R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 563

Covenant Theologian: Heinrich Bullinger

Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575) is regarded as the most influential second-generation Reformer. As the heir to Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich, Switzerland, he consolidated and continued the Swiss Reformation that his predecessor had started. Philip Schaff writes that Bullinger was “a man of firm faith, courage, moderation, patience, and endurance . . . [who was] providentially equipped” to preserve and advance the truth in a difficult time in history (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. VIII: Modern Christianity: The Swiss Reformation [1910; repr., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984], 205). During his forty-four years as the chief minister in Zurich, Bullinger’s literary output exceeded that of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Zwingli combined. He was of monumental importance in the spread of Reformed teaching throughout the Reformation. So far-reaching was Bullinger’s influence throughout continental Europe and England that Theodore Beza called him “the common shepherd of all Christian churches” (Theodore Beza, cited in Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. VIII, 207). 

Bullinger was born on July 18, 1504, in the tiny Swiss town of Bremgarten, ten miles west of Zurich. His father, also named Heinrich, was the local parish priest, who lived in a common law marriage with Anna Wiederkehr. This practice was officially forbidden by the Roman Catholic hierarchy, but Bullinger’s father had received permission to enter into such a relationship by agreeing to pay his bishop a yearly tribute. The younger Heinrich was the fifth child born of this illegitimate wedlock. The marriage between Bullinger’s parents was eventually formalized in 1529, when the elder Bullinger joined the Reformed movement.

Young Heinrich’s father groomed him for the priesthood from a very early age. At age twelve, he was sent to the monastic school at Emmerich, known as the School of the Brethren of the Common Life. This school was a citadel of the via antique, the “old way” of learning that was stressed by the theologians of the High Middle Ages, such as Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) and John Duns Scotus (ca. 1265–1308). There, Bullinger received an advanced education in humanistic principles, especially Latin. At the same time, he came under the influence of the devotio moderna, the “modern devotion,” a medieval emphasis on the Eucharist and the deep spiritual life. Augustine and Bernard were among the earlier leaders of this pietistic movement, and it had been revived by Thomas á Kempis in his book The Imitation of Christ. Bullinger was attracted to this movement’s stress on meditation and the search for a personal spiritual experience with God. Also at this time, Bullinger began displaying a remarkable aptitude for scholarship.

The University of Cologne

Three years later, in 1519, Bullinger proceeded to the University of Cologne, where he began studying traditional Scholastic theology. Cologne was the largest city in Germany, and Roman Catholicism was deeply entrenched there—papal superstitions ran high in the city and German mystics gathered there in large numbers. Aquinas and Scotus had taught there earlier, and their Scholastic influence remained firmly embedded in Cologne. But Bullinger was convinced of the humanist approach. In his studies, he pursued the writings of the Church Fathers, especially Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Augustine. Their insistence on the priority of Scripture moved him to study the Bible for himself. Such a pursuit, he later admitted, was unknown to most of his fellow students.

While at Cologne, Bullinger was exposed to the teaching of the leading humanist of the day, Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (ca. 1466–1536). Erasmus had elevated the Scriptures over Aristotelian logic and sought to reform the church through humanistic scholarship and the moral teachings of Christ. But it was Luther’s works that most challenged Bullinger’s thinking. Luther’s books were being burned in Cologne, which only piqued Bullinger’s interest in their content. Soon his mind was captured by Luther’s ideas. He also studied Philip Melanchthon’s Loci communes (1521), the first systematic treatment of Lutheran theology. In it, Melanchthon treated the Reformed hallmark doctrines of the bondage of the will and justification by faith alone. This work further impacted Bullinger. Seeds of reform were being sown in his mind. At age seventeen, he embraced the pivotal truth that justification is by faith alone in Christ alone. Amid this personal transformation, Bullinger gained his master’s degree.

In 1522, Bullinger returned home to Bremgarten a new man. He continued his persistent study of Scripture along with his reading of the Church Fathers, Luther, and Melanchthon. The next year, he became the head teacher of the school at the Cistercian convent at Kappel. From 1523 to 1529, he instructed the monks from the New Testament and introduced Reformed teaching. Under his influence, Protestant worship replaced the Mass. Further, many monks became Reformed ministers.

