The Reformation Day Memorial Seminar

The Reformation Day Memorial Seminar

The synopsis of what Rev.Dr. Eva Maria spoke on The Reformation Day Memorial Seminar is given below for the benefit of those who were not able  to attend the seminar.

At the outset, she pointed out that a number of theologians in the Holy Roan Empire, among them was Rev. Christoph Schappeler, preached reformation ideas in the 1510s. They were brutally killed by consigning them to fire and their supporters were persecuted after their death.

Martin Luther came after them and he was repugnant of several teachings and practices of the RC church. In particular, he disputed the view on indulgence.

Indulgence is an act of giving way to one's desires, something granted as a privilege or something that is enjoyed out of gratification.

An indulgence is a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins. It may reduce the temporal punishment for sin after death, in the state or process of purification called Purgatory. In other words, it was to minimise the sins of the people.

It was a payment to the Catholic Church that purchased an exemption from punishment for two types of sins - partial and plenary. Partial punishment removes part of one's punishment or suffering, plenary punishment removes all of one's punishment or suffering. The amount was collected to raise funds for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The Catholic church holds that all who die in God's grace and friendship but still imperfectly purified undergo the process of purification which the church calls purgatory so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

Then she spoke at length Luther's nailing of the 95 theses to the door of the Castle's church in Wittenberg, Germany.

In his theses, he condemned the excesses and corruption of the RC church, especially the papal practice of asking payment - called indulgences - for the forgiveness of sins.

Lutherans believe that human beings are saved from their sins by God's grace alone, through faith alone, on the basis of scripture alone.

Luther believed that Christians are saved through faith and not through their own efforts.

He dispatched a copy of the 95 theses to Archbishop Albert of Mainz, along with a request that Albert put a stop to this extravagant preaching.

After publishing his 95 theses, he was called to Rome for his heresy. When he did not comply, he was excommunicated.

Luther's understanding came to him while meditating on the letter of Paul to the Romans. Romans 1:17 says : He who through faith is righteous shall live.

He believed that it was the Bible alone, not priests or the church, which had legitimacy for interpreting the word of Christ. Salvation comes only of faith in Christ, who by His blood alone, and not by any works of ours, has put away sin and destroyed the power of death.

He translated the Bible into German, making it more accessible to the general public. That was the fruit of reformation. People read the Bible in their own language. It could be the later fruit of reformation.

Luther liked to read the Gospel of John, the Epistles to Romans and Galatians. He was very much attracted by the Seven 'I am's in the John's gospel. Christ is the mediator, is a gift of God and an example to follow.

In Acts 4:12, it is said that there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved. 

The good works, as emphasized by her, are: We should keep the commandments. We should not do evil.

She quoted Ephesians 2:8,9: For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not the result of works, so that one may boast.

Her speech also made the participants to think of the everyday reformation in the life of the people and of the church today. It also made the participants feel the inner spiritual dryness in them, their failings and their sinful nature.