Katy Von Bora

Learning new technology here. All right, we're good. We're going to continue our Reformation Day celebration.

If you will we're going to talk about We're going to talk about Sola Fide and then I want to talk about Katie Von Boer and I want to tell you why in just a moment

But I said this morning that Sola Scriptura was maybe the most important Sola But in the

Reformers minds certainly Sola Scriptura. I mean, this is a battle over authority, but also

Sola Fide is right there like they're not ranking these or whatever. They weren't even writing down the five

Solas necessarily like we do That's just a way that we go back and analyze. Okay, if we could that's what historians do

Okay, we go back analyze. What are the main tenets of this movement? And here they are. Here are the five main tenets

That's what we looked at five Solas. And so they would not have ranked them per se

But I cannot emphasize enough how important Sola Fide is. Okay Sola Fide faith alone that the justification of the sinner is by faith alone.

We've already talked about that Wednesday night we talked about a little bit this or even earlier as we prayed earlier

It's by faith that a sinner is justified and it's not that his faith is what's

Righteous, but by faith he's counted With the righteousness of Christ.

He's credited with the righteousness of Christ He's pardoned he's adopted he's brought into saving fellowship with the triune

God So let's look at a few passages just real quick on this and I want to read a little bit and offer any

Opportunities for questions, but let's start in Romans. We'll just kind of go in sequential order here Romans 3

Which actually Travis read this in his in our scripture reading this morning But I'm just going to read two passages from Romans one from Galatians just to say this is a crucial doctrine

By the way, the Roman Catholic Church said in the Council of Trent, so there's a reformation then there's the counter -reformation now there was some good if you will that came from the counter -reformation because The counter -reformation looked at the at the immorality of the clergy and stuff like that and I was like this has to stop

Okay, and so there was some good there, but the counter -reformation Is the

Council of Trent really culminates in the Council of Trent and it says in the Council of Trent and this was reaffirmed in Vatican 2 which when was that Vatican 2 is in the 19 -something that if you say

That by faith alone a sinner is justified The church pronounces you anathema.

Now is that what is that anathema? Is that good? Yeah, you're cursed, right

So if you say like and we all probably have Roman Catholic friends. Some of us probably have

Roman Catholic family members thankfully most Roman Catholic friends and family members that you have they're not really studied in the

They don't they don't they're not walking around thinking that you're anathema, right? But just know

And maybe it's a if you have the right opportunity to have this conversation They need to know as well that the official teaching of the

Roman Catholic Church is that we as Baptists we're anathema. Why? Because we preach

Justification by faith alone. Now what I want to show you in just a couple verses here three verses three passages

I should say this is just coming straight from the Bible, right? So Romans 3 we already read that but let me read again verse 27

Then what becomes of our boasting it is excluded by what kind of law by law of works no

But by the law of faith for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law boasting therefore is

Excluded because like Calvin we've read that quote from Calvin this morning. You come to faith is coming to Christ empty, right?

It's not bringing anything can't go through the door dragging anything with you. It's coming to Christ empty

There's no boasting then flip over to Romans 5 1 I don't even have to turn the page on my Bible It's just right here, but Romans 5 1

Therefore since we have been justified by faith We have peace with God through our

Lord Jesus Christ or go down to verse 9 since therefore we have now been Justified by his blood how by our works

No By the blood of Christ since therefore we have now been justified by his blood much more

Shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God and then one more I'll mention

Galatians chapter 2 verse 16 Galatians chapter 2 verse 16

Actually, I'll start verse 15 because that's where the Senate starts Galatians chapter 2 verse 15 and 16 is where we're push

To we ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners yet We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ so we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and Not by works of the law because by works of the law

No one will be Justified so as Baptists what

I'm saying is we stand in this tradition of affirming and believing and preaching

Sola Fide that is the only way a person is made right with God is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone

Now I pulled a pretty stinging comment here from Charles Spurgeon, but I hope that you find it appropriate he says this any church which puts in the place of Justification by faith in Christ another method of salvation

Let me read that again any church which puts in the place of justification by faith in Christ another method of salvation

And he says this is a harlot church So strong words from Spurgeon.

