By George Skariah

Do you believe that the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice? Do you believe that salvation is by grace alone and through faith alone? Have you been blessed by the faithful preaching and teaching of God's Word from a church pulpit, where God's Word is central to the Sunday worship services and to all that the church does? Does your church have a balanced power centre for church administration, rather than one person controlling all the matters of the church? Does your church understand the importance of creeds and confessions, and educate believers according to sound biblical doctrines? Is your church committed to holy living according to God's Holy Word? Then, in one way or another, you and your church are indebted to the 16th century Protestant Reformation; you are heirs of the Reformation and of the work of the Reformers. We are the sons and daughters of the Reformation. The Reformers are our spiritual fathers; the Reformation is our heritage.

Prior to the Reformation, the Church was in a different strait. For almost a period of one thousand years, from AD 500 to 1500, commonly known as the Medieval Period of the history of the Church, the Church went through a difficult period. The first 500 years of this period is known as the dark period due to the suppression of the truth of God over the traditions of the apostate church (the established church of those days), as the papacy dominated the social, political, and religious system. The established church of those days departed from the very foundation on which the Church was established by the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself being the Chief Corner Stone (Ephesians 2:20-22; 1.Timothy 3:15). The truth of God was ignored, and the church relied on ignorance and superstition. The Word of God was kept away from the common people; it was kept as the monopoly of the clergy. As a result, the clergy conveniently distorted the Word for their own personal advantages. People were indoctrinated with the notion that they could only go to heaven through the church. The church priest had enormous power at his disposal, as he was viewed as the people's `passport' to heaven. People had to come to him for the confession of their sins. People had to please him by any means. Money also played a crucial role in the relationship between the people and the church. People had to pay large amounts to the church for spiritual favours. The sale of indulgences by Johann Tetzel was one of the many examples of this. The indulgence was a prominent Catholic practice, by which any devoted Catholic parishioner could pay money to the church in exchange for the forgiveness of sins and entry into heaven. Besides this, there was also compromise in Christian living. Ungodly and carnal living characterised the lives of both the clergy and the laity.

We thank God for the heritage of the Reformation. The Reformation was the means of God to purify and re-form His church. It was used of God to liberate the true Church from the dominance and influence of the apostate church, that the Church of God would be renewed. It was on October 31, 1517, the Roman Catholic monk, Martin Luther, questioning the power and efficacy of Indulgences, nailed the 95 Theses on the door of the All Saints' Church, in Wittenberg, Saxony, sparking the flame of the Reformation movement. This movement, by the providential guidance of the Lord, became an instrument in God's hand to re-form the Church, making the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ again the message of the church. God, through this movement, raised men in different parts of the world, empowering them with extraordinary courage and ability, in order to question and challenge the unholy authorities and systems that dominated the matters of the Church for a long period. It was through their relentless efforts that the Church of God could be liberated.

The Reformation was the greatest religious movement for Christ since the Early Church, as it was a revival of Christian theology and sound biblical practices. In the words of Philip Schaff, a Church historian, “The Reformation of the sixteenth century is, next to the introduction of Christianity, the greatest event in history. It marks the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times. Starting from religion, it gave, directly or indirectly, a mighty impulse to every forward movement, and made Protestantism the chief propelling force in the history of modern civilisation” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church). “There are two leading aspects in which the Reformation, viewed as a whole, may be regarded; the one more external and negative, and the other more intrinsic and positive. In the first aspect it was a great revolt against the see of Rome, and against the authority of the church and of churchmen in religious matters, combined with an assertion of the exclusive authority of the Bible, and of the right of all men to examine and interpret it for themselves. In the second and more important and positive aspect, the Reformation was the proclamation and inculcation, upon the alleged authority of Scripture, of certain views in regard to the substance of Christianity or the way of salvation, and in regard to the organisation and ordinances of the Christian church” (William Cunningham, The Reformers and the Theology of the Reformation).

This year, 2017, is the 500th anniversary of the great Reformation movement. It is by the providence of God that we are able to live through this time. It is a privilege for us, and therefore we need to do our part too, in re-echoing the call of the Reformers. Therefore, in commemoration of the 500th anniversary, as we publish the second special edition of the Reformation Now, we want to recollect the blessed Reformation heritage we have inherited through the faith and labour of the Reformers.

THE BIBLE

The first and most basic aspect of the Reformation heritage is the Bible. By the means of the Reformation, God restored the Bible to the Church. The established, apostate church of those days took the Bible away from the common man. The people were forbidden to have the Bible in their hands and to read it. The Bible was not in the common language of the people either. The church infested the minds and hearts of the people with all her traditions and papal decrees that were exalted above the authority of the Bible. The authority and the necessity of the Scripture was very much in question. Therefore, firstly, the Reformers, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, agreed on the absolute authority of the Word of God. That means that other than God's Word, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, there is no other authority for doctrine or for life, for faith or for practice. As God's Word is the inspired, infallible, inerrant revelation of God for every area of a Christian's life, and for the life of the church, the Bible is the only authority—not the Pope, nor the traditions of the church, nor anything else that comes along the way.

