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>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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What makes a reformer?
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Consider with me Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
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The son of a minister,
raised in Atlanta, Georgia,
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not raised in privilege,
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but raised in a society that was
designed to disadvantage him.
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Yet he went on to
become a revolutionary,
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an agent of change.
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He boldly
confronted a powerful system.
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You might ask, "Why?"
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What drives a man to do that?
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But Martin Luther
King Jr. was driven to act,
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to write, to speak, to organize,
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to protest by a
system that was broken,
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by a society that
gloried in its brokenness
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and was determined to
preserve its dysfunction.
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"I still have a dream," he said,
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one late summer's day in 1963
on the mall in Washington, D.C.
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It is a dream deeply
rooted in the American dream.
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"I have a dream that one
day this nation will rise up
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and live out the
true meaning of its creed:
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'We hold these
truths to be self-evident,
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that all men
are created equal.'"
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By the time Dr. King was
murdered outside room 306
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of the Lorraine Motel in 1968,
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there would be no
stopping the progress
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that he and so many
others along with him had made
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in advancing the
American civil rights movement.
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Looking back on those days,
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it's difficult to imagine
that a country would choose
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to live with the
system it had created.
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In "the land of the free,"
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millions of
people were not free.
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Self-determination was
the lot of some--not all.
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Intolerance was normal.
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The struggle to right
the wrongs of civil injustice
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in the United
States was long and hard.
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It cannot be
suggested the revolution,
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if you'll let me call it that,
should not have been waged.
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So what is it that
creates a revolutionary?
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You might say it's the times.
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An individual sees a
need that must be met,
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hears a call he or
she cannot ignore--
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people like Gandhi,
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Susan B. Anthony,
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Harriet Tubman,
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William Wilberforce.
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I suspect many
reformers, social or religious,
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will tell you they
ultimately didn't choose
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the role they assumed.
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The role chose them.
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Martin Luther King Jr. was not
named Martin when he was born.
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He was named
Michael, after his father.
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But when little Michael
was just five years old,
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Michael Sr. made
a trip to Germany
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to attend a church
congress in Berlin.
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And while he was there, he was
so deeply impressed by the life
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and ministry of a
certain German gospel minister
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that he made the
decision to change his name,
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and that of his son,
from Michael to Martin.
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Not only did Martin Luther
impress Pastor Michael King,
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Martin Luther changed the world.
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On October the
31st in the year 1517,
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Martin Luther defied the
system that was essentially
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governing western civilization.
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His contribution to
history is so immense
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that Time magazine
ranked him fourth on the list
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of the greatest
men of the millennium.
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It all happened here,
in Wittenberg, Germany,
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in the part of Germany
that for more than 40 years
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was known as East Germany.
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In the 1500s, Wittenberg was
part of the kingdom of Saxony,
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and while the town,
now officially known
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as Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is
a popular tourist destination,
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in Luther's day
it was anything but.
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Wittenberg is a
pleasant town today
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with a population
that hovers around 50,000.
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It's 60 miles
southeast of Berlin
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and just a two-hour drive
to the border with Poland.
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It sits on the Elbe River, which
starts in the Czech Republic
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and flows through
Germany right past Hamburg,
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Germany's second-largest
city, and to the North Sea.
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During Communism,
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Wittenberg's sites of religious
significance were neglected.
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In preparation for the 500th
anniversary of the starting
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of the
Reformation-- October 31, 1517--
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the town has been revitalized,
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the Castle Church
has been renovated,
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and there's a lot of pride
in Wittenberg's favorite son.
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Wittenberg in Luther's day had
a population of around 3,000,
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and it was
hardly the sort of place
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that you would have thought
would launch a revolution.
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Luther called it "miserable."
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His right-hand man in
reform, Philipp Melanchthon,
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referred to Wittenberg
as "a hamlet comprised,
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not of regular houses,
but only of little ones,
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bad huts, built of clay and
covered with hay and straw."
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Duke George of Saxony
called Wittenberg "a hole."
