Today on Renewing Your Mind, the lightning bolt that changed the world forever. In the middle of the day, there arose a sudden thunderstorm of great ferocity. And as Luther was walking. Suddenly a lightning bolt struck the ground just a few feet from where he was standing. in fact, so close to him that it knocked him on the ground.
There are events that stand out in history because of the way they change the course of the world. In more recent decades, You might think of 9-11 or COVID-19. and the same is true for church history. And one of those moments involved Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation that would follow. When Luther, on October 31st, 1517, nailed his 95 theses on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany.
But maybe. Just maybe. It wasn't the hammering of a nail that led to the Reformation. Instead, A bolt of lightning. If this is new to you, or you have never heard a detailed discussion of Martin Luther's life and what he stood for, That's what RC Spro will help us understand this week.
as we approach Reformation Day on Friday. And to help you with your study, this week's resource package includes two teaching series, two study guides, and a hardcover volume on Luther. You can learn more and request yours when you give a donation at renewingyourmind.org. But I'll tell you more about that at the end of today's message.
Well, here's Dr. Spragh on Martin Luther. and that bolt of lightning. In the modern city of Geneva, Switzerland. There is a section.
Above the city. that is called the old city of Geneva. And in the center of that section is a very large walking park next to the university. And the main feature of that park is a Giant wall of marble. which is called the Reformation Wall.
And the Reformation Wall, and right in the immediate vicinity of it, features several. Statues and other imprints in the wall itself. of the magisterial reformers of the sixteenth century Reformation. There's the appearance of Luther. of melancholy.
of Calvin of Beza, of Knox, of Butzer, and Zwingli, and a few others. And at the top of the Reformation wall chiseled into the stone. are the words that comprise the motto of the sixteenth century. Reformation. Those words are these.
Post. Tena Bross. works. Let me write them down for you, lest we forget them. Post.
Tena brash. And the translation of this motto is simple. After Darkness Light.
Now, the question we want to consider initially is what was the Tennebras. that suggested this motto. What darkness was in view.
Well, from the Reformation standpoint, the darkness referred to what had happened. gradually but relentlessly to the Roman Catholic Church During the Dark Ages, Through the Middle Ages. and into the Reformation. There had been a steady change of the church's understanding of biblical Christianity. And most importantly, of the question of salvation.
And what developed in Rome at this time was what we call in theology Sacerdotalism You may not be familiar with the term sacerdotalism, but basically, what it gets at. Is the idea that salvation is accomplished chiefly Through the ministrations. of the church. Through the priesthood And particularly Through the administration. of the sacraments.
And this whole system of salvation. that developed within the Roman Catholic Church. was what came to a crisis. With the sixteenth century. Reformation.
Well, before we get into the historical incidents that provoked it. and the persons that were used of God to bring it to pass. I want to make a distinction that I think is important. that the reformers themselves considered their work to be Reformation not revolution. They did not see their activities.
as an organized revolt. Against the church. or against historic Christianity. But in many ways, like the eighth and seventh century BC prophets of Israel, They saw their task as calling the church back. to the original forms And to the original theology.
Of the Apostolic Church. That is, they were not trying to create something new. But they were not trying to do a new form. but to reform, to call the church back to its roots. and to its origins.
Now this morning in the paper I read this section that I read every day that tells us what happened on this particular date. in past history. And I was interested this morning When I read the paper, when it said on this date, In the year Fifteen oh four. Michelangelo's sculpture of David. was unveiled.
to the public. And I thought, that's interesting that that happened. One year before one of the most important crises took place. in the life of Martin Luther, which took place in 1505. which we'll look at in a few moments.
But I asked myself this, what was Martin Luther doing? On this day. In fifteen oh four. Four.
Well, in this day, in 1504, Martin Luther was 21 years old. He had completed his Master of Arts degree in his studies. and had been enrolled at the university. In law school. When he completed his Master of Arts degree, His father Hans presented him the corpus juris of that day with great pride and celebration.
So at age 21, Luther had already distinguished himself. with his intelligence and with his knowledge. Having been reared in the classical educational system, where the students of that day. were required to be able to speak. Fluent.
Latin. because Latin was the language of The university. It was the language of those involved in jurisprudence. It was the language of theologians and of physicians and other professional people. And so Luther's training in his education to become a lawyer served him quite well.
throughout his lifetime. Luther was born. In the year 1483, you already know that. if you've done the math from 1504 and reasoned backwards 21 years.
Now, if you want to get a sense of where Luther's birth Fit. in Western history. Just imagine this. He was born in 1483. That means that he was nine years old.
When the whole new world was discovered, by Christopher Columbus. How do we know that? Because we know that in fourteen ninety two Columbus sailed. the ocean blue.
