Continuing the Reformation: A Call to Biblical Faith

 

Summary

In the heart of Wittenberg, Germany, we gather to reflect on the enduring significance of the Reformation and its implications for the church today. As we walk these historic streets, we are reminded of the profound changes initiated by Martin Luther and his contemporaries, changes that continue to resonate in our churches and lives. The Reformation was not merely a historical event but a call to continually reform the church according to the Word of God. This principle, semper reformanda, underscores the necessity for the church to be ever vigilant against the influences of secular culture and theological liberalism, ensuring that it is always reformed by Scripture alone.

The challenges faced by the church in Germany, particularly the rise of atheism and agnosticism, highlight the ongoing battle between secular ideologies and the truth of the gospel. The weakening of the church's influence in society is a stark reminder of the need for a robust, biblically grounded faith that can withstand cultural shifts. The Reformation teaches us that the church must remain steadfast in its commitment to the authority of Scripture, even when faced with internal and external pressures to conform.

Moreover, the discussion on biblical literacy reveals a crisis within the church. Despite unprecedented access to Scripture, many believers lack a deep understanding of its teachings. This calls for a renewed emphasis on teaching and preaching the Word, both in the church and at home. Parents, in particular, bear the responsibility of instilling a love for Scripture in their children, ensuring that the next generation is equipped to stand firm in their faith.

As we consider the role of women in the church and the interpretation of Scripture, it is crucial to approach these issues with a commitment to biblical theology, understanding the broader narrative of Scripture and its implications for today. The Reformation reminds us that our ultimate authority is the Word of God, and it is through faithful adherence to its teachings that the church will continue to thrive.

In conclusion, the Reformation was a divine movement that restored the gospel's purity and reaffirmed the church's foundation on Scripture alone. As we commemorate this pivotal moment in history, let us be inspired to continue the work of reformation in our own lives and churches, always seeking to align ourselves with the truth of God's Word.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Reformation's principle of semper reformanda emphasizes the church's need to be continually reformed by Scripture, resisting secular and liberal influences that seek to reshape it. This ongoing reformation is essential until Christ returns. [02:01]

2. The rise of atheism and agnosticism in Germany highlights the church's struggle against secular ideologies. The church must remain committed to the truth of the gospel, even in the face of cultural shifts that challenge its influence. [03:40]

3. Biblical literacy is in crisis despite widespread access to Scripture. The church must prioritize teaching and preaching the Word, and parents must take responsibility for instilling a love for Scripture in their children. [29:00]

4. The interpretation of Scripture, particularly regarding the role of women, requires a commitment to biblical theology. Understanding the broader narrative of Scripture helps us apply its teachings faithfully in today's context. [15:21]

5. The Reformation was a divine movement that restored the gospel's purity and reaffirmed the church's foundation on Scripture alone. It serves as a reminder of the power of God's Word to transform lives and communities. [43:42]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:19] - Reformation Celebration in Wittenberg
- [00:53] - Need for Ongoing Reformation
- [01:25] - Semper Reformanda Explained
- [02:01] - Reformation by the Word of God
- [03:04] - Atheism and Agnosticism in Germany
- [03:40] - Challenges Facing the German Church
- [05:00] - Reliability of Scripture
- [07:04] - Luther's Struggle with Rome
- [09:42] - Luther's Patience and Responsibility
- [11:35] - Working Out Salvation
- [14:39] - Women's Roles in Scripture
- [19:31] - Luther's View on James
- [22:41] - Motivation Behind Church Giving
- [26:19] - Continuationism and the Word of God
- [28:15] - Biblical Illiteracy in the Church
- [35:15] - No Social Advantage in Christianity
- [38:14] - German Understanding of Luther
- [41:52] - God's Work in the Reformation

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Enduring Significance of the Reformation

Bible Reading:
1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
2. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 - "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
3. Philippians 2:12-13 - "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."

Observation Questions:
1. What does the principle of "semper reformanda" mean, and how does it relate to the church's need to be continually reformed by Scripture? [02:01]
2. How does the rise of atheism and agnosticism in Germany illustrate the church's struggle against secular ideologies? [03:40]
3. What are some reasons given in the sermon for the crisis of biblical literacy in the church today? [29:00]
4. How does the sermon suggest parents should take responsibility for instilling a love for Scripture in their children? [33:42]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the principle of "semper reformanda" challenge the church to resist secular and liberal influences? What might this look like in a modern church setting? [02:01]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the weakening of the church's influence in society is a call for a more robust, biblically grounded faith? [03:40]
3. How does the sermon address the role of biblical theology in interpreting Scripture, particularly regarding the role of women in the church? [15:21]
4. What does the sermon imply about the importance of teaching and preaching the Word both in the church and at home? How does this relate to the crisis of biblical literacy? [29:00]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own church experience. How can your church better embody the principle of "semper reformanda" by ensuring it is continually reformed by Scripture? [02:01]
2. In what ways can you personally contribute to strengthening the church's influence in a society that is increasingly secular? [03:40]
3. How can you, as a parent or mentor, take practical steps to instill a love for Scripture in the next generation? Consider specific actions you can take this week. [33:42]
4. What steps can you take to improve your own biblical literacy? Identify one area of Scripture you want to study more deeply and make a plan to do so. [29:00]
5. How can you engage in discussions about the role of women in the church with a commitment to biblical theology? What resources or conversations might help you understand this issue better? [15:21]
6. Consider the distractions in your life that may be hindering your focus on Scripture. What changes can you make to prioritize time in God's Word? [31:14]
7. How can you support your church's efforts to teach and preach the Word more effectively? Think of one specific way you can get involved or offer support. [29:00]

