How the Reformation Can Warn - and Teach - the Modern Church

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Luther knew the Word, and when someone tried to teach and lead others contrary to the truth, he revealed what God said about the matter. We too are called to hold our leadership to the integrity of Scripture. Yes, there is grace that no pastor or leader is perfect, however we are given the responsibility to share truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). It is always important to believe the best in people, but when we see someone in faith pointing people in a direction that is opposite of the truth and love of Christ, we need to raise the red flag. We likely won’t use 95 theses, but we like Luther can speak up or write in about our concerns.

None of us are above hypocrisy. We can pray that prayer of David in Psalm 139:23-24 which says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” It is very easy to read a convicting Scripture verse or hear an amazing message but apply it to another person instead of our own lives. We need to be careful that we are not just living lives that appear holy, but that we have hearts after Christ. This means daily surrender and humility to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and His leading.

Our culture today is still corrupted by sin. We see people misusing the Bible in so many ways. There are some who deny the entirety of the Holy Word of God. There are others who diminish the value to the Old Testament. There are some who only share that Jesus loves you and give a message of prosperity that is not guaranteed in the life of a disciple of Jesus. There are others who use one Bible verse out of context to provide a message that they desire to present. There are some who use Scripture to lessen the value of people who are made in the image of God. So many challenges face us today when it comes to accurate interpretation and sermons from the Bible. Having a clear understanding of the Bible is not the job of the pastor, but the responsibility of each believer. When the Roman Catholic church relied on Leo X to read the Bible for them, they were led down a path of false teaching. May we always uphold Scripture with integrity individually and educate ourselves, not relying on others.

We can learn so many things from Martin Luther. He stood up against a false teaching of salvation. His boldness enabled many people to understand true salvation in Christ. The Lord used him to start a movement of Biblical accuracy and living out a genuine repentant faith while knowing that salvation comes from Jesus’ grace alone, not our own works. We are called as believers to still uphold these truths and share the love of Christ today to our generation.

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Emma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey.