Love Truth Blog

October 31, 1517 was the day Martin Luther nailed ninety-five theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg. It is hard to believe that about five centuries have elapsed since, but what resulted was the birthing of the Protestant Reformation. Things had certainly gone awry in the earthly church and a corrective needed be set in place. What Luther did was a common practice at the time for inviting others into theological debate. The issue concerned the abuse of the indulgences, particularly with the preaching of John Tetzel, who would implore peasant Christians to give form their poverty towards the building of Saint Peter’s Basilica otherwise their deceased loved ones would remain in the sufferings of a fiery Purgatory for venial sins committed. Tetzel’s jingle “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory springs.” Luther’s intent was to demonstrate this message undermined the sufficiency of the Gospel. Reading over the ninety-five theses again as a thing apro

“Let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man” (1 Chron. 21:13). 1 I have been meditating upon the census of David mentioned in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21, which incurred divine wrath upon the nation of Israel. Satan was instrumental in delivering the temptation (1 Chron. 21:1), but God was superintending the course of events to address a fault in the king (2 Sam. 24:14). David yielded to his own sinful inclinations, and reached out to grab at the Devil’s sinful enticement. Satan’s goal was to destroy David, but God’s desire was to sanctify David, and lead the king towards a true evaluation of things. When David orders the census, we already know something is off, particularly with the response of Joab, the commander-in-chief of Israel’s army, “May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why