Secondly, the Reformers taught the sufficiency of Scripture. This means that God's Word is sufficient for all matters pertaining to a Christian's life on earth. He does not require any other revelation. Any tradition of the church or papal decree must be subjected to the supreme authority of the Word of God.

Thirdly, the Reformers upheld the necessity of the Word of God by emphasising that, since God has revealed Himself in the Word, without the Scripture and apart from the Scripture, the truth concerning God and His plan of salvation for lost humanity can neither be known nor maintained.

And fourthly, the Reformers maintained the truth concerning the clarity or perspicuity of the Scripture.

“This principle implies that the text of the Bible is clearly understandable as far as the truth of God's revelation is concerned, so that any child of God, any believer, can read and understand the Bible in its clear and unequivocal meaning” (Homer C. Hoeksema). The Apostle Paul explains thisunderstanding of the Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, forcorrection, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (For a detail understanding of this, read John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, I: VII-IX.)

THE REFORMED DOCTRINES

Another central aspect of the Reformation heritage is the truth of justification by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2). This is the central message of the Bible, which the apostate church of those days suppressed with her teaching of faith plus works being equal to salvation. Luther, as he studied the Scriptures, especially the books of Romans and Galatians, stumbled at the erroneous teaching of the church. He then expounded Romans and Galatians along with other portions of the Bible to confront the errors of the church. He taught that salvation is by grace through faith alone, and can never be earned by the merits of men. It is entirely based on the work of God in Jesus Christ, received by men through faith alone. God, not man, must receive the glory for salvation.

The Five Solas of Reformation highlight the doctrinal stand of the Reformers, namely, (1) Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), (2) Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), (3) Sola Fide (Faith Alone), (4) Solus Christus (Christ Alone), and (5) Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone). To this, the followers of John Calvin later added the “Five Points of Calvinism”, known as TULIP, namely, (1) Total Depravity (man by nature is totally incapable of doing any good that would merit him salvation), (2) Unconditional Election (a person comes to believe in God because God, in eternity past, out of His absolute sovereignty, chose some to believe in Him), (3) Limited Atonement (the effect of Christ's death on the cross, though sufficient for all people, is efficient only to the elect of God), (4) Irresistible Grace (when God, according to His sovereignelection, effectually calls a sinner to bestow upon him the gracious salvation, that person can never resist God's gracious offer of salvation) and (5) Perseverance of the Saints (God preserves His elect people as they respond to His salvation offer, and causes them to persevere till the end, enduring temptation, fighting the battle of faith, and obtaining the final victory in the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ). Indeed, there was nothing new in this explanation of the doctrines of grace and salvation by the Reformers, as this was already expounded by the Apostles in their Epistles in the New Testament, especially in the Epistles of Romans and Ephesians.

THE PREACHING AND WORSHIP

Preaching is the public reading and declaration of God's Word, and it has always been the practice of the faithful Church of God when people gathered together for worship. It was practiced by the prophets and priests in the Old Testament (read Ezra 7-10), it was a norm in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ (read the Gospels), and later the Apostles followed the same pattern in the ministry of the Church (read the Book of Acts). The Law, the Word of God, was the prominent factor in the gathering of the people in the Temple system of the Old Testament, and in the Synagogues of the New Testament. The Apostle Paul presents the logic behind the necessity of the proclamation of the gospel, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:13-17). However, the dominant church of the Medieval Period neglected the Word of God, as they gave prominence to the traditions of the church rather than the truth of God. Instead of preaching, the priests gave importance to the sacraments. The Mass was considered as the chief means of grace, not the preaching of the Word. The preaching was given the back seat. It was the Reformers who restored the practice of preaching to its rightful place. As they emphasised the authority of the Scripture, and made the Word of God available to the people in their own local tongue, expository and doctrinal preaching became common in the church services.

The Regulatory Principles of Worship were introduced in the church and with that the worship services were regularised according to God's prescriptions for corporate worship. Worship once again became God-centred and not man-centred. Congregational hymn singing was another important contribution of the Reformers. Prior to the Reformation, for over 1000 years, the common people were prohibited from singing in the church. Only the clergy and professional singers were allowed to do this. The Moravians of Central Europe were credited with producing the first hymnal in 1501. Later, Luther and his followers continued the trend of composing new hymns and tunes, followed by the Wesley brothers of the Methodists and many others.