Bullinger took a five-month leave of absence in 1527 and made a trip to Zurich. This journey proved to be life changing for him. He attended lectures by Zwingli and met the Swiss Reformer, starting a relationship that would have a profound effect on him and the future of the Swiss Reformation. He was appointed to accompany Zwingli to the Disputation in Berne, which opened on January 7, 1528. On this occasion, the Ten Theses of Berne was presented and subscribed. Through all this, Bullinger was given a privileged inside look at Reformation workings. Subsequently, Bullinger made an annual journey to Zurich to discuss theology with Zwingli. Through this close association, Zwingli became aware of Bullinger’s abilities in the Scriptures. Though neither knew it at the time, Bullinger was being prepared to become Zwingli’s successor.

Pastoring at Hausen and Bremgarten

Later in 1528, Bullinger became the part-time pastor of the village church at Hausen, near Kappel. He preached his first sermon on June 21, beginning an appointment that would allow him to develop his pulpit gifts. The following year, Heinrich Sr. publicly declared his commitment to Reformed teaching and started to reform his parish at Bremgarten. However, the elder Bullinger was forced to resign his position because of the resistance of his parishioners. In an unusual turn of events, the younger Bullinger succeeded his father as pastor of the church. He continued the biblical reform his father had begun and became known as the Reformer of Bremgarten.

Yearning for a wife, Bullinger traveled to the former Dominican convent at Oetenbach in 1529, having heard that the nuns had become Reformed. The nunnery had disbanded, but two women had stayed to establish a Protestant witness. One was Anna Adischwyler, a devoted believer. Bullinger asked her to become his wife and she accepted. Through the years, they had eleven children of their own and adopted others. Remarkably, all six of their sons became Protestant ministers.

For the next two years, Bullinger helped spread Reformed teaching through his pulpit and the beginning of his prolific writing ministry. At this time, he began his long series of commentaries on the books of the New Testament.

With the growing entrenchment of Protestant beliefs in Switzerland, Roman Catholic resistance soon arose. Five Catholic cantons (states), alarmed at the rise of Protestantism in Zurich, declared war on this Reformed stronghold in October 1531. No Protestant canton offered Zurich any support. On October 11, at the Battle of Kappel, the Protestants were ambushed and Zwingli, serving as a military chaplain, was killed. Zurich was forced to accept unfavorable terms of peace. Some regions of Switzerland, including Bremgarten, reverted to Catholicism.

Bullinger, a recognized Protestant leader, was threatened with the scaffold at Bremgarten. He fled to Zurich, where, three days later, he was prevailed upon to preach in Zwingli’s empty pulpit. So powerful was Bullinger’s preaching that the people exclaimed he must be the second coming of Zwingli. Oswald Myconius, a follower of Zwingli, said, “Like the phoenix, he [Zwingli] has risen from the ashes” (Oswald Myconius, cited in J. H. Merle d’Aubigné, History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Vol. 3 [Glasgow: W. G. Blackie, 1847], 514). It was vitally important for the Swiss churches that Zwingli be replaced by a man of the same Reformed convictions and abounding energy in the Lord’s work. In Bullinger, they found such a man.

Chief Minister of Zurich

Six weeks later, on December 9, 1531, Bullinger, only twenty-seven years old, was unanimously elected by the Council of Zurich and the citizens to succeed Zwingli. After the council agreed to guarantee the clergy’s freedom to preach on all aspects of life in the city, Bullinger accepted the position. He became the antistes—the “chief minister”—of the city. In so doing, he assumed the leadership of the Reformed movement in German-speaking Switzerland. On December 23, he took the pulpit of the Grossmünster, a position he held for forty-four years until his death in 1575. In this role, Bullinger presided over the other churches of the cantonal synod as a sort of “Reformed bishop.” He was also responsible for the reform of the school system.

