About Us

Audio Sermons

Bible Courses

Bulletin Articles

Directions

Links

Sermons

Sermons In Series

 

Church History -- Reformation Movement

Introduction: The church established on the Day of Pentecost, 33 AD, at Jerusalem . Jesus is the Savior of the body, the Head of His church, and its foundation, Ephesians 1.22.  All of this in the Bible.  We noticed the departure from the doctrine and organization from that in the Bible.  We stopped at the establishment of the Catholic Church.  We want to continue to the “Reformation Movement.”

Time Periods

Up to 500 AD -  Ancient History

500 to 1300’s Mid-Evil Age, Dark Ages, Middle Ages

1400’s to present – Modern History

Church Time Periods

33- 300 Primitive Church

300- 1300’s – Church in Apostasy

1400—Restoration

I) Reasons for Decline of Papal Influence

A) Changing trends in society

1. Sense of individualism

2. Rise of nationalism

3. Secularization of society

4. Printing Press

B) Popes declining power

1. Boniface VIII (1294-1303)

            a. Kings started taxing church property

            b. Boniface issued Unam Sanction 1302; Pope could judge kings but   only God could judge the Pope.

            c. Philip of France rebelled, the knights agreed. France defeated        Italy and captured the Pope.

            d. France moved the papal court to Avignon , France , 1309-1377.

            e. 1377 Italians produced a court of Cardinal to elect a new Pope.

            f. 1377 Pope Gregory XI returned from Avignon to Rome . Died 1378,   cardinals were forced by people of Rome to elect Urban VI as Pope.

            g. Later they elected Clement VIII as Pope.  For a time there were     three “Popes” of the church.

2. Renaissance – the re-birth;  Individualism, culture and learning, independent thought, emphasis on the secular, translations of the Bible into the common language.

3. 1439 Johannes Gutenberg invents the printing press. The first book printed was the “Gutenberg Bible.”

            a. Tyndale translated the Bible “Plow Boy Bible” so the average plow            boy could know more than the Pope.

            b. For a time the Pope was trying to purchase all the Bibles.

C) Doctrinal issues

1. Debate over “works of righteousness” and salvation by grace through faith. Augustine vs. Pelagianism  

2. Priest were buying and selling church offices without restraint.

3. Moral decay in the church. Court justice would be purchased for money.

4. One could buy a divorce or be granted an illegal marriage.

5. Priest having concubines.

D) Indulgencies

1.   Based upon salvation by works and a person could purchase righteous works.

2. A good person without enough works would go to purgatory until payment of suffering was made.  A person would die with more than enough good works and the church could sell those remaining good works to those that did not have enough.

3. The Pope wanted to build and needed more money.  John Tetzel went throughout Germany selling those indulgencies. Tetzel said that he through the selling of indulgencies save more people than Saint Peter himself.

Indulgencies are the most precious and noble of God’s gifts.  This cross has as much efficacy as the very cross of Jesus Christ. Come and I will give you letters, all properly sealed, by which even the sins which you intend to commit may be pardoned.  I would not change my privileges for those of Saint Peter in Heaven: for I have saved more souls by my indulgencies than the apostle by his sermons.  There is no sin so great that an indulgence cannot remit; let him pay – only let him pay well, and all will be forgiven him. J.W. Shepard – The Church, Falling Away And Restoration

II) Reformers

A) Martin Luther born November 10, 1483.

1. November 11 he was “baptized” which was Saint Martin ’s Day. Therefore, he was named Martin Luther.

2. He read after Augustine and decided he was lost. Almost starved himself to death before someone told him to read the writings of Paul.

3. He went to Whittenburg , Germany to teach philosophy but when the Senior Priest was gone he would teach in his place.  No long before the Cathedral would be full.

4. 1517 John Tetzel came selling his indulgencies.

5. October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his “95 theses” to the church door. He then proceeded to preach a lesson on the “95 theses”.

