The Work of Reformation Must Continue

One of the passages one could preach on the theme of reform or reformation is the narrative on King Josiah's reforms in Judah (2 Kings 22-23). I have done it a few times.

At a young age of eight, Josiah became king of Judah. And in spite of more than five decades of evil and wickedness that prevailed over Judah brought about by Josiah's father and grandfather, he did not continue in the wickedness of his father and grandfather but "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father David."

Josiah started his reforms early in his life. But one event that made him even more zealous in bringing about the needed reform in the lives of God's people was the discovery or the recovery of the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord. When that book, also called the Book of the Covenant, was read before King Josiah it brought him deep conviction leading him to respond in humility and obedience to the Word of the Lord.


God softened the heart of Josiah to obey the words written in the Book of the Law and to further the reforms all over Judah and Israel. He summoned all the people to obey God's covenant and commanded his officials to destroy every vistage of idolatry and everything in the land that does not conform to the Word of God.


Josiah's obedience to the covenant was genuine in spite of the impending judgment upon them. Dutch Reformed author S. G. De Graaf has written beautifully about this saying, "Josiah knew that the judgment upon Judah was sure to come, but he wanted to press ahead with the reformation of Judah anyway. In this he showed a diligence unmatched by any king before or after him. He did not declare that there's no point in reformation since it could not save Judah anyway. He wanted to go ahead with the reformation solely for the sake of the honor and righteousness of the Lord. The Lord has a right to be served, even if our service does not bring about our salvation" ("Promise and Deliverance," vol 2, 390, quoted in Dale Ralph Davis, "2 Kings: The Power and the Fury," 322-323).


The Prophet Isaiah prophesied about the Babylonian army coming to Jerusalem to destroy it. Jeremiah lived to see the desolation of Judah and Jerusalem. God's instrument of judgment upon His wayward people, the Babylonian army, was coming in spite of Josiah's reforms and in spite of the people's promise to obey the covenant.


God did not relent in sending judgment upon His people in spite of King Josiah's reforms. That's because the heart of many people was not changed. The landscape of Judah might have gone through significant change but the people's heart remained hard, unconvicted, and unrepentant of their sin.


According to Dr. Walter C. Kaiser Jr, while Joasianic reforms "were most successful outwardly, there is little evidence that any significant inward change took place among the people. The populace had come to treat the temple and God himself as a good luck charm; this led to the deceptive sloganeering that announced: 'The temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh' (Jer. 7:3-4 author's translation)" ("A History of Israel," 393).


Again this tells us that while God uses His Word to bring about reformation and revival among His people that affect society, it may be the case that some, both among His people in particular and many in the world in general, will not be impressed by God's sovereign work of revival or judgment and will not amend their ways.


This serves as a warning for us who think that we are good and part of the people of God yet remain disobedient or unrepentant.


But to us who have been shown the greatness of our sin and misery and have tasted the goodness and grace of God in Christ and are united with Him by faith, we cannot remain in our sin. On the contrary, we will naturally produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives learning to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor the way we love ourselves.

So You Want to Help Reforming Society?

If you think about it, many of the human instruments the Lord used to accomplish his divine purpose were not well-known. In His providence and by His grace He calls ordinary and unknown men or women (a few were even unnamed) to do exploits in order to advance His kingdom.


There are times when God uses the best and the brightest, the rich and the famous, in extraordinary circumstance, to do what He has decreed beforehand. But often times He accomplishes His greater agenda through ordinary folks and by usual means in a very common situation.


One keen observer of how God works in our world has this to say, "...God's program of redemption is all-encompassing. Wherever life has been corrupted, it needs to be reformed. Accordingly, a prime citizen of the kingdom will typically be a reform-minded citizen, looking for ways to address some of the deformities in human life and culture. As you know, reform happens in many ways. It may occur when a nation gets shamed into seeing its injustice...or its carelessness (think of new building codes that require wheelchair accessibility). It may occur when the conscientious efforts of good people in business, medicine, law, labor, education, and elsewhere gain sufficient momentum so as to make a positive difference in those fields.


"Some of these reforms are led by Christian people who genuinely hope for the kingdom of God. Some are led by non-Christian people moved by simple desire for truth or justice. Many are led by people with mixed motives. But every genuine advance toward shalom is led by the Holy Spirit, who promiscuously chooses instruments of God's peace. In any case, Christian people seek the gift of discernment to know when and how to join existing movements toward shalom and when and how to start new ones.


