The Reformation And Why It Matters To Us - Pt. 1
- Ken Ramey
- Sep 1, 2009
The Reformation is arguably the most significant event in the history of the church. In this issue of Lakeside Life, I want to provide you with a brief historical overview of the Reformation. In the following issue, I want to give you a theological overview of the core doctrines that were at the heart of the Reformation. Our church stands in the rich heritage of the Reformation and the biblical truths recovered during the days of the Reformation are at the heart of our church and should be in the heart of every Christian.
The Reformation was a religious movement that occurred in Europe in the 1500-1600’s that aimed at reforming the doctrines and practices of the church which eventually resulted in a major division in the church that remains today. Since its birth on the day of Pentecost, the church had slowly drifted away from the truth taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles which had been canonized as the New Testament. By the 15th and 16th centuries, amidst vast political upheaval and cultural changes, the church had fallen under the control of the Roman papal system and had become completely corrupt and heretical. It was teaching a false gospel which distorted the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. The church taught that a person had to do certain things in order to earn their way to heaven thus undermining the sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross for salvation. During this time a movement arose within the Roman Catholic Church to purify the church and to bring her back in line with God’s Word. Those who sought to reform the church were either killed or kicked out of the church. Those who survived ended up starting their own churches which eventually became known as Protestant churches because they protested the Catholic Church.
God had raised up numerous men to get the church back on track before the 15th and 16th century. John Wycliffe (1320-1384) began criticizing the errors of the church nearly 200 years before the official Reformation began. His greatest contribution was translating the Bible into English. He helped pave the way for the coming Reformation which is why he is called the “Morning Star of the Reformation.” Similarly, John Huss (1360-1415) preached against the abuses of the church (i.e. papacy, purgatory, pilgrimages, worship of saints and relics, etc.). Church authorities accused him of being a heretic at the Council of Constance and had him burned at the stake. They also ordered Wycliffe’s remains to be dug up and burned. The order wasn’t carried out until 1428, 44 years after Wycliffe’s death. God used these men along with others to prepare the church for what would occur over the next 200 years.
The Reformation officially began on October 31, 1517. On this day a monk named Martin Luther, who had become increasingly disillusioned with the doctrine of the Catholic Church, nailed a list of 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The church door functioned as a public bulletin board where important notices were displayed. Luther’s 95 Thesis listed all the things that were unbiblical about the sacrilegious sale of indulgences. For example, a man named Tetzel who was commissioned to sell indulgences to raise money to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome used the following infamous motto to motivate people to buy an indulgence on behalf of a deceased loved one: “When a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs!” Luther’s bold denunciation of Tetzel and others like him launched a series of events that culminated in Luther being condemned and excommunicated from the church.
Luther’s leading role in the Reformation was born out of his study of the book of Romans. In the quiet solitude of the monastery, the guilt-ridden monk had discovered the glorious truth of the gospel that a person is made right with God by faith rather than by performing good works like confession, sacraments, self-flagellation, pilgrimages, worshipping relics, etc. He left the monastery and began teaching others based on the authority of the Bible how the church had departed from its doctrinal foundations. He claimed to have recovered New Testament Christianity, namely, that the Scripture teaches that salvation is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone.
When Roman authorities demanded that Luther recant his views at the Diet of Worms, he refused. He told them, “Unless shown by Scripture and by reason that I am wrong, I will not recant. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot recant of anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Amen!” Even though they condemned him and declared him a heretic and an outlaw, they were unable to stop the fire that he had started. When the Catholic rulers of Germany were ordered by the Holy Roman Emperor to enforce the Edict of Worms, some of them protested and came to be known as “Protestants.”
From its humble beginnings in Germany, the Reformation quickly spread throughout Europe and the world. Eventually, Geneva, Switzerland replaced Wittenberg as the center of the Protestant movement and John Calvin replaced Martin Luther as the face of the Reformation. Calvin’s expositional preaching and theological writing defined and defended the doctrine of the Reformation. No other theologian in church history wrote more extensively or effectively about biblical doctrine than Calvin. That’s why when the leaders of the Synod of Dort needed a biblical response to the “five points of Arminianism” which were being promoted by the disciples of Jacob Arminius, Calvin’s teaching regarding salvation was organized into five categories to refute Arminiasm. They are known today as the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of grace. Calvinism, as it is commonly called, remains the clearest expression of the doctrinal distinctives of the Reformation.
Calvin established an academy in Geneva-which by the way became known as the Protestant Rome-to train the many Protestants who fled there seeking refuge from the persecution throughout Europe. Many later returned to their country bringing the Reformation with them causing it to spread to England, Scotland, and Holland. It continued on to America through the Puritans. It continues today in conservative Presbyterian and Reformed Churches both in America and around the world. Even though we are an independent, non-denominational church and don’t think it wise to officially label ourselves as a reformed church (i.e. Lakeside Reformed Bible Church), we do embrace the theological distinctives regarding the gospel that rose out of the Reformation. We’ll talk about that next time.
