October 25, 2026 – Reformation Text: Romans 1:16-17
Dear Friends in Christ,
“Next comes the abuse of eating and drinking, which gives us…a bad reputation in foreign lands, as though it were a special vice of ours. Preaching cannot stop it, so deeply is it rooted and so firmly has it got the upper hand. The waste of money would be its least evil, were it not followed by all the vices that accompany it – murder, adultery, stealing, blasphemy, and every other form of immorality. What Christ says shall come to pass, that the last day shall come like a secret snare, when they shall be eating and drinking, marrying and wooing, building and planting, buying and selling. It is so much like what is going on that I sincerely hope the day of judgment is at hand, although very few people give it any thought.”
This was written by Martin Luther in 1520 and is entitled “To The Christian Nobility.” I think Luther would be stunned that the Lord hasn’t returned. He might even be surprised that the evils of his day have greatly intensified.
Today we remember the Reformation. Luther brought the Gospel forward. These two verses from Romans were ones that Luther struggled with in his studies. How do we see it or how should we see it?
“THE GOSPEL – ASHAMED OR POWER?”
How do people see the Gospel? If they are paying attention at all – and I believe they are more than we think – they pick and choose the parts of the Gospel, they want to live with. The Christian Gospel is distorted and disfigured by belief systems.
In my 35 years as a Pastor, I have found that the people who most want to talk about church are those not in the church. When I say, “I’m a Pastor,” I see something in their faces. It happened recently with someone who had multi-color hair, talked feminine and wanted to ask me questions. He worked at a place where he was not supposed to talk about religion, so he had to get my permission. He had grown up in the church. He asked some of the usuals, “Why did I go into the ministry?” “How does our church differ from the church he grew up in?” I gave my honest answers and that was it. Certainly, the church can get misrepresented, so I want to not “be ashamed of the gospel.”
The Gospel appears foolish to the world. Have you ever been hesitant to share it? Have you kept your mouth shut when you should have opened it? Have you tucked your cross under your shirt when it might make a situation uncomfortable? Christ is not ashamed of you. We should be proud of what Christ has done for us. Robert Munger, a retired Pastor and seminary professor, said this, “The church is not a society of the successful. It is a fellowship of the forgiven.” That “forgiven” means we need a reason for forgiveness. It directs us to the reality of sin and guilt.
That is “the power of salvation.” The Gospel is not simply words, the Spirit works faith and brings salvation through it. Our Confessions state, “Justification happens only through the Word” of the Gospel. (Ap IV 67). We are a Reformation church. As such, we are to be about the business of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And, as such, the basis for everything we are and do is rooted in the Scriptures.
The “righteousness of God” is what He has done for us through Christ. Jesus bore our sin, guilt and shame on the cross and gives us His life and forgiveness. His merits have earned this for us. So, is it going to be a gospel ashamed or a gospel power?
Our goal, as soldiers of the Cross, and followers of Christ, is to proclaim the Gospel to a sinful, dying world. This goal has never changed and that means the goal is never subject to human interpretation but grounded in our text.
We receive these gifts by faith, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are no longer ashamed of the Gospel. We know it is God’s power “for salvation to everyone who believes.”
Amen.