Affirm and Celebrate History and Heritage

By B. Nathaniel Sullivan

Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517. The monk and theology professor was attempting to hold the Catholic Church accountable for abusive practices and to correct erroneous teachings. Having found peace with God after diligently studying the Scriptures on his own, he now understood that salvation is God’s gift to all who trust Christ for forgiveness and eternal life. The Roman Church, however, wasn’t faithfully proclaiming this truth. Instead, it was creating barriers that made Church leaders rich and powerful and that actually kept people from finding God. Many gave to the Church because they had been taught their gifts would release the souls of their deceased loved ones from purgatory. The Church also taught that gifts were means by which forgiveness for sins could be obtained. Such gifts were called indulgences.

Martin Luther’s list of concerns spread throughout Luther’s home country within a scant two weeks.1 The printing press,2 a fairly new invention, made this possible. By the end of 1517, all of Europe had access to Luther’s list in pamphlet form.3

Within a few years, the Protestant Reformation became a widespread movement.4 Angry Church leaders summoned Luther to a hearing, called a “Diet,” in the town of Worms (pronounced “Verms”), Germany, in April 1521. There they asked him to recant his assertions about the Church and the Scriptures. He knew his life was at stake in these proceedings, even though his safety had been guaranteed. One hundred years before, John Huss,5 also a spiritual leader, had attempted to address similar concerns in the Church and had been burned at the stake.6 He’d been promised safety, too.

Ultimately, Luther stood strong. He is credited with saying, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in [Church] councils alone, since it is well-known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. God help me. Amen. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.”7

God protected Martin Luther, and he was able to continue pushing back against abuses and false teachings. Though quite imperfect (just like the rest of us), Luther was used by God to bring spiritual renewal to Germany and beyond. We benefit even today from his ministry and work.

How familiar are you and your children with the spiritual journeys of Christian leaders like Martin Luther and John Huss? In their important book, 50 Things Every Child Needs to Know Before Leaving Home, Dr. Josh and Jen Mulvihill affirm the importance of knowing church history. They write, “Studying church history is learning the stories, trials, sacrifices, and joys of those who have come before us in our Christian walk. The heroes of the Christian faith led daring, bold lives that were anything but dull or boring.”8 The Mulvihills recommend reading biographies of notable Christians throughout history as “the best way to make church history come alive.”9

Staying Power

Learning about notable Christians in the past anchors growing believers to the faith and keeps them from being “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14). When believers are familiar with the faith-journeys of Christians who’ve gone before them, they know they are not alone. They also are compelled to realize they stand on the shoulders of spiritual giants (see Heb. 12:1-3).

In our day, sadly, deconstructing one’s Christian faith has become, in some circles, “all the rage.” This is especially true among young adults. Against this cultural backdrop, having the ability to appreciate and celebrate the best aspects of one’s history and heritage sets up guardrails that hinder a young believer from departing from the straight and narrow path (see Matt. 7:13-14) and careening over the edge into an abyss, out from which he or she may never be able to emerge.

Formal and Informal Observances

When God used Moses to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt, He established for them a formal observance that parents could use to pass along to their children an appreciation for His delivering His people from bondage. The Passover has its fulfillment in Christ’s deliverance of sinners from sin’s penalty. Just as Hebrew parents were to use the occasion of the Passover to teach their children about God’s actions in Egypt to deliver His people from slavery; so, too, can we as believers today use the Lord’s Supper to share the good news of God’s deliverance from bondage to sin (see Ex. 12:1-28; 1 Cor. 11:23-26). Jesus died and rose again to make believers right with God (see Rom. 5:1-2).

Spiritual training is to take place informally as well: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deut. 6:5-7).

Of course, children naturally would ask questions about the commands about which their parents talked so much. Fathers and mothers were to tell them how God acted on behalf of His people in history. They were to tell them the Lord gave them His laws for their benefit and that by obeying Him they would live fulfilled lives in the present day (see vv. 20-25).

Memorial Stones

Just as the Israelites were crossing the Jordan River and were on the cusp of conquering the promised land, God again set the stage for them regularly to affirm and remain anchored to their heritage. Joshua 3:17 tells us, “The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground . . . until the whole nation had” crossed over. The Lord told Joshua to select a man from each tribe in Israel “to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight” (4:2-3).

Those stones would become the focus of many future conversations. They would have remained at the bottom of the river had God not brought His people miraculously through the Jordan. The Lord acted as He did so people worldwide might know of God’s power and “so that you might always fear the Lord your God” (v. 24).

Remembering the past isn’t only about the past but also about appreciating one’s heritage now and remaining true to it in future days. It’s about loving and fearing a faithful God, despite any and all contrary forces and influences.

For more biblical principles on remaining anchored to the faith, visit discoverbedrocktruth.org/remainfaithful/.

B. Nathaniel Sullivan is a writer whose work appears regularly at wordfoundations.com and discoverbedrocktruth.org.

ENDNOTES:

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

1. theopedia.com/95-theses.

2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press.

3. theopedia.com/95-theses.

4. gotquestions.org/95-theses.html.

5. logosresourcepages.org/History/huss_b.htm.

6. christianity.com/wiki/people/john-hus-faithful-unto-death-11629878.html.

7. lifecoach4god.life/tag/martin-luther-at-the-diet-of-worms.

8. Dr. Josh and Jen Mulvihill, 50 Things Every Child Needs to Know Before Leaving Home: Raising Children to Godly Adults (Roanoke, VA: RenewaNation, 2021), 125.

9. Ibid.

Copyright © 2024 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.