A Look at History by
Gary Ray Branscome
In
the year of our Lord 1517, on the thirty first day of October, a lowly monk
– who never dreamed that he was about to change the history of the world
– nailed 95 theses to the door of the castle church in
Amazingly
enough, without the benefit of radio, television, or even organized news
services those theses were the talk of all
As
Luther’s resounding cry “the just shall live by faith” spread
through the country, thousands of monks – who had been enslaved by vows
required by the church of Rome – left their monasteries, carrying the
gospel wherever they went. As a result, entire nations embraced the gospel. First
While Luther labored long and hard to spread the good
news of free forgiveness in Christ, the Church of Rome opposed him every step
of the way. That Church burned anyone caught with a copy of the Bible, insisted
that it alone could interpret the Bible, and obscured the truth with a bogus
tradition. Luther responded by translating the Bible into the language of the
people, emphasizing the fact that the Bible interprets itself, and teaching
that the true doctrine is exactly what the Bible says. In other words, if the
Bible says that we are “justified by faith without the deeds of the
law” then the true church will teach that we are justified by faith
without the deeds of the law (Romans
Because
the Church of Rome taught that baptism would convey forgiveness mechanically,
through the mere performance of a sacramental act, Luther stressed the fact
that without faith in Christ baptism avails nothing.
Because the Church of Rome taught that works were
needed to secure one’s salvation, Luther stressed the fact that we are
justified and saved by faith alone, without the works of the law (Romans 3:28,
Ephesians 2:8-9). Just as God has saved us by His grace, He will keep us by His
grace (1Peter 1:5).
Because the
Church of Rome taught that at the last judgment works would determine who
entered heaven, Luther stressed the fact that grace alone will determine
whether one spends eternity in heaven or hell (Romans 9:33).
By 1538 it seemed like the Lutheran revival was going
to sweep through
While the Calvinists did not reject Luther's theology
of grace, the Church of England never experienced many of the reforms that
Luther called for. That Church continued to be ruled by bishops, failed to rid
itself of superstition, and used the power of the state to suppress dissent. At
the same time, the puritan emphasis on works, coupled with the Calvinistic idea
that one has to live according to a covenant of dos and don'ts in order to have
God's blessing, often differed little from the heresy condemned in the Book of
Galatians.
Those
within the Church of England who favored
congregational autonomy, were known as congregationalists.
And, the first Baptist church on English soil was organized by a group of congregationalists who had come to reject infant baptism.
While those Baptists (General Baptists) rejected the theology of Calvin,
instead of returning to Luther’s theology of grace they followed an Arminian theology that made salvation depend in part on
man. As a result, by 1680 all but a few of the General Baptist churches had
become liberal, and a century later had become part of the Unitarian cult.
By 1633 there were Baptists who followed the theology
of Calvin (Particular Baptists), and by 1644 they had begun to baptize by
immersion. During that period, John Bunyan, who would later author
“Pilgrims Progress,” was desperately searching for assurance of
salvation. Although he had grown up under the influence of Calvinism, that
theology left him with many doubts and fears. He was afraid that God might not
want to save him, and also afraid that he might have committed the unpardonable
sin. However, in the midst of his struggle someone gave him an old copy of
Luther's commentary on Galatians. Of that commentary he later said, “I
prefer this book of Martin Luther on the Galatians, excepting the Holy Bible,
to all the books that I have ever seen, as most fit for a wounded
conscience." (Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, by John Bunyan,
page 75)
Having found
peace with God, through Luther’s commentary, John Bunyan began to preach
the Reformation gospel, and through his preaching the fires of revival began to
stir. Large crowds came to hear him preach, and many were saved. As a result,
more than one hundred congregations were started, and he has been called the
Baptist Apostle of
Although the revival started by John Bunyan did not
continue after his death (1688), fifteen years later a man was born who would
renew that revival, and his name was John Wesley. Although John Wesley was a
clergyman and the son of a clergyman, neither he nor his brother Charles had
heard the gospel until they “heard” it through the writings of
Martin Luther. According to his own journal, John Wesley was born again on
Even
though the Wesley brothers came to faith through the writings of Martin Luther,
neither of them went back to the theology that had produced the Reformation, or
to the doctrines that are explicitly stated in God's Word. Instead, they
adopted the same Arminian theology that had destroyed
the General Baptists, and has robbed many of assurance of salvation.
