Word Alone
Overview
Word Alone
At the heart of the Reformation stood a deceptively simple question: will Scripture alone define what the Church believes, or will other authorities be added alongside it? When Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the Wittenberg church door on October 31, 1517, he was challenging a system in which indulgences—payments or works that supposedly reduced the temporal punishment of sin or shortened time in purgatory—were sold to the faithful. Reading the New Testament in its original Greek, Luther saw that the Latin rendering "do penance" had obscured the true call to repentance, a turning of the heart that no priestly transaction could replace. From this came his great conviction: sola Scriptura. Unlike Rome, which placed Scripture, papal pronouncements, and church tradition on the same level, Luther insisted that Scripture alone forms doctrine.
Why such confidence in the Bible? Because of what Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." The Greek picture is of God exhaling His Word. What God breathes out cannot fail; this is why we confess the Bible to be both inerrant (without error) and infallible (incapable of error). Scripture functions as a mirror, showing us our sin (the law), and as a cradle, showing us our Savior (the gospel)—Christ, who at the cross took our unrighteousness and clothed us in His own righteousness, a garment given to us in the waters of Baptism.
Luther was sometimes falsely accused of opposing good works, but the truth is more precise: good works do not redeem us, yet they flow inevitably from saving faith. As Titus 2:14 declares, Christ "gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." Faith in Christ, Luther said, is "a busy thing"—it cannot help but produce love and service, because it is the living expression of trust in Jesus.
This conviction was tested in 1521 when Luther stood before Emperor Charles V and was ordered to recant. His reply remains his most famous words: "Unless I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture or by manifest reasoning… my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me." Within a few years, his German New Testament had placed Scripture into the hands of ordinary people, and the Reformation spread like fire. The pastoral charge to us is the same one Luther gave: treasure the Word God has placed in your hands. Shake every branch of the tree, look under every leaf, and let Scripture alone form your faith—for it is here that grace alone and faith alone are revealed in Christ.
Transcript
Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks now for this time and your infelible word. 0s
We thank you for the sure foundation upon which we are able to stand. 5s
Use now this word to your glory. 10s
In tune are heart ears to hear that which you have for us in Jesus name. 13s
Would you open your Bible, please, with me, to second Timothy the third chapter. 22s
If you're using a Pue edition, you'll find that on page 188 in your Pue edition of Holy 27s
Scripture. 33s
Second Timothy the third chapter. 34s
Martin Luther said many things that he is famous for. 39s
But what was his most famous, say, Luther said, for example this, I have so much to 45s
do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer. 55s
Wonderful, wonderful encouragement. 61s
That's not the most famous, however. 64s
Luther said, even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant 68s
my little apple tree and pay my debts. 73s
But it's not that one. 78s
He said next to the word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. 80s
It wasn't that. 90s
He said, peace, if possible, truth at all costs. 93s
But not that one. 101s
He said, if you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write. 103s
But not that. 113s
And then he had this one. 116s
There are two days in my calendar this day and that day. 118s
But that wasn't the most famous either. 125s
The most famous thing he ever said. 129s
As a professor Martin Luther would write what we're called disputations. 137s
He would write theses. 141s
These were meant for public debate. 144s
In October 31, 1517, he wrote 95 of them. 148s
And he nailed them to the castle door at the church at Whitburg. 154s
They were meant to spark debate. 160s
They were meant for conversation. 163s
And what the 95 theses at their heart were about was the subject of indulgences, indulgences. 167s
You see the Catholic system of the day and sadly, the Catholic system of today, 178s
believes that when you are baptized, that takes care of your sin up until the point that you are baptized. 187s
Then after that in the Catholic system, after that when the priest pronounces 193s