"But here a word of caution is in order. It's one thing to talk about reform, and another to do it. Christians have been good at talking, and writing, and talking some more. And some have been pretty good at doing, too. But it's possible for reform-minded people to overestimate their rhetoric and underestimate the job. Some social realities are extremely resistant to reform. Great money, power, or pleasure supports them. Great acceptance surrounds them. Long traditions sustain them. Some of these realities therefore seem irredeemable, or nearly so...take an old problem of which you may have recent memories: What would happen for high school students to quit forming into cliques that marginalize or even terrorize their weak or unpopular classmates?


"John Calvin believed that an unredeemed life keeps oscillating back and forth between pride ("I've made it!) and despair ("I'll never make it"). In his view, redemption gives people security, or (one of Calvin's favorite words) 'repose.' His idea was that those who lean into God's grace and let it hold them up can then drop some of their performance anxiety.


"Perhaps the same pattern holds for Christians' approach to reforming culture. On the one hand, we need to avoid triumphalism, the prideful view that Christians will fully succeed in transforming all or much of culture. No doubt triumphalists underestimate some of the difficulties. They may underestimate cultural ironies too. After all, the history of the world is full of revolutions that Christians hailed as part of the coming of God's kingdom, only to discover that the revolutions ended up generating as much tyranny as they displaced.


"On the other hand, we also need to avoid the despairing tendency to write the world off, to abandon it as a lost cause, and to remove ourselves to an island of like-minded Christians. The world, after all, belongs to God and is in the process of being redeemed by God. 'God so loved the world that he gave his only Son...in order that the world might be saved through him' (John 3:16-17). Indeed, God's plan is to gather up 'all things' in Christ. How bizarre it would be for Christians to turn their backs on this plan. How ungrateful it would be to receive the bread of life and then refuse to share it with others.


"As a matter of fact, Christians have been in a solid position where the reform of culture is concerned: we have been invited to live beyond triumphalism and despair, spending ourselves for a cause that we firmly believe will win in the end. So, on the one hand, we may take responsibility for contributing what we uniquely 'have' to contribute to the kingdom, joining with many others from across the world who are striving to be faithful, to add the work of their hands and minds to the eventual triumph of God.


"Meanwhile, none of us is stuck with trying to promote the kingdom of God with an occupation we can't stand. At one time people were born into their occupations, so that the son of a farmer, for example, was simply expected to take over the family farm. If he wanted to do something else with his life he was thought to be peculiar or, worse, traitorous. But, as Nicholas Wolterstorff has written, Reformed Christians of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries rejected the old idea that each of us is born to be just one thing - a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker. Instead, each of us must find an occupation so intrinsically valuable and so naturally suited to us that, through it, we may add to the treasure of the kingdom. In fact, adds Wolterstorff, we must not only find an occupation to bring to the kingdom; we must 'shape' it to suit this purpose. The point is that occupations are often valuable to the kingdom, but only if we reform them. So in today's world, perhaps a Christian would shape the occupation of quality-control supervisor by encouraging whistle-blowers instead of retaliating against them...


"Only a few of us will launch great reform movements, and even fewer of us will do it deliberately. But all of us may offer our gifts and energies to the cause of God's program in the world. When we make this offering by means of an ordinary occupation, we will sometimes feel as if our 'lives' are very ordinary. No matter. An ordinary occupation done conscientiously builds the kingdom of God. Jesus built the kingdom as a carpenter before he built it as a rabbi. And he taught us in the parable of the talents that the question for disciples is not 'which' callings they have but how faithfully they pursue them..." (Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Engaging God's World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living, 117-121).

All Saints' Day and the Gospel of Christ

Today, November 1, is "All Saints' Day" or "Feast of All the Saints," a festival celebrated in many Christian churches (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, and other Protestant churches) in honor of all the saints, known or unknown.


This celebration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (November 2) "stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those saints who are already in heaven (the 'Church triumphant'), and the ones living here on earth (the 'Church militant')."


Living in a predominantly Roman Catholic country, All Saints' Day is a national holiday in the Philippines. Traditionally many Christians here, especially those of the Roman Catholic background, flock the cemeteries and other burial places visiting their departed loved ones at their grave.


Many graveyards turn into a picnic ground during this time of the year. While the intention of this celebration might be noble, one does not see its Scriptural warrant in doing so.


I am convinced, however, that we should be thankful that our loved ones who died in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are now enjoying the comforting presence of their Redeemer. They are with the Lord waiting for the day of His appearance to the world and for the resurrection of their bodies.


To visit them at their grave is fine. But to remind ourselves of the finished work of Christ on their and our behalf is even better. And while they are now in the presence of the Lord, we who are still here on this earth have a calling to fulfill.