While they did
teach justification by faith, they also taught the Catholic doctrine of
justification, calling it “sanctification,” “holiness,”
or “a second work of grace.” And, many have found that emphasis on
works to be a stumbling block. In fact, one Wesleyan pastor told me that he
knew that preaching “holiness” led people to trust in works, but he
held revivals to compensate for that fact. Can you believe it? He would rather
rely on “revival” meetings to straighten out his mess, than teach
the people the right doctrine to begin with. What does he think is going to
happen to the souls who die trusting in works? [Note: When the Bible speaks of
holiness, it is not talking about making ourselves holy, but about living in
accord with the holiness that is already ours through faith in Christ (Hebrews
Since the followers of John Wesley were
zealous in spreading the good news of justification by faith, their circuit
riders wound up establishing congregations in almost every American community.
For many, the message of free forgiveness in Christ was like water in a desert.
However, the emphasis on works slowly poisoned the well. In his book,
“Holiness, The False and The True,” H.A. Ironsides tells us that the “holiness”
doctrine turned him into a Pharisee. Although he was striving to do right, and
thought that he was righteous, inwardly he felt spiritually dead, cold, and
empty. Nevertheless, he eventually did find the peace that comes with knowing
what it means to be justified by faith. As a result, he went on to become a
great soul-winner. However, even though he was leading many people to faith, by
preaching the Lutheran doctrine of justification, he allowed his work to be
compromised by a man-centered approach to Bible interpretation. Although I have
been told that he later recognized some of the problems with the dispensational
approach, he never changed what he had already written. However, his book,
“Full Assurance,” written only a few years before his death, is
(except for a few statements) in full accord with Lutheran Theology.
Throughout the
nineteenth century, the good news of justification by faith produced one
revival after another. Men like Charles Spurgeon, Dwight L. Moody, R.A. Torrey, Sam Jones, C. I. Scofield, and many others, proclaimed it from one end of
the nation to the other. As the twentieth century opened the soul-winning
continued under the preaching of such men as Bob Shuler (no relation to the one
on television), H.A. Ironsides, Oliver Green, Billy
Graham, Dr. DeHaan, R. G. Lee, and Dr. Walter A.
Maier (a Lutheran). While some of these men called themselves Calvinists, Arminians, or Dispensationalists it was the central message
of Luther's revival, justification by faith, that won souls. The doctrine of
particular atonement has never saved anyone! Nor has any doctrine that makes
salvation depend on man! Such doctrines not only do not save, they hinder the
work of salvation.
When I was
about four years old, my father, who was listening to Dr. Walter A. Maier on
radio, told me to be quiet and listen. As I listened, the preaching began to
grip my heart in a way that I do not understand and cannot explain. However, at
that young age I began to look forward to hearing Dr. Walter A. Maier every
week, and even though he died only one year later, I have never forgotten his
preaching.
Although he
began with only one small radio transmitter set up in an attic, by the time of
his death in 1950 Dr. Maier was being heard on more than 1200 stations
worldwide. And, at the first meeting of the Lutheran World Federation in 1947,
every delegate knew of someone who had come to faith through the preaching of
Dr. Walter A. Maier.
In addition to
his radio ministry, Dr. Maier also held “rallies” during which he
would preach to thousands of people. And, at the end of each sermon, as the
song “Just As I Am Without One Plea” was being sung, multitudes
would come forward to find assurance of salvation.
Upon
hearing of an inner city church that was going to be closed down and sold, Dr.
Maier started a campaign to raise enough money to buy it. At the same time, he
began a visitation program to find members for it. As a result, more than 1,200
people attended the first worship service that he held there, and thirty years
later that congregation still had over 1,000 members.
Although the preaching of Dr. Walter A. Maier brought
multitudes to faith in Christ, very few Lutheran pastors followed his example.
As with the apostle Paul, all of his energy was directed at preaching Christ
and Christ crucified. Yet he did not neglect the law, but used it to expose,
condemn, and rebuke sin while pointing people to Christ for forgiveness. He
never tried to make people holy through works, but instead preached faith into
their hearts, knowing that the fruits of faith would follow. He did not confuse
the water with abstract theological terminology, but proclaimed the good news
of forgiveness that is explicitly stated in Scripture. The
same good news that started the Lutheran reformation to begin with.
Since all of
the revivals that have taken place in the past 500 years are offshoots of the
Lutheran revival, that revival is still going on, and can be seen today in the
work of many around the world. One example of it can be seen in the work of Dr.
M. A. Thomas, of