October 31, 1517, was probably not much different from any other day in Wittenberg, Germany. People were milling about the city, going through their daily routines. Children were running off to school to learn their lessons. Adults were on their way to work or to attend mass at the local church. Maybe some of them passed a street preacher standing next to a large box and heard him shout: “As soon as your money in my box rings, the rescued soul from purgatory springs!” Perhaps a few of them even stopped to drop a coin in the box. In all this hustle and bustle, they did not notice a lone monk nailing a piece of paper to the door of the church. While this monk and his document seemed insignificant, he and the manuscript he held in his hand were used by God in that moment to change the course of history.
Who was this lone monk, and what did he write that was so important? His name was Martin Luther, and on that piece of paper, he wrote what we know today as the 95 Theses. Theses are statements meant to start a discussion or debate. Luther wanted people to discuss and debate the things he had written. He saw many problems in the church of his day, so he wrote down 95 statements, hoping that people would talk about them and come to an agreement.
Martin Luther’s theses can still be read to1day. They cover many topics, including repentance, the Pope, indulgences, purgatory, and more. If we were to read them for ourselves, we might find them hard to understand, but some of them would be within our grasp. Let us consider one of them. Thesis number 62 says: “The true treasure of the Church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.” These few words are of great importance, for they are a summary of what the Reformation was all about. Not only that, but they are also helpful for understanding the entire history of God’s Church in her effort to hold on to the priceless treasure of the Gospel. In subsequent posts, we will examine how the church, throughout her history, sought to guard this precious treasure and entrust it to the generations to come.
By Andrew Koerner
Young Calvinists 