So there were all kinds of tumultuous changes that were taking place. In the Western world at this time, the discovery. of the New World was not the least. His father And mother had been peasants in Germany by the Tringian Forest. And Hans Luther, his father, left the fields of the farm, and became a miner.
And he was successful in the mining industry of the region to such an extent that through his. managerial skills, And entrepreneurial skills manage to become an owner. of six foundries. and elevated the economic station of his family Significantly, but his great dream. Was that in educating his son Martin?
He would have a son. Who would be a prominent lawyer? Who would become wealthy and would be able to care for his parents? in their old age. And everything was progressing nicely in this direction.
As Luther, in the early years of his education, was already gaining a reputation as a student. in jurisprudence of remarkable brilliance In the field of law.
Now, remember that as we continue to analyze. The role that Luther played in the Protestant Reformation had very much to do. With his understanding, Of law. Because he took the skills and the education that he had in jurisprudence. and applied it to his study of Biblical.
Law.
Well, the crisis that would change his life. that would change the world. Forever. took place in July. Uh 1504.
Five. When Luther was walking home from The University And in the middle of the day, there arose a sudden. thunderstorm of great ferocity. And as he was walking, Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the ground just a few feet from where he was standing. In fact, so close to him that it knocked him on the ground.
And He saw this. as a message from God. He was terrified. And he cried out in his fear, Help me, Saint Anne. I will become A monk.
Now the reason he made his appeal to Saint Anne was because Saint Anne, who was the mother of Mary, was the patron saint For minors. And she had had a prominent place in the daily prayers within the Lutheran household. And so in this moment of crisis, He called to heaven for the protection I've St. Anne. And true to this vow, he moved post haste Two, The Augustinian monastery.
in the city of Erfurt, nearby the university. And he chose to enter that particular monastery. Because it was known as being the most rigorous and demanding of the various monastic orders. Reflecting the depths of its founder Saint Augustine.
Now, in his desire to become a monk, he presented himself at the front door. of the monastery was welcomed by the prior of the monastery. Came inside. and was asked the question that every novice was asked What? Do you seek?
And Luther's answer was... God's grace And you're Mercy. And so he was admitted into the order. As a novice. And the day of his ordination.
There as a monk, Was as filled with irony, I think, as any moment. in the history of the church. as the custom was for the ordination of men into the priesthood or to the monastic orders, the Ordinand had to present himself at the front of the chancel stairs. And he had to prostrate himself. on the floor with his arms extended.
His body forming the shape of a cross. And he would be garbed in most uncomfortable Clothes. But in this, Status of humiliation. The process of ordination. would proceed.
Well, what is the twist of irony about it?
Well, to explain that, I have to tell you that several years ago, I led a tour. Uh Luther's Germany. And we visited all the important cities of his life, the city of his birth, Isleben, which and the province of God also became the city of his death. We went to Wittenberg, where he taught at the university and where he posted the 95 theses on the castle. Church door there.
We went to Worms, where the Imperial Diet was held in 1521. We went to Leipzig. where an important disputation took place that we'll look at later. And of course we visited Erfurt and I went into the church of the monastery there and looked at the site. where Luther had been ordained.
And here's the irony. The year that we took that tour, there was a celebration of Luther. and portraits and posters of Luther were were all over what was Eastern Germany. on every church building. Billboards everywhere.
with a portrait of Martin Luther against the background. of the silhouette of a swan. And I wasn't even aware at that time. of the significance of that. And so I made inquiries and discovered that the reason why the image of the swan.
adorned these posters with the portrait of Martin Luther. dated back to events that took place In what was then Czechoslovakia. in the city of Prague. where a noted professor In that Area Had published works declaring, for example, That the scriptures alone contained the inspired word of God. and could not be equaled by the edicts and the teachings of the church.
And for that and other doctrines that he was teaching. He ran into problems with the established church. and was put on trial. as a heretic. The man's name was John Hush.
Now the word has or oos. in Czechoslovakian means Goose. And as it turned out, when Huss was interrogated, and would not recant of his writings, The presiding bishop sentenced him To be Burned. at the stake. And Haas refused to recant, and as he was about to be executed, he said.
Two. The presiding bishop. You may Burn this goose or cook this goose, if you will. But there will come after me a swan. whom you will not Be able to to science.
And that story became widely known. throughout Europe. And so when Luther appeared on the scene, He was welcomed as the prophetic fulfillment. of John Husse' idea of the swan who would come. Hence the posters against the background Of the swan.
Well, where's the irony? Here's the irony. When Luther presented himself for ordination, The chancel steps. The monastery in Erfurt. And he lie on the ground with his arms outstretched.
He was right in front of the altar. and buried in front of the altar. Under the stones of the chapel. Was the bishop? who condemned John Huss.