Bullinger was a tireless preacher. For the first ten years of his ministry in Zurich, he preached six or seven times a week. After 1542, he preached twice a week, on Sundays and Fridays, which allowed him to devote himself to a rigorous writing schedule. Bullinger followed Zwingli in the lectio continua method of preaching, moving verse by verse through whole books of Scripture. His expository sermons were biblical, simple, clear, and practical. In all, it is estimated that Bullinger preached in Zurich between seven thousand and seventy-five hundred sermons. These expositions became the basis for his commentaries, which covered much of the Bible.

Bullinger was also a big-hearted pastor. His house was open to widows, orphans, strangers, exiles, and persecuted brethren. He freely bestowed food, clothing, and money on those in need. Bullinger even secured a pension for Zwingli’s widow and educated Zwingli’s children with his own sons and daughters. He was a devoted pastor who produced one of the first Protestant books for comforting the sick and dying. Many of the persecuted believers of England escaped Mary Tudor’s reign of terror in Zurich, finding refuge in Bullinger’s open arms. Upon their return home, these refugees became leading English Puritans.

A man of considerable theological abilities, Bullinger helped co-author the First Helvetic Confession (1536) and played a key role in the Consensus Tigurinus (1549). The former was the first national Swiss confession; the latter was an attempt by Calvin and Bullinger to rectify Protestant disagreements over the Lord’s Supper. During the discussions over this document, Bullinger invited Calvin to Zurich for face-to-face talks. Calvin accepted the invitation. On May 20, 1549, he and William Farel journeyed to Zurich, where they met with Bullinger. Calvin and Bullinger reached an agreement regarding the sacraments that united the Reformed efforts in Geneva and Zurich. By these confessional documents, Bullinger helped galvanize Switzerland during the beginning of its Reformation period. He combated the Lutheran doctrine of consubstantiation in the Lord’s Supper and refuted Anabaptist teaching on baptism. However, he remained open-minded toward the various radical movements.

Throughout this time, Bullinger was consulted by English royalty, including Edward VI (1550) and Elizabeth I (1566). He viewed the leaders of the Church of England as fellow Reformed churchmen as they struggled against Rome. Portions of his book Decades were dedicated to Edward VI and Lady Jane Grey. On a broader scale, he maintained correspondence with Reformed leaders all over the Protestant world, including Philip of Hesse. His wise and balanced counsel gave much-needed direction to many in the Reformed movement.

In Bullinger’s closing years, he suffered the tragic deaths of his wife, Anna, and several of their daughters. Their lives were taken in outbreaks of the plague in 1564 and 1565. Bullinger himself became severely ill during the second outbreak. Though he survived the outbreak, his health remained poor, and he died on September 17, 1575, after four decades of tireless and effective ministry. He left behind a rich legacy in the truths of sovereign grace that helped give theological and ecclesiastical order to the Reformation.

Excerpted with edits from Pillars of Grace, © 2011 by Steven J. Lawson. Published by Reformation Trust Publishing, a division of Ligonier Ministries.

Purity, Power, and the Missing Mark of the Church

Arguably the best general description of the effect the New Testament Church had on its society is given by Luke in Acts 17:6. When an unruly mob could not find Paul and Silas — the source of their irritation — they dragged other Christians before the city officials and declared, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6). What was intended as a damning criticism, however, was actually an unintended accolade because unbelievers were admitting that the early Christians were having a substantial impact upon society, a society characterised by polytheism, gladiatorial combats, sex outside of marriage, divorce, infanticide, and abortion. This account sounds just like life in early twenty-first century Western civilization, doesn’t it? Well, it does, except for the bit about the church turning the world upside down.

Our postmodern, pluralistic society is not far removed in essence from first-century Graeco-Roman society. Ungodliness is still here, immorality is still in evidence, and the life-is-cheap attitude still pervades. But society in the West does not really notice or take seriously the church. Why? Could it be because the reality of the living God is not being seen in the Western church? Could it be because there is no attention-grabbing evidence of the transforming power of the gospel? Could it be because, to some extent, the sign ichabod is metaphorically hanging over the doors of many sanctuaries and around the necks of many Christians? And if all this is the case, why is it the case? Could it be because, generally speaking, Christians in the West are simply not as devoted to the Apostles’ teaching as we should be? I am increasingly convinced that this is the case.

