Martin Luther on the Christian Life

Martin Luther's short treatise on Christian freedom, "The Freedom of a Christian," is probably one of the best and clearest treatises on the Christian life that I have read. In an easy to understand and persuasive prose, Luther sets forth the whole of the Christian life in two seemingly contradictory propositions: first, he says that a Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none; and second, he points out that a Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.

Luther draws from Pauline letters to show that these two theses are actually like two sides of a coin. In 1 Corinthians 9:19 Paul says, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all.” Luther also quotes Paul's words in his letter to the Romans saying, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another” (Rom. 13:8).

From these two passages and his understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ, Luther argues that the foundational truth of the Christian life is that in Christ's death and resurrection we are justified and freed to serve God and others. We have been set free from the bondage and slavery of the law, sin, and Satan and we are now chained in freedom to obedience toward Christ. Freedom for the Christian is escape from the bondage of sin and submission to the yoke of Christ. It is only in submission and service to Christ where one is found truly free.

Luther then emphasizes the one thing needed for the believers to live by faith and continue in this freedom. He says, "One thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the gospel of Christ, as Christ says, John 11:25, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall live'; and John 8:36, 'So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed'; and Matt. 4:4, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

Luther continues, "Let us then consider it certain and firmly established that the soul can do without anything except the Word of God and that where the Word of God is missing there is no help at all for the soul. If it has the Word of God it is rich and lacks nothing since it is the Word of life, truth, light, peace, righteousness, salvation, joy, liberty, wisdom, power, grace, glory, and of every incalculable blessing. This is why the prophet in the entire Psalm 119 and in many other places yearns and sighs for the Word of God and uses so many names to describe it.

"On the other hand, there is no more terrible disaster with which the wrath of God can afflict men than a famine of the hearing of his Word, as he says in Amos 8:11. Likewise, there is no greater mercy than when he sends forth his Word, as we read in Psalm 107:20: 'He sent forth his word, and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.' Nor was Christ sent into the world for any other ministry except that of the Word. Moreover, the entire spiritual estate - all the apostles, bishops, and priests - has been called and instituted only for the ministry of the Word.

"You may ask, 'What then is the Word of God, and how shall it be used, since there are so many words of God.' I answer: The Apostle explains this in Romans 1. The Word is the gospel of God concerning his Son, who was made flesh, suffered, rose from the dead, and was glorified through the Spirit who sanctifies. To preach Christ means to feed the soul, make it righteous, set it free, and save it, provided it believes the preaching."

"Faith alone," Luther adds, "is the saving and efficacious use of the Word of God, according to Rom. 10:9: 'If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.' Furthermore, 'Christ is the end of the law, that everyone who has faith may be justified' (Rom. 10:4). Again, in Rom. 1:17, 'He who through faith is righteous shall live.' The Word of God cannot be received and cherished by any works whatever but only by faith."

He then concludes, "Therefore it is clear that, as the soul needs only the Word of God for its life and righteousness, so it is justified by faith alone and not any works; for if it could be justified by anything else, it would not need the Word, and consequently it would not need faith" ("The Freedom of a Christian," from "Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings," ed. John Dillenberger, 54-55).

Repentance

"When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said 'repent,' he meant that the entire life of believers should be one of repentance." This is the first proposition that the 16th century Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, wrote in his 'Ninety-Five Theses' which he posted on the eve of All Saints' Day of 1521 at the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 theses set the flame of the Reformation in Europe ablaze.

Repentance is an important Christian doctrine for "God commands all people everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). At some point in medieval period the biblical idea of repentance was misunderstood. As Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson rightly observes, "The gospel called not for an act of penance but for a radical change of mind-set and an equally deep transformation of life" ("Here We Stand: A Call from Confessing Evangelicals," 132). Many scholars have observed that the word "repentance" is used many times and described using different metaphors (including plowing, circumcising, turning, and returning) in the Holy Scripture.

One of the ways repentance is used in the Old Testament has the idea of returning to "the provisions and prescriptions of God's bond." Dr. Ferguson adds that "to repent" is even "used to describe the return of God's people from geographical exile (e.g., Isa. 10:21-22), and in many ways this provides us with a helpful metaphor to understand what repentance is. Just as restoration from exile means returning geographically from the far country to the sphere where God has covenanted to fulfill his promise of blessing, so repentance from sin means returning from the far country of bondage in sin and guilt to the place where God has promised to fulfill his covenanted blessings - and all based on the promise of God's free mercy and grace (cf. Deut. 30:11)....

