We live in an age of forgetfulness and a pre-occupation with the trivia of life. Pleasure, fun, entertainment and secular interests have occupied centre stage in many Protestant homes and churches. It is a mindless age as less people are concerned with using their God-given mental faculties in searching and studying the scriptures or delving deep into the historic past concerning our glorious spiritual heritage. There is more self-styled man-centred new fangled ways of worshipping God. The Reformation of the 16th century has significant relevant lessons and applications for the 21st century church.

The Reformation cause of the 16th century is not a petty, humanistic movement of a few individuals’ personal theological convictions alone. It is the historic bedrock of the modern Church of Christ being founded on the very Word of God. Arguably, the 16th century Protestant Reformation is one of the most life-changing and significant dramas of all times. Before dealing with all these, it is useful to sketch the historical backdrop through the 5th to 15th century. The lamp of truth burnt dimly in a medieval church for almost a 1,000 years where man made ecclesiastical traditions and lifeless ceremonies reign supreme. God remembered His covenant promise to His own people and sovereignly lightened the world with the glorious saving message of the gospel of Christ through His anointed servants: Luther, Calvin, Knox, Zwingli, Tyndale, Cranmer and others. The regenerate heart of an Augustinian monk named Luther who shared his new found faith with the whole world supported by the manifestation of God’s reviving power forever changed the world (Isa 59:19).

The Reformation introduced the biblical doctrines of grace, including justification by faith, universal priesthood of believers, sole authority of the Bible, total depravity of man, the sovereignty of God and the election of sinners unto salvation. It was radically different from the established medieval Roman Church. It festers the very foundation of the ecclesiastical system built on works, purgatory, man, prayers to the saints, priests, Mary worship, indulgences and sacramentalism that deviated from and undermined the core doctrinal principles from Holy Scriptures. The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper was correctly taught in accordance with the scriptures expounded by Calvin. The Reformation of the 16th century is essentially among others, a Bible-based doctrinal movement. It is back to the Bible and saturating the mind of the common people with the inspired and infallible words of the holy scriptures. It is a recovery of the discipline of searching the scriptures directly with our God-given sound mind (2 Tim 1:7) to re-discover fundamental biblical truths in God’s Word and put them into practice in the church. Today, the modern charismatic church’s emphasis is more experiential and emotional than logical, solid and practical understanding of the scriptures.

There is a principal debilitating weakness of the modern liberal, neo-evangelical church. Doctrine is seen as divisive and impractical and is seldom preached and when preached, it is treated with disdain or disregard. The 16th century Reformation was at its heart a re-discovery of the doctrines of grace of the vicarious atonement of Christ, the sovereignty of God, the covenant of grace, the laws of God, election, effectual calling, justification, perseverance of the saints. The clarion call to search out and practise biblical truths are powerful rallying points of the covenantal Reformers in the reformation of the churches in Scotland, Germany, England and Switzerland and elsewhere.

The doctrine of salvation was the primary doctrine among others expounded clearly together with the doctrine of God, Christ, Holy Spirit and later of the church and the sacraments are correctly and properly administered as well. Today, we need to do no less. Preachers, elders, missionaries and pastors must be bold and uncompromising in declaring the pure gospel and the doctrines, the grace in the defence of the truth (Jude 3,4). It is not a feel good theology that we need but a Bible-based yet practical doctrinal orientation given to the members each Lord’s Day. The Reformation is intensely theological as well as pragmatic as it transforms the hearts of men through the clear proclamation and exposition of the Word of God (2 Tim 3, 16,17; 2 Thes 2:15). Worship and sound biblical theology go hand in hand and we need a return to a scripturally sound basis of Christ-centred and church-based ministry and gospel preaching today.

Today, we Christians can fully trust the reliable and faithful Authorised Version (Isa 40:8), and not other unreliable versions. Consider the words of this poem/hymn:

"GOD’S WORD PRESERVED THROUGH THE AGES"
(to the tune of "Rise Up, O Man of God")

God’s Words inspired and true,
Revealed to men prepared,
Inerrant and infallible,
Its message must be read.

Preserved by Providence,
The Jews librarians were,
Meticulous and faithful,
The copies had endured.

The ancient Byzantine,
The Text the church received,
Had not been tainted through the years,
Of Treasures all, most dear.
During the Renaissance,
Dawning Reformation,
The Greek New Testament edit,
Erasmus, the elite.