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And one theologian wrote
to a friend about the "poor,
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miserable, filthy,
little town of Wittenberg."
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Now that theologian
couldn't stand Martin Luther.
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That might have
colored his view,
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but you get the
idea nevertheless:
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This place was, was
hardly the garden of Eden.
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Martin Luther was
born here in Eisleben,
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about 60 miles from Wittenberg,
on November the 10th, 1483.
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This whole area was part of
what was known for centuries
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as the Holy Roman Empire.
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He grew up in poverty.
His parents were peasants.
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His father worked as a miner.
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Hardship shaped his upbringing.
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Luther's father, Hans, wanted
Martin to become a lawyer,
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and he was appalled
when Martin instead chose
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to enter a cloister to train
to become an Augustinian monk.
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However, it was in that
cloister that Martin Luther
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found a Bible chained
to the monastery wall.
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It was the first time
he'd ever seen a whole Bible.
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You can imagine how he
felt as he read the gospels
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and the epistles of Paul.
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He was moved.
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At the same time,
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he was overcome by a
sense of his own sinfulness.
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He wanted to
find peace with God,
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and so he did what they
told him to do at the monastery.
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He fasted; he prayed for hours;
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he even
resorted to flagellation.
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Later he would say,
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"If ever a monk could obtain
heaven by his monkish works,
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then I should certainly
have been entitled to it."
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But Luther had a
mentor during his training,
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a man named Johann von Staupitz.
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Luther would later say,
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"If it had not
been for Dr. Staupitz,
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I should surely
have sunk in hell."
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Staupitz encouraged
Luther by telling him this:
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"Instead of torturing yourself
on account of your sins,
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throw yourself into
the Redeemer's arms.
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Trust in Him,
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in the
righteousness of His life,
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in the atonement of His death.
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Listen to the Son of God.
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He became man to give you
the assurance of divine favor.
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Love Him who first loved you."
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Between 1501 and 1505,
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Luther studied at
the University of Erfurt,
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a two-day walk from
his home here in Eisleben.
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He earned a master's degree;
then he began studying law,
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but he dropped out of law
school to enter the cloister.
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But the fastings
and the endless prayers
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and all that came with
it left Luther desperate.
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So in 1508 he accepted
a call to teach theology
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at the University of Wittenberg.
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The university had been
founded only a few years before
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by Frederick III,
the elector of Saxony.
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Frederick was a
prince in the state of Saxony
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and was known as an elector
because he was one of the elite
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who elected the
king of the Romans.
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He was a powerful man.
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Not only was Luther
born here in Eisleben,
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but he died here as well.
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In fact, he died right
here in this building behind me
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in the year 1540.
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It was from this
humble little spot,
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virtually in the
middle of the German nowhere,
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that Luther was thrust
into the global spotlight.
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Yet you come to towns
like this, busy towns.
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This is Lutherstadt
Eisleben, it's called.
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Or Lutherstadt Wittenberg--
that's the city's official name.
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You come to places like this--
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there are throngs of
tourists, people visiting,
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people coming and going,
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and you realize that the
vast majority of those people
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haven't got a clue why
Martin Luther did what he did.
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The essence of
Luther's protest has been lost.
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So why did he do it?
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Why did he nail
his Ninety-Five Theses
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to the door of the
biggest church in town?
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Why did he pick a fight
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with the most
powerful people on the planet--
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people he knew who
didn't lose fights like those?
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I'll tell you in just a moment.
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¤[Music]¤
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>>John: I'm John
Bradshaw from It Is Written,
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inviting you to
join me for "500,"
00:09:40.21\00:09:43.85
nine programs
produced by It Is Written,
00:09:43.88\00:09:46.11
taking you deep
into the Reformation.
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This is the 500th anniversary
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of the beginning
of the Reformation,
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when Martin Luther
nailed his Ninety-Five Theses
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to the door of Castle
Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
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We'll take you to Wittenberg,
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and to Belgium, to
England, to Ireland,
00:10:00.30\00:10:02.96
to Rome, to the Vatican City,
00:10:03.00\00:10:05.53
and introduce you to the people
who created the Reformation,
00:10:05.57\00:10:08.50
who pushed the
Reformation forward.
