If one had to make a short list of the people who’ve made an impact on the Kingdom of Christ, Martin Luther would be on it every time. From the Bible’s translation into the language of the people, to the church’s return to the doctrine of justification by faith alone, to the Protestant reformation, he certainly made an important—even eternal—mark on the world.
In his book, Table Talk, which is a compilation of informal conversations he had with students and friends, Luther mentions the martyrs, those who famously died taking a stand for their faith, and uses an interesting word: “legends.” He doesn’t belittle their sacrifice or love for Christ, but he does say that the stories about them aren’t “pure.” In other words, we tend to put them on a pedestal, building them into more than were. People do that with ministers too: “Oh, if only I could be as good a Christian as __________.”
To this notion, Luther said:
I hold in consideration the saints whose lives were not marked by any particular circumstances, who, in fact, lived like other people and did not seek to make themselves noted.
In an evangelical climate that strives to “radicalize” everything and bemoan the bland, I find it refreshing to hear an authoritative voice that allows for working, living, loving, worshiping, raising a family, and dying with a simple, but adoring allegiance to Christ.
It’s true that we’re to make disciples of all nations, and feel a burden for a world that desperately needs redemption. It’s equally true that we’re to live with some pretty straightforward requirements: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.
