From Rutherford Hall -- By: Jerry O’Neill

Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 04:1 (Fall 2017)
Article: From Rutherford Hall
Author: Jerry O’Neill


From Rutherford Hall

Jerry O’Neill

President of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

So what’s the big deal about the Protestant Reformation? Why are so many people celebrating the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses on the doors of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany? What is so special about what happened in Germany five-hundred years ago? Is it not a matter of just a few doctrines that Christians will forever be divided on?

No, no, a hundred times, no. It is a matter of life and death importance. If you are in Christ today, you owe your very salvation, humanly speaking, to Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Protestant reformers who, by God’s grace, delivered (part of) the church from the hands of the enemy. The Roman Catholic Church was by far the most powerful institution in Europe in Middle Ages, and it was utterly corrupt. In fact, when Martin Luther’s father learned that his son was wanting to become a monk, he was stunned, in large part because the church was so corrupt.

Of course, there has been a remnant of true believers in all ages, and names like John Wycliffe, Peter Lollard, and Jan (John) Hus stand out in church history as those who were faithful during the later Medieval Period. But it took the Protestant Reformation to unshackle the true gospel, which had been so obscured by the Roman church through its belief in baptismal regeneration and, later, the sale of indulgences.

The Protestant Reformation insisted on the “five solas:”

  • Sola Scriptura, the Scripture alone;
  • Sola Fide, faith alone;
  • Sola Gratia, grace alone;
  • Solus Christus, Christ alone; and
  • Soli Deo Gloria, the glory of God alone.

As you read this journal, rejoice in how God used pilgrim Reformers who went before us, leaving us a treasure of immeasurable worth. As revealed in the Scripture alone, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. Rejoice and be glad!

For Christ’s Crown and Covenant,

Jerry O’Neill

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