The Reformation Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: Comfort & Worship

Two weeks ago, the question was asked, what is the significance of the Reformation for yesterday, today, and tomorrow? One way to answer is by considering the Reformation in light of doctrine. In many respects, the Reformation was a fight for right doctrine. Martin Luther and others stressed the need for orthodoxy. Without it, condemnation, not salvation for the sinner would be the result. In addition, heterodoxy would not help the Christian face suffering. We live in a hard world. Heresy gives no comfort to the soul.

Doctrine Brings Comfort

Scripture teaches, God doesn’t leave his people in suffering and say, “Hope you make it!” Jesus said, “I am with you always to the end of the age.” (Mat. 28:20) Christ comforts and helps us through our struggles. Bible doctrine gives assurance of God’s abounding affection. Scriptural truths aid in facing the difficulties of life, which include wrestling against sin. Luther was no stranger to this fight with the flesh. His daily struggles with sin taxed him. He felt like he was a man between God and the Devil. Doctrine helped him remember God was more merciful than he was sinful.

In wrestling with sin, Christians sometimes wonder, “Can I be forgiven for what I’ve done?” Doctrine reminds us God’s well of grace is deeper than the sin in our hearts. Where sin abounds, grace abound more (Rom. 5:20). His reservoir of mercy has no end. Such truth is a comfort. It teaches us, doctrine is not for eggheaded, ivory-towered, stuffy theologians. Doctrine is not dull dogma. Reformers like Luther were excited by doctrine. They were aided by doctrine in real tangible ways. How does right doctrine come to us? The church primarily receives it in the context of public worship.

Doctrine and Worship

After the Heidelberg Disputation (1518), Luther was summoned to Rome. He refused to go. In 1521, Rome, in some sense, came to him. At the Diet of Worms, he was forced to answer for his theological convictions. It was there, Luther allegedly gave his famous speech, “Here I stand, I can do no other, God save me.” Afterwards Luther was kidnapped and secretly whisked away to Wartburg Castle.

While there, Wittenburg fell apart. Groups who had embraced Luther’s theology, ran with it in a more radical direction, (Later identified as Anabaptists) abandoning the need for Scripture and church ministry. The city erupted in chaos. In 1522, Luther returned. The Reformation in Wittenburg was on the verge of collapse. Luther needed to ‘fix what was broken.’ If he did not, all would be lost, including his life. What did Luther do to correct heresy? What did he do to comfort the souls of the distressed?

In March of 1522, he had eight worship services over eight days straight, where he preached the Reformation back from near death. One thing this stressed is the power of preaching. To the world, faithful preaching is foolishness. I was a public-school teacher for nearly fifteen years. Educational theory frowns upon standing in front of people and speaking to teach information. 1 Cor. 1:18-25, God loves to use the foolish things of the world to shame the ‘wise.’ He uses the ‘foolishness of preaching.’

We see it throughout the New Testament. Jesus consistently preached. (Mat. 5-7, Mk 1:14-15, 38-39, Lk 6:17-18). In the book of Acts, the early church was built on preaching (Acts 2:14-47, 3:11-26, 4:31, 5:42, 6:7, 7:1-53, 8:4-25, 9:26-27, 10:42, 13:1-5—just to name a few). We need faithful preaching, giving us right doctrine from Scripture. However, we must receive it without exalting the preacher. Preachers are simply ‘table waiters,’ who bring out ‘Bible food’ to feed the people. You wouldn’t ‘celebrate’ your busboy. Don’t do that with preachers. 1 Tim. 5:17, they are worthy of double honor: respect them and take care of them. But don’t make them more than they are. Doing so only sets the hearer and the preacher up for disappointment.

For Luther, an important thing about preaching was what it did in the worship service. Preaching in public worship provided an opportunity for sinners ‘to be served God’s Word.’ Typically, when people think about public worship, they see it as an opportunity ‘to serve God praise.’ Public worship is that. If we are not singing praise to God in public worship something is wrong. However, public worship is more than ‘us serving God.’ It is also ‘us being served by God.’ Public worship is first ‘God blessing us with Good News,’ and then, our response is ‘blessing him with thanksgiving.’

God in Christ is present in public worship. By the Spirit, through the Word, he is at work. He is taking the doctrines of Scripture as they are read, preached, prayed, seen in the sacraments, and sung, and he is serving us. God’s service is one that comforts the soul.

—Pastor Clif