The Course Between Extremes
“Luther rightly saw that freedom and truth and love cannot be separated. They partake of each other, and whenever they are divided from each other, the devil gains a foothold and violence enters.” (Martin Luther by Eric Metaxas p. 312)
What comes to mind when you think about the Reformation? Truth? Rebellion? Change? Division? Restoration? In Martin Luther, Metaxas recounts both the life of Martin Luther and the state of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. Most people know Luther as a catalyst to the Reformation, perhaps little more. One may believe Luther was extreme and in some senses he was, but when the pendulum has swung so far in one direction, what do you call the person seeking its return to center? In study of the Catholic Church and the Reformation, I wondered if something so divisive could have been good for the Church.
God places a high value on unity throughout scripture. He desires unity above all things. In the 21st century there are countless different churches and denomination. One is challenged to discern the smattering of “new” teachings and ideas that come from said churches. From where do these leaders derive their authority? Did the Reformation lead to the idea that anyone may start a church because they didn’t like what was going on in their own church or thought they could do it better? This license of freedom used to promote one’s own ideas and ideals was present long before the Reformation; it was prevalent during the Reformation and still takes place today.
Throughout the New Testament, exhortation is given to the church not to use the freedom we find in grace as a license to sin. Some Christians viewed the grace of Christ as an excuse to sin. Presumably many who lived in the freedom of the new covenant had little regard for the one who’s weaker conscience bound them to old laws. Christians are called to consider their “weaker” brother and above all to place love for this brother above their own freedom. What may be free and true for you may not be love towards your brother in Christ. One common example is the freedom to partake of foods that were once forbidden. Romans 15:1 states, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Freedom, truth and love working together builds the church, making it more unified and pleasing to the Lord. Jesus calls us to the center, not to focus on the extremes of what to do or what not to do. To seek him first in freedom and truth; and to bear with one another in love.
During the Reformation the failings of the Church were extreme at best. The Papacy had taken authority, believed to be derived from God and built a church that suppressed freedom, truth and love. Leaders were hungry for money and power. They exploited the faith of committed followers and destroyed anyone who came again them. Luther’s humility, boldness and commitment to study the Word of God created in him a voice that refused to be silent. He led a call for Christians to dig deeper in the word, to discern the abuse of authority and to return to a dependence upon Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the word of God to understand the will of God. He humbly dared to speak against the failings of the church, initially looking for a conversation or debate.
A hearty debate he would not truly find. Most of those in authority sought to silence his voice and literally destroy his writings. One did not challenge the views of the church without consequence. He did however find an audience among many of his peers. This following would eventually lead to the events we know today as the Reformation. People moved en masse from the extreme false teaching of the church to a relationship with Jesus shaped in freedom, truth and love. And though they did not seek violence, many would lose their lives for the cause of the gospel.
Yet, even during the Reformation, there were some that would move all the way to the opposite extreme. While Luther carefully chose his battles within the teaching of the church, some took this as an opportunity to reject most of the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and to start another movement far, from what Luther ever intended. These leaders included Thomas Muntzer who not only rejected much of the true historical teaching of the church, but pursued an extreme freedom for the “elect.” Void of love, with an authority derived from his own freedom to choose and in the name of the gospel, he preached for the destruction of anyone who disagreed with him. He once declared, “the godless have no right to live except as the elect are willing to grant it to them.” His sense of freedom and partial truth, with no regard for love, lead to violence and the death of many who would stand in their way.
Luther found himself caught in the middle of these two extremes and now had to defend his position, not only against the Papacy, but against this radical group who believed themselves to be the only elect. Luther stood his ground. He was a defender of freedom, truth and love in the name of Jesus. As Metaxas notes, there is no place for one without the others. In this ‘trinity’ we may find the wholeness of the gospel. Perhaps this could be a litmus test in discerning the teaching of our times, to know whether authority has been derived from God or man. Where do you see freedom preached apart from truth? Where do you see love promoted above truth? Where do you see truth elevated in the absence of love or freedom? These are important questions to ask in a time where many churches are still filled with false teaching, Protestant and Catholic alike.
The gospel, the narrow way, the center course, is worth fighting for. If we can learn anything from the Luther, it’s that the conviction for truth and the battle for freedom of thought is more powerful than fear. Do you have the boldness and the faith, the knowledge of the Word and the discernment of the Holy Spirit to beacon His followers back to course between the extremes?
Photo by Leio McLaren (@leiomclaren) on Unsplash