We don't have to get into that. But essentially what Spurgeon is saying is This is if you will the

Dividing line between Roman Catholicism and what we believe about justification, okay

One is by faith plus works one is by faith alone

Now I have another quote to read it's a little bit longer just to kind of give us some summary thoughts of Sola Fide before I do let me just say this real quick or ask this

What what is the difference between justification and sanctification? Not a not a trick question, but what is the difference between justification and Sanctification maybe one of our students wants to answer that question the difference between justification and sanctification

Not asking for an essay answer we can just have short answer You're talking about Ella Caleb or Braden Okay, let's start with Ella.

Very good. Justification is treated God treating us as though we have always been perfect By the perfection of Christ very good.

Okay, what's sanctification Braden? Oh Not good.

What is sanctification Caleb? What are you you're looking in the back of your your

Bible Okay sanctification, okay Justification is being declared righteous

Sanctification is growing in holiness Justification is not progressive

Sanctification is progressive meaning upset of this one. We don't grow in our justification. It's boom

It's one time whether you whether you come to faith in Christ at age 8 age 88 age 28, whatever

When you come to faith in Christ boom, you're declared righteous Right you come into heaven

Based on the merits of Christ and that's the only way anyone gets in Let me read a longer quote from Lewis Burkhardt this from his systematic theology.

Okay, it's a little bit longer I think it's kind of helpful and he says things I think helpfully the doctrine of justification

Was the great material principle of the Reformation with respect to the nature of justification the

Reformers Corrected the error of confounding justification with sanctification by stressing its legal character and representing it as an act of God's free grace whereby he pardons our sins and Accepts us as righteous in his sight, but does not change us inwardly.

Okay, what he's saying? there's justification is not an inward change, but a legal declaration as Far as the ground of justification is concerned they rejected the idea of Rome that this lies at least in part in the inherent righteousness of the regenerate and in good works and Substitute substituted for it the doctrine that is found only in the imputed righteousness of the

Redeemer so that is because of Christ were declared righteous rather than Christ our new heart our good works all mixed together and that equates our righteousness, right?

he Continues and in connection with the means of justification They emphasize the fact that man is justified freely by that faith which receives and rests in Christ only for salvation

Moreover, they rejected the doctrine of a progressive justification and held that it was

Instantaneous and complete and did not depend for its completion on some further satisfaction for sin

I Talked to him a man Not long ago It's going through a difficult time

And he said I keep thinking and this is not the first person. I've talked to like this and maybe you thought

I keep thinking What have I done wrong that God has got us punishing me in this situation? And I quoted to him

Romans 8 1 which says what there is therefore now no Condemnation for those who are in Christ Guys, our justification is settled and it's complete if you're in Christ If you have put your faith in Christ your justification is settled it's over that declaration has been made and this is good news and this is what the

Reformers taught with Sola Fide and what I just tried to show you to Just a few verses this comes right out of the

Bible. This is what we hold to now Why do so many people?

Reject this maybe some people might not even reject it intellectually, but they may be practically that's because we're wired

Since the fall To take care of our own mistakes What did

Adam and Eve do after the fall? We'll we'll fix this. So some fig leaves, right?

We're good We laugh at that and we should that's how we

Try to deal with our sin, right? Oh, I'll fix this. Yeah. I know I right

I really I Said that I shouldn't have said that now now, you know what

I'm gonna bump my tithe a little bit this week I'm gonna go to church. I'm gonna go to church all month this month

You know, like we get we get these things that they kind of deal with God and you know, he does you know what?

That is that's penance. That's literally what penance is. Okay penance is you come to the priest and you say, you know what?

I I kicked my dog and What should I do, you know what that's not so bad You need you could say two

Hail Marys and then you give you know, $20 to the church and you're good We laugh at that, but we try to behave that way and what

I'm saying is justification is settled Because because Christ you can't lose your justification unless Christ can lose his righteousness and guess what not happening

All right thoughts or questions there boy that took a little bit longer than I wanted. That's okay All right in the next 17 minutes we're going to talk about Katerina von

Bora her dates are 1499 to 1552 Remember Luther was born in What year?