At the Master’s behest,
The Authorised’s the best,
The language is above the rest,
And passed purity test.

The Spirit illumines,
Apply our hearts to glean,
Each letter of the Holy Writ,
Direct saints by its light.

By faith we can aver,
The Bible in our hands,
Accurate and reliable,
God’s Eternal Word will stand.

The Reformers excelled in their convictions and God used their minds to comprehend profound biblical truths and taught it through the catechised method, such as Luther’s small and large Catechism, the Westminster Confession and Larger and Shorter Catechism, Baptist’s Confession of 1689, Canons of Dort, Heidelberg Catechism and Belgic Confession. All these are excellent models of lucid, profound thinking and application of Christian truth into the hearts and mind of men. Today, education is influenced by a secular humanistic evolutionary philosophy. Even Christian schools and colleges capitulated to the world’s demand for state accreditation. Liberal education dominates the ecclesiastical world and even preaching from our pulpits today concentrated on social and secular issues and not on the everlasting gospel and other biblical themes.

The average modern church has slowly pandered to a worldly popular audience and has relegated scriptural convictions and doctrines to a mere suggestion or opinion to be interpreted by the secular psychology and emotional appeal and physical self-styled worship that is the order of the day.

A lesser-known consequence of the 16th Century Reformation was the drastic change it brought to the practice of the true worship of God. Before the Reformation, worship was almost entirely a non-participative performance ceremony by the medieval priests watched by the laity. (The mass is a sacrament ritual performed theatrically by the priests). There was little or no Bible-based preaching, with minimal congregational singing of songs, psalms, hymns and spirituals songs (Col 3:16). The greatest liturgical innovation of the Reformation was congregational hymn singing. Unknown to the laity in the Middle Ages, the spiritual hymns or metrical psalms became the main vehicle of congregational praise and the most powerful of doctrinal and practical forces within the Protestant churches. Some of the Reformers, like Luther, had composed their own hymns and sang them in the church (like "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"). This was almost unheard of in the medieval Roman system of formal ceremonial worship. In the later years, more Protestant composers enriched the Church with its wide repertoire of devotional and inspiring hymns of the 17th and 18th centuries revival, by men like Isaac Watts, James Montgomery and Charles Wesley, which are still relished and appreciated today (by many Reformed and conservative churches).

The worship of God today is sadly and increasingly presented as a spectator event of visual and sensory appeal experience rather than a reverential engagement in sacred verbal and heart worship from the depth of a redeemed soul to the thrice-holy God. Jesus Himself said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things" (Jn 4:24-25). Aesthetics, personal enjoyment and entertainment have replaced holiness, quietness and reverence in modern church worship (Hab 2:20). There is a sensory and emotional quest for the superficial and excitable but not the profound feeding of the soul in reverential worship. According to the Reformers, true worship is the Bible-centred congregational encounter with God in which Christ meets and hears the prayers and accepts our praises and proclaim His Word to us through His ordained servants. The entire body of Christ is solemnly engaged in adoration, exaltation of the most High God on the Sabbath day. The Reformers like Calvin and Zwingli emphasized honouring and keeping the Lord’s Day holy (Isa 58:13). Today the Sabbath is desecrated with work and leisure often to the detriment of our souls.

During the Reformation, traditional God honouring and edifying hymns and Psalms with sound biblical theology are sung with meaning and understanding unlike a new generation of trivial and superficial ditties that have invaded the Charismatic and neo-evangelical churches today. This author recalled watching the big-time tele-evangelists on TV with a large following in the US and hearing the superficial and senseless songs sung during Benny Hinn’s and Bishop T Jakes "shows" or services. It is irreverent and unedifying to say the least.

One of the distinctives of the Reformation is the acceptance of the Bible as the only authority and infallible rule in contradistinction to the church councils or traditions on the one hand to subjectivism and spiritualism, on the other. The sole infallible authority of the Bible is the foremost of all theological principles that helped to strengthen and undergird the Reformation cause above all. The Reformers rejected the rationalistic and superstitious  teachings of the medieval church and rested wholly on the reliable and inerrant Word of God as their basis for all religious conviction and doctrines. Today we must do no less by insisting on the sufficiency, authority and preservation of Bible as the basis of the faith and not subjective emotionalism as can be seen in many charismatic non-evangelical and liberal churches (2 Tim 3:16,17).