"Biblical repentance, then, is not merely a sense of regret that leaves us where it found us; it is a radical reversal that takes us back along the road of our sinful wanderings, creating in us a completely different mind-set: We come to our senses spiritually (cf. Luke 15:17). No longer is life characterized by the demand 'give me' (Luke 15:12) but now by the request 'make me' (Luke 15:19)" ("Here We Stand," 133).

The Reformation’s Contribution to Our Present Age

by: Yuri Bernales

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted the Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. What he did was nothing unusual. It was just like posting an announcement on a bulletin board, inviting other scholars to debate with him on the validity of indulgences.

However, his action sparked the Protestant Reformation. Starting with that significant event, Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and many other Reformers joined together in an attempt to bring the medieval Church back into accordance with the Bible. Their work generated a huge change in Christian Europe. All this happened more than 500 years ago. How does the Reformation matter to us today?

The Reformation contributed mainly, but not exclusively, to the spiritual awakening of the people. Consider that, before Luther, most people were gullible enough to think that they could buy salvation! Some even went to ungodly conduct just to gain what the Pope or the Church authorities promised to be “forgiveness of sins”.

However, when the Reformers began their campaign against the profanities of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, the blinded people began to see the true essence of salvation. The Reformers preached the Word of God, rather than giving mere promises, so common men and women, who did not read the Bible, could know the truth. These people began to realize that they had to depend on God more than men, and they actually felt the true love of God.

Today, we can still see the legacy of the Reformation. We are not limited to the promises of men, but rather we have Biblical truth and preachers who preach it. We should be grateful for the men inspired by God to reform the blind world they lived in.

Today, we have more social freedom than the people who lived before the Reformation. Since the Roman church dominated Europe and only allowed acts that supported it, the people were not permitted to speak against it, and if they did, they would be excommunicated because of their “heresy” and become outcasts of society. One example of such injustice was an early Reformer, John Huss (from Bohemia, the present Czech Republic). This Bohemian Reformer was excommunicated repeatedly, declared a heretic, and burned at the stake.

Despite the injustices done to people such as Huss, many kept boldly protesting against the abuses and unbiblical teachings of the Roman church. In response, the Church reacted, usually with excommunication, torture, or burning at the stake. Hundreds of early Reformers were victims of these injustices, and the Church continued to persecute them during the Reformation. When their efforts to crush the Protestant opposition became futile, the Christians who chose to become Protestant were given the right to speak and worship freely. Until now we continue to do so.

Our education today has also been affected by the Reformation. The Bible and most of the books of the second millennium were written in Latin, which the majority of the European commoners could not read or understand. When Reformers who learned Hebrew and Greek and understood Latin translated the Bible into the vernacular, any literate person could read it for himself.

Although it was greatly discouraged for people to translate any book to the common tongue, more and more books were translated from Greek or Latin, and more common people read what was usually reserved for scholars and the upper class. As more books were read, a hunger for more knowledge arose. Commoners wanted a better education. Eventually, education became available to the middle and even lower classes.

Today, we tend to take everything for which the Reformers fought for granted, not realizing how difficult it was for a common person to live during their age. The Reformation was an extremely significant point in time, but it is also extremely easy to forget its significance. It is simple just to say, “It began some 500 years ago. It was led by a few rebellious men. What does it matter?”

The question is addressed again, so let us answer it. The Reformation mattered in the sense that we have better knowledge of God’s Word, more social freedom, and a much better education than those who lived before that period. Let us be thankful for the men whom God inspired to reform their dark world.

Theology of the Reformers: A Review

(This is my review of Dr. Timothy George's Theology of the Reformers)

In a time such as ours when many books and journal articles have already been written about the life and works of Protestant Reformers, particularly about Luther and Calvin, Timothy George's yet another volume on the subject deserves commendation. This book is well-researched, especially its frequent reference and quote of the primary sources. It is also carefully written that scholars, pastors, students of history, and interested Christians from every status and station in life can easily understand and appreciate.

Dr. Timothy George himself is Dean and Professor of History and Historical Theology at the Beeson Divinity School. As one of the most respected historians in the evangelical world, Dr. George is the author of more than 20 books and a hundred of journal articles, and editor of The Reformation Commentary on Scripture with InterVarsity Press. He has been active in the evangelical dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. He is also a favorite conference speaker among many Baptist denominations and evangelical organizations on history and theology. He holds the Th.D. From Harvard University.