We are called and commissioned to make disciples from every nation making Christ known through the preaching of the gospel as clearly as we can. We are called to proclaim the glories of God in the work of Christ in order to dispel the darkness of ignorance of the truth of the Holy Scripture and to overcome the blindness of many because of sin and Satan's dominion.


As James Jordan rightly says, "The Festival of All Saints reminds us that though Jesus has finished His work, we have not finished ours. He has struck the decisive blow, but we have the privilege of working in the mopping up operation. Thus, century by century the Christian faith has rolled back the demonic realm of ignorance, fear, and superstition."


The Reformation churches all over the world have commemorated the 501st anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. We thank God for His Word that gave light, life, and hope to many who were groping in ignorance and fear, unsure if they could be accepted by God or not by their own sacrificial works.


We thank the Lord for raising men like Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Bucer, Bullinger, Tyndale, Cranmer, and many others before and after them, "for paving the way for a host of new translations of the Hebrew and Greek Scripture into the language of the people." Their aim in doing so was that the people could read for themselves God's word about redemption and forgiveness of sins and "for restoring the preached Word to its central place in the life of the people of God!"


God has willed that Luther, as a perceptive and sensitive soul that he was, would understand 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, and even the rest of the world, that neither disease nor death, not even sword or 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.


Today, while many will congregate at the burial grounds and memorial gardens all over the Philippines and enjoy the company of family members and relatives around the grave of their dead loved ones, a few of us will gather together to thank God and to remind ourselves of His work in saving His people by His grace through the finished work of Christ.


We do this to challenge ourselves to the remaining task of bringing to the nations the good news of redemption in Christ, who is the Lord and Redeemer of mankind and the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

Reformation Church History Quiz

This quiz is just for fun. Whosoever may take it. No googling or checking any Church History book, please.

Test I. Multiple Choice. Choose and encircle the letter of the right answer.

1. Which of the following does NOT accurately describe Martin Luther?
A. He authored the 95 Theses which expressed grave concerns about the selling of indulgences.
B. He was an English reformer whose body was exhumed and then burned for heresy.
C. He sparked the Protestant Reformation.
D. He experienced a spiritual crisis that consumed him with the fear that he could never overcome his sins.
E. He was a monk and professor of theology in Wittenberg, Germany.

2. What invention helped to spread the ideas and teachings of the Reformation?
A. The paint brush
B. The horse carriage
C. The printing press
D. The postal system
E. The internet

3. For the most part, what was the Protestant Reformation all about?
A. An attempt to overthrow the Italian pope and replace him with a Frenchman.
B. A call for Christian Europe to reclaim the Holy Lands from the Arabs.
C. An attempt to reform practices and beliefs by the Roman Catholic Church considered corrupt and unscriptural.
D. A drive to evangelize the whole European countries.
E. A campaign to make Martin Luther the head of the Protestant churches.

4. The English Reformation began in 1533 when King Henry VIII broke with the pope because...
A. The pope taxed the Church too high.
B. The pope refused to grant Henry a divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
C. The pope sided with the Irish in a revolt against England.
D. There were differences in religious interpretation of the Bible.
E. The church in England wanted independence from the medieval Catholic Church.

5. Which pope issued the papal bull "Exsurge Domine" in 1520 condemning Martin Luther of his attacks against the indulgences in his 95 Theses and threatening him of excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church?
A. Pius IX (Pio Nono)
B. Leo X
C. John Paul I
D. Alexander IV
E. Benedict XV


Test II. Identification. Write your answer on the space provided.

___________________________ 1. Who was the leader of the early 16th century Protestant Reformation movement in German-speaking Zurich, Switzerland? He was also a chaplain who accompanied the Protestant army to war. He died in a battle near Kappel in the Swiss region.

___________________________ 2. What is the title of the book that John Calvin wrote in the spring of 1536 while he was exiled in Basel, Switzerland. The book is considered as 'the greatest exposition of evangelical truth produced by the Reformation' (B. K. Kuiper, "The Church in History," p. 252).

__________________________ 3. He is considered "The Morning Star of the Reformation." He was an English priest and theologian in the 1300s known best for his role in translating the Bible from Latin into the common language. As a critic of the Catholic Church, he is usually considered an early Reformer.

__________________________ 4. Who are the principal authors of the Heidelberg Catechism which is one of the well-loved confessions of the Reformed churches?

__________________________ 5. Name at least one martyr burned at stake during the reign of Mary Tudor known as "Bloody Mary" of England.

__________________________ 6. Which English Protestant bishop said these courageous and comforting words while being burned at a stake with his fellow martyr: "This day we shall light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."

