On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the cathedral door in Wittenberg. While the Augustinian monk was intending only to stir academic debate, the Theses ignited a theological and political firestorm now known as the Protestant Reformation. With fondness and gratitude, 2WC is recalling and emphasizing the Reformation during the month of October. Let’s begin with a brief look at the towering figure of the Reformation, Martin Luther.
Born the son of a middle-class silver miner on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany, Martin Luther studied law prior to entering an Augustinian monastery. In September 1511, the vicar of the order, Johann von Staupitz, urged Luther to prepare himself for the profession of preaching and become a Doctor of Theology. Having already earned the three prerequisite degrees for the doctorate, Luther consented and received a doctorate in theology on October 18, 1512. That winter, the Rev. Dr. Luther started preparing lectures on the Psalms. The lectures from Psalms continued until 1515, when he began studying and teaching Romans (1515-1516), Galatians (1516-1517), Hebrews (1517) and then returned to Psalms (1518-1519). The Reformer quipped later, “In the course of this teaching, the papacy slipped away from me.”
Luther never intended to break away from the Roman Catholic Church or establish a new sect. He viewed himself as a faithful servant of the Church, feeling deep regret at the “cult of personality” when Protestants began to be called “Lutherans.” He declared emphatically in 1522:
The first thing I ask is that all people should not make use of my name, and should not call themselves Lutherans but Christians. What is Luther? The teaching is not mine. Nor was I crucified for anyone. . . How did I, poor stinking bag of maggots that I am, come to the point where people call the children of Christ by my evil name?
As Luther declared, “The teaching is not mine.” What brought about the Reformation and its effects? The German stated:
“I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And then, while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip and my Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it. I did nothing. The Word did it all.”
At the heart of Luther’s theology is the conviction God has given Himself for us through Jesus Christ. Mere acknowledgement of God’s existence or mere belief in Christ’s death is not sufficient for salvation. A faith which is salvific comprehends Christ as given pro me and pro nobis. Luther put it this way:
“Read with great emphasis these words, ‘me,’ ‘for me,’ and accustom yourself to accept and to apply to yourself this ‘me’ with certain faith. The words OUR, US, FOR US, ought to be written in golden letters—the man who does not believe them is not a Christian.”
Luther, as an Augustinian monk, was well aware of the Church Father’s teaching on the nature of grace. Following Augustine in this area, Luther affirmed without hesitation that the matter of salvation being that of sola gratia. He maintained individuals are fallen in every area of their being, and apart from God’s grace, would not embrace Christ. He declared the “only infallible preparation for grace…is the eternal election and predestination of God.” In his response to Erasmus’ affirmation of human autonomy and attack on the doctrine of election, Luther noted:
“You alone have attacked the real thing, that is, the essential issue. . . . You alone have seen the hinge on which all turns, and aimed for the vital spot. . . . Grace puts God in the place of everything it sees, and prefers him to itself, but nature puts itself in the place of everything, and even in the place of God, and seeks only its own and not what is God’s.”
Erasmus argued Luther needed to “Let God be good,” while Luther responded, “Let God be God.”
The Olympics begin 8.8.08 and the world will be watching. 
India – An anti-conversion law passed in 2003 in Gujarat State, India, intending to restrain religious conversions made by “force,” “fraud,” or “allurement,” became effective April 1 (2008).
Kazakhstan – The government of Kazakhstan brought charges against Christians in the capital city of Atyrau, Atyrau Province, for holding “illegal” meetings under Article 374.1 of the Administrative Code.
Indonesia – Pastor 
Iraq - Fr. Youssef Adel, 40, an Assyrian Orthodox priest, was driving to a church on April 5 when gunmen in another vehicle opened fire and killed him. The murder took place in the district of Karradah, Baghdad. Fr. Adel, who directed a high school attended by both Christians and Muslims, faced numerable threats meant to evacuate him from his position.
India – The pastors and members of the Manna Ministry in Krishnapuram, Andhra Pradesh, were beaten by Hindu extremists on April 2nd. The mob, numbering about 20, attacked their vehicle while they were returning from an evangelistic outreach. Pastor Gopal, one of the leaders, was seriously injured, and the group’s literature was destroyed.
China - We thank the Lord for the release of well-known house church leader and Christian book store manager, Zhou Heng, on February 19. Heng was released when a court determined there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute him. Please pray for Heng’s physical and emotional healing as he recuperates at home from severe beatings he received from guards and inmates while imprisoned.
