Reformation Day

It was 498 years ago, today, that the German Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, nailed his now-famous "95 theses" to the door of the church building in Wittenberg, in his native country.  These "theses" are really a series of statements that Luther wished to discuss with others.  They are, however, also his response to the sale of "papal indulgences" - written documents that were supplied by the pope and not only provided for past sins to be forgiven but for future sins to be forgiven as well.  These indulgences also allowed the buyer to get his relatives out of purgatory!

Luther realised that, according to the teachings of the New Testament, such "indulgences" were a fraud.  In Theses 20 and 21 he writes:
"20. ... the pope, when he uses the words "plenary remission of all penalties," does not actually mean "all penalties," but only those imposed by himself.
21. Thus those indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences."

Luther had read the New Testament in Greek, and realised that the Latin language translation, the Vulgate - which was the official text of the Roman church - was wrong in a very important aspect.  In Matthew 4:17, the Greek word 'metanoeite' was translated as "do penance", when it should have been translated 'repent'.  Thus his first two Theses read:
"1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent" ( Matthew 4:17 ), He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
2. This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy."

The Reformation had begun - even if Luther was not fully aware of the impact that his theses would have.  He was, effectively, bringing the Word of God to the fore, rather than the sacramental system of the church.  He had discovered, as a monk that, for centuries, the true teachings of the Word of God had been hidden by tradition. That’s what Reformation Day is about: it’s about pulling back the covers and releasing the power of the Word of God and the beauty and the truth of the gospel.

That’s why Reformation Day is celebrated - and I would suggest that, for the true disciple of Jesus, it is something much better to celebrate on October 31st than the modern "Hallowe'en" with its connections to the occult; to demons; to the satan himself!   Oh, I know that "It's only a bit of fun".  However, the same thing might be said about a seance, the use of an ouija board; and a number of other activities that no Bible-believer would even think of countenancing.  Instead of "trick or treat", why not spend some time, this evening, carefully and prayerfully reading the Word of God.  It will be "... a lamp to [your] feet, and a light to [your] path." (Ps 119:105).

Happy Reformation Day!

"Hallowe'en" - is it an acceptable Christian celebration?

"Ghoulies and Ghosties, And Long Leggedy Beasties, And things that go Bump in the night"

I don't know the origin of that well-known phrase - but it does seem appropriate for a post for October 31st!   But the question in the heading is a serious one.   It has concerned me, for many years, that not only do many parents, who would claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, dress up their children, on this evening in the year, in weird and wonderful costumes and, in some cases, permit them to go out knocking on other people's doors, hoping for a reward of sweets or cash; but that even some congregations and fellowships that bear the name of the Christ, put on a special "Hallowe'en" party for their children at this time of the year!

Are they all wrong to act in this way?  Or is it perfectly acceptable - and I am just an old fuddy-duddy?

Well, let's look at the topic.  First of all, note the way in which I spell the word.  That apostrophe stands for the letter 'v', so the word is really "Halloweven" or, more fully, "Hallowed (Holy) Evening".  Now, that certainly makes it sound as if it could be a Christian festival.  Au contraire, mes amis (I am in France at the moment!).  Halloween and its practices are Romanist and Pagan in origin.  “In its strictly religious aspect, this occasion is known as the vigil of Hallowmas of All Saint’s Day, Nov. 1, observed by the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. Pope Gregory III (731 to 741 AD) assigned this date for celebrating of the feast when he consecrated a chapel in Saint Peter’s basilica to all the saints. Gregory IV extended the feast to the entire Roman Catholic church in 834 AD” “There is little doubt that the Roman Catholic church sought to eliminate or supplant the Druid festival of the dead by introducing the alternative observance of All Saint’s Day on Nov. 1.” (Encyclopedia Britannica).

However, the popular secular observance of Halloween, falling on the night of Oct. 31, is derived from the rights of the Druids celebrating the day of Samhain, the so called “lord of death”, when the “lord of death” called together the souls of the wicked who had died during the past year. The theme of harvest, which runs through modern Halloween celebrations, comes from both the old Druidic celebrations and the old Roman festivals in honor of Pomona, goddess of fruit, brought to Britain during the Roman occupation.  This is the reason why an apple is a traditional 'gift' to those who go around knocking on doors and demanding "trick or treat"! 

Of course, the “trick or treat” concept implies the threat of force and violence. Surely, to teach children such attitudes and concepts is completely contrary to the teachings of the Lord Jesus, the Christ.   The very word "trick" implies "deceit".   Do we really wish to encourage our children to be deceitful?   Is there not enough of that particular commodity going around already?

Paul advised some of the early followers of Jesus to "... have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." (Eph.5:11).  He told another group to "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (I Thess.5:22; emphasis added).  He advised young Timothy that "... the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons."  (I Tim.4:1).