that takes care of the eternal guilt associated with regard to your sin, but it doesn't in the Catholic system, 199s
it doesn't take care of the temporal guilt. 209s
And so you have to work off the temporal guilt. 213s
Why don't you do that? 217s
Well, you do that in their system through penances. 218s
In other words, the priest will tell you certain things for you to do, 222s
and that works off the temporal guilt in association with your sinfulness. 227s
Or you can earn an indulgence. 234s
An indulgence takes away some of the temporal punishment with regard to your sin. 238s
In Luther's day, you can't anymore even though indulgences are still in the Catholic church. 245s
In Luther's day, you could buy an indulgence. 251s
Good buy it for yourself. 255s
You could buy it for a loved one, and that could get you out of purgatory quicker. 256s
Well, what was purgatory? 261s
In the Catholic system purgatory is a place between earth and heaven, where you go, 263s
and you work off the temple punishment in association with your sin until you are righteous enough to then enter heaven. 268s
Luther looked at that, and he said, 283s
I don't see this in Holy Scripture. 289s
In fact, he looked at the Latin translation of the New Testament, 294s
for what she had been given to teach, and he looked at the word repentance, 298s
and there in the Latin translation, it was translated, 302s
do penance. 306s
What was there said? 310s
But that's not what the Greek says, the original language, in which the New Testament was written. 312s
And so Luther, by the operation of the Spirit, came to the soul, 321s
Latin, sola, scriptura, in other words, Scripture alone, alone forms doctor. 330s
You see in the Catholic Church then, in the Catholic Church today, you've got three different aspects. 343s
You've got Scripture, you've got official pronouncements, and you've got church tradition. 347s
They're all on the same level. 351s
Luther said, you can't have that on the same level. 354s
Scripture and Scripture alone forms what you believe. 359s
At the heart then of the reformation, and it's very heart was a very simple issue. 365s
Will Scripture define what we believe alone? 373s
Or will other things be added to Scripture? 382s
Why did Luther say it was Scripture alone? 389s
Look at our text for this morning, second Timothy, the third chapter, verse 16, 392s
Paul writing into the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes this, 399s
all Scripture is inspired by God. 402s
That word there in the Greek means it's exhaled. 408s
In other words, God has exhaled his holy word, the Bible, to us. 411s
That's why we lift up in our congregation the enerency and infallibility of the word of God. 418s
How can something God breathes? 425s
How can something that is exhaled by God? 427s
Be anything other than infallible and enerent. 429s
Enfallible means that the Bible is incapable of air and enerent means the Bible has no errors. 433s
Why? 441s
Because God has exhaled his word to us. 442s
That verse 16 again. 449s
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, 450s
for reproof, for correction, and for training and righteousness. 455s
As we open up the word of God, the word of God comes to us in parts as law. 461s
In other words, it shows us our sin, SOS. 467s
It shows us that indeed we sinned against God and thought word indeed, 472s
what we've done and what we've left undone. 475s
It shows us that God is holy and we are far from it. 478s
God is holy and we are not. 482s
It is the mirror of Scripture that reveals to us our sinfulness and left to ourselves. 486s
We are lost for all of eternity. 493s
But Scripture also reveals the SOS of the gospel. 497s
For our Scripture shows our Savior. 502s
For the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross. 507s
Look all of our sin upon him. 509s
The Lord Jesus Christ on the cross paid our sin debt. 513s
Through the cross of Jesus Christ, he took our righteousness, our unrighteousness, 518s
and gave us his righteousness. 523s
In the waters of baptism, we are cloaked in the righteous garment of the Lord Jesus Christ. 528s
God says, this is my decision about you, no, if answer buds about it. 535s
You are mine. 541s
Luther returned to sola, scriptura, because it is the God-breathed word. 546s
Upon which our doctrine is formed, upon which we hear the law of God, 556s
condemning us and the gospel of Jesus Christ, the beautiful, sweet, forgiving word. 561s
You did verse 17. 572s
So so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good word. 576s
Keep your finger here and go to the very next book, please. 586s
The book of Titus. 589s
Titus chapter 2, verse 14, Titus chapter 2, verse 14. 592s
Here the Scripture says, he it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us, 602s
