Faithful Servants: Martin Luther

Maybe you’ve heard of the Reformation. A guy named Martin Luther had a huge part to play in it, but he didn’t realize how far the impact of him simply reading the Bible would spread. He didn’t know how God would work through his life. As Martin read the Bible, the Holy Spirit used what he read in order to change him. At the time, the sale of something called “indulgences” was a big part of religious culture. Some corrupt church leaders of the time were selling indulgences with the claim that buying an indulgence could remove punishment for sin. But, in his study of Scripture, Martin realized the sale of indulgences was unbiblical. Since salvation and forgiveness only come through faith in Jesus, buying an indulgence to get rid of punishment did not line up with God’s Word. So Martin decided to write about what he was learning. Thanks to a guy named Gutenberg introducing the printing press to Europe, Martin’s writings spread like fire. But Martin didn’t stop with just writing what he was learning—he also translated the Bible into a language the average person could read. This helped people to remember that, through reading the Bible and through the power of the Holy Spirit, they didn’t need to go through someone else to learn about Jesus. This helped bring a reformation across Europe as people deepened in their understanding of the gospel. Because of Martin’s boldness, he was excommunicated, ostracized, hated, and faced very real physical danger. But also because of Martin’s boldness, barriers that had separated people from God were torn down: the Bible was accessible to the average Joe, the sale of indulgences was shown to be unbiblical, and a personal, trusting faith in Jesus was re-emphasized. We never know what our impact will be; we never know how God is going to use us for His kingdom. It’s encouraging to see how God used Martin’s commitment to the truth of the gospel to change the world. As Christians, we have so much hope because we know Jesus, the very definition of truth (John 14:6). • Sarah Rexford • Romans 1:17 was a Bible verse that changed Martin Luther’s life. What amazing gospel truths do you see in this verse? This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Romans 1:17 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Romans 8:28; Ephesians 2:8-10