The year was 1521. The German monk and professor Martin Luther stood before Charles V, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, at the Imperial Diet of Worms. Before him sat a table piled high with his writings. The question was simple: would he stand by what he had written, or would he recant?
Luther had challenged the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. At first he asked for more time to consider his answer, unwilling to respond rashly. But he returned the next day with courage. Unless he could be convinced by Scripture and plain reason, he declared, he could not and would not retract his teachings. His famous words still echo throughout history: “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”
That moment was the turning point of the Protestant Reformation. Yet the spark had been lit four years earlier, on October 31, 1517, when Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This date is traditionally known was “Reformation Day.” Though Luther wasn’t yet trying to start a movement, and though these 95 theses themselves were academic points for scholarly debate, the central thread already ran through them: Luther appealed to the authority of Scripture. Again and again, he asked his opponents to prove their case from the Word of God.
That appeal, to the Bible as the final and sufficient authority, was the match that ignited the Reformation!
Reformation Sunday, which is celebrated historically on the Sunday before October 31, is a chance for Protestants to reflect on what was truly recovered during that period of church history. The battle cry of the Reformation was summed up in five Latin phrases, known as “The Five Solas:”
Together, these truths remind us that Scripture alone reveals that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. The Reformation was not simply a fight over popes, indulgences, and church traditions—it was about the recovery of the gospel itself—the good news that sinners can be made right with God only by grace through faith in Christ, a message that had been lost.
The material cause, or the central issue, was justification: how is a person made right with God? The Reformers answered clearly: it is not through sacraments, works, or human merit, but through faith in Christ alone. This is the heartbeat of the gospel message! Paul summarizes this clearly when he writes, “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” (Romans 4:4-5)
At the same time, however, the formal cause of the Reformation—the foundation beneath everything else—was Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone is God’s infallible, inerrant, inspired, and sufficient revelation that is the final authority for all faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:20-21). Church tradition does not stand on level footing with Scripture but must be subject to Scripture.
Some may wonder why events from over 500 years ago should matter to us today. We celebrate Reformation Sunday because the very truths that were recovered then are still vital for the church today! We live in a world filled with competing voices: tradition, culture, feelings, false teachings, and opinions all clamoring for authority. Yet only God’s Word stands firm; only the Scripture is our ultimate source of Truth, because in it God speaks to us.
As a church, even preceding my own coming as senior pastor, this church has a rich history of being ‘centered’ on the Bible. Each week as we gather together, we come to hear the Word preached, sung, prayed, and studied, allowing it to shape our lives. But it’s always good to pause, remember, and remind ourselves what we hold in our hands when we open this Book! The Bible is not just ancient words—it is the living and active Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), sufficient to lead us to salvation and to guide us in all of life (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
This Reformation Sunday, October 26, 2025, may we be freshly grateful for the gift of God’s Word. May we as a church hold it high, cling to its promises, and treasure the gospel it proclaims: salvation in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, to the glory of God alone.
