• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Things Above Us

Missions - Evangelism - Theology - Sports

  • About TAU
    • Our Mission
    • The Gospel of Grace
    • Writers
    • Contact Us
    • Comment Policy
    • Attribution/Content Usage Policy
  • Resources
    • Before the Throne
    • From Death to Life
    • Our Tract
  • Articles/Blog Posts
    • Missions
    • Evangelism
    • Theology
    • Sports
    • Book Reviews
    • Kid’s Book Reviews
    • pSaturday Psalms
    • Movie Reviews
    • Go Therefore!
    • Something to Think About
  • Things Above Us Roundtable
  • Evangelio de Cristo
  • Store
    • Cart

Why I Hope You’re Celebrating October 31st

October 29, 2018 by Allen Nelson IV

Post Tenebras Lux

It means ‘after darkness, light’ and it’s hanging on the wall in my Study and features the pictures of John Knox, Jonathan Edwards, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, and John Calvin.

I’m all for free candy, and I think it is certainly permissible for children to dress up and pretend (although I certainly don’t advocate demonic costumes, even in jest!). However, it’s not Halloween that I want to draw attention to this October.

Whatever you plan to do or not on the 31st, I hope you will also plan on remembering this important day for another reason:

After Darkness, Light.

It was on 10/31/1517 (501 years ago!) that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg (Germany). And while God was working in His people for centuries prior to this (think Hus, Wycliffe, Peter Waldo, etc.) it is on this date that we remember the dawning of a new age in Christian history.

But really it wasn’t a new age as much as a recovery of the old age. Or to put it more succinctly, the Protestant Reformation, which is credited as beginning 10/31/1517, was a recovery of biblical Christianity. Although it wasn’t his original intent, Luther’s nailing of his 95 theses was the mallet heard round the world. (Or at least the West)

Wonderful Words of Life

As people began reading the Bible in its original language and also in their own language they began to see the dark corruption that Roman Catholicism had become during the middle ages (and while there have been moral reforms within Catholicism, we must sadly affirm that it is still antithetical to the true gospel to this day). This form of ‘Christianity’ had built itself around working for one’s own salvation and included much baggage invented by men that weighed people down instead of freeing them through Christ’s gospel.

Luther’s theses documented the problems with the Roman Church (particularly with indulgences which are still around today). They were copied (thanks to the newly invented printing press) and spread like wildfire throughout the region. And while his hope was to reform Catholicism, Luther’s work instead began a break with Rome that has, thankfully, lasted 500+ years. We wouldn’t agree with everything Luther believed, but it was the impetus for continued reformation.

The Precious Gospel

The light of the gospel broke through the oppressive chains of man-made, merit-based religion and sparked the greatest revival in Christianity since perhaps Acts 2 (which might not technically classify as a revival since it was the very budding of Christianity!). This is not to imply that everyone between 400 – 1517 was lost. But it is to point out that much of what passed as Christianity in the Middle Ages was not light, but darkness.

Here is a brief summary of the 5 principles that were the foundation of the Reformation:

Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) –

It is the Bible, not tradition, that is the final authority for the Church. This doesn’t mean that tradition is not important. But it does mean that where tradition and Scripture differ, Scripture wins. Scripture alone is our highest authority and is all sufficient.

Because of the Protestant Reformation, you can read the Bible in your own language! Men like William Tyndale, and others, at the cost of their own lives, translated the Bible into English (which was the foundation for the KJV in 1611). If nothing else, you should be reading your Bible this coming Wednesday and thanking God that you have a copy in your own language! Something the large majority of Christians in 1517 did not have.

Sola Gratia (Grace alone) –

Our salvation is by grace alone. We are saved not because there is something good in us, but in spite of the fact that there is nothing good in us. Despite our evil hearts (Jeremiah 17:9) and love of sin (Romans 3:10-18) God saves sinners by His grace. It’s not grace plus what you add to it, as if your adding to God’s work could merit you anything. It’s grace alone. And this grace is enough! It is wholly sufficient and efficacious to do with us what God has intended.

We deserve wave after wave of wrath, but instead God has lavished on us grace upon grace. How marvelous!

Sola Fide (Faith alone) –

Salvation is by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). The Roman Catholic church does believe in grace and faith but it believes these things must be mixed with our own works in order to secure salvation. But when you mix grace and works, you lose grace.

