Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. His birth went unnoticed by the world. But by the time he died in 1546, Martin Luther had become the most well-known person in Europe. The Reformation he ignited brought about profound changes in the church and in society.

But how would the church be different if Martin Luther had not been born? The fact is, Luther championed an eternal Gospel (Revelation 14:6) that was around long before he was born and is still around almost 500 years after he died. So whether Martin Luther was born or not is not what’s most important.

God paid too much for the Gospel for it to be ignored forever. In order for us to be saved God sent his own dear Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay for all our sins.

When Luther found out, through his exhaustive study of Scripture, that this was indeed true, he immediately began proclaiming the Gospel. And the world listened because, before Luther, everyone was being taught that in order to be forgiven by God they had to do something themselves. Salvation was not a free gift it had to be earned.

Yes, I believe if God had not raised up Martin Luther to restore the Gospel to preeminence in the church, he would have raised up someone else. Then, instead of going by the name of “Lutherans” we would go by a different name like “Schartzians” or “Cooperians”.

I love all that God accomplished through Martin Luther. I try to read his writings or the writings of his followers every day. But although we still use his name, he is not the one we worship and serve. We worship the one, true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent to save us. This is most certainly, eternally true.