In Recognition of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation: The Reformation and the Restoration of Honour - Part 3

In parts One and Two of this blog series, we looked at three ways in which the Reformation, sparked by Luther nailing his 95 theses to the Wittenburg church door, was about restoring significant issues of honour. And here we come to the final part:

Honour of God's People

One of the main reasons that such God-dishonouring doctrines were perpetuated in the church in the centuries prior to the Reformation, was because God's people were treated as inferior in knowledge and spirituality.  And the Roman Church leadership were assured the people could be kept that way by with-holding access to God's word.  Most people could not read or understand Latin (the language the Scriptures were in at the time, and was not what the people spoke in their daily lives), and even if they could they would be told that only the 'church' could properly interpret the Bible.  Not until shortly before Luther's theses, the printing press had not been invented and a person also would have had to be wealthy to own a bible or bible portion.  Only the noblemen - those in places of high honour in the society - even had a chance to get access to a bible.

We are told in the book of 1 Peter (2:17) to 'honour all men' - in other words there is no special category of people who have any 'higher' honour requirement than another. Everyone should be given equal due honour. As far as our place in God's family - the true church - is concerned there is no position of greater or lesser honour. Our nationality, gender or social position is irrelevent. In Christ we are all equal heirs of his riches in glory (honour).  (Phil 4:19, Col 1:27, Rom 8:17) We are all the saints (set apart) of God, and we are all members of a kingdom of priests with direct access to God (known as the term 'the priesthood of all believers').

The Reformation and the lead up to it with Bible Translator John Wycliffe (often called the Morning Star of the Reformation who lived 1330-1384)), gave to God's people the honour of equal access to the Scriptures, and the honour of an individual being able to come to the Scriptures to learn and know God's truth without always looking to the church for Scriptual knowledge and interpretation.

It restored the fulness of the honour of being able to access God in prayer through Christ without the need of other mediators. 

It restored the honour of the ability to come to God directly in confession of sin and for forgiveness of sin.  

It brought again the truth of the honour of truly being 'in Christ' - the assurance of individually being God's child eternally, safe and secure in Christ forever. 

It restored people to a place of knowing and seeking honour from God alone through Christ alone, instead of the church dictating who was shamed and rejected, and who was honoured and accepted.

It restored the honour of being able to access, read, study and learn from God's word - an honour we so easily take for granted. The average person could know more of the honour of being God's child by having access to God's word in their own language.  No longer did speaking only the local language and not the Latin language of the educated elite, place them in the lower and less honourable position of exclusion from knowing the truth of God's word for themselves.

This all in turn spurred on the ideas we are familiar with today of education and literacy for all, of individual freedom to be creative and innovative, of using one's money and time to develop, invent and build rather than having to spend all one's time and money on the church and securing salvation through buying indulgences.

Rejoice in the Reformation

As Protestant post-reformation Christians, we have so much we can easily take for granted.  But what we take for granted we can also easily lose.  No, it is true no earthly authority can remove heavenly realities and many before the reformation had God's assurance of their salvation even if they in themselves doubted it.  But in the process many people had the truth withheld from them which resulted in confusion, fear, shame, and for some, eternal death because they did not know the Truth which could have set them free. False teaching brings false hopes and false fears.  

We can rejoice that we have access to God's word, can read it for ourselves in our own language, and can buy and own our own full copy, and even multiple copies. 

We can rejoice that we have been able to know the honour of God's salvation in Christ, the honour of access to God's word, and the honour of being one in Christ Jesus as believers together.  

But let us guard the gift we have been given, that many lost their lives fighting for, ….and remember that just like the church became oppressive when it lost sight of the Scriptures many centuries ago, so individual freedom alienated from the authority of God through His Word can, will and has resulted in our current century,  just yet another form of destruction. 

So, as we remember what happened 500 years ago today, let us like Luther, be careful and diligent to be true to the authority of the Scriptures, whatever our nationality, generation, or era, and let us not only know God, but as Romans 1 says, honour Him as God in all things, with thanksgiving!

…..ps

In case you think that this event is saying what the Roman Catholic church was like 500 years ago and its not like it now, please read this article or check out this little video and be challenged that we still need to bring the good news of salvation in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone to those who are falsely and hopelessly looking to the Roman Catholic church edicts, rules and requirements to save them. 

And if you are interested...take a look at this list of 5 ways in which this event impacted the wider world for the centuries following up to our present day!