Reformation Day

Five-hundred and three years ago, on the eve of All Saints Day, October 31st, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. This event is widely recognized as the beginning of the Reformation, but at the time Martin Luther was not yet a Lutheran. He was angry at the sale of indulgences and was convinced that if the pope knew, he would be angry too. Luther wasn’t aware that the Pope had authorized the sale of indulgences and was pocketing half the money.

Three years later Martin Luther stood before the most powerful man in the world, Emperor Charles V, at the diet of Worms. By this time, he truly had become a Lutheran, that is to say, he had rediscovered the true Gospel and had boldly written and spoken of it through all Germany. When commanded to recant his writings, Luther famously replied, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason, I cannot and will not recant.” Here was a man who, as St. Paul says, was “not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:16). Following the Diet of Worms, Luther fully expected to be burned at the stake. He was prepared to suffer the loss of all things, including his body and life at the hands of violent men. Yet, God had other plans. Luther did not die a martyr. Instead he continued to write, teach, and preach for another twenty-five years. The Gospel that had been lost for centuries was boldly proclaimed to Luther’s generation, to their children and grandchildren, and so on to you.

In Luther’s day violent men attempted to silence the preaching of the Gospel with threats, political pressure, and even outright war. But as far is the Church is concerned, this was nothing new. Jesus says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” (Mt 11:12). Our sinful world, which lies in the lap of the wicked one, will always react violently against the truth of Christ. The prophets of the Old Testament were stoned and killed. The Apostles were martyred. The early Christians were fed to lions or killed by gladiators. John Huss, a reformer who preceded Luther by a hundred years, was burned at the stake. Countless others, whose consciences were also captive to the Word of God, gave their lives for the faith. So it has always been, and so it will be until the Final Day. As long as our Lord rules his kingdom in grace and not yet power, the kingdom of heaven will suffer violence, and the violent will take it by force.

One of the ways that this violence is taking place today is under the guise of the separation of Church and State. People are fond of saying, “Keep the Church out of politics! The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of religion, but don’t bring your religion into the public square.” But what is considered to be a political matter? Nearly everything! We are told, “The Church has no business talking about abortion. That’s a political matter!” What is the definition of marriage? “That’s also a political matter.” Is there a difference between a man and a woman? “Don’t tell me what God says. It’s for the politicians to decide. And don’t complain that your religious freedoms are being violated. You can still believe whatever you want in your own heart, but you can’t act out your beliefs in any public way. Keep your religion out of politics and the public sphere.”

Sadly, the Church has largely accepted this violent attack on its domain. Rather than pushing back and saying, “Life and marriage issues are exactly the business of the church! We will take our stand here upon the Word of God and suffer the persecution of a hostile world,” we have ceded ground until nearly nothing remains to the Church. We are told, “Believe whatever you want, but don’t you dare speak about what you believe.” And so we have largely remained silent. Those few who do speak out, such as the Christian actor, Chris Pratt, are vilified and canceled. I fear that the devil’s latest technique to silence the Gospel will end up being the most effective in the Church’s history. Feeding Christians to lions didn’t really work. Instead the Church grew. Corrupting the Church from the inside out and suppressing the gospel through the papacy didn’t work either. God raised up Martin Luther and brought about the Reformation. But give Christians cozy houses and new cars, give them lucrative careers and respectable positions, and they won’t dare speak out for fear of losing these things.

Today, I am going to speak out on a subject close at hand: the election. Most of you know that I do not generally speak about politics from the pulpit. But it is not always possible to compartmentalize our lives. Faith must be lived out. I imagine that some people here may be very unhappy with what I must say. In that case I invite you please to speak with me about this in person. I’ll begin by saying that God is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. And neither are you. You might be registered as one of these, but that is not who you are. Before any other affiliation, you are, first of all, a baptized child of God. You are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. This is where your true allegiance lies.

People often say, “As an American, you have the freedom to vote your conscience.” This is true. You are free to vote according to your conscience. But I must remind you today that your conscience is not free. As a subject of the kingdom of God, your conscience is bound to follow the Word of God. “Here I stand,” Luther said, “I can do no other. My conscience is captive to the Word of God.” You too must be prepared to take your stand upon the Word of God, even if it means you will suffer the loss of all things.

So how does a conscience that is captive to the Word of God vote? There are many issues at stake in the election, but some are far more important than others. God’s Word does not bind your conscience to vote for or against a new healthcare plan. You are free to be make up your own mind about drilling for oil in national parks. And if the different candidates merely represented different ideas about how to best run the government, Christians would be free to vote for either platform. Sadly, this is not the case. There are three issues that far outweigh every other concern: The right to life, the sanctity of marriage, and the freedom to worship God. Of these three, the first is by far the most important. It is my duty to tell you that a Christian cannot vote for a platform that promotes the murder of children. Compared to this single issue, nothing else matters. Even the sanctity of marriage and the right to the free exercise of religion take a backseat to this. God’s Word says, “You shall not murder.” Abortion is murder. You cannot do it. You cannot support it. You cannot vote for it. Your conscience is bound!

Certainly, there are many other issues at play in this election: healthcare, taxes, foreign policy, immigration, etc… Christians are free to disagree on these issues. It used to be that Christians could vote for either platform while being pro-life. But those days are gone. The party that supports abortion has chosen to be the party of death. They have wholeheartedly embraced the murder of 61-million-babies, even supporting legislation that allows for abortion up to the moment before birth. Christians must oppose this. If it means giving up your healthcare, so be it. If it means losing your retirement portfolio, so be it. These things do not matter when balanced against the slaughter of the innocents. We truly do live in evil days. Lord Jesus, come quickly.

The fact that the conscience of a Christian is compelled to vote for those who seek to end abortion, does not mean that we should put our trust in princes and rulers. All politicians are self-serving. All men are liars. Their words are vain, their promises empty. Perhaps our country was great once, when its founding principles were closely aligned with the Ten Commandments, but no longer. The right man in the oval office cannot make America great again. The only hope for our dying world, that descends deeper into madness every day, is Christ and his kingdom.

Let me remind you of the words we sang last week: “Trust not in rulers; they are but mortal; earthborn they are and soon decay. Vain are their counsels at life’s last portal, when the dark grave engulfs its prey. Since mortals can no help afford, place all your trust in Christ, our Lord. Alleluia.”

So yes, vote your conscience, remembering that your conscience is captive to the Word of God. Do not put your possessions and comfort above the lives of your neighbor. Instead, be willing to suffer their loss for the sake of the Gospel and the kingdom of God. Never forget, you may live in the United States. You may be a citizen of a worldly kingdom, run by sinful politicians and corrupt, self-seeking men. But this is not your home or your true allegiance. You are a citizen of Christ’s kingdom, and your baptism is the official passport that guarantees you entry.

Unlike every earthly monarch, Christ did not serve himself. Instead, he gave up his own life on the cross for us, his unworthy subjects. Unlike every politician our Lord has never lied nor failed to keep any of his promises. And so, in the midst of this dark world, as the kingdom of God suffers the violence of wicked men, we cling to hope, waiting for the final revelation of Christ’s kingdom in glory and power. That will be the true day of Reformation, when our Lord says, “Behold, I make all things new.” In faith we answer, “Amen. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.”