1483 So she's 1499. That's 16 years Different.

I want to bring up Katerina because she's Martin Luther's wife She's one of my favorite ladies in the church in church history, and we'll just call her

Katie from here on out But I do want to show you what it looks like for someone to believe in sola fide Right.

What does it look like for someone to hold to justification by faith alone? Well, let's look at Katie's life a little bit and see that it does not look like a life of sinfulness.

That's the charge well, if you really believe this then you'll just live a life of sin and say

I'm justified. I'm justified. That's not true. Is it that's actually what we could talk about if we wanted to go to James 2

That's the point there It's a living faith. Jesus said John 15 8 by this My father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples

Luther did bear much fruit and in part because of his wife Katie von

Bora, so Let's start by saying how romantic Luther was Here's what he said suddenly and while I was occupied with far other thoughts.

The Lord has plunged me into marriage So there's Luther the romantic three reasons he gives for getting married.

I love these one He felt that he owed his father grandchildren.

Okay felt that's not bad He felt that he should give his father grandchildren honor his father

At the age of 41 he wants to please his dad to he wanted to tease the

Pope that's what he said Because the gospel came in and began to break down these man -made walls

Luther can't get married why? He's a monk monks can't get married clergy can't get married now

The Gospels come in and now he begins to understand all these things are man. This is man -made foolish traditions

Yeah, I can get married and I'm gonna just stick my tongue out at the Pope and I'm gonna get married

And so that was second name thirdly. He says he wanted to vex the devil So marriage is a great displeasure to the devil

Why because it's a picture of Christ in the church It's a means to procreation the devil hates the gospel.

The devil hates children. So naturally all these things are a vex to the devil

Marriage is God's institution even before the fall and it's something that Satan hates Genesis 2 24

Therefore man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife. They shall become one flesh that's instituted before the fall

God's institution Satan hates it. By the way, it's not to get off on this, but it's no no coincidence

You need to understand I've said this before we need to understand That marriage under attack in our world today is spiritual warfare

This isn't just like progressive or whatever this is spiritual warfare Satan hates

Biblical marriage and so that's why we have this going on. So anyway in 1523 when

Luther was 40 I think I've shared this story before but there was a great nun breakout

That's just funny to think about but Luther's message began to destroy the Roman Catholic tradition

So here's what Philip shaft says he's a noted historian in April 1523 Nine nuns escaped from the convent of I don't know how to say it nips

Near Grima fled to Wittenberg. That's where Luther is and appealed to Luther for protection and aid

Among them was Caterina von Bora a virgin of noble birth But poor 15 years younger than Luther not remarkable for beauty or culture his words not mine

But healthy strong Frank intelligent and high -minded Philip shafts words not my words

Right. So these nuns These nuns were rescued and they begin to be married off By the way,

I've seen pictures and I think that I certainly think Luther got the better end of the deal

She's a pretty lady and Luther's just kind of an ugly German looking guy.

But anyway These nuns are rescued they begin to be married off But there's no husband found for Katie So Luther tries to marry her off to his buddies, you know, and these just kind of falls through a couple times finally in June of 1525

Luther says, okay, I'm gonna marry her and so they get married Philip shaft again on the evening of June 13th on Tuesday after Trinity Sunday, he invited

Bugenhagen Jonas Lucas Kranach and his wife and a professor of jurisprudence

To his house and in their presence was joined in matrimony to Caterina von Bora in the name of the

Holy Trinity Bugenhagen performed the ceremony in the customary Manner now,

I cannot stress enough that all of this. Okay. I'm not just telling this great story

All of this flows out of Romans 116 For I am NOT ashamed of the gospel

For is the power of God is salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek How does a recovery of the gospel affect this because the gospel is the foundation?

And when the Gospels recovered all these other things begin to change They realized these this darkness that they had been living in and these man -made walls and traditions.

