfaction, not to works or earthly glories. These core themes of the Christian faith are further expounded upon in the doctrinal writings of the LCMS, which are contained within the Book of Concord- the confessional standard of the LCMS.
While these matters may seem insignificant, they are not. Proper doctrine and theology can truly be the difference between eternal life and eternal damnation. If a church’s theology leads people to trust in themselves and place Jesus into a place of irrelevance, then the church’s theology is leading people away from the one true source of forgiveness and salvation. That’s a big deal! Luther isn’t teaching nor did he argue over matters of little importance simply because he enjoyed a good debate. He fought for the Gospel of Christ so that men could know Jesus as Lord and Savior and receive the salvation won on the cross! He fought that the Church would have grace-based peace in knowing a merciful and loving God.
Luther’s theology, which is simply the Bible laid out for the Church in plain terms, teaches the believer of the assurance of salvation. The believer can be confident that he is forgiven in Christ, and therefore doesn’t have to despair if his works don’t meet the Law’s unobtainable demands. Romans 3:28, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
Luther also put a major emphasis on the Sacraments, just as God’s Word does, and in doing so he taught people that Christ’s gifts are delivered concretely through Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. When the believer approaches these most blessed gifts, the power therein for salvation is real. The Church is not to dismiss these gifts as mere symbols or empty traditions. These are gifts truly given by Christ Himself and promised by His own true Word to hold the power of salvation. Therefore, all who faithfully partake of these gifts truly receive forgiveness and salvation in Christ by faith. Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” And 1 Corinthians 10:16, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”
His theological teachings gave the Church a right understanding of the pastoral office. This is the office of the Church, instituted by Christ Himself, in which a man is called to preach and administer the Means of Grace for the comfort of consciences. The sure promise is then, much like the sacraments, when you hear the Word of Forgiveness given by this man, you hear the Word of Forgiveness given by Christ Himself. Not because this man is somehow better or more perfect than other men, but because Christ has instituted this holy office for the sake of faithfully distributing the gifts He earned for His people on the cross and out of the tomb. John 20:21-23, “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
The Church was also led to an understanding of the Priesthood of All Believers. Martin Luther taught what the Bible infallibly stated: every Christian has access to God’s grace and vocation in daily life. Not just the priest. While the priest or the pastor is a wonderful gift of God in his proclaiming the Word of God and his administering the Means of Grace in Christ’s stead and by His command, the believer has access to God’s Word and forgiveness even apart from the pastor. This is important for ongoing comfort for every Christian. 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chose race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Finally, Martin Luther instilled great value into catechesis and education. He made it a high priority that the Church be teaching all members, young and old, the matters of faith. The believer was not to be entirely dependent on the priest for all biblical information. This was the purpose of Luther’s German translation of the Bible. Individuals without priest training, were to be able to read the Bible and inwardly digest the Word of God. The Church was to take up the role of encouraging this education and emphasizing the catechesis of her members. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
These core values and themes are still practiced in the LCMS today and this is good. The Word of God is still held as the highest authority in all creation and is still taught and relied upon solely. The Sacraments are still treated with the highest regard and trusted as real and true means through which Christians receive the grace of God in forgiveness and salvation. The pastoral office is still believed to be the Christ-given office through which forgiveness is distributed for the good of the Church and in accordance with Christ’s mandate. The LCMS teaches that all Christians are a priesthood of believers and are empowered by the Spirit to share the Gospel and the forgiveness of Christ to a fallen world. And the LCMS continues to emphasize education and catechesis within her congregations for the good of the members.
Martin Luther didn’t just change the traditions of the Church because they were deemed outdated or no longer appealing. He changed the very confession of the Church to be Gospel-oriented and faithful to the Word of God. While we hold Martin Luther and The Reformation in high regard for what he did and what it means to us, as Lutherans and as Christians we must appreciate that the confession that the Church now rightly holds is not a gift from Martin Luther. The Gospel is a gift from God. Martin Luther, like all other Christians, was a means by which this most blessed Gospel message was delivered, but it is the Gospel of Christ. It is the love of our God given to us- His people.
Let us celebrate The Reformation! But not just as a historical event! Let us celebrate it for the confession God has given His Church through it. For in recognizing Christ alone as our savior by grace, we have the unshakable assurance and hope of everlasting life with God. That is something most certainly worth celebrating!