Sola Fide means that by faith in the person and work of Christ alone we are actually credited with His righteousness. In other words, by faith alone in Jesus, God treats us like Him – because at the cross He treated Jesus like we deserve to be treated.

Salvation is by works. But it’s by the works of Jesus! And by faith alone in Him, we get credited with all the work that He has done.

Solus Christus (Christ alone) –

Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, in Christ alone. Faith in faith is futile. We aren’t merely people of ‘faith’ but Christians are people of faith in Christ. Faith must have the proper object and that object is a person, namely, Jesus the Son of God.

Our faith cannot be in ordinances or sacraments. Our faith cannot be in our own good behavior or merit. It can’t even be in the ‘Reformation’! Our faith must rest on Christ alone. This faith isn’t the absence of reason. It’s not a ‘leap in the dark’. But it is an affirmation of the facts of the gospel as well as a resting of all that we are in Christ and trusting His work alone for our right standing with God.

By faith, we are united with Christ and can be assured that all the blessings He secured in His life, death, and resurrection for His people, are ours.

Soli Deo Gloria (The Glory of God alone) –

The chief end of salvation is not actually about us. It is about the glory of God in His rescuing of unrighteous rebels for His own eternal glory. God has called us, saved us, and sanctifies us for the sake of His great name.

Salvation from beginning to end is about the glory of God. The above Reformation principles don’t mean that we live unholy lives, but rather because salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, we can rest assured that believers’ lives are going to be lived to the glory of God. We will be a people holy, set apart, and living for Jesus. And this won’t be a ‘holiness’ as manifest in man-made rituals, but a holiness that is derived from a life changed by grace that is seeking to live for the glory of God in all that we do. Salvation is not about exalting man and what he has done, but about exalting God and all He has done by His grace and for His glory through the person and work of Christ the Son.

Conclusion

So, I hope you will be celebrating this Wednesday, October 31st. One of the greatest things you can do is take your family to a midweek service at your local church.

Take this opportunity to teach your children about the Reformation. Don’t let secular history books gut the Reformation to only be something about political maneuvering. It was much more than that! It was about God bringing light into darkness and rescuing people through the gospel for His own eternal glory. Something He is still doing today!

The Reformation still matters as not only do we continue to reject the false teachings of Roman Catholicism, but also any false teaching that seeks to corrupt the gospel and take away from the glorious truth of God rescuing sinners by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for His glory alone. May we be committed to Scripture alone as our highest authority and people ever ready to defend the faith once delivered to the Saints.

Take time 10/31 to thank God for sending the light of the gospel to you and pray for your pastor(s) as they seek to uphold these principles for the glory of God. Perhaps as you think of God’s grace to you in the gospel, you will take the opportunity Wednesday to share the truth of the gospel with a neighbor, friend, family member, or coworker.

Book Recommendations 

Let me recommend a few books for you to get more acquainted with the Reformation:

Why We’re Protestant by Nate Pickowicz.

God’s Word Alone by Matthew Barrett

Rescuing the Gospel by Erwin Lutzer

Allen Nelson IV

Allen Nelson IV

Allen S. Nelson IV is the pastor of Perryville Second Baptist Church in Perryville, Arkansas. He and his wife Stephanie have been married since 2006 and have 5 children. Besides enjoying time with his family, Allen loves teaching the Bible, reading good books, and time outdoors. He is the author of From Death to Life: How Salvation Works and Before The Throne: Reflections on God’s Holiness He is an avid Dallas Cowboys and Arkansas Razorbacks fan, which means he's always excited about 'next year.' You can follow him on twitter @cuatronelson.

Filed Under: Evangelism, Theology Tagged With: 5 solas, christ alone, Church History, faith alone, gospel, grace alone, reformation, Scripture alone, the glory of God alone

Liked what you read? Subscribe!


Views expressed in posts are those of their individual authors and may not be shared by all writers on Things Above Us.

Primary Sidebar

On Sale Now

  • Before the Throne $17.00 $14.99
  • From Death to Life $14.99 $13.99

Subscribe To Things Above Us

Sign up for our RSS newsfeed and stay up-to-date with the latest blog posts on Things Above Us!

Things Above Us Roundtable

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Play | Stitcher | Email | RSS

Pull up a chair to the TAU Roundtable as the writers from ThingsAbove.Us and other special guests discuss current events, theology, missions, evangelism, and sports!

