Friday, October 25, 2013
Proverbs 27:9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.
FAITH OF OUR FATHERS: GEORGE SPALATIN
Some 400 letters from Martin Luther to George Spalatin survive today, making clear that the two were very close friends during the difficult years of the Reformation. Luther counseled Spalatin and Spalatin counseled Luther. Spalatin was a faithful friend in the right place at the right time.
George Spalatin was born in 1484 and gained his Bachelor's degree from the University of Erfurt, Germany, in 1499. He pursued his Master's degree at Wittenberg, completing it in 1503. Until 1508 his biography is fairly usual for an academic of his day, but his life soon took a most important turn. In 1509 Frederick the Wise called on him to tutor his son. Elector Frederick was the Emperor's representative in and around Wittenberg, a region known as Saxony. So Spalatin was suddenly rubbing shoulders with those in high levels of government and with an important and influential man. It was not too long before he had gained Frederick's trust and become his private secretary in charge of all personal and official correspondence.
Already in 1511 Spalatin was studying his Bible at Luther's urging and by 1518 he had become convinced of the truth of the gospel and how it was being hindered and suppressed by the practices of the church. Many of those practices are familiar to us: the buying and selling of indulgences whereby people paid money to speed their journey to heaven, the veneration of saints and relics to gain God's favor, and the teaching that faith in Christ alone is not enough for salvation.
As Luther's devoted friend and a supporter of those who wished to reform the church, Spalatin was instrumental in convincing Elector Frederick to protect Luther from those who would harm him. When Luther was called to appear before the church on charges of heresy, Spalatin urged Frederick to insist that the meeting should take place in Germany. This likely saved Luther's life. After that famous Diet at Worms in 1521 when Luther was declared an outlaw worthy of death, it was Spalatin who arranged to have him "kidnapped" and kept safe in the Wartburg Castle. Because of all the work he did in political circles on behalf of the Protestant cause, Spalatin is sometimes referred to as the "helmsman of the Reformation," and it may not be too much to say that it would not have happened without him. He went to be with His Savior on January 16, 1545 at the age of 61.
Some of God's greatest blessings to us are the friends He gives us. Luther found a true friend in Spalatin. We appreciate the friends who surround us. Especially do we give thanks for our greatest Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ. For He is the Friend who laid down His life for us sinners so that we would not suffer eternally.