Now I like to rewrite history a little bit. Embellish it. That's the preacher's prerogative anyway. And I like to think that when John Huss said to the bishop, You may burn or cook this goose, but there will come a swan Whom you will not be able to silence. I like to think that the bishop said to us.
over my Dead. Body. But as I say That's what I wish would have been the record of history, but I am. uh embellishing the history somewhat.
Well It would seem in the early years of Luther. That He tended to have a crisis of some sort, that would take place about Every Five years. First of all, the crisis in 1505 with the lightning bolt I like to call that the lightning bolt that changed the world. But he also had another crisis in 1510 when he made a visit to Rome. and still a third crisis in 1515 When he had his famous tower experience, where he understood.
The gospel for the first time in his life. But first we have to understand what happened to him. When he entered The monastery. Things were not good at home. Father Hans was furious.
with his son for disappointing him by not pursuing His vocation and career In law. Luther himself, when he entered the monastery, Vowed To become The best monk that he could possibly be. He later on would reflect and say: if anyone was ever going to make it to heaven, True monkery. It was I. And so in the years of his Novitiate and later on As a fully ordained monk.
He went through the rigorous schedule that was the monastic life. They prayer at several intervals during the day. And that had an impact on his life because he was a disciplined man of prayer. as long as he lived. But not only that, there was the process of daily confessional.
Every monk had a father confessor. that he had to meet with every day as a matter of religious discipline. And Luther gave nothing but vexation to his father confessor And the other authorities in the monastery. Because the rest of the brothers would come in, Father, I have sinned. You know, in the last 24 hours, I coveted Brother Jonathan's chicken at dinner last night.
where I stayed up five minutes past lights out. How much trouble can you get in in a monastery like that? But so they would confess their sins in five minutes. Get their absolution. and then go back to their tasks in the monastery.
Brother Luther would come in. And he would confess his sins of the last 24 hours. For 20 minutes? A half an hour? An hour?
Sometimes two. Two hours. Or three hours. Until the confessor became exasperated with him and said, Brother Martin. Don't come to me with these minor infractions.
If you're going to sin. He says, give me something. worth forgiving. But Luther's mind. Work this way.
He was such a student of the law, He poured over the law. meticulously. He realized, for example, that the great commandment was to love the Lord his God with all of his might and all of his soul and all of his strength and his neighbor as much as he loved himself. And he knew he didn't do it for a single hour. And so as he applied.
The fullness Of the depths of God's law. to his own life. All he could see was guilt. And so he was driven. What a passion.
to experience it. Forgiveness. That was real. and that was lasting. But this passion was never fulfilled.
in the monastery. Isn't it incredible to be reminded that God is Lord over history? That history is his story, as some have said. And that Christ is working to build his church. And we'll see that even more clearly in the upcoming chapters of Luther's Life.
This is Renewing Your Mind on this Monday, and that was R. C. Sproll from his series Luther and the Reformation. as we consider the work of God through the Protestant Reformation. If you live near Anaheim, California, I'd love to see you on Wednesday evening for Renewing Your Mind Live.
I'll be joined by W. Robert Godfrey and Stephen Nicholls for an evening of teaching, fellowship, and giveaways. you'll get to peek behind the curtain as we take the Renewing Your Minds studio on the road. and everyone who registers and attends will receive a complimentary copy of RC Sproul's year long devotional in Romans. It's called The Power of the Gospel.
So learn more and register at Renewing Your Mind.org slash Anaheim. And I'll see you Wednesday. And don't forget to check out renewingyourmind.org slash events for other Renewing Your Mind live events in San Jose and in Raleigh, North Carolina. This week's series, Luther and the Reformation, is 10 messages. And in addition to telling the story of Martin Luther and the Reformation, Dr.
Sproll explains the differences between the Roman Catholic and the Protestant views of justification. and also answers many of Rome's objections. when you give a donation in support of the proclamation of these Gospel truths, we'll send you the D V D set of this series and unlock the messages and study guide in the free Ligoneer app. And while you're streaming in the app Will also unlock his 10-part series, Justified by Faith Alone, and its study guide. That's a series that was released only a couple of years before he went to be with the Lord.
and because this is a special week as we lead up to Reformation Day on Friday. Included in the package that will arrive in the mail will be a hardcover copy of The Legacy of Luther. Edited by R. C. Sproull and Stephen Nichols.
Call us today at 800-435-4343 or visit renewingyourmind.org to make your donation. and you'll receive two teaching series, two study guides, and a hardcover book as our way of saying thanks. There's a convenient link in the podcast show notes. And if you live outside of the US and Canada, an entirely digital edition is available for you at renewingyourmind.org/slash. global.
The greatest moment of disillusionment for Martin Luther. took place in 1510 as he ventured to the city of Rome. Why? Find out tomorrow. Kia on Renewing Your Mind.