Devotional

Day 1: Continual Reformation by Scripture
The principle of semper reformanda, meaning "always reforming," is a call for the church to be continually reformed by Scripture. This principle emphasizes the need for the church to resist secular and liberal influences that seek to reshape it. The Reformation was not just a historical event but a divine movement that restored the gospel's purity and reaffirmed the church's foundation on Scripture alone. This ongoing reformation is essential until Christ returns, ensuring that the church remains steadfast in its commitment to the authority of Scripture. The church must be vigilant against the influences of secular culture and theological liberalism, ensuring that it is always reformed by Scripture alone. [02:01]

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV): "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."

Reflection: In what ways can you actively participate in the continual reformation of your own faith and your church community by aligning more closely with Scripture today?


Day 2: Standing Firm Against Secular Ideologies
The rise of atheism and agnosticism in Germany highlights the church's struggle against secular ideologies. The weakening of the church's influence in society serves as a stark reminder of the need for a robust, biblically grounded faith that can withstand cultural shifts. The church must remain committed to the truth of the gospel, even in the face of cultural shifts that challenge its influence. This commitment requires a steadfast adherence to the authority of Scripture and a willingness to stand firm against the pressures to conform to secular ideologies. [03:40]

Colossians 2:8 (ESV): "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."

Reflection: Identify a secular ideology that challenges your faith. How can you equip yourself with Scripture to stand firm against it today?


Day 3: Addressing the Crisis of Biblical Literacy
Despite unprecedented access to Scripture, many believers lack a deep understanding of its teachings, leading to a crisis of biblical literacy within the church. This calls for a renewed emphasis on teaching and preaching the Word, both in the church and at home. Parents, in particular, bear the responsibility of instilling a love for Scripture in their children, ensuring that the next generation is equipped to stand firm in their faith. The church must prioritize teaching and preaching the Word to address this crisis and ensure that believers are grounded in the truth of Scripture. [29:00]

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV): "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Reflection: How can you incorporate more intentional Scripture study into your daily routine to deepen your understanding and love for God's Word?


Day 4: Faithful Interpretation of Scripture
The interpretation of Scripture, particularly regarding the role of women, requires a commitment to biblical theology. Understanding the broader narrative of Scripture helps us apply its teachings faithfully in today's context. The Reformation reminds us that our ultimate authority is the Word of God, and it is through faithful adherence to its teachings that the church will continue to thrive. This commitment to biblical theology ensures that the church remains grounded in the truth of Scripture and is able to address contemporary issues with wisdom and discernment. [15:21]

Acts 17:11 (ESV): "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

Reflection: What steps can you take to ensure that your interpretation of Scripture is faithful to its broader narrative and context?


Day 5: The Transformative Power of God's Word
The Reformation was a divine movement that restored the gospel's purity and reaffirmed the church's foundation on Scripture alone. It serves as a reminder of the power of God's Word to transform lives and communities. As we commemorate this pivotal moment in history, we are inspired to continue the work of reformation in our own lives and churches, always seeking to align ourselves with the truth of God's Word. This transformative power of God's Word is evident in the lives of believers who are committed to living according to its teachings and allowing it to shape their lives and communities. [43:42]

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV): "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Reflection: How has God's Word transformed your life, and how can you allow it to continue shaping you and your community today?

Quotes

"MOHLER: I think the easiest answer to that is, 'Do you think the church, your church, the larger church represents exactly what Christ desires for His church?' If not, then there is the need for Reformation. By the time you get to the seventeenth century, the motto, semper reformanda, becomes very much a part of the Protestant vocabulary coming from the Dutch first and then becoming more widespread. The liberals loved it and claimed this in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They were continuing the Reformation. But that phrase coming from the Dutch was 'the church always being reformed by the Word of God,' and that's the issue. We want the church always to be reformed by the Word of God." [00:01:16]

"LOHMANN: I would say atheism is probably not the big issue in some parts of Germany. I think it is agnosticism. Atheism is certainly the big issue here in Wittenberg and eastern Germany, and that's obviously the result of the communist regime and the church really being sidelined completely, a church that was weak already coming out of, you know, everything that had to do with higher criticism over the last two hundred years. And so, I would say atheism is definitely the name of the game in east Germany. In the rest of Germany, I think, the bigger problem is that people actually think they are Christians and think they know what it means to be a Christian, but they have no clue of it." [00:03:13]

