“Hallowed Eve?” (Grace Note #6)

 

“Hallowed Eve?” (Grace Note #6)

By Gary L. Clendenon, October 28, 2014

Halloween is a holiday that is hard to miss—pumpkins everywhere turning into glowing ghoulish faces, front yards becoming cluttered cemeteries, houses becoming haunted, and candy-craving children clambering at your door for treats. Some Christians find this holiday to be offensive or even evil, and it can also be somewhat challenging for those of us who are Adventists given our fairly unique belief about “The state of the dead”. This Grace Note is not about all that, for I believe that is between you and GOD, but I would like to share with you another Halloween story that, in my opinion, too often gets overlooked.

The year was 1517—three years shy of 500 years ago (1). The location: Papacy controlled Europe (538-1798 AD). It was on Halloween, then called “All Hallows' Eve” in the city of Wittenberg, Germany, that a Catholic Priest and University Professor named Martin Luther approached the door of The Castle Church and nailed a document to it. The document was called “95 Theses” and was an open letter to the Catholic Archbishop regarding the misuse of indulgences and other non-biblical practices. Indulgences were a tool used by the church to raise money while allowing the rich to buy their own eternal forgiveness and guaranteed ticket to Heaven, and Martin Luther had 95 reasons why indulgences and other church practices did not match what the Bible taught.

You see, three years earlier Martin Luther had discovered the book of Romans and had had a life-changing conversion. Throughout his days as a monk and into his days as a priest and teacher, Martin Luther had been completely terrified by the thought of the wrath of GOD, until he discovered Romans 1:17: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'” Here are Luther’s words describing his discovery of GOD's gift of grace: “...by the mercy of God, I...began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith… Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open.” (2)

Luther's intent was NOT to start a new church, but merely to reform the Catholic Church that he loved, but thanks to the recent invention of the printing press, his words went viral! “Within 2 weeks, copies of the Theses had spread throughout Germany; within two months throughout Europe.” (3) Luther had started something bigger than he ever imagined that Halloween evening, and for him there was no going back on his putting the Bible first in his religion. Eventually, these courageous acts led to his dismissal from the Catholic Church and, with those who followed him, the beginning of a new denomination. Looking back now, we can see that October 31, 1517 was clearly the beginning of “The Protestant Reformation” and now is called by some “Reformation's Eve”, an eve worth celebrating! (4)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9 NIV)

FOOTNOTES:

1. It's now been 506 years!

2. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/theologians/luther.html?start=1

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheNinety-FiveTheses

4. If you like this idea, please “Like” my Facebook page “Reformation's Eve” October 31