00:10:08.54\00:10:10.51
We'll take you to
sites all throughout Europe
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where the Reformers
lived and, in some cases, died.
00:10:12.47\00:10:15.28
We'll bring you
back to the United States
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and take you to a
little farm in upstate New York
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and show you how God
spread the Reformation here.
00:10:20.02\00:10:22.92
Don't miss "500."
00:10:22.95\00:10:24.99
You can own the
"500" series on DVD.
00:10:25.02\00:10:28.06
Call us on 888-664-5573
00:10:28.09\00:10:32.63
or visit us online
at itiswritten.shop.
00:10:32.66\00:10:37.27
¤[Music]¤
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>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
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It was on
October the 31st, 1517,
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that Martin Luther nailed
his famous Ninety-Five Theses
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to the door of
the Castle Church,
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and he launched the movement
that became known to history
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as the Protestant Reformation.
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But when Martin Luther did that,
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he wasn't a radical, and
he wasn't a revolutionary.
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He wasn't even a reformer.
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He was a loyal son of
the Roman Catholic Church.
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But when he was
around 27 years old,
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he traveled to the city of Rome.
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What he found when he got
there shook him to his core.
00:11:16.71\00:11:21.14
As a young monk,
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Luther had been living a
strict lifestyle of self-denial,
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but when he arrived in Rome,
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he found priests
and monks and bishops
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living in luxury and debauchery.
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He found so much spiritual
corruption that he stated:
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"If there is a hell,
Rome is built over it!"
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One event in particular
profoundly affected him.
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Pope Julius II had
recently made a decree
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that a special
indulgence was available
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to those who would
walk on their knees
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up what had become
known as Pilate's Staircase.
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The staircase was believed
to have been the very staircase
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Jesus walked on during His
trial before Pontius Pilate,
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and the church claimed it had
been miraculously transported
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from Jerusalem to Rome.
00:12:07.02\00:12:09.09
Luther was determined
to acquire this indulgence,
00:12:09.12\00:12:12.49
and so one day he devoutly
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climbed these
stairs on his knees.
00:12:14.20\00:12:17.03
But suddenly a voice
seemed to declare in his ears
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like thunder the
words of the apostle Paul,
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quoting the prophet
Habakkuk in the book of Romans:
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"The just shall live
by faith." Romans 1:17.
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Luther sprang to his feet
and left the place in shame.
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He'd been
practicing salvation by works:
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the idea that a person's
good deeds merit favor with God,
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as opposed to
simply being a response
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to the goodness
and the love of God.
00:12:46.43\00:12:48.43
But he heard God
say to his heart,
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"The just shall live by faith."
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And Martin Luther
was a changed man.
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¤[Music]¤
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Not long after he
began teaching in Wittenberg,
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the church embarked
on a grand new project,
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the building of the
largest church in the world:
00:13:06.68\00:13:09.68
St. Peter's Basilica, in
what is now Vatican City.
00:13:09.72\00:13:14.86
To help pay for the project,
00:13:14.89\00:13:16.22
the church offered
its people the chance
00:13:16.26\00:13:18.09
to purchase
indulgences for their sins.
00:13:18.13\00:13:21.33
An indulgence is a way to
reduce the amount of punishment
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you have to undergo for
the sins you've committed.
00:13:24.37\00:13:26.47
So while it's not exactly
the same as buying salvation,
00:13:26.50\00:13:30.41
you'd be buying pardon
for sin, which, of course,
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flies in the face
of the entire Bible.
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Ephesians 2, verse 8
tells us we are saved
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"by grace...through faith,"
which is a "gift of God."
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First John 1, verse 9 says that
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"If we confess our sins,
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He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins."
00:13:48.22\00:13:52.99
Luther was appalled.
00:13:53.03\00:13:56.16
Commissioned by the
archbishop of Mainz,
00:13:56.20\00:13:59.27
a man named Johannes Tetzel
began traveling around Germany
00:13:59.30\00:14:03.47
selling these indulgences.
