March 16, 2023 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Greetings, friends. Today we are continuing with the amazing story of how God worked through the Reformer Martin Luther to bring the attention of people to the truths of His Word. Last week we saw how Rome’s eloquent speaker, Aleander, sought to overthrow the truth by convincing the large national assembly in Germany, known as “The Diet,” that Luther was a heretic and should be burned at the stake. “In Luther’s errors there is enough to warrant the burning of a hundred thousand heretics,” he proclaimed. (The Great Controversy, p. 148).
Although it seemed many were moved by the papal legate’s speech, God was also moving in that august assembly as one of the noblemen, Duke George of Saxony stood up and with noble firmness pointed out how the people were suffering because of the Roman Church’s abuses. This prepared the assembly to hear Luther speak.
Ellen White describes the scene: “At length Luther stood before the council. The emperor occupied the throne. He was surrounded by the most illustrious personages in the empire. Never had any man appeared in the presence of a more imposing assembly than that before which Martin Luther was to answer for his faith. In the presence of that powerful and titled assembly the lowly born Reformer seemed awed and embarrassed” (The Great Controversy, p. 155).
Luther was taken to stand directly in front of the emperor’s throne. A deep silence fell upon the crowded assembly. Then an imperial officer stood up, pointed to a stack of Luther’s writings and demanded an answer to two questions:
To the first question, Luther acknowledged the books to be his. To the second, he answered, “seeing that it is a question which concerns faith and the salvation of souls, and in which the word of God, the greatest and most precious treasure either in heaven or earth, is involved, I should act imprudently were I to reply without reflection.” Luther then respectfully asked, “I entreat your imperial majesty, with all humility, to allow me time, that I may answer without offending against the word of God” (The Great Controversy, p. 156).
This was a wise request, because he convinced the assembly that Luther did not act from passion or impulse. All were impressed with His calmness and self-control. The Reformer was given until the next day to render his final answer, but his heart sank as he contemplated the forces that were combined against the truth. Clouds gathered about him and he longed for the assurance that God would be with him. That night, in anguish, he poured his heart out to the Lord, pleading for His divine help and presence. “Stand at my side,” he prayed, “for the sake of Thy well-beloved Jesus Christ, who is my defense, my shield, my strong tower” (The Great Controversy, p. 157).
God had allowed Luther to realize that the task was too big for him; that his only help was from above. In his utter helplessness, Luther’s faith fastened upon Christ, the mighty Deliverer. He was strengthened with the assurance that he would not appear alone before the council, and with his mind stayed upon God, he prepared for the struggle before him.
The next day when Luther stood before the assembly there was no trace of fear or embarrassment. “Calm and peaceful, yet grandly brave and noble, he stood as God’s witness among the great ones of the earth” (The Great Controversy, p. 158).
The imperial officer now demanded a decision from the Reformer as to whether or not he would retract what he would written. In answer, Luther respectfully replied, explaining that his published works were not all of the same character–some, he said were about faith and good works, which all could agree on. Other works exposed the corruptions and abuses of the papacy, and the third class of books had pointed out certain individuals who had defended existing evils. In this third class, Luther confessed that he had been more direct than he needed to have been, and that he was “a mere man, and not God.”
He then invited anyone to show him from Scripture where his teachings were in error, and he would immediately “retract every error, and be the first to lay hold of my books and throw them into the fire” (The Great Controversy, p. 159).
Luther’s presentation had been in German, but now he was asked to repeat it in Latin. Although exhausted, he presented again. We are told that “God’s providence directed in this matter. The minds of many of the princes were so blinded by error and superstition that at the first delivery they did not see the force of Luther’s reasoning; but the repetition enabled them to perceive clearly the points presented” (The Great Controversy, p. 159).
While some could now see clearly, others stubbornly closed their eyes to the light, determined not to be convinced of the truth.
Angrily, the spokesman of the Diet cried out, “You have not answered the question put to you . . . You are required to give a clear and precise answer . . . Will you, or will you not, retract?”
In a clear, strong voice, the Reformer responded, “Unless . . . I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture . . . unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the word of God, I cannot and I will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other; may God help me. Thus stood this righteous man upon the sure foundation of the word of God” (The Great Controversy, p. 160).
Today, friends, are you, am I, standing on the sure foundation of the word of God? It is the only foundation that will last. As Jesus explained in His beautiful Sermon on the Mount, “. . . whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24, 25).
I invite you to pray with me just now.
Father in heaven. We thank you for the solid rock. Jesus Christ. We thank you for Jesus who is the living word. We thank you for the written word, which is also representing Jesus as the rock. And on this foundation, Lord, the Word of God, we stand through your power. We ask now that you will help us in whatever circumstance we may face to rest securely upon this firm foundation of Bible truth and lean completely upon Jesus, for we know He will carry us through. Thank you for hearing us in this prayer. In Jesus name, we ask it. Amen.