A Reformation Legacy
For us, October 31st is “REFORMATION DAY,” not Halloween. When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the church door, it was the day before “All Souls Day,” or what is now called “All Saints Day.” Luther was looking for a debate, but God used these theses to bring the debate to all of Europe. God used Luther to teach the Gospel that people are not delivered from sin by any works, but through the work of Jesus, God’s Son, who kept God’s Law perfectly and suffered death on the cross to pay our punishment. This is salvation by Christ alone, for only Jesus could rescue people from God’s judgment.
The Gospel also promises that everyone who believe on Jesus as their Savior will be forgiven by God and have eternal life in heaven. This is salvation by faith alone. The Bible teaches in Ephesians 2:8–9 that faith is a gift from God. We cannot produce saving faith or decide to believe on Jesus. But Holy Spirit of God calls people by His Word in the Bible to believe in Jesus. This is salvation by grace alone. A legacy is something valuable that is handed down to the next generation. For 501 years, the legacy of the Reformation has been handed down to many generations. It is a legacy of comfort and peace with God through faith in Jesus. It is a legacy that we are to pass on to others so they can have that same hope and peace that Jesus promised. Reformation Sunday is a special Church festival. On this day, we thank God for restoring the preaching of the pure Gospel message that salvation is given to us through Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, declared in Scripture alone. We praise God.