They were wrong And so they begin to be Tumbling down so when Luther embraced the gospel everything changed and he began to attack false teaching with the authority of God's Word He began to work out that out in so many practical ways including this marriage.

So now it's it's 1525 Katie is a pastor's wife This is a new thing, right?

Pastors wife that's not something that You had in the

Middle Ages Right because why the clergy can't get married? So this is a new thing and now she's embroiled in the controversy of the

Reformation for example There's one account maybe multiple accounts of some of Luther's enemies that said this he's an ex -monk

She's an ex -nun So when they give if they have a child

It's going to be the Antichrist That's what they were saying, I mean at least one person

I think maybe Erasmus Well, at least one person said it but maybe there were others that said it So what a way to start off a marriage you come under fire

Philip Schaff says Luther and Katie were well suited to each other They lived happily together for 21 years and shared the usual burdens and joys

Their domestic life is very characteristic full of good nature innocent humor cordial affection rugged simplicity and thoroughly

German Luther said this next to God's Word There is no more precious treasure than holy matrimony

God's highest gift on earth is a pious cheerful God -fearing Homekeeping wife with whom you may live peacefully to whom you may entrust your goods and body and life

It's really hard to explain how wonderful this marriage was it was a good marriage

But also it's wonderful because all that is happening during this time and literally God seems to be turning

Europe upside down with these things Obviously, it's not a perfect marriage, of course

But Luther modeled what a home life should look like and Katie was a great wife there

They were a hospitable couple. So think about this Luther is the simultaneously most wanted man in Europe and The most popular leader of the

Reformation So they constantly have people at their home. They have orphans that they take care of at times

They have people that come they want to hear they want to talk to. Dr. Luther I don't know if you've ever heard about this, but it's called table talk and around their home they would have all these great conversations about theology and What I want to tell you guys tonight is if it's not for Katie von

Bora, then we don't have Luther as we know Because she was a and she doesn't get the praise

Now honestly, okay. So sure Luther is the theologian if you will, but it but her contribution cannot really be

Underestimated because she it comes along as his helpmate and supporter and They had kids and orphans

They had tons of guests they in all this they were committed to family worship, right?

They were committed to sharing their home making Christ known through that they were committed to reading the

Bible and catechizing Luther wrote catechisms for his kids ask questions answers did family worship all that kind of thing

In fact, if I can challenge us I would say that I think that we can do better in the

West for intentionally using our homes To make Christ known But hospitality is hard.

It's hard. You remember what Peter says? Is it in chapter 3 of 1st Peter? When he says show hospitality without what?

Without grumbling. Now, why does he say that Oh Hospitality so easy who would grumble?

No, say it's hard to be hospitable, isn't it? But I think there's a connection to a hospitable home and trying to make

Christ known so we see that in Luther and Katie's home In fact, here's one story

Josh by shares He says when the black death raised its nasty head again in 1527 in Germany Many people began to panic people were fleeing for their lives

Yet Martin and Katie decided to stay in their home rather than running for the hills They turned their home into a makeshift hospital

They took in the sick sick cared for them demonstrated genuine Christian hospitality and risked their own lives in the process

During this crisis their son Almost died. So you see their commitment to a home and to Into hospitality

Really in the story of Martin and Katie is is way better than than what I'm sharing this evening

But it was a beautiful marriage one that helped aid the furtherance of the gospel During the time the

Reformation again, Josh by says it has been stated that behind every great man is An equally great woman who is supporting him in his work

That statement could not be more true of the woman who is known as the morning star of Wittenberg Katie Luther so we don't have the

Martin Luther as we know him without his wife now Their life wasn't perfect or easy

This is a difficult time to live in the 1500s They were engaged in many conflicts.

They had They had one daughter. I think they had like six kids.

I'm not saying it down in my notes But one of their children she was 13 years old. Her name was

Magdalena and she died That was really hard. You can read some of the things Luther says very difficult time for him

But imagine losing a child And the conflicts they had to endure you're always wondering.

