Today the vast majority of our culture will be focused on costumes and candy. However, for Protestants, October 31, Reformation day, commemorates what some believe to have been “the greatest move of the Spirit of God since the days of the Apostles.”

When Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the church door on October 31, 1517, it triggered a debate that would eventually culminate in what we now refer to as the Protestant Reformation.

What is Reformation Day?

Stephen Nichols explains how that single event forever impacted history,

“It is the day the light of the gospel broke forth out of darkness.

It was the day that began the Protestant Reformation.

It was a day that led to Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, and may other Reformers helping the church find its way back to God’s Word as the only authority for faith and life and leading the church back to the glorious doctrines of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

 It kindled the fires of missionary endeavors.

 It led to hymn writing and congregational singing.

 It led to the centrality of the sermon and preaching for the people of God.

 It is the celebration of a theological, ecclesiastical, and cultural transformation.”

 Why October 31?

In Luther’s day November 1 held a special place in the church calendar as All Saints’ Day. On November 1, 1517, an expansive exhibit of newly acquired relics would be on display in Luther’s hometown of Wittenberg. Pilgrims would travel from far and wide to bow before the artifacts, and be awarded with reduced time to atone for their sins in purgatory. Luther, much like Lot in the Old Testament, was a righteous man in anguish over sinful acts of lawless men, (2 Peter 2:7) so he penned his 95 Theses on October 31, 1517.

What were the enduring ramifications?

Initially opposing the pope’s attempt to sell salvation, Luther’s study of Scripture eventually led him to clash with the church of Rome on other issues, including the supremacy of Scripture over church tradition, and the means by which men are justified in the sight of God.

Robert Rothwell describes the immense impact of Luther’s discovery of salvation by grace alone through faith alone,

“Martin Luther’s rediscovery of this truth led to a whole host of other church and societal reforms and much of what we take for granted in the West would have likely been impossible had he never graced the scene. Luther’s translation of the Bible into German put the Word of God in the hands of the people, and today Scripture is available in the vernacular language of many countries, enabling lay people to study it with profit. He reformed the Latin mass by putting the liturgy in the common tongue so that non-scholars could hear and understand the preached word of God and worship the Lord with clarity. Luther lifted the unbiblical ban on marriage for the clergy and by his own teaching and example radically transformed the institution itself. He recaptured the biblical view of the priesthood of all believers, showing all people that their work had purpose and dignity because in it they can serve their Creator.”

 All of the above is why Reformation Day, October 31, must hold a special place in the heart of every protestant, and why the motto of the Protestant Reformation became “After Darkness, Light.”

The Reformation stands as a powerful testimony of “the power of the Word of God to penetrate into places of spiritual and cultural darkness and transform the people of God.”

References:

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-is-reformation-day/
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-reformation-day-all-about/