REFORMATION DAY IS NOT A BIRTHDAY!

THE CHURCH WAS NOT BORN DURING THE REFORMATION PERIOD

Happy Reformation Day!

Today we commemorate 498 of the Protestant Reformation, and we thank God for this event which marked a return to the Eternal Truth of God.

However, I want to clarify a very important point. Many are confused to believe that in 1517 the Christian church was born. They affirm that it is not the "true church" because it is relatively new, and the catholic Church already existerd since the 4th century, when Roman emperors made it universal. Still others believe that the true church was born at Pentecost, when the Spirit came upon the Apostles in the 1st century AD.

However, I want to clarify that the church of Christ DID NOT BEGIN in the Protestant Reformation in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg Cathedral, denouncing unbiblical practices of Roman Catholicism ...

Nor did it begin in the 4th century with Emperor Constantine, or the 1st century at Pentecost ...

The Church of Christ has existed since the beginning of time! From Genesis!

CHRIST´S EKKLESIA FROM GENESIS

There are numerous references to God's people in the Old Testament, using the hebrew word "kahal" ("the congregation") which is translated to greek as "ekklesia" in the Septuagint. It literally means "church" or "called out ones".

The history of the Church of Christ is like this:

Genesis 4:26 says "then men began to call upon the name of the Lord" referring to the descendants of Seth. In Genesis 5 he speaks of the "children of God". In Genesis 6 we see Noah and his family being saved by God in the Ark representing Christ ...

Then the church continues in Noah's son Shem, down through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his twelve sons ...

Finally the great people of Israel is formed in Egypt, which would then be led through the desert. Stephen in Acts 7 would call it "the church (ekklesia) in the wilderness"!

In the New Testament, racial walls were torn down (Ephesians 2: 14-16) and now the ancient "ekklesia" is rebuilt and extended to people of "all the families of the earth", and "all people, language and nation" . There is a transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.

At Pentecost the church is powerfully vested with the Holy Spirit, fulfilling the prophecy of Joel 2:28 "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh" and enabling it with tongues and power of God to "be a witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. " The church was not founded, it was empowered. In words of Christ, it was "rebuilt" (g. "oikodomeo" Matthew 16:18 "upon this rock I will build my Church").

IT BELONGED TO CHRIST FROM THE BEGINNING

Even from the Old Testament, it was Christ´s for several reasons:

Remember that "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1). All things were created by Him (Hebrews 1). The sacrifices established since the time of Abel and Cain spoke of a faith in the Lamb who was to come. Sacrifices were practiced faithfully by Abel, Noah, Abraham, and all the people of Israel. The prophets, the law, their feasts, Passover, Sabbath, priests, everything in the Old covenant spoke of faith in the Messiah who was to come.

WHAT DO WE CELEBRATE IN PROTESTANT REFORMATION DAY?

Reformation day is not a birthday. We do not celebrate the birth of any church. Rather we celebrate the return of the true church to its DNA: The Truth of Scripture.

What happened in the Protestant Reformation was the return of the ancient church of Christ to the Authority of the Word of the Lord that has always characterized it since its inception, as Romanism had seriously deviated it to unbiblical practices such as sale of indulgences, masses and prayer to the dead, worship of images and saints, transubstantiation, the papacy (a man as head of the church instead of Christ), seven sacraments, justification by faith plus works, the division between clergy and laity, Mariolatry, purgatory, etc.

Let us celebrate Reformation, let us celebrate being chosen by God to be part of His ancient Ekklesia.

But most importantly, let us be reformed in our lives every day by the truth and authority of God´s word.

HAPPY REFORMATION DAY

Pastor Javier Karraá

Connect Point International Church

San Salvador, El Salvador