Luther, Bold Reformer: Uncompromising in the Truth

One of the easier reads I am taking in during this year of celebrating the 500th anniversary of the great Reformation is Bold Reformer: Celebrating the Gospel-Centered Convictions of Martin Luther by David S. Steele (Kindle version).

In chapter three, “Bold Reformers Refuse to Compromise the Truth,” Steele points us to the history of Luther before the Diet of Worms, where he famously said on April 18, 1521,

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture or by clear reason (for I trust neither pope nor council alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have cited, for my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since to act against one’s conscience is neither safe nor right. I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand, may God help me.”

Here are a few of the author’s comments on Luther’s boldness before this conference:

Martin Luther understood the paralyzing effects of compromise. He saw how compromise slithered its way into the fabric of the church and began to devour the gospel, verse-by-verse and line-by-line. He witnessed how compromise in the priesthood eroded the integrity of the church from the inside out. Luther’s pilgrimage to Rome awakened him to the compromise that plagued the church…. He watched with horror as the church he loved grew more and more like the world.

Luther battled sin like every other fallen man. Yet, he maintained a posture that served his generation well and continues to reverberate throughout the halls of church history. So Luther learned a valuable lesson in the sixteenth century: Bold reformers refuse to compromise the truth.

Toward the end of this chapter, as he calls today’s church members to be bold reformers, Steele references Herman Bavinck, writing,

Herman Bavinck rightly identifies such a person, a theologian who bears the marks of a bold reformer: ‘Bound by revelation, taking seriously the confessions of the church, a theologian must appropriate the Christian faith personally. This is a liberating reality; it made it possible for heroic figures such as Martin Luther to stand up to false teaching and misconduct in the church. We must obey God rather than men.’