What is the point of Reformation?

(October 24, 2026)

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Today we celebrate the commemoration of the Lutheran Reformation, and as every year, I find myself asking what relevance the Reformation has for modern times. This is especially true in a country like Italy, which has always been deeply connected to the Vatican. What is the point of talking about the Reformation?

There are many answers, most of them wrong. Some emphasize the importance of Luther’s thought for the development of public education, freedom of thought and conscience, and the birth of modern Europe. All of these are important ideas, without a doubt, and they have shaped the history of our continent. But is that all there is to the importance of the Reformation? The European Parliament in Brussels?

Then there are those who are so devoted to Luther that they turn him into an idol. For these people, whatever Luther says is law. For some of them, anyone who does not think like a seventeenth-century Saxon theologian (or a nineteenth-century one, depending on their preferences) is almost certainly suspect. I am exaggerating, of course, but I have known individuals (and even pastors) for whom reality is not all that far removed from this caricature.

Then there are those who come close to a coherent answer but are still far from reaching their destination. “The Reformation is important because we no longer venerate the saints!” Yes, that is true: we do not pray to Mary and the other saints as the Vatican does, but we do honor their memory. And in any case, the fact that we no longer pray to the saints actually stems from something even more central. “The Reformation is important because pastors can now get married!” Again, that is true, and as a pastor, I can assure you that I am more than happy about this difference—but that is not the heart of the matter!

The importance of the Reformation, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, can be summed up in one simple question: “Who is Christ, and who is Christ for me?” The Christ whom Luther and his contemporaries knew was the Great Collector of Debts. As early as ancient times, and even more so during the Middle Ages, various theologians had begun to teach that God saves us freely, yes, in Baptism. After that, however, if we sin following our Baptism, it is up to us to win His favor back through fasting, self-humiliation, and whatever else might be required. The theology of Purgatory had made the popular image of God even worse: few could hope to be received into heaven without first spending hundreds of years (I am not joking!) amid its flames.

If you want to see the effects of this theology, take a look at what Christianity was like in nineteenth-century Italy! What did people back then do to be heard? They made vows, wore scapulars and little medals, and sought the help of whichever saints they believed to be the most effective. Much of this still survives today.

Who is Christ, and who is Christ for me? In this framework, Christ is at the center of a heavenly bureaucracy: if you want to be heard, you must have filled out the right forms, spoken to the right office, and perhaps you will receive a response within ten business days—or perhaps there was a spelling mistake on the form, and you have to start the whole procedure again. (A very Italian thing, I would say!)

The commemoration of the Reformation reminds us that we, as an Evangelical Lutheran church, called Europe back to the simplicity of the Gospel. Our central confession of faith, the Augsburg Confession—which, if you have not read it, I sincerely encourage you to do—describes a simple Christianity, governed not by Purgatory and indulgences, but by God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by the Word, and by the Sacraments.

Who is Christ, and who is Christ for me? The Reformation invites us to listen to Saint Paul’s answer: “GOD PUT FORWARD CHRIST AS A PROPITIATION … TO SHOW HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AT THE PRESENT TIME, SO THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER OF THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS.” Many people have known, and still know, God as the Great Collector of Debts. Scripture, however, presents Him to us as the Great Giver. In response to human sin, God sends His Son as the solution. This is not a modern doctrine. Long ago, an anonymous Christian described it in these terms:

“Oh, the extraordinary friendship of God for humanity, His extraordinary love! He did not hate us, reject us, or hold a grudge against us, but He was patient with us, bore with us, and in His mercy, He Himself took our sins upon Himself. He gave His own Son as a ransom for us—the Holy One for the ungodly, the Innocent One for the wicked, the Righteous One for the unrighteous, the Incorruptible One for the corruptible, the Immortal One for mortals. And what else could have covered our sins but His righteousness? What else could have justified us, the ungodly and sacrilegious, except the only Son of God? Oh, what a sweet exchange! Oh, what an unfathomable work! Oh, what an unexpected gift! The wickedness of many is hidden in one Righteous Man, and the righteousness of One alone justifies many wicked people.

Thus, in times past, God demonstrated that our nature was incapable of obtaining life. Now He has shown us the Savior who is able to save even those who are incapable of saving themselves. He wanted us, through these two acts, to put our faith in His goodness and recognize Him as the One who nourishes us: the Father, the Teacher, the Counselor, the Physician, the Understanding, the Light, the Honor, the Glory, the Strength, and the Life—and thus to stop worrying about clothing and food.”

Here lies the beating heart of the Reformation, and here lies the reason why, even today, five hundred years after its beginning, we continue to commemorate it. Humanity is utterly incapable of saving itself, in every sense! For centuries, we have promised to put an end to poverty, and yet today, in the European Union alone, around 20% of the population is at risk of falling below the poverty line. Three hundred years ago, we were convinced that we had finally entered the age of reason, the Enlightenment, when the barbarism of the Middle Ages would come to an end. We had barely finished the sentence before orchestrating the greatest genocide in human history and fighting the two deadliest wars. And just to demonstrate how good we were at maintaining peace, the “good guys” dropped the most devastating explosives ever invented on two cities full of civilians.

Humanity cannot save itself. It has tried repeatedly and failed. In fact, the more it has tried, the more it has hastened the arrival of war and poverty. Should you really be surprised that you keep falling into the same sin when you belong to the same species that produced Stalin and Hitler?

And how does God respond to this disaster? GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON. The Reformation reminds us that you can do nothing to contribute to what God does. God, however, responds by giving you everything you need.

And this is a truth to which we ourselves must pay attention throughout our lives. When you pray, how do you approach God? Do you try to strike a deal with Him, as though God almost needs to be persuaded to do something He does not want to do? Or do you reflect on the fact that HE WHO DID NOT SPARE HIS OWN SON BUT GAVE HIM UP FOR US ALL, WILL HE NOT ALSO, TOGETHER WITH HIM, GRACIOUSLY GIVE US ALL THINGS?

And when you ask for forgiveness, what do you say to Him? “Forgive me this time; I promise I will be good”? And how long does that goodness last? No! The Reformation tells us that instead, you must look to Christ. The Father gave Him to you and had Him nailed to a cross to take away all your sins—and this is a gift, given by God Himself for you, calling you to do nothing but receive it.

And when you need strength to resist temptation, courage to face your fears, or wisdom to understand how to navigate this life, remember that EVERY GOOD GIFT AND EVERY PERFECT GIFT COMES DOWN FROM ABOVE, FROM THE FATHER OF LIGHTS. This was the strength of Luther’s thought, for which we must forever be grateful to the Lord: God is the Source of every good gift, which He Himself pours out upon us solely because of His goodness, without any contract or blackmail.

The Reformation was an important event that shook Europe, that is true. It is also true that it gave rise to movements that shaped modern Europe. It fostered academic scholarship, encouraged the study of early Christianity, and much more. But if we stop there, the Reformation will have failed in its purpose. Now and always, our message as Evangelical Lutherans is this: humanity is utterly incapable of obtaining what is good, and God is ready to provide for every single need—not because we have deserved it, but because of His pure, immense, and boundless goodness.