00:14:03.51\00:14:05.81
Now, that might have got past
Martin Luther once upon a time,
00:14:05.84\00:14:09.14
but not now.
00:14:09.18\00:14:10.28
Not now that he
understood something
00:14:10.31\00:14:12.21
about the grace of God.
00:14:12.25\00:14:14.65
He found the
selling of indulgences
00:14:14.68\00:14:16.12
to be completely sacrilegious.
00:14:16.15\00:14:18.39
How, he wondered, could
anybody purchase salvation
00:14:18.42\00:14:21.79
or purchase
lesser punishment for sin
00:14:21.82\00:14:24.73
or purchase lesser
time spent in purgatory,
00:14:24.76\00:14:28.26
even if there was a purgatory?
00:14:28.30\00:14:30.73
In the Bible, when Simon Magus
00:14:30.77\00:14:32.93
tried to purchase from Peter
the power to work miracles,
00:14:32.97\00:14:36.84
Peter replied,
00:14:36.87\00:14:38.37
"Your money perish with you,
00:14:38.41\00:14:39.94
because you thought
that the gift of God
00:14:39.97\00:14:42.34
could be purchased with money!"
00:14:42.38\00:14:44.38
That's Acts 8, verse 20.
00:14:44.41\00:14:46.82
Luther was strong in his
opposition to the practice.
00:14:46.85\00:14:50.35
He contacted his bishop
and voiced his concerns,
00:14:50.39\00:14:53.22
and then he took
those concerns public
00:14:53.25\00:14:56.52
when he nailed them to
the door of the Castle Church.
00:14:56.56\00:14:59.66
Those concerns became known
as Luther's Ninety-Five Theses,
00:14:59.69\00:15:03.80
and they launched the
Protestant Reformation.
00:15:03.83\00:15:06.53
The church,
western civilization,
00:15:06.57\00:15:10.11
the world would
never be the same again.
00:15:10.14\00:15:14.31
So what are the
Ninety-Five Theses?
00:15:14.34\00:15:17.55
The first one
lays the foundation
00:15:17.58\00:15:19.68
not only for those that follow,
00:15:19.71\00:15:22.45
but also for the most basic
message of the Reformation,
00:15:22.48\00:15:26.12
as far as human
salvation is concerned.
00:15:26.15\00:15:28.99
"When our Lord and Master
Jesus Christ said, 'Repent,'
00:15:29.02\00:15:32.76
He willed the
entire life of believers
00:15:32.79\00:15:36.06
to be one of repentance."
00:15:36.10\00:15:37.37
The second follows right on:
00:15:37.40\00:15:39.47
"This word cannot be
understood as referring
00:15:39.50\00:15:42.44
to the sacrament of penance,
00:15:42.47\00:15:44.37
that is,
confession and satisfaction,
00:15:44.41\00:15:47.28
as administered by the clergy."
00:15:47.31\00:15:49.51
Later he writes in number 20,
00:15:49.54\00:15:52.25
"Therefore the pope,
when he uses the words
00:15:52.28\00:15:55.52
'plenary
remission of all penalties,'
00:15:55.55\00:15:58.92
does not actually
mean 'all penalties,'
00:15:58.95\00:16:02.09
but only those
imposed by himself."
00:16:02.12\00:16:05.83
Number 21:
00:16:05.86\00:16:07.03
"Thus those indulgence
preachers are in error
00:16:07.10\00:16:10.80
who say that a man is
absolved from every penalty
00:16:10.83\00:16:14.50
and saved by papal indulgences,
00:16:14.54\00:16:16.94
sacraments of the church,
00:16:16.97\00:16:18.97
or the purchase of indulgences."
00:16:19.01\00:16:21.48
Number 27:
00:16:21.51\00:16:22.78
"They preach only
human doctrines who say that
00:16:22.81\00:16:26.95
as soon as the money
clinks into the money chest,
00:16:26.98\00:16:29.55
the soul flies
out of purgatory."
