Originally written on February19, 2006
What does Martin Luther have to do with a True Love Waits Weekend? Good question! The question came after I skipped through the powerpoint of my sermon on the Sunday of True Love Waits. One of the slides that I skipped over had a reference to Martin Luther. I had to get my powerpoint presentation caught up with my talking. The reference to Martin Luther had a point. Actually, it was a good point and I wish that I had mentioned it.
When Dr. Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenburg in 1517, the first point on the document was that Jesus Christ meant for the entire Christian life to be lived as an act of repentance. The Catholic Church at the time was practicing penance occasionally and Luther took issue with this. So what does that have to do with True Love Waits?
As sinful people we are all guilty of falling short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). There is no area of our lives that this rings true than in the area of sexual purity. We have all stumbled, even if only with our eyes. Luther would tell us that we must respond to our sins in repentance. When the world tells us to love ourselves and accept our selves as our "authentic self", Jesus Christ tells us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him. Instead of making the mistake of trying to live where our sins leave us, we are called back to God’s original plan and purpose.
If Luther were alive today he would tell our students to take a bold stand on repentance, not just as a one-time act, but to live a life of repentance. This is a great truth and it needs to be nailed to the doors of our high schools-even today!!
What does Martin Luther have to do with a True Love Waits Weekend? Good question! The question came after I skipped through the powerpoint of my sermon on the Sunday of True Love Waits. One of the slides that I skipped over had a reference to Martin Luther. I had to get my powerpoint presentation caught up with my talking. The reference to Martin Luther had a point. Actually, it was a good point and I wish that I had mentioned it.
When Dr. Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenburg in 1517, the first point on the document was that Jesus Christ meant for the entire Christian life to be lived as an act of repentance. The Catholic Church at the time was practicing penance occasionally and Luther took issue with this. So what does that have to do with True Love Waits?
As sinful people we are all guilty of falling short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). There is no area of our lives that this rings true than in the area of sexual purity. We have all stumbled, even if only with our eyes. Luther would tell us that we must respond to our sins in repentance. When the world tells us to love ourselves and accept our selves as our "authentic self", Jesus Christ tells us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him. Instead of making the mistake of trying to live where our sins leave us, we are called back to God’s original plan and purpose.
If Luther were alive today he would tell our students to take a bold stand on repentance, not just as a one-time act, but to live a life of repentance. This is a great truth and it needs to be nailed to the doors of our high schools-even today!!
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www.TrueLoveWaitsRally.com
Kenneth E. Purdom
Director of True Love Waits Rally Events
LifeWay Affiliated Ministry
Phone: 615-429-3890
Email: Kenneth.Purdom@Gmail.com
www.TrueLoveWaitsRally.com