Martin Luther’s personal seal shares important biblical truths. What does your online presence testify about your faith?

The celebration of the Reformation in October is a good time to remember why you are Lutheran. It is also a good time to consider how you present yourself as a Lutheran both in person and online.

Martin Luther did not have to think about his online presence, but he did have strong enemies who would attack him with widely distributed print materials. Considering how he would present himself in printed materials, he decided to design a personal seal, and he explained how it visualized the truths of Scripture.

First, there is a cross, black on a heart in red, as its natural color. This is to remind me that faith in the Crucified saves us; for if one believes with the heart, one is justified.

Martin Luther wanted to present himself above all else as a person who is justified. God declared him not guilty of sin because of the atoning work of Christ. The heart in the seal does not have a halo indicating that it has somehow earned or deserved the benefits of the cross. It is the simple heart of a person who believes the good news of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus.

How can you demonstrate in your everyday life that you are justified? It might be through humility, giving God all the credit for your earthly and spiritual blessings. It might be through your devotional life, acknowledging your daily need for connection to God’s amazing promises.

How can you demonstrate online that you are justified? It might be through your network to faithful Lutheran institutions that make justification by faith the center of all their teaching and work.

Now although it is a black cross, although it mortifies and is designed to inflict pain, it nonetheless allows the heart to keep its color; it does not destroy its nature, that is, it does not kill but keeps alive. (For the just lives by faith, but faith in the Crucified.)

When the sign of the cross is made over the heart of a person during a baptism, it becomes a lifelong reminder that a Christian has been appointed to do Christian things. Some of those things may be difficult, but Martin Luther bore those crosses steadfastly, knowing that he was on the way to eternal life because Jesus died for him.

Acknowledging your baptism in your everyday life is a matter of repentance and faith. Outward observances like the sign of the cross can be helpful, and when your Christian life becomes difficult, it can be comforting to remember the Bible’s promises connected to your baptism.

Pictures of baptismal fonts and Bible passages about Baptism can be part of your online presence. “Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the guarantee of a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21 Evangelical Heritage Version).

Such a heart is to be centered on a white rose in order to indicate that faith yields joy, comfort, and peace and straightway beds one on a white, pleasing rose. Nor does faith yield the peace and joy of the world. Therefore the rose should be white and not red, because white is the color of the spirits and of all the angels.

A black cross on a red heart might appear to imply bloodshed and hardship, but not when a white rose is added. Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. When Martin Luther realized what the Scripture really teaches, the flowering fruits of faith in his life included joy, comfort, and peace.

A certain sense of calm in your everyday life can be a powerful testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit in you. People may notice, and then you can give a reason for the hope that you have with gentleness and respect.

What do flowers say in your online presence? The answer probably varies from person to person and situation to situation. It might be more appropriate to look at what your posts say about what gives you joy. If you include music that features the promises of God, it could be a parallel adornment to the flower pictured in Luther’s seal.

This rose is on a field tinted with the hues of heaven to indicate that this joy in the spirit and faith is a beginning of the future heavenly joy, a joy which, to be sure, is even now present in faith and embraced by hope but is not yet revealed.

Roses may fade, and fruits of faith may change from season to season, but an eternal hope remains: living with Jesus forever in heaven. Martin Luther saw the vast expanse of the blue sky as a perfect reminder of eternal life through faith in Jesus.

Your everyday life is a pilgrim’s journey to heaven. Look up and see the wonders of grace in your personal circumstances. Lift your eyes beyond the cares of today and live with an eternal purpose.

Some of the most engaging social media posts suggest startling long-term perspectives that give much more meaning to small actions in the present. You may not be a meme creator, but you recognize such deep truths when you see them. When they involve the promises of God, incorporate them in your online presence.

And around this field runs a ring of gold to show that the blessedness of heaven endures forever and ever and is more precious than all pleasures and possessions of earth, as gold is the most precious and the noblest metal.

Martin Luther’s personal seal needed a border. Gold was the perfect color to indicate that something valuable was being portrayed. A circle was the perfect shape to indicate that the promises of God last forever.

What are your most precious possessions? Your everyday life can reflect how you value them. Your weekly participation in corporate worship can help you keep your focus on the valuable spiritual blessings that culminate in heaven.

You may have your online presence completely figured out. But it wouldn’t hurt to consider posting Luther’s seal during this time that we celebrate the Lutheran Reformation. It expresses some extraordinary scriptural truths and says something about who you are as a Lutheran.

Author: Paul Prange
Volume 112, Number 10
Issue: October 2025