00:16:29.58\00:16:32.39
Number 86:
00:16:32.42\00:16:33.92
"Why does not the pope,
00:16:33.96\00:16:35.96
whose wealth today is greater
00:16:35.99\00:16:38.59
than the wealth of
the richest Crassus,
00:16:38.63\00:16:41.70
build this one basilica of
St. Peter with his own money
00:16:41.73\00:16:46.33
rather than with the
money of poor believers?"
00:16:46.37\00:16:49.97
You can understand why
Luther became so unpopular
00:16:51.17\00:16:55.11
with the leaders of the church.
00:16:55.14\00:16:57.61
His teachings
spread throughout Germany,
00:16:57.65\00:16:59.65
and soon they made it to Rome.
00:16:59.68\00:17:02.62
The pope demanded
that Luther travel to Rome
00:17:02.65\00:17:05.59
and stand trial
for his teachings.
00:17:05.62\00:17:07.66
German leaders refused.
00:17:07.69\00:17:09.49
They said that Luther's
trial must be heard in Germany,
00:17:09.52\00:17:12.29
and so that's what took place.
00:17:12.33\00:17:14.36
During that trial,
00:17:14.36\00:17:15.70
Luther was told that he
had to retract his teachings
00:17:15.73\00:17:18.23
and submit to the
authority of the church,
00:17:18.27\00:17:20.60
or he'd be sent to
Rome for punishment.
00:17:20.64\00:17:23.07
But he managed to
get away from Augsburg,
00:17:23.10\00:17:25.04
where his case was heard,
00:17:25.07\00:17:26.51
by slipping through a
gate in the wall of the city,
00:17:26.54\00:17:29.88
and he made it back to
Wittenberg and to safety.
00:17:29.91\00:17:32.41
Frederick, the elector
of Saxony, protected Luther.
00:17:32.45\00:17:35.98
He refused to hand him
over to the authorities of Rome,
00:17:36.02\00:17:38.95
saving Luther
from certain death.
00:17:38.99\00:17:41.79
¤[Music]¤
00:17:41.82\00:17:47.36
>>Announcer: "Every Word"
is a one-minute Bible-based
00:17:48.33\00:17:51.03
daily devotional presented
by Pastor John Bradshaw
00:17:51.07\00:17:53.97
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:17:54.00\00:17:56.64
Look for "Every
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00:17:56.67\00:17:59.81
or watch it online
everyday on our website:
00:17:59.84\00:18:02.18
itiswritten.com.
00:18:02.21\00:18:05.01
[Fire crackling
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00:18:05.51\00:18:07.48
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00:18:07.52\00:18:09.78
¤[Music]¤
00:18:09.82\00:18:15.36
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00:18:15.39\00:18:17.76
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00:18:17.79\00:18:20.33
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00:18:20.36\00:18:23.30
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00:18:23.33\00:18:25.27
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00:18:25.30\00:18:29.80
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00:18:29.84\00:18:31.67
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00:18:31.71\00:18:39.05
[Dramatic sounds,
heart thumping, creaking]
00:18:39.08\00:18:49.26
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00:18:49.29\00:18:51.16
[Crowd cheering]
00:18:51.19\00:18:58.33
¤[Soft music]¤
00:19:00.34\00:19:09.34
>>John Bradshaw:
Luther was excommunicated
00:19:13.35\00:19:15.38
from the Roman church.
00:19:15.42\00:19:17.59
It's said that this
tree here in Wittenberg
00:19:17.62\00:19:20.86
marks the spot where he
publicly burned the papal edict
00:19:20.89\00:19:25.23
announcing his excommunication.
00:19:25.26\00:19:27.96
Luther's writings began
to spread throughout Europe
00:19:28.33\00:19:31.73
when he was summoned
to appear before a council
00:19:31.77\00:19:34.24
in the city of Worms.
00:19:34.27\00:19:36.27
Huge crowd greeted
him when he arrived there.
