Luther and the Protestant Reformation
Scripture
Sermon Description
In the words of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “the reformation changed the entire course of history.” In his sermon on Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, Dr. Lloyd-Jones explores the Reformation in its entirety. In this sermon on Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, he begins by looking into the time before the Reformation. Prior to Martin Luther, the world was controlled entirely by the Catholic Church. Everything from religion, to science, to warfare was under the iron fist of the Roman Catholic Church. That is until Martyn Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a Catholic Church and began the Reformation. Luther was at this time a Catholic monk and teacher. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones puts it, he did not originally want to break away from the Church of Rome. All he wanted to do was expose the unbiblical sale of indulgences. However, as Luther studied further in the psalms and epistles, he discovered that we are saved, not by works, but by faith. Luther challenged the doctrine of the Catholic church, saying they practiced things that did not correspond to the Bible, but the Church turned a blind eye. Ultimately, Luther left the Catholic Church for it was too power hungry and profitable to abandon its works based model of salvation. Luther, with only the power of God’s word itself, would then go on to lead the Reformation. Martin Luther’s effect on Christianity would be so great that even today we can see its consequences. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones does not stop there. He also covers the non-historical importance of the Reformation. He asks the questions, “What is a Christian?” and “How does one become a Christian?” But most importantly, what can we learn from Luther’s one-man stand against the largest organization of his time? To this, Dr. Lloyd-Jones replies, “When everything else is gone, the city of God remaineth.” With God, we can do all things; so like Luther we should fear nothing when we are doing the work of the Lord.
Sermon Breakdown
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones is encouraged by the congregation's interest in the Reformation. Many today are ashamed of or avoid discussing the Reformation.
- The Reformation changed the course of history and shaped modern society. It influenced politics, law, literature, science, and emphasized individual conscience.
- On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church to protest indulgences and spur debate. Luther was not initially trying to break from the Catholic Church but correct abuse.
- Indulgences were certificates sold by the Catholic Church to reduce punishment for sins. They were initially granted by the church but later only the pope could grant them. They were sold to fund the building of St. Peter's Basilica.
- Luther prepared lectures on Psalms, Romans, and Galatians which led him to believe in justification by faith alone, not by works or indulgences. He read Augustine and the Bible, not just church tradition.
- Luther had a "tower experience" where he realized righteousness is a gift from God, not earned. This led him to protest indulgences. His 95 theses spread and were attacked, driving him to see more of the pope's errors.
- By 1520, Luther saw the pope as the Antichrist and the Catholic Church as unbiblical. He emphasized scripture alone as the authority, not the pope. He rejected transubstantiation, clerical celibacy, and more.
- Luther was a genius, honest, courageous, and struggled with depression and the devil. His success was due to God, not himself. God prepared the way with earlier dissenters, the Renaissance, the printing press, and rulers upset with the pope.
- We should learn from Luther. Ask what a Christian is and how one becomes a Christian, not how to unite churches. Compromise with Catholicism or liberalism is impossible for evangelicals.
- The Catholic Church has not truly changed and become more biblical. Do not be deceived. To help troubled Catholics, show them the true gospel and errors of Catholicism, not compromise.
- Evangelicals should separate from and not try to reform apostate churches. Come out from them and come together in biblical fellowship. Stand on truth, not popularity. God's city alone will remain.
Sermon Q&A
Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation: Key Questions and Insights
What led Martin Luther to nail the 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Castle Church?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Luther was primarily motivated by a desire to correct abuses in the practice of selling indulgences. He explains: "All he was proposing to do was to call attention to a grave scandal that was taking place at that time in the church in connection with what was called the sale of indulgences." Luther wasn't initially setting out to break with the Roman Catholic Church or start the Reformation, but rather to address a specific problem where people were being told they could purchase forgiveness of sins through indulgences.
What were indulgences and why did Luther oppose them?