In Chapter One, which is the Introduction, one of the first issues that Dr. George tackles in this book is the matter of periodization of the Reformation. How does one rightly situate the Reformation? Is it at the end of the Middle Ages or at the beginning of the modern era? The author puts it nicely and correctly by saying that “it is best to see the Reformation as an era of transition, characterized by the emergence of a new kind of culture which was struggling to be born even as the old one was still passing away” (17).

Dr. George also addresses the issue of perspectives in Reformation studies. In other words, the question that every historian should ask in studying a particular period in history, say, the Reformation, is this: “How should one approach that period of history?” Every historian has his own idea and perspective on history. One may view it from a socio-economic or socio-political lens while another may focus on the religious or cultural side of it.

In this book, while he recognizes the complexities in studying the Reformation period, Dr. George rightly views it, through the 'eyes' of the Reformers themselves, essentially as ‘a religious event.’ Not that everything is religious, but the author asserts that one cannot properly understand the Reformation without taking it mainly as a religious matter that is deeply concerned with theological issues with significant implications on social, cultural, political, and economic life of that period and the succeeding ones.

The book beautifully weaves the life and theology of three Protestant Reformers and one Radical Reformer of the sixteenth century: Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, and Menno Simons. Most of the information written in the book are not totally new to students of history, particularly Reformation history, as these data have been around for centuries and are now available in different formats (books, articles, CD-ROMs, internet, movies, etc.). However, George has his own way of retelling them in a refreshing way that enables the reader not only to appreciate these 'human vessels' with great spirituality and courage but also to thank the Lord for raising up such men in such a period of great anxiety.

George notes in Chapter Two that the prevailing anxieties of Late Middle Ages, just right at the eve of the Reformation include death, guilt, and emptiness or meaninglessness. And he can think of no other person in that period that epitomizes the hopes and fears of that age than Martin Luther himself, whom he rightly described as “just like everybody else, only more so” (23).

Luther, as a perceptive and sensitive soul that he was, understood the hopelessness and helplessness of the human race before a righteous and holy God. Thus, Luther's restlessness has providentially been used by God to ignite the fire of the Reformation. This Reformation spread and affected many parts of Europe that not even disease or death, nor sword nor Satan can stop the burning passion of the Reformers to proclaim the blazing sword of the Spirit that cuts the heart of sinners, on the one hand, and brings healing and comfort to their weary souls, on the other hand.

It is amazing how Dr. George can put together such a dramatic life and Word-centered and Spirit-powered theology as Luther's in 56 pages in Chapter Three. George characterizes Luther's theology as 'at once biblical, existential, and dialectical' (56). So Luther was not a kind of theologian who delights in speculation and speaks or writes above the head of his listeners and readers. He was an ardent Biblical scholar and theologian who carefully explains and applies the Word of God to the believer's daily life, which affects their eternal destiny. Luther then was concerned not only with the welfare of the people whom he ministered but also with the glory of God who called him to teach and preach the glorious gospel of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

While Dr. George recognizes the enormity and profundity of Luther's literary output, no one can deny that to the Reformer of Wittenburg justification by faith alone is the central summarizing doctrine of the Christian faith, “the article by which the church stands or fall” (62). George ends his chapter on Luther by reminding the readers that this Augustinian monk was a man with warts and vices. Yet in spite of his many weaknesses Luther has left us with “his spiritual insight into the gracious character of God in Jesus Christ, the God who loves us and sustains us unto death and again unto life” (106).

George then deals with the life and theology of Zwingli in Chapter Four. Zwingli, born on New Year's day of 1484 just 51 days after Luther, was aptly described as “both a pastor and patriot, a theologian and a politician” (111), whose “early development,” according to the author “was shaped by two factors which continued to influence his thought throughout his career: Swiss patriotism and Erasmian humanism” (110). As a preacher, Zwingli is famous for his departure from the traditional lectionary preaching to lectio continua which brought him through the Bible, beginning from the Gospel of Matthew (except the Book of Revelation, whose canonicity he doubted).

In spite of his shorter life, lesser corpus of theological work and disagreement with Luther on the Lord's Supper, his stature and spiritual courage as an early Reformer is comparable with Luther. George summarizes the heart of Zwingli's spiritual pursuit with one of the Zurich Reformer's last admonition: “Do something bold for God's sake” (160). This better explains his desire in life and ministry which is “to bring every realm of life, church and state, theology and ethics, magistracy and ministry, individual and community, into conformity with the will of God” (161).