00:19:36.30\00:19:39.11
If he was found
to be a heretic--
00:19:39.14\00:19:41.71
that was almost a given--
00:19:41.74\00:19:43.45
he'd be sentenced to death,
00:19:43.48\00:19:44.98
and the cause of the Reformation
might just die along with him.
00:19:45.01\00:19:48.65
But if by some miracle he
escaped the sentence of death,
00:19:48.68\00:19:52.22
then the cause of
the Bible would advance.
00:19:52.25\00:19:55.62
When he was asked to recant,
00:19:55.66\00:19:57.46
to retract his views
and submit to the authority
00:19:57.49\00:20:00.76
of the church of Rome,
00:20:00.80\00:20:02.46
Luther replied in words
that would live forever:
00:20:02.50\00:20:05.50
"I cannot submit my faith either
to the pope or to the councils,
00:20:05.53\00:20:10.24
because it is clear as the day
that they have frequently erred
00:20:10.27\00:20:13.58
and contradicted each other.
00:20:13.61\00:20:15.64
Unless therefore I am convinced
by the testimony of Scripture,
00:20:15.68\00:20:19.75
or by the clearest reasoning,
00:20:19.78\00:20:22.35
unless I am persuaded by means
of the passages I have quoted,
00:20:22.38\00:20:25.89
and unless they
thus render my conscience
00:20:25.92\00:20:28.59
bound by the Word of God,
00:20:28.62\00:20:30.63
I cannot and I will not retract,
00:20:30.66\00:20:34.00
for it is unsafe for a Christian
to speak against his conscience.
00:20:34.03\00:20:38.00
Here I stand; I can do no
other; may God help me. Amen."
00:20:38.03\00:20:45.17
The council refused to
deliver Luther up to the church,
00:20:45.21\00:20:48.34
but on his way
back here to Wittenberg,
00:20:48.38\00:20:51.28
Luther was captured.
00:20:51.31\00:20:52.88
He was captured by the man
who protected him, Frederick,
00:20:52.91\00:20:56.18
because Frederick
knew it was not safe
00:20:56.22\00:20:58.19
to leave Luther in circulation.
00:20:58.22\00:21:00.49
So he took him to the Wartburg
Castle to keep him safe.
00:21:00.52\00:21:03.69
And while he was there,
00:21:03.73\00:21:05.69
Luther translated the
New Testament into German.
00:21:05.73\00:21:09.16
Meanwhile, back
here in Wittenberg,
00:21:09.20\00:21:11.40
reform within
the church continued.
00:21:11.43\00:21:13.97
Priests began to marry;
00:21:14.00\00:21:15.40
the worship
service was altered--
00:21:15.44\00:21:17.64
things that had been strictly
"verboten" by the church.
00:21:17.67\00:21:21.04
Luther didn't do
it all on his own.
00:21:22.04\00:21:24.81
His right-hand man
was Philipp Melanchthon,
00:21:24.85\00:21:27.28
a religion professor
who taught with Luther.
00:21:27.32\00:21:30.39
Apart from
Luther and John Calvin,
00:21:30.42\00:21:32.59
it's likely no figure
stands higher in the development
00:21:32.62\00:21:35.62
and history of the
Protestant Reformation.
00:21:35.66\00:21:38.23
Melanchthon is kind
of the forgotten one,
00:21:38.26\00:21:40.46
but he was absolutely
essential to the work of reform.
00:21:40.50\00:21:43.20
The establishment
of the Lutheran Church
00:21:43.23\00:21:45.57
and the crafting
of its public witness
00:21:45.60\00:21:47.64
would largely be
accomplished through his work.
00:21:47.67\00:21:51.54
Luther married Katharina
von Bora, a former nun,
00:21:51.57\00:21:55.28
a woman that he had
helped escape from a convent.
00:21:55.31\00:21:58.85
With the Bible being the
ultimate guide in his life,
00:21:58.88\00:22:01.05
he came to view
enforced or mandated celibacy
00:22:01.08\00:22:04.22
as being completely unbiblical.
