The churches that trace their roots to the great Reformation initiated by Luther's posting of his 95 Theses on the Wittenberg door commemorate October 31 as Reformation Day. It is fitting that we, as a Reformed denomination, look at the character of this great man of God to whom we owe so much.

Some contemporaries of Martin Luther (1483-1546) have described him as a man saturated with piety. He was an exceedingly godly man, a man of great faith. In his daily conduct with people he was friendly. He had a sense of humour and in his outward conduct he was optimistic. He had eyes that were sharp and penetrating when he looked at people. He liked to help others and he was humble, sincere, and hospitable. He hated pride and greed. He only became angry when he spoke about the pope and the sectarians, the Anabaptists, whom he believed were responsible for deforming God's Word and thereby misleading many souls. Luther was a sincere Christian. How did Luther become such a Christian?

Early Life⤒🔗

Luther was brought up in a way that was very common in those days. Immediately after his birth he was baptized, but Luther was brought up as a nominal Christian. His parents performed their Christian and churchly duties, but that was all. His parents never spoke to him of their faith. He did receive some religious impressions at the home of a friend, whose parents did display signs of godliness.

One thing that becomes clear from what is known of Luther's youth is that he had deep impressions of hell and heaven. He was concerned about the state of his soul. He knew that he had to die and that after death there would be eternity awaiting him. This would mean everlasting damnation unless he was reconciled with God. These impressions of fear rested upon Luther already at a young age.

When he started to study law at the University of Erfurt he still had these fears of death and terrifying thoughts of God's justice. At this time an event took place while Luther returned from a visit to his parents that made a deep and lasting impression on him. As he was walking back to Erfurt, he was suddenly surprised by a severe thunderstorm that was accompanied with intense flashes of lightning. Luther was terrified and thought that he was going to die. In his fear he cried out to a saint, the holy Anna, and promised that he would enter the monastic service and become a monk. Consequently, Luther kept his vow and entered the Augustinian monastery of Erfurt. According to medieval theology this constituted conversion and entering a monastery was considered to be the shortest way to heaven.

A Monk←⤒🔗

A well-known fact is that in the monastery Luther tried to obtain peace with God. He was very diligent and he took great pains to confess his sins, to fast and to chastise himself severely, but none of these things gave him the peace he was looking for. The head of the monastery, Von Staupitz, who noticed Luther's great anguish of soul, pointed him to the wounds of Christ, where true comfort is to be found. But still Luther could not find peace with God or the for­giveness of his sins, for which he longed.

In the monastery he worked very hard and was a devoted monk. His superiors, therefore, ordered him to study to become a priest. In a few years time he was allowed to preach and to teach other monks. He soon gained a doctorate in theology and was appointed professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg. There he lectured on the book of Romans.

The Righteousness of God←⤒🔗

As Luther was preparing these lectures, he became convinced that the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church was not according to Scripture. In particular, its views on righteousness and faith were unbiblical. As Luther studied Romans 1:17 and 3:21 he became greatly affected. We can read his experiences in his own words, for he wrote:

The words righteous and righteousness of God, struck my conscience like lightning. When I heard them, I was exceedingly terrified. If God is righteous, I thought, He must punish.

But then the Lord opened Luther's eyes to realize that this righteousness is not the righteousness man has to perform, but it is the righteousness God gives to man in the way of faith. This experience took place in Luther's study that was located in a tower of the university. That is why this experience is often called his "tower experience."

This discovery gave Luther such joy, that it was as if he went through the gates of Paradise. In 1535 Luther said in a sermon:

I used to see Christ only as a Judge. That was how I was brought up in the Roman Catholic Church. We were taught to flee from Christ. I imagined Him as sitting on a rainbow as a stern Judge. We were taught that Christ would ask us on the last day: Did you keep My Law? We were continually reminded that we had to make up for our sins and pay for them. We never were given a view of the real Christ. I was as afraid of Jesus as I was afraid of the devil.

