By What Authority?

October 31, known as Reformation Day, is a special day in the church’s calendar. It commemorates the birth of the Reformation when Martin Luther in 1517 nailed his 95-Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. On the basis of reason and Scripture, Luther criticised the view that by purchasing papal indulgences (i.e. letters of pardon from the pope or bishops) people may gain forgiveness for their sins or for the sins of their loved ones who have departed. Luther’s courageous action was intended to expose the error (“madness” according to Luther) of the practice of indulgences and to challenge anyone to a debate. Luther insisted that forgiveness can be granted by God alone and that forgiveness is obtained solely on the basis of God’s grace in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Luther’s 95-Theses not only sparked a local debate but also catapulted all of Europe into a reformation that changed the church and the world forever.

Although Luther’s main concern was about the basis of forgiveness and God’s grace displayed in the gospel (the material cause of the Reformation), the real issue was about authority (the formal cause of the Reformation). By what authority did Luther challenge the practices of the Roman Catholic Church? During the later half of the Medieval Era, the Catholic church developed three sources of authority, viz. Scripture, church tradition and the pronouncements of the pope. In practice, however, the authority of church tradition and the pope exceeded Scripture because only the church fathers and the pope could interpret the Bible correctly. Luther challenged this view and argued that Scripture was our primary and ultimate source of authority. When the Roman delegate, Johann Eck, demanded Luther to recant at the Diet of Worms on April 18, 1521, Luther famously said,

Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason … I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.” (German: “Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen.”)

By the authority of Scripture, Luther meant that the Bible is the final authority when it comes to matters of doctrine and life. Since the Bible is inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16-17), it is the Word of God, and therefore it has the highest authority over our lives. One of the catch-cries of the Reformation was “Scripture alone” (Latin: Sola Scriptura). Many passages in the Bible articulate this truth. The Israelites were repeatedly reminded they must carefully observe everything that God had commanded them (e.g. Lev 18:4; 19:37; 25:18; Deut 4:1,6; 5:1; 6:1-4). In the New Testament, too, we are often instructed to preserve the tradition or the truth that was handed down to us from the Lord and the apostles (e.g. Matt 28:20; John 17:8; 1 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 2:2). The conviction that the Bible is our primary source of authority provided the epistemological basis and framework of Reformed theology.

Therefore, similar to many other Reformed confessions of faith, the Statement of Faith in our Constitution begins with the authority of Scripture: “The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience. They are and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to men; the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried (Ps 19:7; 2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Heb 1:1-2). ”

Of course, by stating that Scripture is our ultimate authority we do not mean that it is our only source of authority. Human wisdom, obtained through God’s grace in general revelation, may also be a source of legitimate authority. Parents, teachers, elders and pastors as well as government function as sources of authority in our lives. However, if there is a conflict between the teachings of Scripture and the demands of other authority figures, then the Christian or the church is bound to follow the teachings of God’s Word. We are familiar with many such examples in the Bible and in the history of Christianity. When Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew midwives to murder every newborn boy baby, they did not do it because they feared God more than Pharoah (Exod 1:15-17). When the Persians implemented a mandate that no-one was allowed to pray for thirty days, Daniel, despite being aware of the mandate, continued his regular practice to pray to God three times a day (Dan 6:10). And when the priests of Jerusalem threatened and ordered the apostles not to teach people about Jesus, they said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). So too, the last article in our Statement of Faith, although it respects the authority of government, states,

As Christians we hold that the word of God is a higher authority than any human authority, therefore when laws contradict God’s law, then the church must continue to submit to God’s law above all else.”

In addition, according to Luther, every Christian has the right and the responsibility to read and interpret the Bible for him or herself. As a result, Luther translated the New Testament into German, a practice that was strictly prohibited by the Roman Catholic Church at the time. Luther gained this conviction from Scripture itself since it encourages God’s people to know God’s truth and to study God’s Word for themselves (e.g. Deut 6:4-9; Isa 2:2-3; John 8:31-32; Acts 17:11). Luther and the other reformers freed Christians from the tyranny of ecclesiastical repression and spiritual abuse. Christians could now read the Bible for themselves and relate to God directly through the Scriptures and the one mediator – the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessedness and the eternal salvation of their souls no longer depended on an elite class of priests but on Jesus alone. The result was liberty of conscience and true freedom. In the same way our Statement of Faith emphasises the importance of liberty of conscience which is so often constrained and seared in our society. It states:

“God alone is Lord of the conscience and therefore the Christian is free from bondage to any doctrines and commandments of men, including those of elders and civil authorities, which are contrary to the Scriptures. Because civil authorities are ordained by God, subjection in all lawful things commanded by them ought to be yielded to by us in the Lord, not only to avoid possible punishment, but also for conscience’s sake (Matt 15:9; Acts 5:29; Rom 13:1-7; 14:4; Col 2:20-23; 1 Pet. 2:13-14). ”

What lessons may we learn from Luther’s 95-Theses? Firstly, we are blessed to serve the Lord and worship together in a Reformed church. We should be grateful for the examples and perseverance of those who came before us. But it is also our responsibility to remember and to preserve the teachings of the gospel which the reformers rediscovered 500 years ago. For Luther, in his 95-Theses, “The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and the grace of God.” Secondly, the issues of the Reformation are still the issues we face today. The primacy of Scriptural authority, the importance of personal conviction and liberty of conscience, the priesthood of all believers, as well as unity within diversity are the hallmarks of sound theology and a healthy church. As we are looking to adopt a new constitution may we be reminded, especially on Reformation Day, about the legacy of the reformers and continue “to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). We may conclude our reflection with a quote from Rupertus Meldenius, a German Lutheran, often emphasised by Richard Baxter, an English Puritan, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity.”