00:22:04.25\00:22:06.35
And he realized that his
church taught that Peter,
00:22:06.39\00:22:09.66
said to be the first
pope, had himself been married.
00:22:09.69\00:22:13.36
Now, unfortunately, not
all of Martin Luther's legacy
00:22:14.20\00:22:18.07
has been
positive for Christianity.
00:22:18.10\00:22:20.47
There are many of
Luther's admirers today
00:22:20.50\00:22:22.74
who are embarrassed by
the very anti-Semitic views
00:22:22.77\00:22:27.54
that he often espoused.
00:22:27.58\00:22:29.98
How in the world do you
reconcile this idea of Luther
00:22:30.01\00:22:32.55
on the one hand proclaiming
the righteousness of Christ
00:22:32.58\00:22:35.98
and on the other
hand being a hatemonger?
00:22:36.02\00:22:38.79
It has been said by
commentators and critics
00:22:38.82\00:22:41.72
that Luther fueled the
fires of anti-Semitism,
00:22:41.76\00:22:44.86
which Adolf Hitler
picked up on centuries later.
00:22:44.89\00:22:49.03
Well, you probably
don't reconcile it,
00:22:49.06\00:22:50.60
but there are a
couple of things that
00:22:50.63\00:22:51.97
I think a person
really ought to keep in mind.
00:22:52.00\00:22:54.34
Luther came to Christianity
out of abject darkness.
00:22:54.37\00:22:58.54
He came to the Bible from
no biblical frame of reference,
00:22:58.57\00:23:02.54
so to expect complete spiritual
maturity from Martin Luther
00:23:02.58\00:23:05.61
is maybe a little bit too much.
00:23:05.65\00:23:07.52
Luther was wrong in
his anti-Semitic views.
00:23:07.55\00:23:11.45
Nevertheless, there
have been a lot of people
00:23:11.49\00:23:13.19
down through the
years who've been wrong,
00:23:13.22\00:23:14.79
particularly
about matters of faith.
00:23:14.82\00:23:16.32
David, wrong about a lot.
00:23:16.36\00:23:18.13
Solomon, his lifestyle,
00:23:18.16\00:23:20.00
his practices were,
in many cases, wrong.
00:23:20.03\00:23:22.56
James and John wanted to
call fire down from heaven
00:23:22.60\00:23:26.10
and incinerate
people simply because
00:23:26.13\00:23:28.57
they weren't on the same team.
00:23:28.60\00:23:30.11
That was wrong.
00:23:30.14\00:23:31.07
There were church
men in the United States
00:23:31.11\00:23:33.04
who defended
slavery and used the Bible
00:23:33.07\00:23:36.48
to justify their
aberrant positions.
00:23:36.51\00:23:39.68
Wrong.
00:23:39.71\00:23:41.38
So on the one hand,
Luther was a revolutionary;
00:23:41.42\00:23:43.99
Luther was a radical;
Luther was a reformer.
00:23:44.02\00:23:46.22
He saw so much in the
church and in the world
00:23:46.25\00:23:49.12
that he called to people's
attention and pointed out
00:23:49.16\00:23:52.26
as being outside of God's will.
00:23:52.29\00:23:53.96
On this one, though, for
the most part, he missed it.
00:23:54.00\00:23:57.20
You wonder why that can happen.
00:23:57.23\00:23:59.20
Bit of a mystery, really.
00:23:59.23\00:24:01.24
Luther's final sermon would be
delivered here in his hometown
00:24:02.44\00:24:06.44
of Eisleben on
February 15, 1546,
00:24:06.47\00:24:10.95
three days before his death.
00:24:10.98\00:24:13.18
He didn't set out to form a new
church, to be a troublemaker.
00:24:13.21\00:24:17.32
He simply wanted the
church to look to the Bible
00:24:17.35\00:24:20.92
and embrace the
teachings of Jesus
00:24:20.96\00:24:23.89
and allow people to
read the Bible for themselves
00:24:23.93\00:24:27.03
and be guided
by the Holy Spirit.