"MUELLER: I would say it's just that liberal theology has really destroyed the church and the seminaries. When you have young pastors who don't believe that Jesus Christ actually was on the cross literally, that He died, that He rose again, the church cannot prosper. And then, I think, another point is that obviously by God's grace the Holy Spirit did mighty things here during the Reformation, also at some other times, as you think about even Halle, Leipzig, Frankfurt. And I do think that the devil is also very much active in fighting against where there has been already a lot of light, a lot of Jesus Christ in the gospel." [00:04:01]

"NICHOLS: I think some of the work by Michael Kruger is very helpful. We need to also engage the issue of the canon and the process of the canon in terms of the text itself, and I think from his work it can be very helpful and very helpful for a layperson. I think in terms of some of the faculty at your place, Dr. Mohler, the New Testament faculty there, that have been very helpful in terms of engaging this issue. One of the things, I think, we need to recognize is, as we look at the doctrine of inerrancy and we look at the doctrine of the authority of Scripture, it is very easy to think that somehow because we have this, and this is a challenge to inerrancy, and because we have this English Bible or the German Bible, that somehow then that is a paper doctrine, that because we don't have the autographs it is no longer necessary to be talking about inerrancy." [00:05:35]

"LAWSON: Yeah, in the Philippians 2, 'Work out your salvation in fear and trembling for it is God who is at work within you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure;' that has nothing to do with earning your salvation. Salvation comes in broad brush strokes in three categories: justification, sanctification, and glorification. This is a very often repeated statement, but we have been saved, we are being saved, we will be saved. It's a total package. The Philippians 2 refers to working out what God has already worked into us, Philippians 1:6, the previous chapter, 'being confident of this very kind that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.'" [00:11:35]

"LAWSON: Well, in the 1 Timothy 2 passage it's obviously not cultural as of that time, because Paul makes his appeal going all the way back to the creation of Adam and Eve. He bases it upon creation and God's order in creation and headship and submission as God has established it from the very beginning. So, the appeal is not to the present-day culture that's going on at that time and moderating some practice that's already there. No, this is how God established it from the very beginning, but the 1 Timothy 2 passage where he says, 'I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man,' he follows that by appealing to creation." [00:14:49]

"NICHOLS: If we go back to Luther, I think one of the translations of one of his thirty-eight hymns is about the Word of God, and I just try to remember the lines, pull them back from memory, he says, 'For feelings come and feelings go and feelings are not worth believing. Our warrant is the Word of God.' And I think when we look into this idea of the ongoing gifts, I don't know how to see them in any other way than an addition to the Word of God, and in a way of saying that the Word of God is not sufficient, that we need this extra revelation. We need something more." [00:26:39]

"LAWSON: We were just talking about it at lunch today. In the United States, Dr. Mohler was pointing out to us, one, the demise of Sunday school and training young people in the Word of God, the cancellation of Wednesday night, the cancellation of Sunday night church preaching specifically, such that people hear such little truth actually being preached and taught. Maybe, there's only one sermon a week. If you came every time every week and then no adult education in Sunday school, I mean, we should not be surprised that there is such a low biblical literacy rate in the church. So, we obviously need more Bible and more Bible teaching, more Bible equipping, more Bible preaching, I think, for the church to be healthy and strong." [00:28:25]

"MOHLER: Yes, absolutely to all that has been said, also just in terms of the premise behind the question, we shouldn't confuse the ability to read with the practice of reading. We are living in a time in which, yes, more people can read. That doesn't mean that they do read. So, if you talk to booksellers and publishers, they will tell you that the book reading public is getting narrower, but deeper. It's a thinner slice of the population buying more books per capita. It's really not a widespread phenomenon that everyone who can read does read." [00:32:59]

"MOHLER: Well, I will say not in terms of any pragmatic secret strategy. We should simply take advantage of the opportunity to preach the Word, knowing that no one else is going to do it. No one else is going to carry any of the freight for the Christian church anymore, even in terms of morality. It used to be that the Christian church could peach and teach, but it understood that the larger part of society would reinforce basically biblical moral judgments on issues of marriage, sexuality. So, it's not an accident that the Ten Commandments are ensconced often in stone in some of the most historic American monuments and also here in Europe as well." [00:35:15]

"MUELLER: Well, I think, the light of the gospel was shining forth very brightly and then what we've heard this morning, just standing up for God's Word and with that God granted some level of revival." [00:41:52]

"MOHLER: Amen. In spending so much time with Luther over the last couple of years, especially preparing for this, having found my theological identity in the Reformation for all of my adult life, I was reminded of something profoundly in the midst of all of this and that is this. I think if Luther were asked, 'What one thing did the Reformation represent?' he would say, 'Listening to the Word of God, the people God again hearing the Word of God.' And Luther then made the point that everything else will follow. And so, he made the point in one of his last public statements that if all he had done was to translate the New Testament into German, the Reformation would have happened, because if the people simply hear and read the Word of God—and he meant that, first of all, in terms of the Word 'preached'—the Reformation is going to happen." [00:43:42]

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Transcript
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