After his conversion Luther continually emphasized justification and forgiveness of sins by faith, only because of the finished work of Christ. Luther urged people to reject their own righteousness and to flee to the full and perfect righteousness of Christ. He urged a seeking soul:

My dearest brother: learn to know Christ as the Crucified One and learn to praise Him and to say to Him: Thou Lord Jesus art my righteousness, but I am Thy sin. Thou hast accepted mine as Thine and Thou hast given me that which was Thine. Thou hast accepted what Thou wast not, Thou hast given me that which I was not.

His Preaching←⤒🔗

From then on Luther would seek to comfort others. Reference is made to a man called Hieronymus, who was often depressed by the thoughts of his sins and lost state. Luther pointed him to the sure promises of God. When you are plagued with these dreadful and distressing thoughts, you should not unravel these thoughts; you should not dwell upon them but consider the people of Israel in the desert. They overcame the fiery serpents, not by examining them and trying to drive them away, but they overcame the serpents by looking at the brazen serpent ... Brother, you must not allow those bad and sorrowful thoughts to enter your heart and to let them fester in your heart. You can't prevent birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair. In other words, we cannot prevent thoughts from crossing our mind, but we must prevent them from nestling in our hearts. Look to the promise of everlasting life, the promises of grace and forgiveness of sins.

Luther urged people to go to the Lord with all their struggles, because our own foolish anxieties and cares lead us nowhere. Luther says that even if the devil would kill us, God's power is greater and He will overcome him and take care of us. Christ rules over all and He lives. God is able and He will protect His cause, even though it may seem that all is lost.

Luther's faith was backed up by a strong prayer life. Numerous times Melanchton, his co-worker, found Luther on his knees praying and beseeching the Lord for grace. Luther would cry out for the well-being of the church. Another friend of Luther overheard him praying, while Luther was not aware of it: It is Thy cause O Lord and therefore Thou must protect her. Luther's friends testified that every day he would pray about three hours.

Assaulted by Satan←⤒🔗

Something else that is noteworthy in considering the life of Luther as a Christian is the fact that he was greatly afflicted by Satan. He knew what it meant when there are those who complain about assaults and afflictions. At times, the devil would cast horrible accusations in Luther's face and tell him that by means of false doctrine he was upsetting the whole political scene of Germany, and he was causing great turmoil and revolution in his country. The worst temptation Luther had was when he felt God's anger against sin and it seemed as if God Himself had changed into his enemy.

How did Luther overcome these afflictions and assaults? He would immediately take hold of the sure promises of God. He shielded himself with God's Word and he pleaded upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. When even at times the promises of God's Word would give Luther no comfort, he would retreat to the strong­hold of baptism. Baptisatus sum. I am baptized.

Christian Freedom←⤒🔗

A final aspect of Luther as a Christian was that he considered himself and all true Christians to be set free. A Christian is delivered from the bondage of sin; he is a liberated man. This is not the freedom of the ancient Greek philosophers who taught that man will be set free by becoming one with the gods. Neither is it the freedom of Rome, whereby man has a free will to do both good and evil. Nor is it the liberty of a German mentality which taught that liberty is to demonstrate power and to live by the law of the strongest. But the freedom Luther taught is the freedom and liberty that Christ gives. It is to be delivered from the guilt and punishment, as well as from the dominion of sin. It is the freedom to walk in God's ways of love.

A Christian is free from all men and is no one's servant, but at the same time, for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is everyone's servant. For proof Luther refers to 1 Corinthians 9:19, For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all. He also quotes Romans 13:8, Owe no man anything but to love one another. Such freedom is characterized by love and is brought about by the preaching of the Gospel.

Luther taught us that we need a complete Christ and the sure promises of God's Word. This leads to faith. The life of a Christian is rooted in grace, bound by love, comforted by the Spirit of Christ, and upheld by the Word of God.