A Humble Call

… for Biblical Reformation

“Here I stand, I can do no other” With clarity and forceful humility, these words of Luther’s devotion to the Word of God stand out with a starkness and vibrancy felt half a millennia after they were spoken. They are the cry of the Redeemed, the soul-shaking exclamation of a heart born again and made alive by the blood of Christ. In a rabidly relativistic world, where neo-pagan hedonism rules the day, and where a philosophically dead form of pseudo poly-theism parades itself around in the puerile dress of an emerging evangelicalism, Luther’s words ring with a clarity and focus that is much needed in this current age. Oh may our hearts shout for biblical reformation! May our lips echo the cries of our 16th century brothers and sisters in Christ.

May we be guided Sola Scriptura, trusting in the Word of God alone for Truth in this tumultuous age. May we trust the God of heaven and earth to save Sola Gratia, by his Grace alone, Sola Fide, through faith alone, Solus Christus, in Christ Alone, and Soli Deo Gloria, for the Glory of God alone. May God give us the grace to never cease reforming, and as we grow in Grace and Truth may we plead of Him to give us the strength to always stand for Truth. When the battle lines are drawn and the hordes of darkness are arrayed against the Lord and against His children may we put on the armor of God and fight the good fight. When we are derided, may our answer be “Here I stand, I can do no other”. When we are mocked and scorned, may we boldly proclaim “Here I stand, I can do no other”. When we are beaten and bruised, may we confidently shout “Here I stand, I can do no other”. And when our very lives are taken away, may our deaths scream to all who will listen “Here I stand, I can do no other!”.

Every day this is said by the Underground Church in China, and the imprisoned in the Sudan. It is proclaimed with every terrifying pop of the handgun, and heard in the crackling of bright and hungry flames. It is heard in the screams of the tortured, and felt with the sickening thud of bodies hitting the floor. It is heard in the classroom, and in the jungles of central Africa and Asia. And through it all the Bride of Christ is held fast by the almighty hand of her Loving Groom. “Here I stand, I can do no other”. We’re held fast by the Love of Christ, even as we cling to His marvelous grace. In the midst of the storms of life, He is our rock and fortress. For Him and by His Word alone we have truth in the swirly muck of a culture that exalts itself alone and rejects its Maker and Sustainer. May God grant us the grace to never cease reforming our lives in accordance with the truths of His Word, and as we live Soli Deo Gloria, may we never fail or falter from the Truths of Scripture. Truly, living for Christ is the spirit of the martyr, and by His grace we die to our sin daily, and live in Christ always.