On October 31 as so many were preoccupied with celebrating Halloween, I wondered, “How many understand the true meaning of this day?” October 31 is a signature date in church history. It is a day to be remembered and revered. On October 31, 1517 the Protestant Reformation began. The Reformation was the single greatest religious movement since the days of the apostles. It was an event unparalleled in human history. One of the key figures in this movement was a young man named Martin Luther.

Before Luther entered the monastery, he had already distinguished himself as one of the most brilliant young minds in Europe in the field of jurisprudence. He grasped the difficult points of the law. Some viewed him as a legal genius. Luther understood the holiness of God. Once he spent six hours confessing the sins he committed the previous day! “Love God? Sometimes I hate him,” he said. Luther continued, “Sometimes Christ seems to me nothing more than an angry judge who comes to me with a sword in His hand.”

Two things separated Luther from the rest of men. First, he understood who God was. Second, he understood the demands of God’s law. He had mastered the law. He lived in torment. He wrestled with the question, “How could God be merciful without compromising His justice? How could a just God accept an unjust man?” He knew that his eternal destiny hung on the answer. He could not find the answer.

R.C. Sproul says, “Lesser minds went merrily along their way, enjoying the bliss of ignorance. They were satisfied to think that God would compromise His own excellence and let them into heaven. After all, heaven would not be the marvelous place it was cracked up to be if they were excluded from it. God must grade on a curve. Boys will be boys, and God is big enough not to get all excited about a few moral blemishes.”

Thankfully, Luther’s religious experience changed the course of history. In the quietness of his study he understood how a holy God expresses a holy love. As he studied the Book of Romans he read Romans 1:16-17. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes…. The just shall live by faith.” He realized that God was both just and the justifier. Justification or salvation is by faith alone. It is on the merits of Jesus alone. It is based upon His sacrifice on the cross. When Luther understood the gospel for the first time, the doors of paradise swung open, and he walked through.

The Reformation was built upon five pillars. Sola Scriptura means “Scripture alone.” God has spoken through the Bible. We hear the voice of God through the Scriptures. Solus Christus means “of Christ alone.” Our salvation was accomplished by the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross. He won our salvation! Sola Gratia means “grace alone.” We are rescued from God’s wrath by His grace alone. As humans we cannot save ourselves. It is God’s grace that offers eternal life. It is a free gift. Sola Fide means “faith alone.” Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone because of Jesus alone. We believe or trust in the work of Jesus. His work is credited to us through faith. Sola Dei Gloria means “for God’s glory alone.” We must live our entire lives under the authority of God and for His glory alone.