Authority

The real issue behind the Reformation is much larger than the thoughts of men; it most fundamentally has to do with the authority of thoughts. The Reformation came against the backdrop of the Renaissance. The Renaissance celebrated man; the Reformation celebrated God. The Renaissance was essentially man-centered (though a bit different than today’s self-engrossment); the Reformation was essentially God-centered. The Renaissance elevated human reason; the Reformation elevated divine revelation. For the Renaissance, authority was found in man-based constructs; for the Reformation, ultimate authority was found in Scripture alone.

The foundational collision was between authorities—God’s and man’s—divine revelation on one side and human reason and tradition on the other. In fact, Martin Luther’s first official debate with Rome ended up being a debate over authority. Later Luther would recount the whole drama of the Reformation as being the result of the Word of God and nothing of his own doing. He said energetically, “I did nothing. The Word of God did it all!” He also said, “Scripture alone is the true lord and master of all writings and doctrine on earth. If that is not granted, what is Scripture good for? The more we reject it, the more we become satisfied with men’s books and human teachers” (LW, 32:11).