The Impact of Reformation Upon the Christian Church Reformation Now Seminar 2013, by Covenant BP Church, Covenant B-P Church, Reformed and Presbyterian in Bangalore (The Lecture Delivered by Pastor George Skariah at the Seminar) Introduction “Protestantism is not solely the outcome of human progress; it is no mere principles of perfectibility inherent in humanity, . . . . Protestantism is a principle which has its origin outside human society: it is a Divine graft on the intellectual and moral nature of man, whereby new vitalities and forces are introduced into it, and the human stem yields henceforth a nobler fruit. “It is the descent of a heaven-born influence which allies itself with all the instincts and powers of society, and which, quickening both the individual and the social being into a new life, and directing their efforts to nobler objects, permits the highest development of which humanity is capable, and the fullest possible accomplishment of all its grand ends. “In a word, Protestantism is revived Christianity.” (J A Wylie, The History of Protestantism, Part 1, page 2, quoted from Jack Sin, Reformation, back cover.) Often true revivals happen as the result of the following things: • When things go wrong, the Spirit of the Lord acts in order to correct the way and the result could be great revival: >> The Lord assured this in the Old Testament through Isaiah the prophet, saying, When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him (Is 59:19; cf Ezek 3:17). For Isaiah, the context was national corruption and consequent suffering from the Lord, and the solution is: God’s Spirit lifting up a Standard. In verse 20, the Redeemer • When God wants to bring His people back to the Word: Isaiah 59:21 >> As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever. • When there is a desire and thirst for God and His House and His Word: Days of King Hezekiah in the Kingdom of Judah >> the period known as the First Reformation in the Kingdom of Judah 2 Chronicles 29:2-5 >> God was sought Verses 10-12 >> maid a covenant with God Verses 15-16 >> people and house sanctified Verses 20-21 >> Temple worship restored 2 Chronicles 30:1 >> Passover to be kept 2 Chronicles 31:1 >> people set things right 2 Chronicles 32:7-8 >> found confidence in the Lord • When the providence of the Lord is at work: Days of King Josiah in the Kingdom of Judah >> this period knows as the Second Reformation in the Kingdom of Judah 2 Chronicles 34:3 >> sought the Lord Verse 8 >> repaired the Temple Verse 14 >> the Law of Moses was discovered Verses 29-31 >> covenant was maid 2 Chronicles 35:1 >> Passover was kept All these FOUR things we could see happening in the background of the 16th Century Protestant Reformation. • The Sixteenth Century Protestant Reformation was the result of God working through His wonderful providence, preparing the time for such a huge explosion, instilling people with enormous courage to challenge the established system. • God prepared a number of faithful and courageous men in order to cleanse the highly corrupted church of those days. The leading reformers such as Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin were raised by God to deliver the Church from the perils due to the wrong teachings and practices. • There was an earnest desire among common man to get hold of the copy Word of God in their hands, which the Roman church deprived them off. The result was the great IMPACT it brought upon the Church: 1. The Doctrinal Purity of the Church The FIVE Solas of Reformation are the clarion call of the Reformation Movement, bringing the church back to the doctrinal purity of the church. The Five Solas are: 1. Sola Scriptura, Scripture Alone >> church is not the ultimate authority but the Word of God and the Word of God is sufficient for all our beliefs and practices. 2. Sola Gratia, Grace Alone >> salvation is not by faith and works, but by GRACE alone we are saved. 3. Sola Fide, Faith Alone >> We receive the GRACE alone salvation by believing and trusting what Christ has done for us 4. Solus Christus, Christ Alone >> No other savior, but Christ alone, no other mediator is required, but Christ is our Mediator between God and man. 5. Soli Deo Gloria, Glory of God Alone >> Since our salvation is solely based on the work of God, we, before Him, bow down with humble adoration, giving Him all glory. Along with this is the Doctrines of Grace, the Five Points of Calvinism. Total depravity of man Un conditional election Limited atonement Irresistible grace Perseverance of saints The Reformers emphasized the Scriptural teaching of the totally depraved state of man as he is sinful and completely incapable of saving himself and the sovereignty of God in choosing sinners to believe in Him for salvation. The Apostle Paul especially explains this in his Epistle to the Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians. This understanding of the Scripture has totally changed the perspective of people as the way they understood God’s dealings with them and God’s eternal plan for their lives. The result was a love for God and His word and a thirst for holy living. >> The Reformers understood the fact that a true New Testament church is less ritualistic, but more focused on the doctrinal purity and the purity of the inner spiritual life. 2. Centrality of the Word and Emphasis on Expository Preaching of the Word Before the Reformation, the Bible was the monopoly of the church and the clergy and the laity was deprived of the Word of God. They were put into a position that they had to believe whatever the clergy says. The Bible was in the Latin and common man did not know the language. Just before the Reformation kicked off, there was a great crave among common man to know the truth that led to the translations of the Bible into common man’s languages. With common man now coming to the knowledge of the Word, the authority of Scripture replaced the authority of the Pope and medieval traditions. The Reformation has witnessed an effective communication of God Word since the time of the Apostle of the early church. Luther, Calvin, Knox, and Zwingli were great examples of prolific preachers and writers of those days. Preaching (even by lay preachers) became important and central in the worship service. 