6. In a debate, June 27, 1519 Luther rejected the authority of the General Council when it conflicted with Scriptures.

7. 1520 Papal bull was issued to excommunicate Luther unless re recanted his beliefs.

            a. Priesthood of all believers

            b. Every Christian had the right  to interpret every scripture

            c. Duty of Christian princes to call a councill.

8. In 1520 in his 2nd composition he stated there were only 2 sacraments (Lord’s Supper, and Baptism).

9. In 1520 in his 3rd composition he stated he would make peace with the Pope if He (the Pope) would take over the reforming of the church.

10. 1521 the Pope issued a German  Diet (The Diet at Worms )  This was a trial in which Luther was given safety in order to defend himself.

Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.[55]

 

Over the next five days, private conferences were held to determine Luther's fate. The Emperor presented the final draft of the Edict of Worms on 25 May 1521, declaring Luther an outlaw, banning his literature, and requiring his arrest: "We want him to be apprehended and punished as a notorious heretic."[57] It also made it a crime for anyone in Germany to give Luther food or shelter. It permitted anyone to kill Luther without legal consequence.

 

Luther's disappearance during his return trip was planned. Frederick III, Elector of Saxony had him intercepted on his way home by masked horsemen and escorted to the security of the Wartburg Castle at Eisenach . Luther grew a beard and lived incognito at the castle from May 1521 to March 1522, pretending to be a knight called Junker Jörg.[58] During his stay at Wartburg, which he referred to as "my Patmos",[59] Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German and poured out doctrinal and polemical writings.

11.Eventually Lutherans had to move to Switzerland . Lutheran church became the state religion in Sweden 1526; Denmark 1539; Norway 1536.

B) Protestant

1. In 1526 Lutheran nobles decreed that each German prince had the right decide which religion would be supported in his principalities.

2.  In 1529 Charles V called a Diet in which the earlier decision was reversed.

3. The Lutheran princes immediately protested the reversal. Hence, the term “Protestant” was used in reference to the reformers. The Eternal Kingdom ,  page 250.

C) Zwingli (1481-1531)

1. 1519 gave a series of lessons on the Books of the Bible.

2. 1522 gave his “65 theses)

3. 1523 had a debate in which the town council would decide who was right.

            a. Justification by faith

            b. Stop invoking the saints

            c. Clergy ought to marry

            d. Church services in the language of the people

            e. Instrumental music should not be used

            f. Lord’s Supper is a memorial

D) John Calvin (1509 – 1564)

1. Credited with the TULP.

2.  In 1541 became the dictator of Geneva

3. Presbyterian Church after its form of government, 1536

E) Church of England, 1534

1.Henry VII of England had two sons (Arthur & Henry VIII)

2. He arranged a marriage between Arthur and the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.

            a. Catherine was older than Arthur.  She came with a great sum of money and goods.

            b. Arthur died before they had any children.

3. Henry VII petition Pope Julius II to allow Henry VIII to marry Catherine on the basis that the marriage was never consummated. In 1504 it was granted.

4. After 18 years and no sons, Henry VIII appealed to Pope Clement VII for the marriage to be set aside in 1527. This would require the Pope to acknowledge the earlier Pope made a mistake. The petition was denied.

5. Henry VIII wanted to marry Ann Boleyn. In 1534 He set up the Church of England, he was the titular head and the Bishop at Canterbury was the religious head.

F) Baptist Church 1611.

1.  Anabaptist – means a second baptism.  They said infant baptism was not real baptism.   A person had to be a believer before they could be baptized.

2. John Smyth is credited with being the founder of the “ Baptist Church

G) Methodist, 1739

1. The Church of England became ritualistic and very formal, lacking emotion.

2. John and Charles Wesley were at Oxford and started a study group, “The Holy  Club”

3. Eventually they came across the Moravians, an emotional group.  They spoke of having a “conversion experience.”

4. The term Methodist came from their insistence upon a “method” of strict observance to all that the prayer book demanded.

Conclusion: Why ruin the work of God by joining something the Bible does not speak of? 1 Cor. 1.12-13.  Why not go past the corruptions of men, past the denominations established by men, and go to the church Jesus purchased with His blood (Acts 20.28)?

 

 Home Page