The Reformation isn’t just a chapter in church history. It’s a reminder that the gospel remains forever good news.
Let’s be honest. When most people hear the word Reformation, their eyes glaze over. Sounds like something that happened in a dusty history book a long time ago, right? Guys in robes arguing in Latin, quills scratching parchment, popes and emperors flexing their muscles. If you’re not a history buff, you might think, “What in the world does that have to do with me trying to pay the bills, get the kids to school, and deal with my boss who thinks he’s God’s gift to humanity?”
The Reformation is for the rest of us—ordinary people who are just trying to survive Monday mornings.
If this describes you, here’s the first thing you should know: The Reformation isn’t just for the theologians or historians. It’s not just for Lutherans to trot out in October like a denominational birthday party. The Reformation is for the rest of us—ordinary people who are just trying to survive Monday mornings, guilt that won’t let go, and the sneaking suspicion that God might be more disappointed than proud of us.
The Setup: Rome’s Burden
Let’s rewind five hundred years. The church of Luther’s day had turned faith into a spiritual economy, a business transaction. Want forgiveness? Buy an indulgence. Want assurance? Perform enough penance. Want God’s smile? Climb the ladder of holiness, rung by rung, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get there.
The problem wasn’t that Rome didn’t talk about Jesus. They did. They loved talking about Jesus…as long as you understood that he did his part and you had to do yours. It was Jesus-plus. Jesus plus confession. Jesus plus indulgences. Jesus plus penance. Jesus plus the whole complicated machine of corrupt religion.
He wasn’t a rebel looking to pick a fight with the pope. He was a monk who desperately wanted to be right with God.
And if you didn’t measure up? Well, there was always purgatory. Maybe you’d burn off the mess there for a few thousand years and eventually squeak into heaven.
That was the world Luther grew up in. And it crushed him. He wasn’t a rebel looking to pick a fight with the pope. He was a monk who desperately wanted to be right with God. And the more he tried, the worse it got. He confessed every sin he could think of for hours on end, only to walk away and remember more. He flogged himself. He prayed. He fasted. He worked harder than anyone else.
And still, peace never came.
The Complaint: Jesus Alone
Then Luther stumbled on the good news that had been hiding in plain sight in the Bible all along. Romans 1:17: “The righteous shall live by faith.” It was like a thunderclap. Actually, Paul described it like dynamite that blows up all forms of self-justification.
Wait a minute, Luther thought. Righteousness isn’t something I achieve. It’s something God gives. I don’t climb up to God. God comes down to me in Christ. My salvation isn’t Jesus-plus. It’s Jesus-only.
That was the heart of Luther’s complaint against Rome. He wasn’t trying to launch a movement or reinvent the church. He just wanted people to know what he had finally discovered: that God’s acceptance isn’t for sale. It isn’t earned. It isn’t on layaway. It’s a gift—freely given, completely undeserved, entirely secure—solely because of Jesus and his finished work.
That’s why Luther’s protest hit such a nerve. Because the religious system of his day was built on fear, guilt, and performance. And when Luther stood up and said, “Nope. Grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone,” he wasn’t just arguing with Rome. He was pulling the rug out from under the whole religious industry.
Why It Still Matters
You may be thinking, “That’s nice history, but the Catholic Church doesn’t sell indulgences anymore, do they? Plus, I’m not worried about purgatory. So why does this matter to me?”
First off, indulgences still exist as a spiritual practice in the Roman Catholic Church today. They’ve tempered the explicit salesmanship, but the end result is the same. [1]
Second, Rome isn’t the only one who plays the Jesus-plus game. We evangelicals do it too.
Jesus plus being a good parent.
Jesus plus voting the right way.
Jesus plus volunteering enough.
Jesus plus looking holy on Instagram.
Jesus plus keeping your doubts under wraps.
We may not call them indulgences, but we’ve got our own ways of earning God’s smile. We keep little spiritual scorecards in our heads. And when we think we’re doing well, we’re proud. When we blow it, we’re crushed.
That’s why the Reformation is still for us. Because the gospel Luther rediscovered is still the only thing that can set us free from guilt, pride, and the hamster wheel of religious performance.
For the Rest of Us
So what’s the Reformation in plain English?
You don’t have to impress God. You don’t have to bribe him. You don’t have to clean yourself up before he’ll notice you. You don’t have to perform like a spiritual circus act to earn his love.
Because of Jesus, you are forgiven. Because of Jesus, you are accepted. Because of Jesus, you are righteous in God’s sight simply by trusting in him (i.e. faith alone). Full stop.
That’s not just for pastors. That’s not just for Lutherans who like singing “A Mighty Fortress” once a year. That’s for the single mom who wonders if she’s messing up her kids. For the man who can’t shake the guilt of his past. For the teenager terrified of not being enough. For the old saint lying awake at night with terminal cancer, wondering if God will really keep his promises.
The Reformation is for everyone.
The Scandal of Grace
Of course, the religious folks hated it. They always do. Just open one of the four gospels and look at how the Scribes and Pharisees reacted when Jesus undermined their authority.
Grace is dangerous. If you tell people they’re accepted apart from their works, they might stop working so hard. If you tell them Jesus has already done it all, they might stop trying to earn it.
But that’s exactly the point.
Grace takes the power away from the religious gatekeepers and gives it back to God. And when you’ve been set free, you don’t live holier because you’re scared of punishment. You live holier because you’re loved. Grace has this amazing ability to beget gratitude.
That’s the scandal Luther unleashed. That’s why it changed the world. And that’s why, five hundred years later, we still need to hear it.
If you’re tired of religious games, the Reformation is for you.
If you’re crushed by guilt, the Reformation is for you.
If you’re burned out on trying to make yourself good enough, the Reformation is for you.
If you’re afraid God is just waiting to drop the hammer, the Reformation is for you.
It’s for all of us who need good news big enough to quiet our fears, heal our shame, and give us hope.
The Reformation isn’t just a chapter in church history. It’s a reminder that the gospel remains forever good news. Not advice. Not steps to climb. Not rules to keep. Just…good news.
And good news, by definition, is for all of us.
[1] I plan to do a full article examining the practice since Pope Pius V formally prohibited the sale of indulgences in ad 1567 after the Council of Trent. The gross abuses were condemned, but not the the practice itself, which is why it remains an option for Roman Catholics to this day. In fact, 2025 is considered a jubilee year of plenary indulgences, when valid acts of good works are met. Ordinarily, only one plenary indulgence per day may be obtained by a person for oneself. However, during the Jubilee Year, a second plenary indulgence may be obtained for souls in purgatory, provided certain conditions are fulfilled.
