Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Reformation 500


~ The Reformations 500th Anniversary & Halloween ~

500 Years!  ~  October 31, 1517 was the day when a scholarly German monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed his famous The Ninety-Five Theses to the church door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  

The Point  ~  Reformation simply means renewal.  It was a renewed effort to follow the teachings of Scripture.  Two of Luther’s main concerns were the religious rites of sainthood and the controlling of parishioners with the fear of purgatory.  Luther was greatly disturbed at the practice of indulgence selling (acquiring spiritual merit based upon purchasing indulgences from the established church).  The haunting question for parishioners was, “Have I purchased enough merit to make it to heaven.”  Of course, this was a great money maker for the church.  Based on his understanding of the Bible Luther didn’t believe man could buy his way to heaven, and he did not believe the Pope had authority over purgatory. 

The most important theological point that came from The Reformation was: the doctrine of justification / salvation from grace alone.  “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21). 

It was also through The Reformation that Christians once again understood that the word saint as used throughout the New Testament referred to all believers in Jesus Christ.  The outcome of this was now interpreting All Saints as unity of the Church. 

A key point in Luther’s Theses declares: “The true treasure of the church is the most holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God” (Thesis #62).  That point is the essence of The Reformation.  It is the essential key to The Reformation.

Why October 31st?  ~  November 1 was a special time on the church calendar—All Soul’s Day.  A huge display of newly acquired relics were on display in the church, which if purchased, would take literally many hundreds of years off of purgatory.  Luther chose the evening before this big event to post his thesis so it would gain maximum exposure. 

Now, the connection between The Reformation and Halloween.  It is a fascinating piece of history:

Celebration of Christian Martyrs  ~  The origin of what would later become All Saints’ Day is the early commemorations of Christian martyrs.  Over time this expanded to include all saints. 

All Saints’ Day (609 a.d.)  ~  Also known as All Hallows’ Day was first celebrated on May 13, 609 at the time of the dedication of the Pantheon in Rome to the Virgin Mary by Pope Boniface IV.  Later, Pope Gregory III, who dedicated a chapel in the Vatican Basilica to the honor of all saints, changed the date to November 1.  Still later, in 837, it was Pope Gregory IV who ordered All Saints’ Day to be a church-wide celebration. 

All Souls’ Day (late 900s)  ~  Also known as the Day of the Dead is most frequently celebrated by Roman Catholicism on November 2.  It is a day dedicated to almsgiving and prayer in memory of ancestors.  A day when prayers are offered to God for the souls of those who have died in an effort to speed their transition from purgatory to heaven through the process of cleansing / purging their sins. 

Reformation Day (October 31, 1517)  ~  A commemoration of Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses.  This was the initial spark that flamed the reformation.  His thesis was quickly translated and distributed throughout Germany in a matter of a few short weeks.  In essence it was a protest against the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church of the time—which Luther believed was teaching unbiblical doctrines and adding false doctrines, superstition, and encouraging Biblical illiteracy for parishioners. 

Halloween  ~   The deepest roots of Halloween are from old pagan rituals and are most generally believed to be based on Celtic summer sacrifices to satisfy Samhain—the lord of death and his evil spirits.  Humans believed they could escape Samhain by disguising themselves by appearing to be evil spirits themselves. 

Christians, in an effort to counteract these beliefs, provided an alternative celebration of All Hallows’ Day on November 1.  In medieval England the festival became known as All Hallows and the previous evening as All Hallows’ Eve which led to the term Halloween.   Various other names have been used including Allhaloween, Hallowmas and All Saints’ Eve.  In fact, the term ‘Halloween’ means Hallowed Evening or in today’s terminology Holy Evening.

The Bottom Line  ~  The Reformation caused the Church to move back to the simplicity of God’s Word as it’s only authority.  At the very core is salvation by grace alone through placing faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).  “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished! And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30).

The most important lesson for the church today is to keep The Gospel of Jesus Christ at the heart of everything we do!  A related key is to avoid allowing works to enter into Christian belief.  All other religions are based upon man doing something—earning his way to heaven.  Only Christianity is based upon what God has done already—He has already paid the penalty of man’s sin.  However, man’s pride continually moves him toward trying to his own way. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:
(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.
(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.
(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 
(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Monday, October 30, 2017

Identity in Christ, 145



~ I Am Now Able to Partake of the Divine Nature ~

Introduction  ~  When Christians understand the various characteristics and aspects of the birthright which came with their second birth, they comprehend their identity in Christ.  Once Christians understand their identity, their destiny is also clear!  This series of “Abundant Life Now” posts will look at one of those facets each week. 

This Week’s Verse  ~  “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:1-4).

~~~ EXPLANATORY “IDENTITY IN CHRIST” NOTES ~~~  
(1)  Each Monday ALN posts an example of Scripture’s description of aspects/characteristics of Christians—those who have personally trusted in Jesus Christ, The Messiah, as their personal Savior.
(2)  This series is not intended to be an exhaustive list.
(3)  God the Father described Himself to Moses as the great “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).  God the Son also said “I AM” (John 8:58). 
(4)  Jesus Christ is the Son of God and several times in the Gospel of John He refers to Himself as “I am.  I am the Bread of Life” (6:35-51), “I am the Light of the World” (8:12, 9:5), “I am the Door” (10:7-9), “I am the Good Shepherd” (10:11-14), “I am the Son of God” (10:36), “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25), “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (14:6), “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me … Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:10-11), and “I am the True Vine” (15:1-5). 
(5)  Individual Christians are also sons and daughters of God.  This series will show some of the various “I am” aspects of a Christian. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:
(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.
(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.
(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 
(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Jesus Is…, 13


~ Jesus Christ Is Full of Grace ~

Passage  ~  “And the Word [the Living Word—Jesus Christ] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Significance  ~  The classic Biblical definition of grace is “unmerited favor.”  Others have stated it as “getting that which you don’t deserve.”  I would add that it is “receiving good that you don’t deserve” (as opposed to mercy which I define as “not receiving something bad which you deserve”).  One acrostic which has been used to define grace is “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”

the key question:  “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).  This is the most important question you will ever answer.  If you do not answer it, or answer it incorrectly, you have made the biggest mistake anyone can make!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:
(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.
(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.
(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 
(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .