Today is Thursday, October 31^st, 2013

Today is the 304^th day of 2013. There are 61 days left in this year and only 55 days until Christmas!

Today is Reformation Day! On this day in 1517, an Augustinian Monk named Martyn Luther who had become weary of the multitude of abuses by the Roman Catholic Church nailed a list of 95 “Thesis” or doctrinal statements on the door of the Church at Wittenberg (pronounced “Vit-burg”) College where he was a priest and a professor.

It appears that he did not intend to involve the laypeople in this argument since he wrote them out in Latin, the language of the priests and theologians, and not in German which was the language of the laypeople.

God used them – and him – to give birth to THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION which also brought on the “Peasant’s War” and many other difficulties. But, the theological cat was out of the bag!

While neither Luther, or his Lutheran progeny, came nearly far enough out of the Roman Church; he did set in motion a series of events that produced a genuine reformation of biblical teaching that swept across Europe and from there to the New World; and, eventually around the world!

Out of the Protestant Reformation came the English Separatists, and out of the English Separatists came the first truly “Baptist” Churches. The rebirth of biblical doctrine crystalized in the Reformation is summed up in the “Five Solas” i.e., “Salvation is from Scripture Alone; by Grace Alone; through Faith Alone; in Christ alone; and, to the Glory of God Alone!”

And, out of the return to a proper doctrine of Scripture came recognition of the eight biblical principles upon which our Baptist faith stands:

BIBLICAL AUTHORITY (2 Timothy 3:15–17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:20, 21)  

AUTONOMY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH (Colossians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 8:1–5, 19, 23)

PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 5:9, 10)

TWO ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH (Matthew 28:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 11:23–32)

INDIVIDUAL SOUL LIBERTY (Romans 14:5, 12; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Titus 1:9)

SAVED AND BAPTIZED CHURCH MEMBERSHIP (Acts 2:41–47; 1 Corinthians 12:12;     2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 4:3)

TWO OFFICES IN THE LOCAL CHURCH (1 Timothy 3:1–13; Acts 20:17–38;            Philippians 1:1)

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE (Matthew 22:15–22; 28:19-20; Acts 5:17–29; Romans 13:1-7)

We understand how much we owe to our Baptist forefathers and foremothers who struggled, suffered, and died because of these doctrines that we hold dear. But, let us also recognize how much we owe to our Lutheran and Presbyterian forefathers, (from whom we ultimately had to separate over doctrine) from the magisterial reformers, and to Martyn Luther, himself.

Of course, all of this is ultimately from God, Who graced His Church with reformation and renewal. Let us pray today that HE will again send such doctrinal reformation and spiritual renewal to HIS Church!

Amen!