“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, It is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)”
When I think of the Reformation, I think of this Bible verse. On October 31, 1517 when Luther nailed 95 theses or statements to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, and called the Catholic Church that was the only church at that tiime, called them to open debate and reformation – re-forming or reexamenation of some of their core beliefs, it started a process where theologians and ordinary people began to articulate the foundations, of their faith. Four or five “solae (only)” became central to the understanding of Protestantism and how it varied from Catholicism. We will start pondering these statements tomorrow.
Before we delve into these foundation beliefs, it might do us well to think about what is foundational as we think about our faith. Is there something about my faith that I would be willing to die for? Our military people are willing to put their lives on the line for the freedoms we cherish dearly as written in the Declaration of Independence: all should have the freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness. The spiritual revolution of the 1500s we call the Reformation said all people have the rights of: reading scripture, are saved by faith and do not neeed to buy indulgences, receive salvations as a gift by grace, and only need to follow Christ and not the saints. These led to an individualism and belief in the value of each person regardless of race, creed, or intelligence. We cherish our rights to become, to think for ourselves, and to thrive. Many of our denominational differences define these rights slightly differently but the core pillars: scripture, Christ, grace and faith are important to all. Our spiritual welfare is wrapped up in how we understand these rights and how we balance the needs of the many with the rights of the individual.
So take a moment and write down one freedom that you value and then the implications that come from that value for your life and the choices you make. Spend a moment to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for that freedom. Which “sola” would you trace that freedom to: Scripture, grace, faith or Christ? Blessings.
On the Way to Wonder 