Jesus re-defined the Ten Commandments, saying “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:34-40) In effect, He also re-defined sin. We can now diagnose sin simply, like this: Sin is when we do not […]
Tag: Reformation
On Jesus (part two)
There are several key attributes of Jesus that the church at the time of the Reformation had muted: Jesus’ authority, divinity, and humanity. Uniquely, those same attributes are often muted in many churches today, as well as in our hearts. So, today, a reflection on Jesus’ authority: While the church became more powerful and structured, […]
On Jesus (part one)
Similar to how Scripture had become buried and re-worked by 1517 (to benefit the authorities of the day and keep the powerful in control), so too had become the central figure of Christianity, Jesus the Christ. His words had become watered-down and His identity had become muted. Now, it is important to add that it […]
On Scripture (part three)
Like most things in life, simply starting is the hardest part. When you think about starting a diet or something like that you could spend hours looking up what to do and what options you have. The hours turn in to days, and the days turn in to weeks. And you make no progress. The […]
On Scripture (part two)
The Bible was not printed in the common language when the Reformation began 500 years ago. And when it started becoming available, people realized their hunger for the Word. Today access is abundant, but for many the Bible seems unnecessary, outdated, and irrelevant. For others, Scripture is lifted up higher than God Himself, and it […]
On Scripture (part one)
If we look at the Reformation and conclude “it was merely the result of years of societal injustices that eventually lead to a tipping point”, then we are not looking at the entire picture. What happened in 1517, and the surrounding years, was the result of what had happened to Scripture. At the time, the […]
On Time
It is a wonder that Martin Luther was able to live out his life to the end, dying of natural causes. While most protesters of his day were tortured or killed, he lived. Why God granted him the grace to live out his life, we will never know. Time remains one of the greatest mysteries […]
On Speaking Out
Yesterday, the reflection was about silence as an opportunity for self-discovery. There is more to be said about silence though, as it not only provides us with a deeper understanding of ourselves, but also a deeper understanding of God and what He is pushing us towards. Eventually silence reaches a tipping-point and we have to […]
On Protest and Reform
The two roots of the Protestant Reformation: Protest and Reform. To truly appreciate the Reformation and to discover how it can still impact our lives today, we need to value both of these roots. Some people are only focused on protest, in the sense of resistance. To them, the goal of the Protestant movement is […]
On Discussion
While scholars debate if Martin Luther actually nailed his 95 theses to a church door (or if he instead “mailed” them), no one debates his intention: to start a discussion about the abuses he saw in the church of his day. His purpose at that moment in his life was not protest or reform. He […]
Relevant Reformation 