Commemorating the Reformation after 500 Years: Just a Misunderstanding?

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Adventist Theological Society

Dennis Pettibone

The Reformation: Just a Misunderstanding?

October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses.

October 31, 1999, Catholics and Lutherans sign a joint declaration on justification by faith.

The Protestant Reformation, 1 participant in this conference tells us, was just a misunderstanding.

October 31, 2016, Lutherans commemorate the opening of Protestantism's 500th anniversary year.

Pope Francis the first travels to Sweden to join them and says Catholics and Lutherans have begun a common journey of reconciliation.

Martin Luther standing in 1521 before Emperor Charles V and what Will Durant has described as an awesome court of princes, nobles, prelates, and burghers, boldly declaring, and burgers, boldly declaring, unless I am convinced by the testimony of sacred scripture or by evident reason, my conscience is captive to the word of God, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against my conscience is neither right nor safe." Then according to the earliest printed version of his speech comes these stirring words, Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God.

As a result Luther will be declared an outlaw.

Only Frederick of Saxony's protective custody will keep him from probably becoming a martyr.

William Tyndale is about to pay for A vow he made to a Catholic.

This particular Catholic had said it would be better to be without God's law than without the Pope's.

Tyndale had responded, If God spares me ere many years, I will cause the boy that driveth the plow to know more of Scripture than you do." Now having fulfilled that promise by publishing an English translation of the New Testament and a good share of the Old Testament, he is about to face the punishment for this crime by being burned at the stake.

They tell us his last words were, Lord, open the king of England's eyes.

Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley have been condemned for denying the doctrine of transubstantiation.

And they too will be burned at the stake.

Then they are chained to an iron post, a bag of gunpowder is hung around their necks, and the fire is started.

Latimer says to Ridley, Be of good cheer, Master Ridley.

We shall this day light a candle by God's grace in England as I trust shall never be put out." What a shame.

Sacrifices enough to fill several volumes of Fox's book of martyrs.

When they interviewed 1 of the Catholic participants in the discussion leading to the historic signing of the Augsburg II, the joint declaration on the doctrine of justification signed by representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the World Lutheran Federation.

This was the person who said the Protestant Reformation was just a misunderstanding.

They didn't realize that we believed that our justification was by God's grace and we didn't realize that they believed that it was important for Christians to do good works.

Was the Protestant Reformation just a misunderstanding?

Now that Lutherans and Catholics have issued an impressive joint declaration on justification by faith, and Now that the Pope has personally participated in the 500th anniversary Reformation celebration, is the Reformation all over?

First I must say that things aren't always quite what they seem.

If you made it through this joint document with its many qualifying statements, you would see that there is still a significant difference between the Lutheran and Catholic understanding of justification by faith.

Justification by God's grace through faith in Christ.

Even that was too much for John Paul II, or at least for his spokesman.

The Vatican fired off a reaction paper that seemed to rain on the parade staged by representatives of his church, which signed the document.

After a polite paragraph that acknowledged that the Augsburg document represents a significant progress in mutual understanding and affirmed that a high degree of agreement has been reached, the Vatican called attention to the remaining differences between the 2 faiths in their understanding of justification going so far as to negate the Declaration's affirmation that the Lutheran doctrine of justification no longer falls under the anathemas of the Council of Trent.

The Vatican says for the Catholic Church the message of justification has to be organically integrated into the living church and the sacramental life, calling specific attention to the sacrament of penance, through which the sinner can be justified anew.

Although admitting that the document shows a high level of agreement, the Vatican contradicts the Declaration's suggestion that the differences separating Catholics and Lutherans in the doctrine concerning justification are simply a question of emphasis or language.

But what if the churches achieve perfect agreement on justification by faith.

To answer this question let's look at some of the questions of various of varying importance which the Declaration itself says need further clarification.

3 of the items are the relationship between the Word of God and Church doctrine, ecclesial authority, and the sacraments.

I would suggest that at least 2 of these issues boil down to 1 word, authority.

And the other 1 pertains in the final analysis to control.

By its control of the sacraments, the medieval church is able to control the lives and decisions of princes and peasants, but ultimately the control wouldn't exist unless the church was believed to have authority.

So even questions regarding the sacramental system are tied up with the issue of authority.

Justification by faith, essential as it is, I submit did not cause the Protestant Reformation.

The Protestant Reformation included the proclamation of the doctrine of justification by faith, but that, I submit, was not the cause.

