Pr Joshua Yong

2 Timothy 2:2 - “the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

Every year in October, we remember the 16^th century Protestant Reformation. We must remember the 16^th century Reformation because we do not want the next generation to forget this gospel legacy.

In 2 Timothy 2:2, the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy exhorting him to entrust what he had learned to faithful men, so that they could pass it on to others. There are four generations described: those of Paul, Timothy, the faithful men and the others. Paul was not complacent. He was not only concerned for his generation, or the generation after him, but also for generations beyond, that they would be taught the same gospel which they heard from Paul.

We want to remember the Reformation for the legacy of the gospel that the Reformers had left for us, and in turn, pass it on to the next generation until the Lord returns.

1)  Christ is the Head of the Church

To understand the Reformation, we must know what the world was like before the Reformation. As far as the Church was concerned, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) was the only religious authority that was recognised. The RCC held so much influence that it controlled kings and queens. The people’s lives were very closely intertwined with the RCC, and no one could imagine a world without the RCC as the centre of that world. The Pope and not Christ was regarded as the head of the Church.

Luther wrote regarding the Pope: “The chief cause that I fell out with the pope was this: the pope boasted that he was the head of the church, and condemned all that would not be under his power and authority; for he said, although Christ be the Head of the church, yet, notwithstanding, there must be a corporal head of the church upon earth…Further, he took upon him power, rule, and authority over the Christian church, and over the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God; no man must presume to expound the Scriptures, but only he, and according to his ridiculous conceits; so that he made himself lord over the church, proclaiming her at the same time a powerful mother, and empress over the Scriptures, to which we must yield and be obedient; this was not to be endured….The pope attributes more power to the church, which is begotten and born, than to the Word, which has begotten, conceived, and borne the church.”  (https://ccel.org/ccel/luther/tabletalk/tabletalk.ii.html)

The Reformers recognised that Christ alone is the head of the Church. All the principles of the Reformation flow out of this understanding. John Huss wrote, “Neither is the pope the head nor are the cardinals the whole body of the holy, universal, catholic [i.e., true] church. For Christ alone is the head of that church.” The pope commanded John Huss to stop preaching because Huss had taught that Christ alone is the head of the Church. Huss ignored the pope’s command because he recognised God’s authority which resulted in Huss being put to death. This was the central doctrine of the Reformation.

2)  Justification by Grace Alone

The RCC taught that there is no salvation outside of the Church and that the only way to salvation was through good works, keeping the seven sacraments, and purchasing indulgences, where money was given in exchange for the forgiveness of sins.

Martin Luther visited Rome in 1511. Going to Rome had a great impact on him. Rome was a powerful city which was regarded as the centre of Catholicism. But he was horrified by the corruption he witnessed there. In 1512, after receiving his doctorate, Luther became the Professor of Scripture at the University of Wittenberg. As a lecturer of the Scripture, he had to preach through the books of the Bible. This opened his eyes to the corruption he witnessed in the RCC.

As Luther struggled with his own salvation, he realised that the RCC was not the answer. Through his study of Romans and Galatians, he began to understand the doctrine of Justification by grace through faith.

Luther wrote regarding his own testimony: “At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I have heed to the context of the words, namely, ‘In it the righteousness of God is revealed, and it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’’ There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’ Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me.”  (https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/MartinLutherConversion.pdf)

The Lord used men such as Luther to bring the Gospel of Christ out into the open, as a bright light of the sun. The Reformation did not invent something new, but it marked a time when God’s people returned to the gospel as taught in Scripture.

3)  The Authority of God’s Word

The beginning of the Protestant Reformation is often traced back to the point where Luther nailed his ninety-five theses in 1517. While the nailing of the ninety-five theses was a pivotal point in history, God had already been working before 1517, so that the flame of the Reformation may be lit in the fullness of time.

The 14^th century also marked the rise of the Renaissance. This was a movement that emphasised the study of Greek and Latin classics, and the classical languages. This allowed the Reformers to study the Word of God for themselves and it provided the means for translating God’s Word. With the invention of the printing press in 1449, and the translation of God’s Word into the vernacular languages, the Word of God could be transmitted and read by the common people.

The Reformers upheld the centrality and authority of God’s Word. In the diet of Worms, Luther declared, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor wise to go against conscience.”

Through the work of God in the Reformation, Christ is recognised as the Head of the Church and the Word of God is upheld as the supreme authority of faith and practice. This is the legacy of the Reformation that we must remember.