There is much that separates Protestantism from Roman Catholicism. But what's the main thing? In this sermon, we look briefly at Martin Luther and what he called the article upon which the church stands or falls - justification.

As we consider the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, we must also recognize that the church in this age will always be in need of reform in one way, or another. The reason being - we are not yet glorified and sin remains in us. We see an example of reform needed in the church at Laodicea that is recorded in Revelation 3. They were lukewarm in at least three areas. With God's grace, we won't be.

Rejoicing in Reform –

Reflections on the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation

The first of the 95 Thesis that Martin Luther nailed to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 states ‘When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” He intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.’ Faithful Christians must embrace God’s plan to regularly sanctify us by pruning away our sin, turning us away from false doctrine, and reforming our hearts to love Him first and foremost. As the church in 1517 needed great reform in order to honor Jesus Christ, so do the lives of every believer throughout history.

In this five-week series, we will examine the histories of four men who made significant contributions to the repentance and reformation of God’s church. Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Calvin, and John Knox fought hard to help the church keep ‘the main thing’ the main thing. God worked through them to once again establish the powerful gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, according to the authority of the scriptures as the anchor of His church. To Him be all the glory!