Think of it like this. Ephesians 2:4–5 makes it clear that before a person is saved by God’s grace, love, and mercy, that person is dead in trespasses. However, once a person is saved by God’s grace, love, and mercy, that person is alive to God in Jesus Christ. Our Western society is made up, therefore, of a basic dichotomy of people: those who are spiritually dead, and those who are spiritually alive; those who follow the ways of a social value system that is opposed to the Lord, and those who follow the Lord; those enslaved to the Devil, and those who are new creations in Christ; those who gratify the desires of sinful nature, and those who can gratify the desires of the Holy Spirit; those who are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and those who are. Why is the difference in belief, lifestyle, and behaviour between believers and unbelievers not startlingly noticeable?  Why are Christians not impacting Western society for good and God’s glory? Why are Christians not being accused of “turning the world upside down”?

How can the Western church return to a level of purity that would provide the foundation off which the transforming power of the gospel would be noticed by society and subsequently make a substantial impact on society? The answer may lie in getting our church discipline right.

Preventive Church Discipline — The Missing Mark of the Church

When he wrote to Cardinal Sadoleto on September 1, 1539, seeking to defend Genevan reform against Sadoleto’s contention that the Roman Catholic Church alone bore the marks of the true church, John Calvin referred to three things on which he considered the safety of the church to be founded: doctrine, discipline, and the sacraments. The Belgic Confession of 1561 also refers to discipline along with Biblical doctrine and the sacraments when it lists the “marks” of the church. It seems clear that both of these references to church discipline concern corrective church discipline. Church discipline, however, has two aspects to it: corrective and preventive. Preventive discipline may be compared to preventive health care—eating correctly to avoid health problems. Corrective discipline, on the other hand, may be compared to surgery—removing the problem for the health of the body.

Both of these aspects of church discipline can be seen in Titus 2:15. The Apostle Paul writes, “These, then, are the things you should teach. Exhort and rebuke with all authority.” Titus was to exhort—appeal to, urge, encourage—and he was to rebuke—reprove, correct, call to account, discipline through punishment. In other words, Titus was to exercise both preventive church discipline and corrective church discipline. Given this, it is unfortunate that many Christians have a one-sided view of church discipline. To many, church discipline, please pardon the pun, smacks of punishment, but we must not forget this other side. Preventive church discipline focuses more on teaching in order to produce holy living that does not need to be subject to the corrective disciplinary procedures outlined, for example, in Matthew 18:15–17. I would suggest that preventive discipline is the missing mark of the church today. I believe there to be three key areas where such discipline, if faithfully applied and subsequently obeyed, would result in the Western church having a marked influence on our Western society.

1. Personal Spiritual Formation

I sense that many Christians have a deficient understanding of what the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ really is. Typically, this glorious message understood merely as a message about deliverance from the guilt of sin. However, it is also a message about deliverance from the power and influence of sin. Does this not come across clearly in Paul’s epistle to the Romans? His desire was to preach the gospel to them (cf. Romans 1:15), and that is what he did in the rest of his letter as he taught them about justification by faith and holy living.

A truncated understanding about the nature of the gospel has a direct bearing on a Christian’s spiritual formation and growth in holiness, which in turn affects evidence of the transforming power of the gospel in that Christian’s life. Francis Schaeffer in True Spirituality wrote about the metaphorical chairs that all people sit on. Unbelievers sit on one chair, look out upon the world, and only appreciate the natural. Christians, however, sit on the other chair and view the world, appreciating both the natural and the supernatural. But if Christians sitting in the correct chair live as if the supernatural is not there, they are guilty of what Schaeffer calls “unfaith,” and the transforming power of the gospel is not seen in their lives. Many Christians in the West today, it seems to me, are guilty of “unfaith.” This must be addressed through preventive church discipline. In other words, Christians must be taught a holistic understanding of the gospel. They must be taught the doctrines of regeneration, propitiation, justification by faith, union with Jesus Christ, adoption, sanctification, glorification, and so on, and they must be taught how to appropriate the truths of these doctrines for themselves. Christians must appreciate what it means to live a life of continual repentance and faith — mortification and vivification in Puritan-speak – as they are taught how to identify heart idols (the sin behind the sin), tear their affections off their heart idols, and place their affections on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Puritans were men who knew themselves and knew their Lord. Today, many Christians have a deficient knowledge of these, and it is reflected in their lack of spiritual formation. However, if Christians were able to appreciate and appropriate what they are in Christ, it would ignite their spiritual formation. The transforming power of the gospel would be seen in a dark and sinful society.