John Calvin's life and theology is the subject of Chapter Five. Though a second generation Reformer, Calvin did not lack the spiritual zeal and motivation that Luther and Zwingli possessed. Moreover, Calvin was humble to acknowledge Luther's significant role in the battle for truth against the Roman Catholic Church. Calvin has “addressed Luther as his 'most respected father' and later declared: 'We regard him as a remarkable apostle of Christ, through whose work and ministry, most of all, the purity of the gospel has been restored in our time'” (166).

I like the way Dr. George gave tribute to Calvin's unique and great achievement by saying that the Genevan Reformer has labored “to take the classic insights of the Reformation (sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura) and give them a clear, systematic exposition, which neither Luther nor Zwingli ever did, and to adapt them to the civic setting of Geneva” (166). His teachings, however, did not only stay in Geneva but spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world and read, studied and assessed by many. Many who understood him and embraced his teaching loved him and tried to emulate him and his heart to please and serve God by the power of the Spirit.

But Calvin did not lack fierce critics and detractors who misread, disliked, disagreed with and despised him. I agree with George's assessment that “[f]ew people in the history of Christianity have been as highly esteemed or as meanly despised as John Calvin” (167). In all his preaching and theologizing Calvin never sought his own glory but the glory of God. “His life's goal,” writes George “was to be a faithful servant of the Word of God” (248), whose witness still shines “as a means of illumination to point men and women toward the adoration of the true God, whose glory is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ” (248).

In Chapter Six, George sympathetically describes the life and works of the Dutch Anabaptist leader Menno Simons. George is able to locate the purpose and life goal of this courageous Radical Reformer set forth in his Foundation Book wherein he says, “This is my only joy and heart's desire: to extend the kingdom of God, reveal the truth, reprove sin, teach righteousness, feed hungry souls with the Word of the Lord, lead the straying sheep into the right path, and gain many souls to the Lord through his Spirit, power and grace” (303). His hard journey in the faith which brought him through many years of struggle and persecution did not cause Menno to waver from this ideal (303). His work has been carried out by his followers – the Mennonites and others - who are sympathetic to his ideals and “are still moved by his piety, courage and hope” (303).

George closes the book in Chapter Seven with the enduring validity and significance of Reformation theology in our time. I think George has done a very fine job in writing this book to remind his Christian readers, especially Protestants and Evangelicals, not to set aside the theological fruits of the sixteenth century Reformers but to treasure them by taking those Biblical truths to address the unique issues that we face, emulating at the same time the Reformer's passion and diligence “to listen reverently and obediently to what God has once and for all said (Deus dixit) and once and for all done in Jesus Christ” (310). What I also like about Dr. George's presentation of the life and theology of each Reformer was that it was balanced, dealing not only with the particular Reformer's numerous achievements but also his many imperfections.

It is sad that in spite of the many literature on the Reformation and Reformational theology that were published recently (thanks to popular authors like R. C. Sproul, Michael Horton, John Piper, John MacArthur, and others), it is still observable that some, if not many, Evangelical churches are oblivious, to some degree, to the essence and implications of the Reformation to the life of believer and the Church today.

Moreover, though there is a resurgence of Calvinism among youth today (see Christianity Today [CT] September 2006 issue), Emerging Church (see CT February 2007 issue) and Pentecostalism (see CT April 2006 issue) are also asserting their influence among many evangelicals who are not fond of good theology, particularly Reformational theology. There has also been several joint efforts between Evangelicals and Roman Catholic and between the Lutherans and Roman Catholics to 'bridge the gap' and 'heal the wound' cause by the Reformation, which often times undermine rather than promote the doctrines recovered or re-discovered by the Reformers.

I hope that books like Timothy George’s Theology of the Reformers would be put in the hands of pastors and church leaders so that they may be spurred to better understand the theology of the major Reformers who sought to conform their doctrines to the Word of God no matter how unpopular they may have been to the culture around them. I believe books like this one can play important role to open the hearts and minds of pastors and Christian leaders whom God can use to further His reforming work in the Church today by His Word and Spirit.

The Word of God is not Chained

A meditation on 2 Timothy 2:8-9

October 31, 2010 marks the 493rd anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. One of the many accomplishments of the Reformation is the recovery and the propagation of the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. After being set aside by many for centuries, the powerful Word of God has spread in many parts of 16th century Europe, conquering many hearts with the message of salvation in Christ alone. However, the victory of the gospel has also cost the lives of many faithful believers, including preachers.