__________________________ 7. He was a German Protestant Reformer based in Strasbourg. His teachings are influential among the Lutherans, Calvinists, and Anglicans. He was originally a member of the Dominican Order but after meeting and being influenced by Martin Luther in 1518 he arranged for his monastic vows to be annulled. He then began to work for the Reformation, with the support of a German knight, Franz von Sickingen.

__________________________ 8. It is the Protestant doctrine that salvation is not by our good works nor by our own sacrifices, such as doing penance or buying indulgences, but by trusting the person and finished work of our only Mediator and Redeemer Jesus Christ.

__________________________ 9. This Confession of faith was written by six leaders of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland all named John. It was the first subordinate standard for the Protestant church in Scotland. Along with the Book of Discipline and the Book of Common Order, this is considered to be a formational document for the Church of Scotland during that time.


Bonus Questions: TRUE or FALSE. Write T if the statement is True and F if it's false.


________ 1. The Diet of Worms was when Martin Luther had to eat only worms while in prison.

________ 2. The first Reformed churches were established in the Netherlands.

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.

Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church: A Book Review

(Here's my review of D.A. Carson's Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church)

D.A. Carson begins his book with a broad-stroke survey of the divergent Emerging Church movement, using the stories and writings of the movement's prominent leaders including Spencer Burke, Chris Seay, and Brian McLaren. I was not familiar with the whole emerging church movement until I've read and reviewed Brian McLaren's A Generous Orthodoxy. So Carson's brief introduction on the emergence of the Emerging Church has clarified a lot about it.

Carson is especially helpful in understanding this movement when he summarizes his investigation by comparing and contrasting it with the 16th century Protestant Reformation. He says, “To grasp it [the Emerging Church] succinctly, it is worth comparing the emerging church movement with the Reformation, which was, after all, another movement that claimed it wanted to reform the church. What drove the Reformation was the conviction, among all its leaders, that the Roman Catholic Church had departed from Scripture and had introduced theology and practices that were inimical to genuine Christian faith” (42).

Carson's point is that the Emerging Church, like the Reformation, wanted things in the church to change. But unlike the leaders of this new movement, the Reformers cried for change “not because they perceived that new developments had taken place in the culture so that the church was called to adapt its approach to the new cultural profile, but because they perceived that new theology and practices had developed in the church that contravened Scripture, and therefore that things needed to be reformed by the Word of God.

By contrast, although the emerging church movement challenges, on biblical grounds, some of the beliefs and practices of evangelicalism, by and large it insists it is preserving traditional confessionalism but changing the emphases because the culture has changed, and so inevitably those who are culturally sensitive see things in a fresh perspective” (42).

Thus, according to Carson, at the heart of the emerging church movement “lies the conviction that changes in the culture signal that a new church is 'emerging.' Christian leaders must therefore adapt to this emerging church. Those who fail to do so are blind to the cultural accretions that hide the gospel behind forms of thought and modes of expression that no longer communicate with the new generation, the emerging generation”(12).

One can therefore say that the movement's battle cry is not really a return to the Scripture but a reinterpretation of the Scripture or a reformulation of Scriptural truth to conform to the demands of the culture. Having read McLaren, I believe Carson is dead right in describing the movement as such.

Dr. Carson then ventures on exploring the strength of the emerging church in Chapter 2. He identifies five good characteristics of the movement, namely: (1) it honestly tries to read the culture and respond accordingly (45-49); (2) it emphasizes authenticity both in faith and practice (49-51); (3) it recognizes the church's socio-cultural location (51-52); (4) it is interested in evangelizing people who are usually neglected by the church (52-54); and (5) it also tries to connect with the past and other Christian traditions (54-55). Here Carson is grateful for these good qualities that the emerging church seems to demonstrate. His concluding example, though not part of the emerging church, yet “it displays all the strengths of the emerging church movement while avoiding most of its weakness” (56), is focused on Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, pastored by Tim Keller of the PCA. I think it is important to point out that a real confessionally Reformed church can be, and must be, culturally relevant without resorting to the emerging church's compromises.

In Chapter 3, the author reflects on the weaknesses of the movement, quoting and examining the core thoughts of some Emergent leaders. Dr. Carson, while commending the inquisitive minds of its leaders, also criticizes their reductionistic and manipulative analysis of the contemporary culture and Christianity. Carson has observed that “[s]ome discussion within the emerging movement is more sophisticated and introduces a few of the contemporary strategic thinkers in the broader marketplace of ideas” (84). He then concludes that “apart from occasional concessions, the rhetoric of these discussions is almost always over the top: the church must adapt to the postmodern world or it will die; unless we get on board with the direction of the emerging church movement, we are probably out-of-date modernists and absolutists to boot - all set forth in absolutist terms"(84).