in other words, bias back from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own, 608s
who are zealous for good deeds. 615s
People falsely accuse Martin Luther as being against good works. 620s
Which wasn't against good works? 625s
He's understanding of good works. 628s
See good works don't redeem, must good works are the expression of the faith that the Lord gives to us. 630s
That's why Luther said, faith is an act of an abyssey thing. 637s
In other words, as you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ alone, by his grace, 643s
you can't help yourself. 651s
You do good works, you can't help yourself. 653s
Why? 655s
Because it is the faith expressing itself. 655s
Do good works cause the salvation? 660s
Absolutely not, but our good works, the expression of the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that God gives. 662s
Luther said, the Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid beautiful, 676s
but it's not this most famous statement. 690s
He said, we need to hear the gospel every day because we forget it every day. 696s
True. 703s
But it's not this most famous statement. 705s
Luther turned to a bunch of young preachers and he said, 709s
give me scripture, scripture, scripture. 714s
Do you hear me preachers? 722s
Scripture. 724s
That's pretty clear, isn't it? 726s
But not his most famous statement. 729s
Luther said of the Reformation, 735s
I simply taught preached, wrote God's word, 737s
otherwise I did nothing. 747s
The word of God did it all. 750s
Is most famous? 758s
June 15, 15, 20. 765s
Pope Leo issued what was called a papal bold. 771s
It was entitled, Arise O'Lord. 778s
And that papal bold had to do with Martin Luther. 783s
And Pope Leo said, unless Luther recants of his teaching, 790s
he'll be excommunicated. 799s
Luther received the papal bold. 803s
And do you know what Luther did with the papal bold? 805s
He went to the town square in Whitmanburg, 809s
and he burned it publicly. 816s
1521, Charles V, called Luther to appear before him. 822s
And the emperor of the Roman Empire turned to Luther, 830s
and said, I'll give you a chance to recant. 835s
Do you, Martin Luther, recant of your teachings? 841s
And Luther said, 852s
Unless I'm convinced, unless I'm convinced of air by the testimony of Scripture, 857s
since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Pope or councils, 868s
since it's plain that they've aired and have contradicted themselves. 874s
Unless I'm convinced of air by the testimony of Scripture 880s
or by manifest reasoning, I stand convicted by the Scriptures. 884s
And my conscience is taken captive by God's word. 894s
I cannot, and will not recant anything. 901s
For to act against our conscience is neither safe for us nor open to us. 911s
On this, I take my stand, I can do no other. 920s
God help me. 931s
That is Luther's most famous statement. 939s
And why could he say that? 947s
Look again, please, at verse 16 of our text. 952s
All Scripture is exhaled by God, 963s
Luther's stood. 980s
Martin Luther said about translating the New Testament into German. 986s
His first translation, they ran 5,000 copies. 994s
It was gone like that. 999s
It was an investment to own the Scriptures in German, 1003s
in the native tongue of people. 1008s
It was about two weeks worth of wages for a baker. 1010s
That's significant. 1016s
Two weeks worth of wages in order to have the Scriptures in your hands. 1017s
Within three years, 80,000 copies in German 1025s
of Luther's translation of the New Testament had been distributed. 1033s
In other words, the word of God was placed in the hands of the people in a language 1040s
for the first time they could read. 1047s
And they read the Scripture in German. 1052s
And they saw that repentance doesn't mean do penance. 1057s
They had the Scriptures in their own hands 1065s
and the Reformation explode. 1071s
Luther said, 1083s
If the Bible were a large mighty tree, 1087s
and all its words were like little branches, 1092s
I've tapped at all the branches, 1096s
eager to know what was there and what it had to offer. 1099s
First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest may fall. 1105s
Then I climb the tree and I shake each limb, 1110s
and then each branch, and then each twig, 1113s
and then I look under each leaf. 1117s
Luther loved the word. 1123s
Luther never ever wanted us to be called Lutherans. 1132s
And here we are. 1136s
But as a people with his name in our very name, 1139s
I say to you today, 1145s
redeemed of God, 1148s
shake the tree, 1151s
shake it, 1155s
walk under every branch and leaf. 1157s
Do you realize the treasure? 1162s
That has been placed in our hands, 1167s
the treasure of his word. 1175s
Scripture. 1198s
Alone. 1204s