It is a fact that when the gospel advances persecution and suffering also intensify. Today, almost 500 years after the Reformation, the gospel of God continues to go out to the nations, conquering many souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. But with this conquest also comes an on-going resistance and opposition. Yet, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God's people and God's faithful ministers continue to labor in proclaiming this glorious gospel throughout the world. There are good reasons why ministers of the gospel are greatly motivated to persevere in this ministry in spite of its accompanying challenges and hardships.

In 2 Timothy 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul presents two living examples of perseverance in suffering for the sake of the gospel. First, he presents our Lord Jesus Christ (v.8); then he mentions himself (v. 9).

First, we have the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of Paul's repeated exhortations in this letter is for Timothy to share in suffering for the gospel as a faithful minister of Jesus Christ. In 1:8 he says, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,...”

Again in 2:3, Paul urges Timothy saying, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” This call to share in suffering, of course, is in the context of laboring for the gospel. In verses 4-6, Paul underscores “the need for suffering hardship as a good soldier of Christ with the imagery of the soldier (v.4) being supplemented with that of an athlete (v.5) and a farmer (6)” (George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, p. 392). These three images (of soldier, athlete, and farmer) convey the idea of disciplined and enduring service that would eventually be rewarded.

Then in verse 8 Paul calls Timothy to focus his attention on Christ. “Remember Jesus Christ,” he says. Paul is urging Timothy here to 'keep in mind' and to 'think about' Jesus as the one raised from the dead and as the one who descended from David. The reason why Paul mentions Jesus Christ this way may not be obvious, especially as it relates to his calling Timothy to share in suffering.

However, if we'll take Paul's word that this is his gospel, that this is the good news that he preached, then we know that the two descriptions of Christ are but a shorthand of the content of the gospel. This gospel centers on the person of Jesus Christ. This gospel should encourage Timothy 'for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes' (Rom. 1:16).

In this gospel Jesus Christ is being preached as the one who has risen from the dead and the offspring of David. In saying this Paul is implicitly telling Timothy of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in remembering the death of Christ Timothy is also reminded of the many sufferings of Christ, especially His death on the cross.

Through His death Christ paid for the penalty of our sin, and in His death He died for sinners, like us. So the underlying truth in this is that Jesus Christ suffered and died before He was resurrected. Therefore “Timothy is to remember that Jesus is raised from death itself, and that triumph is to encourage him when he contemplates suffering hardship for Christ” (Knight, p. 397).

Also by stating that Jesus is the offspring of David, Paul is declaring that He was born from the line of David, thus underscoring His humanity, His royal descent, and His Messianic identity. His death and resurrection as the Christ, the kingly Messiah from the line of David have secured for His people eternal salvation.

Through His death He redeemed His people from their sin; through His resurrection He conquered the power of death and the devil. Paul is telling Timothy, “Remember your risen and ever-present Lord.” He went through suffering. He died but He conquered death. Now He is alive!

We all recognize the motivational and inspirational power of an extraordinary life. Some of us may have been deeply influenced, for example, by the lives of John Calvin, Martin Luther, and many other godly ministers of the past in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition. Although inspiring, these faithful soldiers of Christ can’t help us. They are dead and their bodies rot in the ground. But listen to the testimony of the Word concerning Jesus, “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession … He always lives to make intercession for [us]” (Heb. 4:14, 7:25). Remember Jesus Christ. He lives and empowers us by His Holy Spirit. He is the essence of the gospel. And this gospel is the message that Paul has preached.

But this gospel was offensive to many people then, as it is now. Not only because of its simple call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, but also in its exclusive claim, that is, that apart from Jesus Christ, salvation is nowhere to be found. And this uncompromising claim to exclusivity is what makes the gospel so provocative and what gets those who preach it in trouble, especially in our relativistic and pluralistic society today. Certainly this was true in Paul’s case.

So I want to focus, secondly, on Paul's own example. The gospel that Paul has preached centers on the person of Jesus Christ. Paul received this message concerning Christ by revelation (Gal. 1:12). This is the message he preached in public places (Acts 16:13). This is the message he put forth in places of worship (Acts 17:17). This is the message he shared with people in small groups from house to house (Acts 20:20). This is the message he entrusted to others (2 Tim. 2:2).