Indulgences were certificates given under the authority of the pope that allowed people to avoid the full penalty imposed upon them for their sins. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains: "The pope claimed that he'd got this power to do this. And he said that he had got this power because there was in the possession of the church a great accumulation of righteousness." Luther opposed the abuse of indulgences because people were relying on purchased certificates rather than true repentance. In his 95 Theses, Luther wrote: "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said repent, he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance," directly challenging the idea that forgiveness could be purchased.
What was Luther's spiritual journey before the Reformation?
Luther's spiritual journey was marked by an intense personal struggle to find peace with God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes it: "What Luther really cared about from 1505 to 1515 was not the reform of the church. It was Luther, the soul of Luther, the salvation of Luther, nothing more." His quest began after nearly being killed by a thunderbolt in 1505, which led him to become a monk. For years, he struggled with the question "How can I find a gracious God?" He tried to find peace through mysticism, good works, and various spiritual disciplines, but couldn't find assurance of forgiveness until his breakthrough understanding of justification by faith.
What was Luther's "tower experience" and why was it significant?
Luther's "tower experience" was his breakthrough moment of understanding the true meaning of "the righteousness of God" in Romans 1:17. Dr. Lloyd-Jones quotes Luther: "Once when I was meditating in the tower of the monastery in Wittenberg, when I saw the difference that law is one thing and gospel another, I broke through." Luther realized that God's righteousness wasn't something humans had to achieve but was instead a gift given by God through faith. Luther described this realization as "a gate to paradise" - it transformed his understanding of salvation and became the theological foundation for the Reformation.
What were the key principles of the Protestant Reformation as articulated by Luther?
The key principles included:
- Justification by faith alone - salvation is a gift received through faith, not earned through works
- Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) - the Bible is the ultimate authority, not church tradition
- The universal priesthood of all believers - rejecting special status for clergy
- Rejection of transubstantiation and the Mass as unbiblical
- Emphasis on personal faith and direct relationship with God
As Dr. Lloyd-Jones states: "He began to assert the universal priesthood of all believers. He rejected this division into clergy and laity. He said, there's no such thing."
What lessons does Dr. Lloyd-Jones draw from Luther for the modern church?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the modern church, particularly the ecumenical movement, is asking the wrong questions. Instead of asking "How can we have one territorial church?" or "How can we find a formula to satisfy opposing views?", we should ask Luther's fundamental questions:
- "What is a Christian?"
- "How does one become a Christian?"
- "What is a church?"
He states: "I'm here to suggest to you that if we start with those questions, we shall inevitably find ourselves following precisely the same path as was trodden by Martin Luther."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones view attempts at church unity and ecumenical movements?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly opposes the ecumenical movement of his day, seeing it as compromising essential gospel truths. He says: "The ecumenical movement is advancing day by day, and it is traveling in the direction of Rome." He believes that "one territorial church in each country is only possible by compromise of evangelical principles." Rather than pursuing organizational unity at the cost of truth, he urges evangelicals to "Come out of her, my people" (Revelation 18:4) and to form fellowships based on shared evangelical convictions.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the success of the Protestant Reformation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones attributes the success of the Reformation primarily to divine action, not just human effort. He says: "What do we see in this event? What do we see as we look at the whole of the Protestant Reformation? There's only one thing to say. We see the action of God." While acknowledging Luther's genius and courage, he emphasizes that God prepared the way through multiple factors: earlier reformers like Wycliffe and Huss, the work of mystics, the Renaissance, political unrest, and the invention of printing. Luther himself acknowledged this, saying: "God led me on like a horse whose eyes have been blindfolded."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe the Roman Catholic Church hasn't fundamentally changed?
Despite claims of Rome changing, Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues: "The only difference between the Church of Rome then and now is this. That it's even worse now." He points out that since Luther's time, Rome has added dogmas like papal infallibility, the immaculate conception, and the assumption of Mary. He also contends that what appears to be modernization is merely the incorporation of liberal theology and higher criticism, not a movement toward evangelical truth. He warns against being deluded by superficial changes that don't address fundamental doctrinal differences.
Itinerant Preaching
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.