This overgeneralization among postmodern emerging leaders regarding the future of the church “seems to spring,” says Carson, “from the mistaken assumption that most traditional evangelicalism is just like the conservative churches from which they came. That betrays the narrowness of many of their backgrounds and helps to explain why their rhetoric and appeals to postmodern sensitivity so absolutist: this is the language and rhetoric on which they were weaned “ (86).

The next chapter deals with Carson's own reflective analysis on postmodernism itself. I admit this chapter is not easily digestable to the mind, not to mention the longest. However it is also the most helpful in understanding the development and

challenges of postmodernism, and it complements with Dr. David Wells's analysis in his book Above All Earthly Pow'rs. Here Dr. Carson defines and contrasts the epistemologies of premodernism, modernism, and postmodernism. He points out that premodern epistemology states that "knowledge depends on revelation - i.e., on God disclosing some part of what he knows, however that revelation is accomplished" (88).

On the other hand, modern epistemology, "a label commonly applied to the epistemology of the Western world from about the beginning of the seventeenth century until a few decades ago" (92), begins with man instead of God and claims that the right foundation plus the correct method would invariable yield objective truth (92-95). Postmodern epistemology, like that of modernism, begins with the finite "I," but draws very different conclusions. It is "passionately anti-foundationalist," meaning that "there is no ultimate fulcrum on which the levers of knowledge can rest" (97) and it "insists that there are many methods [of knowing], all of which produce distinguishable results and none of which is any more or less `true' than the results produced by the other methods" (97). "Objective knowledge is neither attainable nor desirable" and under this regime, truth "cannot partake of 'ahistorical universality'" (97). With postmodernism come several correlatives (syncretism, secularization, biblical illiteracy, ill-defined spirituality, and globalization) and entailments (98-102).

Carson then discusses both strengths and weaknesses in postmodern epistemology, and helpfully distinguishes between what he calls hard and soft postmodernism. Hard postmodernism concludes that "human beings cannot have objective knowledge about anything" (105), while soft postmodernism, admitting that human knowledge is necessarily perspectival, still insists that "we can in measure approach the truth in some objective sense" (105-106). The appropriate place of "critical realism" (110-111) needs to be recognized and new models for helping us think explored (116-122).

Chapter 5 is Carson's most detailed critique of the emerging church movement itself. His five criticisms of it relate to the movement's handling of truth-related issues, which are: (1) failure to come to terms with the importance of non-omniscient truth-claims (126-132); (2) failure to face the tough questions especially if they are truth related (132-138); (3) failure to use Scripture as the norming norm over against an eclectic appeal to tradition (139-146); (4) failure to handle "becoming" and "belonging" tensions in a biblically faithful way (146-155); and (5) failure to handle facts, both exegetical and historical in a responsible way (155-156).

Three other chapters contain Carson's critique of the thoughts of Brian MacLaren and Steve Chalke (Chapter 6) and exposition of biblical passages to help readers in evaluating postmodernism and the emergent church (Chapter 7 & 8).

Overall. D.A. Carson has presented a carefully written exposition and analysis of the emerging church, in its postmodernistic expression, which is not only critical but also appreciative. Right from the beginning, he says, “[w]henever a Christian movement comes along that presents itself as reformist it should not be summarily dismissed. Even if one ultimately decides that the movement embraces some worrying weaknesses, it may also have some important things to say that the rest of the Christian world needs to hear" (10).

Dr. Carson, in my evaluation, has indeed succeeded in both “conversing” with the basic things the emerging church leaders are saying, and bringing Scripture to bear on their alarming weaknesses.

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.

Bullinger and the Second Helvetic Confession

Written by John M. Cromarty
From Our Banner: June 1976
Available at http://www.pcea.org.au/writings/church-history/bullinger-and-the-second-helvetic-confession/

1. INTRODUCTION

It is recorded that during the great spiritual upheavals of the 16th Century a Roman Catholic asked a Lutheran, 'Where was your Church before Luther?' It was an endeavour to stigmatise the Lutheran's religion as a recent innovation and a human invention. An answer was given in the form of another question, 'Where was your face this morning before you washed?' Under the hand of God the church was being revived and reformed. Man-made traditions could not stand the scrutiny of the Scriptures, and 'the Sword of the Spirit' wielded by its supreme Author was accomplishing that which God had determined. The 'face' of the Church was being cleansed 'with the washing of water by the Word' (Eph. 5:26) and the King and Head of the Church was equipping men with the gifts and graces so needful for the work that was to be accomplished.

