THE REFORMATION REMINDS US THAT THE CHURCH IS BUILT UPON THE GOSPEL, NOT VICE-VERSA.
History will testify that Luther’s original intention was to call the Roman Catholic Church back to gospel fidelity, not to start a counter-Catholic church revolution that resulted in the division of that church. But the result was the Protestant Reformation, a stark reminder that no single church or denomination is greater than the gospel. We would do well to remember this today. The Reformation teaches us from experience what Revelation 2-3 makes explicitly clear: The Lord does not promise perpetuity or “success” to any particular local church or denomination – particularly if it is not faithful.
2. THE REFORMATION REMINDS US THAT THE GOSPEL CAN BE LOST.
I often read the story of Josiah’s discovery of the Law of God (2 Kings 22:8-20) with some incredulity. How is it possible that God’s chosen people could lose the Book of the Law? How is it possible for there to be so much neglect of God’s word amongst his people that the very Law of God has to be rediscovered? I then often (smugly) dismiss them as being not like me, never actually praying the prayer of the self-justifying Pharisee, but sharing more in common with him than the humble tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). The Reformation warns us against such smugness and teaches us that the church, with all of its New Covenant advantages, must be vigilant because the very gospel of grace can be effectively lost to the church through distortion and neglect. This could happen in any number of ways (e.g., doctrinal distortion, lack of faith, giving priority to something other than the proclamation of the gospel in missions, etc.). The Reformation teaches us that unless we are vigilant, we will lose the very thing that matters most.
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