3. Liberation from Human Authority The Authority of Scripture replaced the authority of the Pope and medieval traditions. The Church is not to be ruled by one man only. Martin Luther wrote: “Although we must always expect the best from man, especially from the believers, we remember that they may err and go astray. If this truth had been observed in Christendom, we would have had neither the pope nor all the filth and stench of his anti-Christian doctrine with which the Christian Church was later seduced. In the papacy one concluded: ‘Oh, he is a holy man and, consequently, all that he says must be true!’ “I need to be warned against such a practice. I must say: ‘I shall gladly believe that the men I have mentioned – such as Gregory, Ambrose and Augustine – were holy men; but I do not trust myself to them. For their holiness does not make them infallible, and it does not imply that one must rely and depend on all the dicta of the fathers or approve and believe all their teachings. Rather take the touchstone of God’s Word into your hands. Let this be your criterion for testing, trying and judging all that the fathers have preached, written and said, as well as all the precepts and human ordinances that have been promulgated. Otherwise one will be easily misled and deceived. “For I am to adhere to Christ alone; He has taught neither too much nor too little. He has taught me to know God the Father, has revealed Himself to me, and has also acquainted me with the Holy Spirit. He has also instructed me how to live and how to die and has told me what to hope for. What more do I want? And if anyone wishes to teach me anything now, let him beware of any innovations. If he tries to present anything new, I must say to him: ‘I will not believe it, dear pastor, dear preacher, dear St Ambrose, dear St Agustin. For anything that goes beyond and above the man who is called Christ is not genuine. It is still flesh and blood, and Christ warned us against relying on that. He Himself did not trust Himself to man.’” (Martin Luther, “Liberation from Human Authority,” The Reformation of the Church: A Collection of Reformed and Puritan Documents on Church Issues, 30-31). The Bible says through the Apostle Paul: Galatians 1:8-9, But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. The Biblical canon, the 66 Books of the Bible, closes with this severe warning, Revelation 22:18-19, For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 4. Polemical Spirit to Defend the Truth of the Gospel The church has a ministry not only to declare the Word, but to defend it as well. The Reformers brought this truth clearly to the church through their prolific preaching and teaching of the Word. The truth they discovered, through their intense search of the Scripture, they did not keep it for themselves, but shared it with others. Luther wrote his Commentary on Romans as it was the Epistle to the Romans that changed his convictions from a Catholic Professor of Theology to the pioneer of the Reformation Movement. Calvin wrote his magnum opus, The Institutes of Christian Religion, a polemical, doctrinal, apologetic, presentation of the Christian doctrines. Where are the defenders of the true Gospel today? Where are the writers today? Go to any Christian book stores in the down, you will see all the stuff promoting self-esteem, positive thinking, external euphoria experience, health and wealth gospel, New Age ideas, etc, etc. The need of the hour is a resolute pen to clearly expound the Scripture and expose the heretical teachings and practices infecting the church today. The Apostle Jude reminds the Christians, Jude 1:3-4, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 5. Back to the Bible Centered, God Honoring Worship and Service Worship and service is the very centre of Christianity. It must be patterned after the clear teachings and guidance of the Word of God. The Reformers brought the church back to the Scriptural principles of worship and service. Before the Reformation, the worship was just a one man’s show were the clergy controlled everything. It was a non-participatory, self centered performance ceremony by the priests. Worship service was preoccupied with religious rituals and ceremonies with little or no preaching or singing of psalms and hymns. The Reformers transformed the worship pattern. The liturgy was redesigned to accord with the Scripture. They brought forth the Regulative Principle of Worship to guide the corporate worship. Hymn singing was introduced and Reformers themselves wrote hymns, like Luther writing the famous Reformation hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is our God. Psalms 29:2, Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 1 Chronicles 16:29, Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. John 4:23-24, But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 6. Back to the Biblical System of Church Government The popular system of church government before Reformation was the church ruled by one man, the pope, assisted by cardinals and bishops or the Episcopalian system. The Reformers brought in the Scriptural pattern of church government, that is, ruled by the Plurality of Elders, assisted by Deacons, as explained by Paul in his epistles. Calvin and John Knox particularly implemented the Presbyterian system of Church government in Geneva and Scotland respectively. Congregational system of church govt was later developed by Baptist and Brethren Churches. 7. Emphasis upon Covenantal Homes Covenant homes are God’s establishment as God instituted marriage and child-bearing. Before Reformation, celibacy was practiced as a means of piety and good works. Priests were not allowed to marry. But with Reformation, the family began to be seen as a household of faith. Martin Luther married Katherine von Bora, a nun, and so Calvin married Idelette de Bure. Children were considered as God’s wonderful gifts and needed to be brought up in the most holy faith through catechisms and family worship. 8. God’s Glory the Supreme End of Man This is the climax of every person’s life. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Since, as sinners, we are indebted to Christ for salvation, we live for Him; we serve Him; and we glorify Him. The Reformers brought this forward through the last Sola, the Soli Deo Gloria. Conclusion Today we are the sons and daughters the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Therefore, our lives must be impacted by the Reformation revival. The Church and the Christians of 21st century must not shy away from this blessed Christian heritage that we have, but follow the Scriptural teachings of the Reformers as we are indebted to them in so many ways.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 15:31:11 +0000
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