Luther took the initial step. It was decisive. A man's right standing before a holy God could not be attained by human merit. Paul spoke so clearly of a 'righteousness of God' (Romans 1:17), imputed to the sinner and received by faith alone. This struck at the very roots of Papal deception - salvation by works, by the purchase of indulgences, merit earned through pilgrimages and penances. Yes indeed, the stained face was being washed, the ingrained dirt of centuries was being removed, revealing afresh the pristine purity of the early church. Yet while Luther's step was decisive, it was but the beginning. While his controversy with Rome touched the very vitals of revealed religion as it relates to personal salvation and while his reforms in other areas stunned an apostate church and a decadent age, yet much land remained to be recovered. And so in moving from Germany to Switzerland, from the Augsburg Confession to the Second Helvetic Confession, from Luther to Bullinger, we draw nearer to our own position as it is set forth in the Westminster Confession.

The reforming work of the Spirit of God touched most European countries and the small nation of Switzerland was no exception. Helvetia (the Latin name for Switzerland) was the home of two great men whose persons and works should ever be remembered. Much is known of the older man, Huldreich Zwingli (1484-1531), but much less of Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575), Zwingli's pupil, friend and successor. Zwingli represented the first stage of the Reformed church in Switzerland. He commenced what Bullinger, Calvin and others were to complete and died at the zenith of his life, a patriot and martyr. Zwingli wrote four major dogmatic works which are closely related to the history of the Reformation in Germany-Switzerland and these clearly exhibit the Reformed faith in the early stages of its development, These works are:- The Sixty seven Articles of Zurich (1523), The Ten Theses of Berne (1528), the Confession of Faith to the German Emperor Charles (1530), and the Exposition of the Christian Faith to King Francis I of France (1531).

Following the death of Zwingli, Bullinger was chosen to be his successor as chief pastor of Zurich, and as the Second Helvetic Confession was Bullinger's own work we will now turn our focus on this lesser known reformer and his own particular contribution to the reforming movement which was to issue in a credal statement of approximately twenty five thousand words.

2. HEINRICH BULLINGER:

He was born in central Switzerland in July 1504. His father, also named Heinrich, was a parish priest, who like many priests of those days, in violation of the laws of celibacy lived in regular wedlock. Young Heinrich was one of five sons born from this 'arrangement' which, although not officially sanctioned, had all the stability of marriage. We note with interest that in 1529 through the influence of his son, Heinrich senior became a Protestant and immediately legitimised this 'union' by entering into marriage.

In understanding Bullinger's work we should note that he clearly belongs to the second generation of Continental Reformers. He was twenty one years younger than Luther, twenty years Zwingli's junior and only twenty seven years of age when he commenced his life's task at Zurich in 1531. Bullinger possessed the qualifications needed for such a position of critical responsibility in Zurich. His preaching was lucid and enriching. His published sermons carried the Reformation teaching far beyond Zurich and one of his associates spoke of him as 'a divine, enriched by unmeasured gifts of God.' He led an exemplary life and his consistent testimony made him a bulwark of the Reformed Church amidst the great changes that were taking place. It was largely due to the faithfulness of Bullinger, who was determined to fight by the Word rather than the sword, that Zwingli's work at Zurich was preserved and restored.

Bullinger was in Zurich for forty four years (1531-1575) and this period takes in the whole thirty years of Calvin's active Protestant life (1534-1564). Throughout these years he ranked easily with Calvin as a leader of the maturing Reformation, not only by eminence of his position in the strong Zurich Church, but through his voluminous biblical, theological, historical and ecclesiastical writings. He outlived Calvin by eleven years and was looked upon as a senior leader of the Reformed Churches by such third generation men as Beza and Ursinus (co-author of the Heidelberg Catechism).

While Bullinger was essentially a man of peace it is nonetheless evident that he was involved in much controversy - with the Lutherans over the Lord's Supper, with Calvin over the decrees of God, and with the Anabaptists over just about everything! This latter group tended to denigrate the Old Testament, and rejected infant baptism and the membership of children of believers in the visible church. Bullinger, however, pointed out that both Jews and Gentiles share in the same covenant though differing in outward administration. Both Jew and Gentile are children of Abraham by faith. Like Zwingli before him, Bullinger asserted that children were not excluded from the Old Covenant and therefore ought not to be excluded from the New. Baptism in the New Covenant corresponds to circumcision in the Old.

