SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2025 | REFORMATION DAY (Observed)
Revelation 14:6–7 | Romans 3:19–28 | John 8:31–36
Here I Stand
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Grace, Mercy and Peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
There are moments when Jesus says things that offend us. And our Gospel reading describes one of those times. To the Jews (and to you and to me), Jesus says, “You are slaves.”
And whenever we feel like we’re being attacked and accused, don’t we naturally get defensive? Well that’s exactly what the Jew’s did…listen to how they responded : They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” (John 8:33)
I suspect that our reaction would not be so different. How dare you, Jesus? Don’t you know how hard I’ve worked? Don’t you know how far I’ve come? How much I’ve achieved? I’m not a slave, Jesus. I’m smart, I’m strong, I’m a good person…So why would you say such a hurtful, offensive thing? Why would you call me a slave?
But this defensive reaction is really just DENIAL. Jesus says that we are slaves and our response is… NO WE AREN’T! It’s denial. And most denial rooted in pride.
For the Jews it was pride in their heritage. They were children of Abraham. They were children of the promise. They had Moses and the Law; and David and the Kingdom. They lived in the land of Israel with all God’s people. They were proud. But they were also in DENIAL. Because King David was long gone. The Kingdom had been conquered several times over. And now the Romans were in charge.
Oh they didn’t see themselves as “slaves,” but it’s obvious that even in physical and political matters, they were far from free.
But Jesus isn’t talking about physical or political things. He explains this in verse 34: Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. (John 8:34)
The slavery that Jesus is talking about is spiritual slavery. Slavery to sin, guilt and shame. Jesus is talking about slavery to our own corrupt desires. He’s talking about hearts enslaved to selfishness and destructive lusts.
And Jesus looks at the crowds gathered around him, and he looks at you and me and he says, “you are, by nature, a slave to sin.”
This, by the way, is the same thing that Paul tells us in Romans 3:20:
By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20)
When we are judged by the perfect standard of God’s Law, we all fall short. The corruption in our hearts is revealed. We are shown to be sinners. All of us. Oh, we may try to deny it. We may try to point out our heritage — look at my family — we’ve been Christians for generations, or we may point out our great effort — look at how good a person I am. But in the end, all this is pride. And pride won’t save us. Because none of us is perfect. We are all, by nature, sinners — slaves to sin.
Today we celebrate Reformation Sunday, which commemorates the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. When we think of the Reformation, we think of Martin Luther nailing those 95 Theses to the Church Door in Wittenberg. We think of the Gospel, and the doctrine of Justification by Faith. But in fact, it was actually a clear and uncompromising understanding of God’s Law that helped spark the Reformation.
In reading the Law, Luther became convinced that he was actually a sinner. And the more he understood God’s Law, the more he understood that he was a slave to sin and unable to please God. And it terrified him. That’s what God’s Law does.
Luther was terrified of God. He was terrified because he knew he was a sinner who must stand before God, the perfect judge of all creation.
In his terror, the only thing he could think to do was try to confess every one of his sins and do appropriate penance to pay for his sins. But the more sins he confessed, the more sins he remembered committing. And then he’d walk away from his pastor confessor only to find that he immediately was sinning again. It was a never-ending cycle. It was proof that he was a slave to sin.
And of course, there was no peace, but only fear. Fear that God couldn’t possibly love such an awful sinner. Maybe you’ve also felt like that.
People tried to tell Luther that he was being too hard on himself. I’ve heard Luther downplayed, even by modern day theologians, as a crazed perfectionist.
But he wasn’t. He just believed what Jesus and Paul said. And he didn’t try to deny it. He saw sin at work in his life. He really was, by nature, a slave to sin.
What about you? Do you believe what Jesus says about you? Jesus says, that apart from His Word and Work you are a slave to sin. Jesus says that, even with every good deed you try to do, with every noble action…even at your very best moment, sin is right there with you. Selfish ambition, destructive lusts, corrupt desire. You are a sinner, a slave to sin. And you need to be set free.
Oh it’s tempting to say, “NO I’M NOT a SLAVE to SIN!” But if we say this, then we’re also saying: No, Jesus, I don’t need to be set free.
You see, when Jesus comes to tell us the truth about ourselves, He does this, not to make us feel bad…not to attack us or shame us or add to our guilt. He does it so that we can see our need for Him; and so that He can set us free.
So He says in John 8:34-36:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Jesus wants to set you free. That is his whole purpose, his whole mission. He came to seek and to save the lost — to free sinners like you and me. And He paid a big price to do it.
For the wages of sin is death. That’s what the cross is all about. He had no sin. He is the Son and has a permanent place in the family. He had no penalty to pay, no punishment to bear. But in order to set you free from your slavery to sin, Jesus took your punishment. He died on the cross for you, to pay the price for your sins.
Because like Luther, we really do know the truth, don’t we? We know we are sinners when we see anger and bitterness at work in our lives. We know it when lust leads us to pornography, or even sex outside of marriage, or adultery. We know the truth when we get sucked into gossip and harm others with our words. . We know it when we fall into the temptation of cheating at work or school in order to get ahead.
Sin is alive within us. In big ways and small. And it works hard to make us slaves. But Jesus is here today to set us free.
This is the great treasure of the Gospel, boldly declared at the time of the Reformation, and even today in our midst. You see, Luther was terrified of God’s judgement against poor, miserable sinners. But then he read Romans, chapter 3, and he found the hope and peace and freedom that he so desperately needed:
He read,
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. (Romans 3:21-24)
Jesus is the righteousness that comes from God. And by faith in Him, we are set free.
And what does that mean? It means that God loves you. It means that there is hope, life, and boundless forgiveness for you. It means that you don’t need to be terrified of God, but you can come to Him boldly to receive His love and blessings. For He paid the price for your sins in Christ and Him crucified, so that you would receive the gifts of forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, has set you free and so you are free indeed.
And today as we celebrate the Reformation, what we actually celebrate is the eternal Gospel…the good news that is for all people. And the best way to celebrate today is to hear it and see it, to believe it and receive it.
So dear Christians, hear and believe that Jesus has set you free. Even now sin, death and the devil wage war against you. But Jesus has set you free by paying for you with His blood, shed on the cross. That freedom has comes to you as your remember your Baptism and declare to the devil, “I am a Baptized Child of God.” It comes in the Holy Absolution where Christ says: I forgive you all of your sins. It comes as you hear the Savior inviting you to His table to eat his true body and drink His true blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. For now, dear Christian, you are no longer a slave, but a dear child of God and a member of His household. And you have a place at his table, forever. For the Son has set you free, and you are free indeed.
And just as Luther believed and taught and confessed in the days of the Reformation, so we believe and teach and confess. As He said at the Diet of Worms, so we say, Here I stand, in the love of Jesus, in the good news of forgiveness, life, and salvation. There is no other hope, no other firm foundation. There is nothing us to build our lives on. Yes, Here we stand, and by this we live. For we can do no other, so help us God. Amen.
Now this Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guards your hearts and minds in this this one true faith in Christ, Jesus our Lord. Amen.