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Why be called a Lutheran?

Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany, on November 10, 1483.  That is nine years before the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.  For almost thirty years he struggled to find peace, joy and hope in his heart through the teachings and practices of his church.  He didn’t find it there.  He went to school, high school, university, and finally in sheer despair to a monastery.  He prayed. He slaved. He fasted until he was little more than skin and bones, and yet he moaned:  “Oh, when will you be pious and do enough that God will be merciful to you?” 

One day Luther found a Latin Bible.  He read it eagerly.  Then an old monk advised him to trust in Christ for his salvation.  This shed a small ray of light into his soul.  As a priest and then as a doctor of divinity, he made an intensive study of the Scriptures.  While digging into the letter written to the Romans, he found a truth that finally brought him peace, hope, and joy.  He read:  Man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law.  “Then,” Luther later wrote, “the whole Scripture was opened to me and also heaven itself.  Immediately I felt as if born anew, as if I had found the open gate of paradise.”

Luther began to teach this precious word of God.  While teaching at the university of Wittenberg, Luther became disturbed over the way people lived after they bought indulgences (letters of pardon) from a traveling monk by the name of John Tetzel.  This man led people to believe that they could purchase the forgiveness of sins and did not need to repent.  This led Luther to write 95 Theses (statements) against the sale of indulgences. 

Luther was not seeking to start a new church.  His intention was not to start a reformation.  But these 95 Theses has hardly been nailed to the Castle Church door before they were translated and printed.  Within four weeks these Theses had been  distributed, read, and discussed throughout the whole Christian church.  It was the posting of these 95 Theses on October 31, 1517, that marks what is called the Reformation. 

Great pressure was brought on Luther to recant, or take back, all he had said and written.  But Luther’s constant reply was:  “Unless I am convinced by testimonies from the Scriptures, I cannot and will not recant.”  It is this firm stand on the Holy Scriptures which is our great Lutheran heritage today. 

We can be proud to be Lutherans.  We can be proud to stand on Scripture and Scripture alone. 

On October 26^th, we will have the opportunity to join with fellow Lutherans at Bethel Lutheran Church in York, NE, in praising God for revealing the truth of Scripture through Martin Luther.  We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone.  Join us in this special Reformation service.  It begins at 4:00 pm. 

To God belongs all the glory for our salvation! 

Join us here Sunday mornings at 8:00-9:00 am or 10:30-11:30 am to watch a live service. Archived services are available by clicking on the "Videos" button on the left hand side of this page under the "Church" heading.