I said told Sunday school class this morning. I It's only the providence of God that Luther was not

Kidnapped and killed right? So always thinking about those sorts of things But I share all this to show you how the gospel was impacting men and women in homes

All for the furtherance of the kingdom and you have not during the Reformation you have some women that ended up dying for their faith

No, Katie Von Boer does not but she's a picture of a strong woman. It's funny.

There's so many stories I could share one time Luther was just in a state of depression for like a couple of weeks and so one morning

Katie comes into the room and it's for breakfast or whatever and she's dressed in all black, you know and Luther looks at her and he's like What what what why are you dressed like that?

She's like, well, I'm dressed for a funeral and he's like who's she's like yours Cuz you're acting like you've died, you know

And so they kind of had those kind of things like Luther is very strong -willed if you read about Luther in fact too strong -willed really

I mean like Probably some of the things he said would not be acceptable in Church Some things he was kind of a little bit crass sometime very strong -willed

But guess what God gave him a wife Apparently he was equal to the task And so sometimes maybe they'd butt heads like that, but she as it were straightened him out now when

Martin Luther died in 1546 This is what Katie said This is really beautiful.

Actually. She says I am truth I am in truth so very saddened that I cannot express my great heartache to any person

And do not know how I am to feel I can neither eat nor drink nor again sleep if I had owned an empire

I would not have felt as bad had I lost it as I did when our dear

Lord God took from me and Not only from me but from the whole world this dear and Worthy man, so what's she saying?

She's saying she loved her reformer She loved her Luther and God really used their marriage.

I think to impact many It's an encouragement to us today to not lose focus on what a godly marriage how

God can use a godly marriage But also I want to I want to just in fact,

I'm just going to flip back to Romans 1 and I want to read that again Quoted it earlier, but let me read

Romans 1 16 and 17 and I want to just just make a plug again that all this ties together.

So Paul says for I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God of salvation to everyone who believes

To the Jew first and also to the Greek for in it The righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith as it is written.

The righteous shall live By faith. So what am I saying about Katie von

Bora? I'm saying That she is an example of Someone who was changed by the power of the gospel and it transformed her life

It transformed the way that she okay. She goes from a nun to Marrying it transformed the way she understood the home

How to raise her children how to be hospitable to the people of Wittenberg?

how to be hospitable to all the guests that would come through the town and Wanting to know things and you can imagine as a wife that at times she was like, hey everyone else demands my husband's attention maybe it's time that you know,

I get some attention, but she's Patient through all these things and God really really blesses this home in this marriage again.

They weren't perfect There's things about Luther that I disagree with and I really feel strongly that he got wrong

But God used this imperfect Couple to help inflame the fires of Reformation in Germany and And in Europe these guys started getting married, right?

It's just totally radical and God really used that to to help fan the flames of revival

So questions or comments or anything you'd like to add About what we've talked about tonight

All right

Stephanie has a couple of books on the Luther's marriage that she's willing to what loan out or rent out loan out and Okay, yeah, there you go not worth it go buy your own, right

Yeah, I just bought just by my own copy thanks Kind of a fictional.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so check with Stephanie if you want that Alright any any other?

Well one I think was Erasmus, you know Luther and Erasmus kind of Maybe during the terrible twos or something, right?

Yeah Yeah, right the threes that's true true All right

Well, thank you guys for entertaining my Historical fancies is as it were and I hope that you were blessed by the things that we looked at today

Let's go to the Lord in prayer Lord. We're thankful for the men and women you used in the history of the church

And we pray Lord that you would use us as well. Not that we would aspire to Have people remember our name, but that you would just help us to live godly well -pleasing lives

Lives that are grounded in the gospel and seek to Be worked out by by faith that we that we live lives of faith bless our church

God help us to reach this community with the light of the gospel and We pray that we would we would stand upon these truths and not just stand there

But that by standing there you would be pleased to reach many in our city in our county

And we pray that you'd be with us this week as we enter in to a new month and We thank you for your blessings, and we just pray it all in Jesus name.