Together with the Reformation of doctrine and worship, there was an important reformatory change in the establishment of the Protestant covenant home. Protestantism stands against the dogma of the church that its priests should be celibate. Luther married Katherine von Bora, an ex-nun, a stalwart and strong confidant for Luther; and Calvin married Idelette de Bure, an excellent helpmeet to the Reformer. Zwingli and John Knox married too. It was revolutionary in those days. They had no precedent but, based on the scriptural principle, they started a Christian family and reformed home life and domestic relationships. It was a lesser-known revelation but has great implication for us today. They started family worship, catechism of the children, family corporate prayers, domestic life and God-centred household government (Ps 127:1, Prov 23:3,4).

The ecclesiastical system of the medieval church was an episcopal system. It is ruled by one man, the Pope, supported by the cardinals and bishops, whose rule is supreme and unquestionable. It is claimed that this is in direct succession of St Peter, an Apostle of Christ. (See Matt 16:18-20 for a clear understanding of these verses, misinterpreted by the Roman Church. The Greek word for rock (petra) is different from the word for Peter (petros). So the rock referred to was not Peter, but the confession that Peter made in verse 16, that Christ is the Son of the Living God.)

The Reformation changed the whole system of Church government. Not only are the priests rendered obsolete but our loyalty and submission is to Christ who is the Head of the Church and not the pope and his cardinals. Although the different Reformers later developed different systems of Church polity, they are all unanimously against the supreme authority of one man over the Church of Christ. Of particular interest is the Presbyterian system of Church government developed primarily by Calvin and John Knox. This was successfully implemented in Geneva and Scotland and for a season in England during the times of the Reformation. It is the rulership by elders according to Pauline instruction, with the deacons assisting in the ministry of administration. This is the closest model of Church polity as outlined by the Apostles Paul in the scriptures. The congregational system of Church government later developed with the Baptist, Brethren and other independent groups. Only the Anglican Church in England maintained a close resemblance to Rome when it comes to Church government, with the appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the King of England as the head of the Church (even then it was different from the Roman Church).

The Protestant Reformation also affected the realm of secular life and work. It gives dignity to the believer in that there is no dichotomy between the secular work of the world and that of the Church. The English Puritans were foremost in putting their doctrine into practical life and gave impetus to honest hard work within what is commonly called the Protestant Work Ethics. Calvinism especially has a great impact in giving meaning, purpose and dignity to vocational life in that Calvin taught that "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31). It was a spirit of excellence, discipline and diligence that gives rise to increased productivity and was a prelude to the Industrial Revolution to come. The Protestant Reformation was a great blessing to human civilisation.

The 16th Century Protestant Reformation had more far-reaching influence and consequence than the world could imagine. It has transformed not only the Church, but also the family, society, and the whole state/nation (in the example of Scotland). The Spirit of God continues to work on the hearts of men to give them new light and principles of life through a deeper understanding of the Truth of the Holy Scriptures and the Reformers did not hesitate to apply and practise what they had discovered from the Word. Hence the significant and profound change to the lives of men hereafter and in the days to come.

The 16th Reformation is a revival of the conscience and hearts of men made captive to the Word of God again. It is a grand stark truth that broke the 1000 years of spiritual darkness and ecclesiastical bondage when the church is devoid of the light of the glorious gospel of redemption. The Reformation restored to men the glorious and pure message of redemption and the Bible as the central place of scripture in the lives of the redeemed constituency. The church today must continue in the true defence of the faith and of the Reformers and unashamedly and courageously hold on to the precepts and practices of the Reformation church. Consider the spirit of this uncommon hymn that Martin Luther wrote, as our final challenge:

A safe stronghold our God is still
A trusty shield and weapon
He’ll help us clear from all the ill
That hath us now o’ertaken
The ancient prince of hell
Hath risen with purpose fell
Strong mail of craft and power
He weareth in this hour
On earth is not his fellow.

God’s Word, for all their craft and force
One moment will not linger
But, spite of hell, shall have its course
’Tis written by his finger
And though they take our life
Goods, honour, children, wife
Yet is their profit small
These things shall vanish all
The city of God remaineth.

(composed on 16 April 1521 when Martin Luther arrived at Worms for the Diet before
Emperor Charles V)

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