Bullinger was truly Catholic in his outlook and was in friendly correspondence with Calvin, Bucer, Melancthon, Beza, Cranmer, Hooper, Lady Jane Grey and many of the leading Protestant divines of England. While Bishop Hooper was in prison prior to his martyrdom he wrote to Bullinger as 'his revered father and guide' and said that Bullinger was the best friend he had ever found and commended to him his wife and two children. (Hooper had been forced by the turbulence of Tudor politics to spend a brief exile in Zurich with Bullinger). We believe that Bullinger had more influence with the English Reformers and upon the Reformation in England, than either Melancthon or Calvin. Cunningham states that 'the actual theological views adopted by Cranmer and embodied in the Thirty Nine articles, more nearly resembled in point of fact, the opinions of Bullinger than those of any other eminent man of the period.' (The Reformers and the Theology of the Reformation, p.190).

As mentioned previously, Bullinger was a prolific author. He is credited with 150 titles, including some unpublished manuscripts. He was one of the authors of the First Helvetic Confession of 1536 (afterwards superseded by the Second Helvetic Confession) and his 'Decades' (completed in 1557) which are a series of 50 sermons presenting a simplified summary of Reformed theology and ethics, were found to be of such value that they were made compulsory reading for the less educated clergy of the Elizabethan Church of England.

If we were to sum up the work of Bullinger in one word, we might use the word 'consolidation'. He was not an innovator in the way that Luther, Zwingli and Calvin were, yet he was no less an important figure. God had raised up the right man for the situation. So while Zwingli was the man to set the Reformation in Switzerland in motion, Heinrich Bullinger was by the grace of God the man to continue it. Bullinger's great work, the Second Helvetic Confession to which we now turn is evidence of the degree to which he embodied the Reformation in his own life and thought.

3. THE SECOND HELVETIC CONFESSION:

The whole text of the Confession is to be found in Schaff's 'Creeds of Christendom' Volume III, Appendix I, in Cochrane's 'Reformed Confessions of the 16th Century', and in Leith's 'Creed's of the Churches'.

Bullinger initially composed this Confession in 1561 for his own use 'as an abiding testimony of the faith in which he had lived and in which he wished to die'. But events led to its publication and ultimate adoption as the Swiss national Confession. Besides the Swiss Cantons in whose name it was first issued in 1566, the Reformed Churches of France (1571), Hungary (1567), Poland (1571) and Scotland (1566) gave it their sanction. In Holland and England it was also well received. Cochrane informs us that it remains the official statement in most of the Reformed Churches of Eastern Europe and in the Hungarian Reformed Church in America.

The document substantially follows the same order of topics as the First Helvetic Confession but is a decided improvement on that Confession in both form and matter. Schaff's comment is worthy of note: 'It is Scriptural and catholic, wise and judicious, full and elaborate, yet simple and clear, uncompromising towards the errors of Rome, and moderate in its dissent from Lutheran dogmas ('Creeds of Christendom',Vol. I, p.394).

The Confession is too extended for a detailed analysis and so we make some general observations and only point to certain particular aspects of interest. However the brief outline following will give some indication of the scope of the subject matter covered.

Chapters 1 and 2: The Scriptures and their interpretation.

Chapters 3 to 11: The Doctrine of God; Idols, Images and Saints; The One Mediator; Providence; Creation; The Fall; Free Will and Man's Ability; Predestination and Election; Jesus Christ, True God and Man.

Chapters 12 to 16: The Law of God; The Gospel; Repentance and Conversion; Justification; Faith and Good Works.

Chapters 17 to 30: The Church and its only Head; The Ministry; The Sacraments; Ecclesiastical Assemblies; Prayers and Singing; Feasts and Fasts; Catechising and Visiting the Sick; Burial, Purgatory and Apparition of Spirits; Rites and Ceremonies; Celibacy, Marriage and Domestic Affairs; The Civil Magistrate.

The Confession sees the doctrine of Christ as pivotal. The Chapter is a splendid statement of a little over 2,000 words with abundant use of Scripture to support the doctrine set forth. In this section there is not only the positive truth stated concerning the person of Christ but we are reminded of the blasphemous views of Arius, Ebion, Marcion and Nestorius. These men of past centuries who denied the eternal deity of Christ (Arius), who maintained that Christ was not begotten by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ebion), who denied 'that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh' (Marcion) and who taught that the idea of two natures in the one person dissolves the unity of the person (Nestorius) have their heresies refuted by the clear pronouncements of Scripture.

Bullinger also addresses himself to the current heresies of Michael Servetus the Spaniard, and his followers, and says 'Satan through them has as it were drawn (their blasphemies) out of Hell and most boldly and impiously spread (them) abroad throughout the world against the Son of God'. It is good to see the framer of the Confession facing up to current deviations. In the case of Servetus we note that it was not only Calvin who publicly opposed him and consented to his death, for which he (Calvin) received and continues to receive rancorous abuse, but both Melancthon representing the Lutherans, and Bullinger the Zwinglians, gave their full, formal and public approbation to the proceedings which took place in Geneva.

