As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
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We visited Eisenach and the Wartburg Castle on the Sunday of our 500th anniversary Reformation trip.
The day was gloriously dark and dreary. Fortunately, we felt only a few raindrops. But it was an absolutely perfect day for a ride through the Thuringian Forest.
“Luther’s ideas were revolutionary because they were much more than a minor argument against indulgences. Rather, Luther’s opponents sensed what he was doing….Luther was instead claiming the Christian faith first of all hearkens to God’s promise of salvation through Christ, as revealed in his Word.” - TGC
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One of the most fascinating sights that we saw on our 500th-anniversary Reformation tour was the Luther Monument—sometimes called the Reformation Monument—which is located across the street from the park where Dr. Martin Luther’s famous stand before the Diet of Worms is memorialized.
It was a warm, sunny autumn Wednesday afternoon when our bus rolled into Worms, Germany—the second-to-last stop on the final day of touring on our 500th anniversary Reformation trip.
The town was decorated almost as if Luther himself were returning.
At the side of the road, we saw signs that read “Solus Christus,” “Sola Gratia,” “Sola Fide” and “Sola Scriptura”—like the placards that city residents might post to salute a winning sports team.
“Just before he died [February 18, 1546], Luther preached what would be his last sermon from his deathbed in Eisleben. The ‘sermon’ consisted of simply quoting two texts, one from the Psalms and one from the Gospels. Luther cited Psalm 68:19, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.’ Then he cited John 3:16.” - Ligonier
“Luther may have gone too far in urging the Princes to crush the Peasant Revolt by force, which they were sure to do anyway. But in doing so, he laid out some thoughtful principles about when legitimate protests go too far.” - Veith
“When Martin Luther pounded the 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, the effects rippled throughout space and time, changing the world then and there, as well as here and now, 503 years later.” - Cripplegate
Read Part 1.
“Since God has given us the papacy,” Pope Leo X stated dramatically, “let us enjoy it.”
There was one man standing in the way of such enjoyment, however. Leo had little regard for the priest in Wittenberg, Dr. Martin Luther, who he referred to as “a drunken German.”
“He will feel different when he is sober,” concluded the pope.
His ability to underestimate Luther could not have been more profound.
In September of 2017, my wife Lynnette and I were privileged to visit the land of Germany and tour the sites of the Reformation in celebration of its 500th anniversary.
The trip was memorable—even life-changing—for a number of reasons.
First of all, the trip was given to us by our friends at Grace Bible Church, in Portage, Wis., where I had served as interim pastor for nearly two years. Suffice it to say that we will never forget all that that congregation did for us.
This article originally ran in October 2017.
After Luther published his 95 theses, inviting debate on the abuse of indulgences, things began to move rapidly in Wittenberg. Phillip Schaff, the grand church historian, sums up the course of events during the following year:1
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