00:24:27.10\00:24:29.43
In fact, Luther coined
the phrase "sola scriptura,"
00:24:29.46\00:24:34.04
the Bible alone.
00:24:34.07\00:24:35.94
Luther wasn't
guided by tradition
00:24:35.97\00:24:38.81
and would be
faithful to God's Word,
00:24:38.84\00:24:41.44
and this formed the basis of
the most profoundly impactful
00:24:41.48\00:24:44.78
religious movement
in almost 2,000 years.
00:24:44.81\00:24:49.75
The supremacy of the Bible and
the teaching of justification
00:24:49.78\00:24:52.92
by grace alone, through
faith alone, in Christ alone,
00:24:52.95\00:24:57.29
were Luther's passions,
00:24:57.33\00:24:59.13
and they lit a
fire for the gospel
00:24:59.16\00:25:01.36
that illuminated the
world and has led millions
00:25:01.40\00:25:04.37
and millions of people
to faith in Jesus Christ.
00:25:04.40\00:25:08.14
Now, do you think Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. would say
00:25:08.17\00:25:10.54
that the work he started
has really been completed,
00:25:10.57\00:25:13.94
or do you think
that he might think
00:25:13.98\00:25:15.71
there's a little more
work that needs to be done?
00:25:15.74\00:25:18.68
The same is likely
true of Martin Luther.
00:25:18.71\00:25:21.92
There's still work
that needs to be done.
00:25:21.95\00:25:24.45
There are still
people the world over
00:25:24.49\00:25:27.19
who must hear the
great truths of the Bible
00:25:27.22\00:25:29.32
and be led to a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:25:29.36\00:25:33.60
So how's it with you, friend?
00:25:33.63\00:25:34.83
How's that
working out in your life?
00:25:34.83\00:25:37.83
How is it with you?
00:25:37.87\00:25:39.37
¤[Music]¤
00:25:39.40\00:25:44.87
>>John: The prophesies
of the book of Revelation
00:25:45.94\00:25:47.58
announce startlingly
that Babylon is fallen.
00:25:47.61\00:25:52.08
What does that mean?
00:25:52.11\00:25:53.01
How do we
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00:25:53.05\00:25:56.12
I'd like to send
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It's entitled
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Or visit us online
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00:26:04.53\00:26:08.20
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00:26:08.23\00:26:10.97
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Our number is 800-253-3000,
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00:26:41.83\00:26:45.53
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:46.33\00:26:47.87
Our Father in heaven,
we've been on a journey
00:26:47.90\00:26:50.27
as we've traced this,
this outstanding life,
00:26:50.31\00:26:54.61
an ordinary person,
00:26:54.64\00:26:55.94
blessed by the great
Sovereign of the universe
00:26:55.98\00:26:59.35
to do extraordinary things.
00:26:59.38\00:27:00.82
And today we are
the beneficiaries
00:27:00.85\00:27:02.78
of much of what Luther did.
00:27:02.82\00:27:04.99
He's left us so
much that's positive.
00:27:05.02\00:27:07.72
We don't have
to imitate the man,
00:27:07.76\00:27:09.26
but his ethic,
his approach to You--
00:27:09.29\00:27:12.09
we thank You
that You've given us
00:27:12.13\00:27:14.36
the opportunity to
say, "Here I stand."
00:27:14.40\00:27:18.10
Lord, let the fire of
faith burn in our hearts.
00:27:18.13\00:27:21.04
I pray that we'll have
love for You like Luther did.
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What You did
through him was miraculous.
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It'll take a miracle,
but You can do it in us.
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I pray that You will.
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Somethere there's a
man, a woman, a young person
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looking at his or
her life and wondering,
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"What next?"
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I pray that You'll
encourage that one,
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that there is
salvation by faith,
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that there is salvation
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through the grace of
this great God of heaven.
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Lord, we thank You;
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we know that the
Reformation must be finished,
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must be finished soon.
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We're looking
forward to going home.
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Let it be so, we pray.
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We thank You, in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Thanks so much for joining me.
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I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
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Until then, remember:
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"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
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