Perhaps it is time for all who truly love the Lord Jesus, and who have received His salvation from sin through the shedding of His precious blood at Calvary, to take a stand on this issue.  Perhaps, next year, more congregations and fellowships will do what I know some already practice - a "Festival of Light" as an alternative to the secular Halloween activities.  Perhaps Christian parents will seek to instil the love of God into their children's hearts and minds, rather than the symbols of death that are so common at this time of year.

By the way, today is also celebrated in the Reformed (Protestant) Church - particularly the German Lutheran Church - as Reformation Day. This commemorates Martin Luther’s nailing of his ninety-five theses to the castle church door in Wittenberg, on October 31, 1517, thus provoking a debate that culminated finally in what we now call the Protestant Reformation.

Now there might be a better cause to celebrate!

The Devil and Hallowe'en

Hallowe'en has long been claimed as the high, holy day of Satan worship. Portrayed by many as a harmless bit of fun for children, it is actually the day when witches and warlocks gather to praise their leader and extend his work on Earth. Festivities are marked by unprecedented evil and blasphemy, with blood sacrifices and hedonistic practices playing prominent parts.

Regretfully, far to many Christian families participate in the same, with children (and parents, too) dressing up as demons, ghosts, skeletons, wizards, etc. We can only surmise how much pleasure Satan derives from this deception.

Satan, we must remember, is the “adversary . . . [who], as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8), and many times he disguises himself as “an angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14). We are to “resist [him] steadfast in the faith” (I Peter 5:9), for, “resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Although Satan is acknowledged to be “the prince of this world” (John 14:30), his doom is sure. “The God of peace shall bruise [literally 'crush'] Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20). He will be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone . . . and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).

Until the realisation of that ultimate victory is gained, our mission on Earth is to “turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:18).

Accordingly, let us strive to see that his harmful influence is thwarted on this, his 'special' day. The children of each community need protection from the evil influences boldly swarming this night. May we, ourselves, not fall prey to his dark deceptions and, especially in the lives of our children, may we focus their attention on the Light - Who is Jesus - instead.

Treat - or trick?!!

In the neighbouring town of Hamilton, is a retail outlet named Dazzle.  It's a 'fancy-dress' shop and normally, when I pass by, it is very empty.  On Wednesday, however, as I made my way back from the gym (honestly!) there was a queue stretching past the front of the shop, and many yards beyond.  There was a gentleman standing at the door, monitoring the situation, and only allowing a few people at a time to enter.

There was a reason for this unusual state of affairs - the shop was crammed full of shoppers!  I didn't stop to look at them, but the queue outside seemed to be predominantly adults accompanying young children, so it is not unreasonable to assume that those inside were of a similar make-up.

The reason for this sudden interest in the fancy-dress shop was, of course, the desire to purchase appropriate costumes for that annual pagan celebration of Hallowe'en.  Unfortunately, so many are blind to the origins of the festival.

It actually began as the Druid festival of Samhain.  The Celtic (sounded as Keltic - no known connection with the Glasgow football [soccer] team) peoples considered November 1st as the day of death as, with the shortening days, it appeared that the sun god was losing strength, and was being overpowered by Samhain, the lord of death (there are voodoo connections here, also!).  The druids also taught that, on October 31st, the eve of the feast, Samhain assembled the spirits of all who had died during the previous year, so that they could visit the living in their former homes.  This, of course, is the origin of "guising" - dis-guising oneself as a harmful spirit in order to avoid harm!

I have noticed recently, in our local supermarkets, a preponderance of pumpkins.  For many years, these have been used in N.America as the 'Jack o' Lantern'.  What few probably realise is that it has its origins in the candle-lit pumpkin (representing a skull) that served as a sign to mark those homes that supported the druidic beliefs.  One encylopaedia states “The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin face of the Jack-O-Lantern is an ancient symbol of a damned soul.”

Although there appear to be many who assume that Hallowe'en has a nominal connection with All Saints' Day -a Romanist feast day in honour of all of those who have been declared 'saints' (although, Biblically, every committed disciple of Jesus is a 'saint': see, for example, Rom.1:7; I Cor.1:2; Eph.1:1), it is actually a festival of paganism and the occult.

Paul writes: "Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the Armour of Light" (Rom.3:12) and, again, "... have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them." (Eph.5:11).

Hallowe'en, as popularly practised today, is no treat!  It's another trick of the evil one to which, sadly, many have fallen foul.  I am glad that some in the Body of Christ are waking up to the reality, and that my own Fellowship is holding a Children's Light Party tomorrow evening.  May such events be supported by more and more children - and their parents - that the hold of death might be loosened (ever noticed how many 'skeleton' costumes are worn at this time??) and replaced by the offer of eternal life,, through the Lord Jesus Christ.