2. God-centred Public Worship

An attendee at Westminster Chapel, London, in the 1960s commented that there were times, particularly during the evening acts of worship led by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, when the sense of the presence of the Lord, His immanence, was so tangible, and the atmosphere so highly charged, that if anyone had struck a match there would have been an explosion. Such anointing is not unknown in the Western church today, but it seems to me that, generally speaking, it is conspicuously absent in most gatherings of Christians for public worship. Why? Could it be because many acts of public worship in the West are more man-centered than God-centered, and because of this God is withholding the blessing of His anointing upon the gathering?

What do I mean by God-centred public worship and man-centred public worship? God-centred public worship is worship that is fundamentally, foundationally, primarily, and exclusively focused on God. Furthermore, it is shaped according to His revelation for proper worship, which, therefore, makes it acceptable to Him. Man-centred public worship is not the complete antithesis of God-centred public worship: people are not the object and entire focus of worship, and the Lord is seen as the object of worship in singing, praying, and preaching. However, what makes it man-centred is that, despite the best of intentions, an unhealthy consideration is given to the feelings and desires of those who gather for worship. I see two main influences on the Western church that have resulted in many local fellowships becoming more man-centred in their acts of public worship than God-centred.

Firstly, postmodern cultural influence. Reverend Duncan Campbell, the Scottish Revivalist of the mid-twentieth century, described revival as the saturation of people with God. Today, we live in postmodern societies made up of people saturated with themselves. It is no surprise, therefore, that such a mindset has infiltrated many local fellowships and has resulted in public worship that is more shaped by what people think is right than by what God says is right. At the foot of Sinai, the Israelites tried to worship the Lord in a culturally acceptable way, but it was not acceptable in God’s eyes (cf. Exodus 32).

Secondly, influences from within evangelicalism itself. Sections of evangelicalism, with the best of intentions, have embraced what has variously been called the “user-friendly,” “seeker-sensitive,” “human-focused,” “new-paradigm,” or “business model” of doing church. However, an overemphasis has been given to what worshippers, or seekers, want in worship, and the result has been a dumbing down of what the Scriptures say should constitute the worship of God’s gathered people. The influence of such methodology has spread across Western civilization.

What is the answer to this problem? Church leaders, teachers, and pastors must themselves embrace an accurate Biblical theology of worship and then teach their people to do the same. The Lord seeks worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and truth: worship from the heart (by the power of the Spirit) and worship that results from having had minds informed by the truth of God’s Word (cf. John 4:23–24). If local fellowships are exposed to such preventive church discipline and embrace it, I believe that the return of the lost blessing of the divine anointing falling upon the gathered people of God will not be as uncommon as it currently is. Furthermore, unbelievers who are present in worship will again cry, “God is really among you” (1 Corinthians 14:25).

3. Engaging with Society

Our postmodern society is capable of concocting more than one battle cry. One that would surely be prominent in its list would be, “No absolute truth.” However, what if Western society was confronted by the very thing it denies? Would that not have an impact upon it? The absolute truth of the gospel and its transforming power may be seen in the lives of Christians as they pursue holiness. It may also be seen when believers gather for God-centered public worship. But it must also be seen in how Christians relate to the society in which the Lord has placed them.  

