On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a 33 year-old monk who served as a Roman Catholic priest and a theology professor, nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Although there were precursors to the Reformation, this date is often considered the beginning of the Reformation.

The heart of the Reformation, Protestantism, and Evangelicalism is found in Theses 1 and 62:

Thesis 1: When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.

Thesis 62: The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is foundational to everything. And the first manifestation of the gospel in one’s life is repentance and humility.

Here are a few brief articles on the Reformation that will inform, instruct and edify.

Stephen Nichols, What is Reformation Day All About?

Tim Chester, 10 Things You Should Know about the Reformation

Justin Taylor, Looking at Wittenberg in the Time of Martin Luther

John Piper, Why Do We Celebrate the Protestant Reformation?

Sam Storms, 10 Things You Should Know About the Protestant Reformation

Andrew Wilson, The Word Did Everything

Ryan Reeves, What Exactly Are Indulgences?

Chris Castaldo, Pope vs. Pope: What Does the Catholic Church Really Think about Martin Luther?

Next year we will celebrate the 500th anniversary of Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses. To celebrate this occasion, the focus of our upcoming Theology Conference, February 1-3, 2017, will address this theme: Reformation 500: Theology and Legacy – God’s Gospel and the EFCA

Registration is now open, so I encourage you to register today.

There will be a number of forthcoming posts addressing the various messages of this excellent Conference.