The Reformation – The Primary Cause
Pastor Tan Thai · Sep 30, 2017
This sermon introduces the historical background of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, focusing on the life and spiritual journey of Martin Luther. The primary cause of the Reformation is presented through Luther's crisis over God's judgment, Catholic teaching on sin and conscience, and his eventual discovery of righteousness freely granted by grace through faith.
The sermon opens with practical questions about why Protestant denominations such as Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian exist alongside Catholicism, and why the two traditions differ in the number of sacraments observed. The pastor defines key terms including 'Tin Lành' (Gospel/Evangelical), 'Cơ Đốc' (Christian/Christ), and 'The Reformation' to prepare the congregation for the historical narrative to be told across this sermon series, marking the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's initiation of the Reformation movement.
The central portion of the sermon recounts the life of Martin Luther, from his humble origins in Germany to his dramatic decision to abandon law school and enter the Augustinian monastery after a terrifying lightning strike. Despite being a devoted monk who fasted, prayed, and engaged in severe self-mortification, Luther found no peace of soul — only deepening spiritual despair. His 1510 pilgrimage to Rome intensified his disillusionment when he witnessed widespread corruption, immorality, and lack of genuine fear of God among the Catholic clergy.
The pastor analyzes two primary causes of Luther's spiritual crisis: first, Catholic teaching on mortal and venial sin, especially the belief that sudden death without confession would result in eternal punishment in hell; second, Catholic teaching on conscience, supported by Romans 2:12-16, which reveals that conscience bears witness to hidden sins of thought before God. The elaborate examination-of-conscience questions used by priests in confessional manuals created a terrifying cycle, leaving believers not in peace but in constant fear and anxiety.
The sermon concludes by presenting Luther's theological breakthrough while teaching the book of Romans at the University of Wittenberg. He had previously understood 'the righteousness of God' as the standard by which God punishes sinners justly, but he came to understand it as the righteousness God freely grants and imputes to those who believe. This discovery brought Luther a sense of rebirth and entrance into heaven's gate, laying the foundational doctrine of the Reformation: justification by grace alone through faith alone. The next sermon in the series will address the immediate cause of the Reformation.