God's Word is
in your hands.
Celebrate the Scriptures by reading, studying, and giving the Word this October.
Why celebrate scripture?
From cheap printed bibles to free apps on our phones, Scripture is more accessible than at any time in history.
Yet many of us still neglect to read God's word.
The Reformers fought to put the Scripture into the hands of ordinary people. Reformation Month is about remembering their sacrifice.
1517
A pivotal moment
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther's nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the Castle Church doors in Wittenberg, Germany.
Luther challenged the Catholic Church's doctrine of indulgences, but the debate soon shifted to something more fundemental: who has the final authority over the Christian faith?
“Unless I am convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures by clear reasoning… then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience... Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.” - Martin Luther, 1521
Sola Scriptura
God has spoken.
Sola Scriptura means "Scripture alone." God's word is the only infallible rule of faith. All authority in the church ultimately rests on the Bible, and to go outside the bounds of Scripture is to go outside the bounds of God's authority. Therefore, the Reformers thought it was essential that everyone should have God's word in their own language, and that they should be able to read it for themselves.
For centuries, Christians have translated the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into the common languages of the people. But by the middle ages, the Bible was mostly left in Latin, which was the language of the church and the educated elite. Men like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and Martin Luther's risked their lives to translate the Bible.Their courage is what led to us having the Bible in our language.
How do we celebrate?
01 — Read
Read as much of the Bible as you can.
The best way to celebrate Scripture is to read it. Start in Genesis, or start in Matthew. Already in the middle of a reading plan? Just pick up where you left off. Read ten chapters or a hundred (or all 1,189) during October.
Just read the Word.
02 — Study
Know what you hold.
Reformation Month is also a time for learning what Scripture says about itself, and how Scripture relates to our salvation.
03 — Give
Continue the Reformers' legacy by giving Scripture to others.
We inherited extraordinary access to Scripture. Others still wait to read the Bible in their heart language.
The Word is in our hands. Let's put it in theirs.
Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers,
the flower fades,
but the word of our God
will stand forever.