General News
1 November, 2026
In good faith
What is October 31? Some would say it is Halloween, which would be the topic of a whole series of studies on its own. But to Lutherans across the world, October 31 is Reformation Day.
What is October 31?
Some would say it is Halloween, which would be the topic of a whole series of studies on its own.
But to Lutherans across the world, October 31 is Reformation Day.
That date this year is the 509th anniversary of Martin Luther kick-starting the Reformation of the church in the 16th century.
This was not the only Reformation of the church, but certainly the largest and most significant, because it led not only to the formation of the Lutheran church, but indirectly to the Presbyterian, Methodist, Uniting, and other churches across the world.
What was the Reformation all about?
Let’s let Jesus tell us: ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (Jn.8:31, 32).
The Reformation was not a discovery of new truths about God; it was a rediscovery of ancient truths that had been forgotten.
At its heart, the truth that Luther rediscovered is that Jesus alone is the ‘way, the truth and the life’ (Jn. 14:6), and that in Him alone is salvation from sin and eternal life.
Again, Jesus Himself said ‘…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’ (Jn. 8:36) – free from sin, free from the power of the devil, free from death itself!
Not as a reward for good works, but as a gift of God’s limitless love.
This is the truth God Himself reveals to us in the Bible.
Yet again, Jesus Himself tells us ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples’ (Jn. 6:32).
What He means is, ‘Hold on to my teaching because there you will find the truth about God.’
Learning is a lifelong process.
So why should we think that we know enough about the truth of God?
It took decades for the Reformation to fully rediscover the truth about God.
So how can we possibly think that we know enough about Jesus, or worse still, that we don’t need to know about Jesus at all?
So, on this 509th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, let’s set our minds in the years ahead to learn more and more about the truth of God – that in Jesus Christ we have eternal life and salvation, that God is the Lord not of anger and retribution, but of love and grace, a God who cares for the truth about Himself, and who wants nothing more than for us to approach Him with humble thankfulness and childlike faith.
When you understand this, then you ‘will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (Jn. 8:32).