Happy Reformation Day!
On this day in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his “95 thesis” to the door of the church at Wittenberg, Germany in protest of Papal Indulgences.
Do you know your Protestant reformers? The reformers were branded “enemies of the state” by the Roman Catholic leaders because they read their Bibles and as a result dared to question the validity of traditions created and held by the Roman Catholic Church system. Here is some information I gathered on these brave men who worked to restore the church back to Biblical truths and to stamp out the “traditions of man”.
While some of these reformers had their differences with each other (to put it mildly), each of them restored a Biblical truth that had been lost due to the centuries of influence of Papal traditions. Their work paved the way for the Great Awakening in the 1730’s and 1740’s when the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28 was again realized.
This devotional study includes many links to Bible verses, as well as some documents you may find relevant. To get the most out of this study I encourage you to pull up the links and follow along in your Bible as well.
John Wycliff (1330-1384):
- Translated the first complete version of the Bible into the English language in 1382. His work was further expanded upon in the 1520’s-1530’s by William Tyndale.
Martin Luther (1483-1556):
- Sola Scriptura (scripture alone is authoritative) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16
- Sola fide (justification by faith, not by works) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9
- Pointed to the Pope as being the “Antichrist” (“anti” in this case means “standing in the place of” Christ. Also called the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition. See 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”)
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531):
- Rejected transubstantiation (the teaching that the bread and wine become Jesus’s literal body and blood). The Bible is clear that these are symbols. See Luke 22:19-20, John 6:32-40, 63 (“…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”), and 1 Corinthians 2:14.
Anabaptists (16th Century):
- Believed that baptism should only be performed on adults who understood what faith in Jesus was. (See this in action in Jesus own example in Mark 1:9-11, and in Acts 2:38-41, Acts 8:35-38, and Acts 16:31-33)
John Wesley (1703-1791):
- Methodists bring back evangelism. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:” Matthew 28:19-20a
In general the reformers also believed that there was no need for “confession” to human priest for our sins to be forgiven because we are priests (and as such we do not need at intermediary human figure between us and God):
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;" -2 Peter 2:9
We can directly approach the throne of grace because of Jesus’s sacrifice (and Him being the High Priest):
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." -Hebrews 4:16
The Connection Between the Sanctuary and the Reformation
The Sanctuary in the Old Testament of the Bible contained in physical form the steps that a sinner (which we all are) takes to come to God. In the Middle Ages the Catholic Church essentially made the Law of God void through the distortion/perversion of the things which the furniture stood for. When I talk about the Catholic church I am talking about the system–not the people individually
Removal of articles of the sanctuary by the Catholic church:
- The Alter of Sacrifice was removed by priests asking for money to forgive sin via Indulgences. The Bible says that salvation is a gift–meaning we can’t pay money for it: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
- The bronze washbasin was removed through infant sprinkling. True Biblical baptism is where the person being baptized makes a conscious decision to repent and be baptized: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:38
- The Table of Showbread was removed when the church forbade the common people from reading the Bible (the Word of God/His teachings) for themselves. “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:32-35
- Alter of incense removed by confession to priests instead of going to God through Jesus. “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Hebrews 4:14, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
- The 7-Branched Candlestick was removed through the heavy persecution of Bible-believing Christians by the Catholic Church. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
- The Ark of the Covenant was removed when Papal power said it had power to change God’s law. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8, “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19
The reason that the reformers were not taken more seriously is because while they claimed to follow the Bible and the Bible alone, they still kept Sunday as a holy day, which the Catholic church freely admitted they replaced when they moved the importance from the 7th day (Sabbath) to the 1st (which they call “The Lord’s Day”), and claimed it as a mark of their authority (see Council of Trent). However, this transfer of sacredness from Saturday to Sunday is not Biblical.
It is my prayer that if you count yourself as a Protestant that you will be inspired to read and study your Bible with the same diligence that the reformers did and that you will turn away from man-made traditions and back to the Bible. Otherwise, what is the reason for the protest?