The Bible Memory App - Bible Memory Verses
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Rightly Understanding John 3:16 — Applications
  • Go, Therefore: Family Worship
  • “Antiracism” Deserves a Capital Letter: A Preview of Voddie Baucham’s Fault Lines
  • Rightly Understanding John 3:16
  • 2 Peter 1 in the Legacy Standard Bible

The Team

Chuck IveyChuck Ivey

By God’s grace, Chuck Ivey grew up in a Christian home and came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a y...

The Living Logos and True Mythos: A Response to “Satanic Panics and the Death of Mythos”
Tim BatesTim Bates

Tim lives in Akron, Ohio with his wife, Melanie and two children, Calvin and Caroline. He serves as a deacon, teacher...

Reflections on a World Without Sports
George AlvaradoGeorge Alvarado

George Alvarado is an almost retired member of our Armed Forces (yes, he's older than he looks). He has a beautiful w...

A Open Letter to Afflicted Saints
Michael CoughlinMichael Coughlin

Michael Coughlin lives near Columbus, OH, and leads local outreaches to glorify our Lord and reach the lost with...

Go, Therefore: Family Worship
Garrett O’HaraGarrett O’Hara

Garrett appears to have originated the term, but not the theology, "dispybapticalvinistic-expialidocious." He ...

“Antiracism” Deserves a Capital Letter: A Preview of Voddie Baucham’s Fault Lines
Allen Nelson IVAllen Nelson IV

Allen S. Nelson IV is the pastor of Perryville Second Baptist Church in Perryville, Arkansas. He and his wife Steph...

Rightly Understanding John 3:16 — Applications

Click a term to see related posts.

Adoption atonement Bible book review Cessationism children Christ Christian Life Christmas Chuck Ivey church conversion Culture Devotional discipleship evangelism Foster Care From death to life Genesis gospel grace imputation Jesus Justification local church love Marriage mercy NFL preaching Psalm 119 Psalms reformed baptist Reformed Baptist Theology reformed theology Roundtable sanctification scripture sin sola scriptura Something To Think About Suffering theology Things Above Us worship

Click the image below if you got one of these cards.

Other Posts You May Like…

The Drunkenness and Repentance of Brother Johnnathan Osburn

I have a book I received as a gift from Plum Creek Baptist Church in Taylorsville, KY. This book tells the story of the church’s inception to its 175th anniversary in 1985. I am grateful for my brief time serving there as Youth Pastor for portions of 2008 and 2009. Included in this book are […]

A (Not) Short History of “Second Eve” — (Not Yet) Addressing That Rachel Jankovic Blog Post, part ‘0’

Last year, I reviewed two books that heavily concerned the role of women in the church. The first was No More Holding Back by Kat Armstrong. Writing from an egalitarian perspective whereby John 20 effectively releases women to preach from the pulpit, Armstrong states in part: Mary [Magdalene] does more than just represent that the testimony […]

Book Review — The Whole Christ

The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls takes its title from the Reformation era conviction that justification by faith is the dividing line between the biblical gospel and man-centered efforts to earn favor with God. Matthew Barrett serves as editor and co-author with several significant theologians. In the forward, D.A. Carson writes that nothing is more important than the subject of this massive volume (15). The book is organized into four parts, grouping the chapters by looking at justification according to what the Bible itself teaches, theological perspectives on the doctrine, church history, and pastoral practice.

A Primer on Jacob Arminius, John Wesley, and Charles Finney

Jacob Arminius and John Wesley Jacob Arminius (1560-1609), in response to William Perkins, wrote, “No one believes, without the exercise of his will. But the actual exercise of the will to believe is a different thing from the ability to will to believe; the latter belongs to all men, the former to the regenerate only, […]

Book Review — Thriving in Grace: Twelve Ways the Puritans Fuel Spiritual Growth

Thriving in Grace is a worthy introduction to the riches that the Puritans have to offer. The authors have a contagious urgency to draw on the many practical helps from Puritan writings.

Book Review — God Made Me AND You by Shai Linne

God Made Me AND You begins with school children teasing each other about their ethnic differences. Their teacher steps in and shares that God’s wonderful plan is for our differences to reflect the amazing diversity of God’s creation and the bring all nations to worship him. Told in Shai Linne’s trademark rhyming style that makes […]

2018 © Things Above Us

Copyright © 2021 · Things Above Us on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in