A month or 2 before the famous 95 Theses, Luther had hoped to provoke a debate by issuing 97 theses touching on justification by faith.

It did not launch the Protestant Reformation.

Furthermore, the doctrine had previously been proclaimed by priests who remained in good standing with the Catholic Church until their dying day?

Men like Jacques Lefebvre and Thomas Wittenbach?

No, I would suggest that the basic underlying issue in the Protestant Reformation was the question of authority.

Luther didn't become a Protestant when he issued the 97 theses on justification by faith.

In my opinion he didn't even become a Protestant on October 31, 1517 when he nailed or didn't nail, scholars have argued about this, the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.

He became a Protestant, I would suggest, in Leipzig during the lunch break between 2 debating sessions with Johann Eck.

Before Leipzig, I would characterize Luther as a reforming Catholic, an unrefined Erasmus.

He had written a conciliatory letter to Pope Leo X, and had agreed not to discuss the controversial issues he had raised until a German bishop should reach a decision regarding these matters as long as his opponents likewise refrained.

Johann Eck, confident that he could verbally massacre this country bumpkin, this son of a peasant, challenged him to a debate and secured permission for Luther to take part even though he was under the ban.

However, when Luther showed a superior knowledge of both the Bible and early church history, Acts salvaged his position by calling Luther a Hussite.

Luther quickly denied that he was a Hussite, denouncing the Hussites as schematic.

But during the lunch break, Luther had second thoughts.

When the debate resumed at 2 o'clock, Luther took the bull by the horns, announced his agreement with Jan Hus on certain issues, and thus, I suggest he became a Protestant.

He had gone to lunch reforming Catholic and returned resumed the debate as a bona fide Protestant.

He had made a definite break with the papacy and although justification was an important issue in this discussion, it wasn't the issue that made the break, it was the authority of scripture.

Ack had said the Pope was Peter's successor in Christ's divinely chosen vicar.

Luther demonstrated from Scripture and early church history that this wasn't true.

Eck countered that all true Christians had from the very beginning acknowledged that the Pope's authority came from Christ himself but that had been denied by the heretic John Huss so he said Luther was proclaiming Hussite ideas.

It was at this point that Luther denied being a Hussite and then changed his mind over lunch.

Before lunch, Luther repudiated Huss for being a schismatic.

After lunch, he declared that Huss had proclaimed some scriptural truths and had been wrongly condemned by the Council of Constance.

Says Philip Schaff, here for the first time he denied the divine right and origin of the papacy and the infallibility of a general counsel.

His main point was this, Scripture is the supreme doctrine authority, superior to Popes and councils neither of which was infallible.

Luther's concluding remarks were, I am very sorry the learned doctor only dips into the scriptures as does the water spider into the water.

Nay, that he seems to flee from it is the devil from the cross.

I prefer with all deference to the Fathers the authority of Scripture which I herewith recommend as the arbiter of our cause." Of course he didn't win the debate, he had contradicted himself and that's a no-no in debates.

But Luther had rightly acknowledged his theological kinship with Hus.

As Luther would later tell the Diet of Worms, John Hus had told the Council of Constance that he was willing to recant anything unproven by scripture and sound argument, but not otherwise.

Similar statements would be made by Protestant leaders following in Luther's wake.

For example, John Calvin said, the only thing I ask is that all controversies should be decided by the word.

This is the basic principle of Protestantism, sola scriptura.

On this principle hang all the others, including justification by faith." When discussing Latimer and his colleagues, Ellen White says, the grand principle maintained by these Reformers, the same that had been held by the Wallensees, by Wycliffe, by John Hus, by Luther, Zwingli, and those united with them, was the infallible authority of the Holy Scriptures as a rule of faith and practice.

They denied the right of popes, councils, fathers, and kings to control the consciences in matters of religion.

The Bible was their authority and by its teachings and by its teachings they tested all doctrines and all claims.

This conviction cost Luther, excuse me, didn't cost Luther, cost Hus, Tyndale, Latimer and Ridley their lives and Luther could have paid the same price if he hadn't been for the intervention of Frederick of Saxony.

Hus died because he proclaimed the Bible supreme, Superior to church councils and to popes.

And Luther risked his life making the same declaration.

Luther, Wycliffe, Hus, the Wallenses, all were battling for the Bible.

Ironically, their opponents also claimed to believe the Bible.

But, they said, the church was its only authorized interpreter.

The Reformation: Just a Misunderstanding?

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