Luther!

I am studying church history at college this semester, and we have just started looking at Martin Luther. I remembered watching a movie called 'Luther' a few years back and just borrowed it to re-watch again last night. As I did, I couldn't help but be thankful.

Luther was a young German monk in the 1500's, who was disillusioned with the way things were, and as such decided to confront the Roman Catholic Church on topics like indulgences, and other areas, where he felt the practices of the day conflicted with the ideas or teachings of the Bible. What Luther did, set in motion one of the most significant events of western history, the Protestant Reformation.

So why am I thankful? I am thankful for people like Luther who cared more about God and what He has to say, than what the society around him says is true. I am grateful that he cared enough to stand up for what he believed in, and as such paved the way for my faith in God  and the Church we have today. 

In Luther's time, the Pope, head of the Roman Church, interpreted the Bible and told people what it said and meant for them. Luther believed that the people should be able to read and learn from the Bible itself, and that God was the person that needed to help them interpret it. As such, he went on to translate the Bible into his heart language...German, and in doing so opened the Word of God to peasants and ordinary people. 

This is what I am most grateful for. Grateful that we have the Word of God written down, grateful that I can read it in my own language, and grateful that the Spirit of God helps me to understand what it has to say.