As October the 31st, 2021 approaches, I will again remember the Reformation (restoration) of our Christian Faith told through the story of the Life of Martin Luther. (1483 – 1546)
My father, back in the early 1950s, when I was 10 years old, had given me a small soft cover book with many pictures that described the life events of Martin Luther, the Reformer. It made a large impression on me. The message was clear: the message of the Truth of our Gospel is in the Bible and can only be received by faith.
This message was presented in a classic film made in 1953. A black and white movie of Martin Luther’s Gospel Truth discovery. This movie can now be found on YOUTUBE a Louis de Rochement film by Luthern Church Productions – Martin Luther | with Niall MacGinnis | John Ruddock | Pierre Lefevre. A copy of this movie was bought by John vanderBoom, director of the Bible League of Canada (then known as the Canadian Home Bible League) and shown to many churches in Canada through the 1960s as a fundraiser for the promotion of the placement of Bibles around the world.
Here below is the narrative in the scene of that movie that was the turning point of Martin Luther’s life search and found for him the rest for what he perceived was his sinful soul and the punishment of an angry God. Luther’s life journey, ‘spiritual angst’ about the anger of God’s dealing in judgement with sinners, to a loving and faithful Father and Saviour. To atone for his sinful soul Martin had stopped his Law studies and entered an Augustinian monastery to devote his life and studies to knowing how he could be right with God. He was ordained as a priest and continued his studies of Scripture and to search rest for his soul
At minute 26 in the movie: The setting is the Wittenberg’s Castle church where Martin Luther was pastor and served as professor at Duke Frederick’s Wittenberg University. In this scene, the church Vicar shows to Martin Luther and members of the church, his newly collected acquisition of holy relics.
Vicar: All fragments of Saint Jerome and Saint Chrysostom and from the veil sprinkled with the blood of the Saviour; a morsel of the very bread eaten at the last supper; this, a nail driven into our Lord’s feet and hands; a fragment of the true cross. The Vicar then says: with these and all the others I have brought, if a pilgrim were to venerate (revere; give respect to) every single relic in our church, they would be forgiven by God of their time in purgatory: 1 million, nine hundred and two thousand, two hundred and two years, and two hundred and seventy days. He then turns and says: Now, brother Martin………………. but Martin Luther is seen perplexed and upset as he leaves the sanctuary of the church in a hurry.
Later, the Vicar visits Martin Luther in his study. Vicar: Doctor Martin, you don’t think much of my acquisitions.
Luther replies: I’m not sure that Christ does. Dear Vicar, I wish I could be the kind of Christian that only sees and hears, believes and worships and there’s that.
Vicar: Doctor Luther, relics are not an end in themselves they’re merely symbols of holy men and women whose sanctity enables them to intercede in our behalf before God.
Luther: Symbols, it’s true, but if the symbol is replacing the meaning-ness of faith then meaning itself is lost, and if it is the other, I say if then we are lost, lost and damned.
Vicar: this (pointing to the crucifix on the wall) is a simple tool, but is it God’s supreme gift of His only Son we adore. This symbol, the splinters of the wood, the rest of the nails that we worship, this crucifix makes the agony of Christ more vivid for the simple Christian, the little peasant with his prayer to St. Christopher for a safe journey, the poor widow with a tiny Madonna, the soldier going into battle with his rosary, yes – even the Duke of Wittenberg with his noble gifts to our church. Would you take all these away, doctor Luther? You the people’s priest. You cannot afford to shatter their faith by tearing away it’s visible supports.
Luther: As their priest responsible to God for their souls can I afford not to. Symbols to inspire devotion, yes, but crutches to uphold a tottering faith?
Vicar: doctor Luther whence all this sudden doubt?
Luther: This is no sudden doubt but a growing certainty. Dear Vicar, what little certainty I have you gave to me, you heard my sin, you sent me to Rome to fortify my faith; you sent me to Scripture to find my God; you brought me here to Wittenberg to preach his Word; and now here in my room I’ve been preparing my lectures on the epistles of Paul to the Romans and here (pointing to an open Bible) I think I’ve found the truth at last and when I found it, it was as though the gates of heaven were open to me.
The Vicar sits down and reads: Paul’s Epistle to the Romans chapter 1 : verse 17 in Latin (iustitia enim Dei in eo revelatur ex fide in fidem sicut scriptum est iustus autem ex fide vivit)
Luther recounts: ‘For in the Gospel righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written: the just shall live by faith!’ and so where do we find anything here of relics, Vicar? By faith mankind lives and is made righteous, not by what we do for ourselves. Not the veneration of relics, singing of masses, pilgrimages to Rome will one purchase pardon for their sins, but by faith in what God has done for them already through his son Jesus Christ.
Vicar: doctor Martin, if you leave the Christian to live only by faith, if you sweep away all good works, all these glorious things and you dismiss them as mere crutches, what will you put in their place?
Martin Luther: Christ, mankind only needs Jesus Christ; THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH ALONE!
Song: In Christ Alone
JS October 22, 2021
(the above narrative is ‘as I heard it’ and may differ slightly from the Movie score)
On the Road 