In reference to Chapter Eleven of the Second Helvetic Confession, Berkhof states that it is 'the most complete official deliverance on the Reformed position with respect to the doctrine of Christ' (The History of Christian Doctrines, p 116). It is therefore a chapter well worthy of our attention and a careful study of it will not go unrewarded.

The Chapter dealing with 'the Holy Supper of the Lord' displays a noticeable progression from the view held by Zwingli (no doubt Calvin's influence is seen here), and Bullinger states that for the faithful coming to the Lord's Table there is a corporeal eating, a spiritual eating and a sacramental eating of the bread and wine: 'The body of Christ is in the heavens, at the right hand of His Father, and therefore our hearts are to be lifted up on high and not to be fixed on the bread, neither is the Lord to be worshipped in the bread. Yet the Lord is not absent from His Church when she celebrates the Lord's Supper .... Whereupon it follows that we have an unbloody and mystical supper, even as all antiquity called it'.

We briefly note some of the very practical subjects that are covered in some of the Confession's concluding chapters. There is instruction given on: modesty and humility in ecclesiastical meetings; fasting and the choice of food; instructing young people and the visitation of the sick; the proper use of the Church's possessions; single people, marriages, the rearing of children and domestic affairs; the civil magistrate, the duty of subjects, and waging war in the name of God.

There is in the Confession an emphasis on the actual historical concerns of the Church. For example, what is to be the place of preaching? What is the true function of the ministry? May one be assured of his election? These were relevant questions demanding clear answers. Preaching and the true function of the ministry had suffered sorely at the hands of Rome and a person was proudly presumptuous if he maintained a steadfast assurance of salvation. The answers to these and other pressing questions are found in the Confession and we may note for instance that the question concerning preaching is dealt with in Chapter 1. And what better chapter to interweave a statement on outward proclamation and inward illumination than this section which is headed 'Of the Holy Scriptures being the True Word of God'. For Paul says 'Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God' (Romans 10:17). Similarly it is in the chapter on Predestination and Election that we find our answer to the problem of Assurance. Bullinger draws attention to those who adopt an attitude of fatalism and who say that a person's salvation may only be known by God. He sets forth their arguments this way. 'If I am predestinated and elected by God, nothing can hinder me from salvation, which is already certainly appointed for me, no matter what I do. But if I am in the number of the reprobate, no faith or repentance will help me, since the decree of God cannot be changed. Therefore all doctrines and admonitions are useless'. In answer to this, Bullinger says in part, 'We therefore condemn those who seek otherwise than in Christ whether they be chosen from all eternity, and what God has decreed of them before all beginning. For men must hear the Gospel preached and believe it'. He proceeds to show that if Christ is the object of our faith and hope we may undoubtedly hold that we are elected.

Now, it is in dealing with such practical issues as these, which in the life of the church flow from the doctrines set forth, that the Second Helvetic Confession derives a certain character and warmth which sets it apart from some of the other documents of the Reformation and post Reformation period. The incorporation of many Scripture quotes in the body of the text adds much weight to the arguments set forth.

It is refreshing indeed to read again the great doctrines of the faith so lucidly enunciated in this lesser known yet widely received credal statement. We would be the richer if we studied it in detail. For while we recognise that God has used many men in the past to systematise the truth (Calvin, Knox and others), using many varied modes of expression, and while many of us would hold that it would be difficult to frame better statements than those which we have in the Westminster Confession, yet we should be willing to study and accept the statements of the Second Helvetic Confession if they equally cover the truth in question. And let us bear in mind that the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1566 put its imprimatur on the Second Helvetic Confession, thus showing the wonderful measure of harmony that existed among the churches of the Reformation, and this of course was due to the working of a principle common to them all. They had one Rule of Faith and they had one and the same attitude towards it. Principal Macleod in speaking of the General Assembly's acceptance of the Second Helvetic Confession and in showing the unity that was to be found among the Reformed Churches in various lands at this time says, 'It was little wonder then, that when they were content to take and keep their place at the footstool of their Lord as He speaks by His Spirit in His Word they should see eye to eye and be willing to make joint confession to the truth of the gospel which they had learned in His school' (Scottish Theology, p.101).

Dr. Charles Hodge's words of commendation are a fitting conclusion: 'The Second Helvetic Confession is on some accounts to be regarded as the most authoritative symbol of the Reformed Church, as it was more generally received than any other'. (Systematic Theology, Vol. III, p.634).

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.”