THE CHURCH POLITY

The 'church polity' means, the church administrative system to govern the spiritual and physical matters of the church. During the Medieval Period of the history of the Church, the offices and disciplines of the church were corrupted by the influence of the dominant Roman Catholic Church. The Papal church system (church ruled by the Pope) was monarchical (ruled by one man) and hierarchical (a ranked or graded system like bishops and archbishops). The Papal system embraced a larger 'universal' church, made up of smaller member churches, with the Pope functioning as its head. The Pope wielded so much power and was regarded as the highest authority, even above the authority of the Word of God. He was regarded as infallible. As Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg church on October 31, 1517, he challenged the Pope as the Head of the Church in one of the statements. By this, he rejected the Papal authority and the Papal system of church government.

Against the monarchical system of church government Luther, according to the Scripture, taught the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9), and Christ as the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). From this, the importance of the common believers in the church became more evident and gained momentum. All believers are righteous in Christ and live in relationship with Him. They are partakers of the threefold office of Christ, namely, prophet, priest, and king. As they congregate together as a congregation, Christ, being the Head of the Church, rules over them. He rules by the means of the office of all believers, but specifically through the means of elected Elders in the church. Christ gave the task of the preaching of the Word to the elders as Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” Along with preaching, there is also the responsibility of church discipline, which is for the congregation, but is exercised by the elected elders (Matthew 18:15-17). Here lies the heart of the Reformed church polity. It is important to understand that Reformed church polity, unlike the Papal system, does not serve the purpose and plans of just one man, but is for the benefit and betterment of the congregation, that the people of God may receive Christ's gift of faith, righteousness, and holiness. The Pastors or the Elders work for the edification of the congregation, for the perfecting of the saints of God.

Generally, the Reformed churches follow the Presbyterian (coming from the Greek word presbuteros meaning “elder”) system of church polity. It was John Calvin who popularised the Presbyterian system of church administration. As the word itself conveys, the Presbyterian system of church government emphasises the rulership of elders. The system also emphasises the plurality of elders, or the board of elders, where more than one elder is involved in the administration of a local congregation.

THE CREEDS AND CONFESSIONS

During the dark period of the church, there was a starvation for the correct understanding of the truth of God, as it was not expounded by the clergy to the common man. The Reformers addressed this problem, as the very foundation for the Reformation was the Word of God. The Creeds and Confessions are the fundamental doctrinal beliefs and practices, according to the Word of God, succinctly stated with adequate biblical supports so that the church would know the truth it stands for. A. A. Hodge explains the usefulness of the Creeds and Confessions, “(1) To mark, preserve and disseminate the attainments made in the knowledge of Christian truth by any branch of the church in any grand crisis of its development. (2) To discriminate the truth from the glosses of false teachers, and accurately to define it in its integrity and due proportions. (3) To act as the bond of ecclesiastical fellowship among those so nearly agreed as to be able to labor together in harmony.

(4) To be used as instruments in the great work of popular instruction.” The most generally known and received Reformed Confessions are the following: (1) The Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England (1551), (2) The Heidelberg Catechism (1562), (3) The Second Helvetic Confession (1564), (4) The Canons of the Synod of Dort (1619), and (5) The Confessions and Catechisms of the Westminster Assembly (1647).

CONCLUSION

Space does not permit me to go on and expound the importance the Reformers gave to holy living, establishing Christian schools, seminaries, and missions centers, and their commitment towards the defence of the faith. The Puritanical movement of the Reformation era is known for their God-fearing commitment, wanting to honour God through every area of their lives. On the importance of Christian schools, Luther once said, “When schools prosper the church remains righteous and her doctrine pure . . . Young pupils and students are the seed and source of the church . . . For the sakes of the church we must have and maintain Christian schools. They may not appear attractive, but they are useful and necessary.” Finally, the Reformers were the defenders of the faith, as they heeded the call to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). They stood for the truth of God, willing to pay a price for that truth, even willing to sacrifice their own comforts and lives.

This is the blessed and priced heritage we have as the sons and daughters of the Reformation. Today,we must stand up for this heritage, and be committed to it ourselves. It is saddening to mention that today the Protestant churches have forgotten their roots. They have thrown away the history. The need of the hour for the twenty-first century Christian Church is to get back into the Word of God. The Word needs to be faithfully preached and taught from our pulpits; the centrality of worship must be the Word of God. Every preacher must prepare his sermons well and preach expository, doctrinal sermons full of applications, as the Reformers did. True, lasting revival in the churches and in our lives (that is, fearing God and keeping His commandments) will begin only when the truth of God is emphasised in the way the Reformers showed us. True transformation of the heart and true love for God will only happen when the Word is correctly understood and appropriately practiced. May we listen to these words of the Apostle Paul, who, having mentioned the truthfulness and profitability of God's Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), calls on the young preacher Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2-5). May the Lord help us, that this would be realised through our ministry and lives!

Source

Reformation Now Magazine | March 2017 |Volume 5 | Issue 1.

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