October 31st is a special day for Protestants. It has affectionally been branded Reformation Day. On this day 500 years ago, Martin Luther—a Catholic Priest and professor—protested the religious establishment. He demanded a reformation of the system in which indulgences, pastoral excess, and abuse were not the exception, but commonplace. Martin Luther led the church into a renewal solely grounded on the beauty of grace and the finished work of Jesus Christ. His protest changed the future of the church. And I love him for it.

But I don’t love Martin Luther because he was faultless. Just the opposite. Luther was a dumpster fire—filled with frailties, insecurities, massive blind spots, and plenty of heinous behavior. Luther, for all the good, was also an instrument of evil. Luther, a notorious anti-Semite, called for the homes of Jews to be destroyed, synagogues to be burned, and their money to be taken. Luther slandered his opponents and decried heresy on anyone who disagreed with him. Luther had some real problems.

However, that doesn’t diminish who he was. His courage to pursue change—to set a whole generation of clergy free to preach grace in the face of works—is why I love him. I won’t gloss over his dark moments. I certainly won’t celebrate them. But I won’t let his failures cancel out how God used him for the good of the church.

Martin Luther is a metaphor for all of us. Lots of moments to be ashamed of, others to be proud of, but in the end, grace wins out!