Now in v. 9 he is telling Timothy that because of this gospel he is suffering. It was in the course of advancing the message of Christ that Paul endured suffering (1:8, 12; 2:8); that he is chained and treated as a common criminal. His chains, of course, refer to his imprisonment in Rome. This was a much worse situation than the house arrest of his first imprisonment (cf. Acts 28:16-31). This prison was a pit without normal sanitation jammed with people awaiting execution. Paul's word translated "criminal" here is the same word used for those thieves crucified with Jesus. So we may understand the shame Paul was talking about in 1:8, having been classified by the Roman government in the same way as those he was incarcerated with.

But in spite of his suffering in chains in that Roman dungeon, Paul is confidently sure that the word of God is not chained. The gospel of Christ cannot be bound by anyone. One pastor beautifully puts it this way,

It is true of the gospel enterprise that although the messenger may be fettered, the message is always free. The word of God is not chained. Chain the man and the message circulates throughout the prison (Phil. 1:13). Restrain the messenger and the other saints are rejuvenated to speak the word of God without fear (Phil. 1:14). Incarcerate the man and he writes Spirit-inspired letters which last for all eternity and which God uses to liberate untold millions from the bondage of sin. Isolate the man in jail and he, like Bunyan, writes books which God will use to draw men and women to Himself and to cause the saints to persevere in the way of holiness. Silence one preacher and another will step up to take his place. Burn martyrs like Cranmer and Ridley and God uses their dying words to quicken others to life. Burn Bibles and individual pages of Scripture and memorized verses will spread from house to house, saint to saint. Imprisonment and death in no wise slow or stop the advance of the gospel. It will accomplish the purpose for which God has sent it out (Tom Ferrell).

John MacArthur also says, “Paul affirmed that even though he was imprisoned, the gospel could never be imprisoned. That's an important message for those who say we need to soften the gospel message so we don't lose the freedom to preach it. They say we need to take away the offense of the gospel, but that would rob the gospel of its power (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23-25). Some will respond, ‘If we boldly proclaim an offensive gospel we may be arrested and jailed.’ But if that's where the Lord wants us to be, then that's great! Paul wrote to the Philippians, ‘All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household’ (Phil. 4:22). Paul was a prisoner at the time he wrote that, yet many in Caesar's household had come to faith in Christ through his witness in such circumstances. Paul viewed the circumstances of imprisonment as an opportunity to evangelize his guards.”

We know that God may permit his servants to be imprisoned, silenced or even killed, but the truth remains that the word of God is not chained and cannot be chained. And Timothy must be strengthened by that truth. We, too, must be encouraged by that truth today, but most especially when we are facing tough times in the ministry.

Some years ago, my wife borrowed a book from a friend about a man named Brother Yun, a Christian leader of the underground church in China. The book is entitled The Heavenly Man. It is an intensely dramatic story of how God took this young, half-starved boy from a poor village in Henan Province and used him to preach the gospel despite horrific opposition and persecution. Brother Yun is a man who from his youth has suffered prolonged tortures and imprisonments for his faith. However, throughout the book he kept pointing to the character and heart of Jesus.

Many Christians in North America or Europe are casually aware that outside the West, Jesus' followers experience difficulty because of their faith. I am aware that in November many churches observe a Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, but afterward people go on with their lives. You cannot read this piercing biography of Brother Yun, whose real name is Liu Zhenying, and remain unchanged. The recorded experiences show in a concrete way what it is for Chinese Christians to live hard lives of extreme danger because of their faith: police raids in the night, long imprisonment without trial, beatings, forced abortions and sterilizations, starvation, dehydration, isolation, nakedness.

However, from these, God produces lives of commitment to Christ, lives of joy, and intense motivation to carry the message of the gospel around the world, at any cost. After reading this book, you'll appreciate the impact Jesus has on civilization as the West know it. You'll see how dark and brutal civilization becomes without Christ. You'll understand why the freedom and protection you and I, from a free country, take for granted are a treasure. But you will also see how dangerous peace, safety and material prosperity can be to your spiritual health and to your commitment to serving the cause of Christ.

Almost 500 years have passed since Luther penned that famous line in his hymn that goes, “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill, God's truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.” Yet in those words we can still hear the confidence of Luther that even though his enemies may silence him, God's word will prevail. And it did, and it does and it will prevail forever.

May we not be disheartened by the many hardships in the gospel ministry but be encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy saying, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead...Remember that I may be in chains but the Word of God is not chained.”