The Lutheran Reformation, not to be confused with the Protestant Reformation, was just that – an effort to reform the church, not start a new one. But it was about something far more fundamental than that. It was about the re-forming of sinners. False teaching had crept in which presented man as merely injured at the time of the fall into sin. While the wound was deep, sin, it was taught, had not completely corrupted and therefore man could and must contribute in some way to his salvation. He either had to put in his best effort and God would reward such effort or he had to take what God had begun and bring it to completion on his own. Works invented by man were invented and prescribed by which people were (and still are) told that they make satisfaction for their sin and merit eternal life. But no such works exist because, as the Holy Spirit clearly teaches in the divine Word, apart from Christ, we can do no good thing. Nothing we put our hands to can be good in the sight of God unless it is built upon the sure and certain foundation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who alone has made full satisfaction for our sin by His Blood. Any work done to add to Christ’s work is offensive to God and condemns us as idolators. The Reformation was a gracious working of God to bring back into clarity the truth that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. It is not by works, so that no one may boast. Through Holy Baptism God re-forms sinners after the image and likeness of His Son and grants them the Holy Spirit who works in them to will and do according to God’s gracious will. Through the Word and the holy sacraments, God is continually at work to re-form us, putting to death the Old Adam and raising the New Man to life to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. I look forward to seeing you all this coming Lord’s Day as we gather to be re-formed by our gracious God and Savior.
Pastor Ulmer