On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed a manifesto to the doors of a Catholic cathedral, outlining 95 things he thought were broken in the church. As the ringing from the hammer striking the nail died, it brought with it the solidarity of the Catholic Church. For the following centuries, wars would be fought, kingdoms would fall, and Europe would change, as the followers of God attempted to find truth from the wreckage of Catholic corruption. As Luther stepped back from that building and turned his back on a small piece of parchment attached to a wooden door, he turned his back to the world as he knew it.
After the bloody years of the Protestant Reformation came to a close, the religious landscape was virtually unrecognizable, and for the first time in a millennia, the Church had a new direction. The compass the Protestants used to forge their new path was a series of beliefs called the “5 Solas,” which emphasized the role of Scripture, faith, grace, God’s glory, and (most centrally) Jesus. This new sect of people lived under a radically different law that could be summarized in three words, “In Christ Alone.”
Leaving aside the tired theological debates of Protestantism, I would like us to just allow these simple words to resonate inside of our hearts: In Christ Alone. Ultimately, that is what it is all about. But this idea brings with it a jarring responsibility and challenging expectations. If we are going to reflect this sentiment, we must begin by asking ourselves, are we living truly in Christ alone? Is He truly the center of who we are and what we do? Is He at the core of our identity?
Far too frequently, the answer to these questions is no. Our identity is made up in our nationality, our race, our politics, our profession, or our interests… but seldom is our identity found in our Savior. But this cannot be. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:24 that we as Christians “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” He is telling us that our old identity and “our old self was crucified with Him,” (Romans 6:6) and that we must become something different, something greater. Who we once were was crucified along with all the things that once were important to us. It no longer lives.
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This transformation brings with it a superb task for us as Christians. We have to make sure that our old self is truly gone. That means that we have to crucify our rights and our own desires. We, like Paul, have to be willing to “become all things for all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22), not clinging to our own worth or preservation. That means that we have to crucify our idols. We have to nail to the cross all those things that draw our trust away from God (Exodus 20:3), that stop us from living lives of peace and love (Ezekiel 7:19), and that define who we are (Colossians 3:5). That means that we have to be willing to crucify our own opinions in order to keep peace with others (Philippians 2:3-5). No matter how important something of this world may be, it cannot take the place of someone’s soul.
We are called to live a radical life. When the world obsesses over things, we do not. When the world tells you to care for yourself, we care for others. When the world fights, we bring peace. When the world yells and screams, we bring quietness and respect. We are to live a different life, because we are a different people. We live for one reason. For Christ alone.
Bishop Darby
