Reformation via Gospel – Romans 1:16-17

Two days shy of 500 years ago, an unassuming document to the average passing eye was tacked to the door of a castle church in Germany by one oblivious, would-be reformer; Martin Luther. These 95 theses were points of contention this Augustinian monk had with current religious practice of the day especially relating to indulgences. The sale of indulgences assumed that a monetary sum paid to procure the power of the church could affect the state of the dead. Why was Luther questioning this practice? Historians could site any number of superficial reasons, but the most likely substantial reason finds its source in a scripture passage from the Word of God in Romans 1:17. These words had a profound effect on Luther at this time, and by extension these Gospel truths turned the world upside down in short order igniting a wild fire of controversy, repentance, and restructuring of church and culture which reverberates through the centuries even to our day a half millennium removed from those historic moments. In the reformation, God has given us providential evidence in history of the immeasurable power of His Word. When the true gospel is appreciated and proclaimed, kings are dethroned, institutions are reformed, mountains are moved, societies flourish, worldviews are transformed, and souls are saved! This is the legacy of the reformation because it was a call to the Word of God. The conflict sparked in Luther's day hinged on the authority to define terms. If scripture alone (the formal principle of the Reformation) is the infallible rule of faith and practice, then what is the Gospel?