Playmobil Presents ... Martin Luther!

Astronomical sales of a tiny figurine of the Protestant Reformation figure Martin Luther, have confounded its maker, Playmobil, by becoming the fastest-selling Playmobil figure of all time.

The German toy manufacturer confirmed that the first edition of 34,000 pieces sold out in less than 72 hours, forcing the company to urgently request its factory in Malta to produce more of the so-called “little Luthers.” Fans were warned that the next batch will not be available until the end of April, however, as usual, ebay is a fertile source of the toy (I challenge you to beat £8.40, including postage!).

This plastic toy, complete with a quill, German-language bible and cheery grin, was produced for the German and Nuremberg tourist boards and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, as Germany gears up to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017.

The tourist board says they have sold 95% of the toy within Germany, although there has been interest overseas, including prospective buyers from Spain, Italy and Sweden.

The intense demand for the toy has confounded Playmobil, with a spokesperson describing the success as “a big mystery [and] a huge surprise.”

Luther, the founding father of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, and famous for his robust challenges to the authority of the Catholic pope (cf. 95 Theses, appearance at Worms, etc.) and translation of the Bible from Latin into German for the first time, deserves to be celebrated. His rediscovery of the pivotal doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone by Grace Alone in Christ Alone to the Glory of God Alone was the sustained theme of their proclamation, their polemis, praises and prayers.

G. C. Berkhouwer said of the doctrine of justification by faith set forth by Paul and reapprehended with decisive clarity at the Reformation:

"The confession of divine justification touches man’s life at its heart, at the point of its relationship to God. It defines the preaching of the Church, the existence and progress of the life of faith, the root of human security, and man’s perspective for the future."

Where Rome had taught a piecemeal salvation, to be gained by stages through working a sacramental treadmill, the Reformers now proclaimed a unitary salvation, to be received in its entirety here and now by self-abandoning faith in God’s promise, and in the God and the Christ of that promise, as set forth in the pages of the Bible.

Therefore the rediscovery of the gospel brought a rediscovery of evangelism, the task of summoning non-believers to faith.

• Rome had said, God’s grace is great, for through Christ’s cross and his Church salvation is possible for all who will work and suffer for it; so come to church, and toil!

• But the Reformers said, God’s grace is greater, for through Christ’s cross and his Spirit salvation, full and free, with its unlimited guarantee of eternal joy, is given once and forever to all who believe; so come to Christ, and trust and take!

May it be that even this little 'Luther toy' will play its part in sparking off some honest inquiry within young hearts – "Who is this man? What did he do? What are those words on his scroll?" – resulting in biblical truth being rediscovered in our day.