“The Reformation is not merely a past event, but a present calling—one that summons us daily to be reformed by God’s Word.”
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1~2)
Change or die. Thom Rainer, in his book Autopsy of a Deceased Church, notes that one of the defining marks of a dead church is its refusal to change. A church that clings to the past without renewal will inevitably perish. And so we must ask: what about the Korean church today? Are we alive in Christ, or are we slowly losing the life of the gospel, clinging only to religious form while forfeiting true spiritual vitality?
The reason we commemorate Reformation Sunday is not simply to remember an event in history. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door in Wittenberg, confronting the corruption and unbiblical practices of the Roman Catholic Church. It was a call for the church to return to Scripture. Together with Calvin, Zwingli, and Knox, Luther opposed the excesses of the papacy, the sale of indulgences, and the distortion of the gospel. The heart of their cry is captured in what came to be known as the Five Solas: Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Sola Fide (faith alone), Sola Gratia (grace alone), Solus Christus (Christ alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (to the glory of God alone). These are not merely historical slogans; they remain the lifeblood of the church today.
The Reformation was not only a sixteenth-century event. It is a spiritual posture for all of God’s people. To live under the Reformation spirit is to bring every sphere of life—worship, culture, politics, society, and our personal lives—under the light of Scripture, to be continually examined and reshaped by the Word. Reformed faith is not merely doctrinal knowledge but a daily posture of standing before God’s Word. As Paul exhorts in Romans 12, we are called to present our bodies as living sacrifices, to refuse conformity to this age, and to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, discerning the will of God.
Yet when we look at the church today, we see shadows of medieval corruption. Churches are measured by buildings and numbers rather than holiness. The words of pastors and testimonies are often treated with greater authority than the Word of God. Secular marketing strategies and media productions are increasingly taking the place of the Spirit’s work. This is why a second Reformation is urgently needed. But this Reformation will not be led by one towering theologian or a single famous pastor. It must begin with ordinary believers who, one by one, submit themselves to the Word of God. When one believer is transformed, a family is renewed. When families are renewed, churches and communities are restored. And when communities change, society itself is reformed. Jesus declared, “You are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth.” That calling remains unchanged, and true reformation must be visible in the lives of God’s people.
And yet the reality is sobering. On October 31, our culture celebrates not the Reformation but Halloween. What should be a day of remembering gospel renewal has become a day of glorifying death, demons, and indulgence. Instead of remembering God’s Word, people dress as ghosts and monsters, celebrating the very things Christ came to conquer. This reveals how deeply even the church has been tempted to conform to the world’s patterns.
Therefore, as we enter the month of Reformation, we must ask ourselves hard questions. Am I daily examining my life under the light of God’s Word, being transformed by it? Am I embodying the spirit of the Reformation in my home, my church, and my community? Am I resisting the drift of cultural conformity and instead reforming my life according to Scripture alone?
The truth is simple: those who are alive will show evidence of change. The dead do not change. One may claim years of church attendance, but without genuine transformation under the Word, such faith is hollow. Now is the time to cast off the old self and put on the new. Our goal must be to live a life that reflects Christ Himself. And how do we do this? The answer lies in Scripture. To follow what Christ taught and demonstrated is the essence of Christian living. As we daily read and meditate on God’s Word, allowing it to shine into every corner of our lives, change begins. And when one believer is changed, households are renewed, communities are restored, and society itself is transformed.
This is the spirit of the Reformation, and this is why it remains as urgent and necessary today as it was in 1517.
About Author
Choi Jong Eui
Pastor, teacher, and writer committed to connecting Christian faith with everyday life. He writes with the hope of praising the Lord and faithfully completing the mission entrusted to him, bearing good fruit to the glory of God.