Many significant evangelical leaders in the past have recognised the importance of this and acted accordingly. J. Wesley Bready in his England: Before and After Wesley: The Evangelical Revival and Social Reform points out that John Wesley’s publications contain either definite teaching on, or suggestive reflections on, practically every recognised social problem of his time. Wesley’s influence also touched the life of British politician William Wilberforce. Wesley assured Wilberforce that God had raised him up to champion the cause of those oppressed by the slave trade. The Clapham Sect, which Wilberforce led, also campaigned against duelling, gambling, drunkenness, cruelty to animals, and immorality, and their work in the nineteenth century overlapped that of theseventh Earl of Shaftesbury, who successfully campaigned for the reform of the factories and working conditions of men, women, and children. Similarly, in North America in the eighteenth century, Cotton Mather contended that people would be won to Christ when their hearts were softened by believers’ deeds of love. In the nineteenth century, evangelicals were at the forefront of almost every major social reform in America, such as the abolitionist movement and the temperance movement.

Since many local fellowships today have become so inward-looking, church leaders must reconsider the role of the church in society in the light of Biblical teaching. The Lord Jesus Christ made it clear that His disciples alone are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13–16). As salt, Christians must be clearly taught that they are to have a positive influence on society through the predominantly negative function of arresting decomposition that naturally results from a society rebelling against God. They must behave as salt by recognising unrighteousness and acting against it — speaking out against the use of bad language in the office, refusing to be part of conversations that slide in the direction of gossip or slander, opposing laws that make abortion legal by lobbying political leaders, and so on. All of this can be done respectfully and winsomely but with the inevitable and God-glorifying sting as produced by the effective application of salt. As light, Christians are to point the way to the Father, and this can be done through their deeds as Matthew 5:16 seems to indicate. A beautiful story is told concerning the Reverend Duncan Campbell, referred to above. He had organised a mission on one of the Scottish Islands, but no one turned up on the first night. When he discovered that the community was busy out in the fields trying to rescue a late harvest, he postponed the mission and went into the fields to help the farmers. When the harvest was gathered and Campbell held the mission, those he had helped in such a practical and loving way flocked to hear him. Pastors, teachers, and church leaders must model such love-your-neighbour behaviour and exhort their people to follow their example. Others will be drawn to the Father as Christians live as the light of the world at home, at work, and at leisure.

Restoring the Missing Mark of the Church

After the Israelites’ idolatry involving the golden calf at the foot of Sinai, the Lord told Moses to go on up to the land He had promised to give them but He would not accompany them. Moses, however, responded, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (Exodus 33:15). The reality of the presence of the Lord, and the blessing associated with it, is, generally speaking, missing from the Western Church today. The problem, I believe, at least in part, is due to a lack of solid preventive church discipline in the key areas of personal spiritual formation, God-centered public worship, and the church engaging with the society in which it is placed. If this missing mark of the church is restored, however, purity will begin to return and tangible evidence of the supernatural transforming power of the Gospel will be seen. This will impact our society for good. God speed the day.

Dr. Bill Parker is teaching elder and pastor of First Antrim Presbyterian Church in Antrim, United Kingdom. 

Twitter Highlights (10/23/11)

Here are some highlights from the various Ligonier Twitter feeds over the past week.

Ligonier We don't know exactly...how hell operates...but all of the imagery our Lord uses suggests that it is a place we don't want to go. -Sproul



Tabletalk Magazine It is the doctrine of the sacrificial death of Christ which differentiates Christianity from other religions. - Warfield



Reformation Trust There can be no growth in godliness without the practice of love. -Steven Lawson http://bit.ly/nEgem9



Tabletalk Magazine “Yesterday’s old liberalism is today’s cutting-edge evangelicalism." - Carl Trueman



Reformation Trust Trouble and fear are the very spurs to prayer... -John Knox http://bit.ly/jrxtD3



Ligonier Faith is the means by which the righteousness of Christ is given to us. -R.C. Sproul



Ligonier I think it's time that Christians once again put the the word "providence" back into the English language. - R.C. Sproul

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:
Ligonier Ministries | Ligonier Academy | Reformation Bible College
Reformation Trust | Tabletalk Magazine

Living Comfortably

Is it wrong to live as comfortably as we do, while people are starving in other parts of the world?

It is most certainly wrong to not at least ask the question. It should at least jar us a bit. We ought at least to check our hearts when we see starving children in Africa on our 60 inch televisions.  Then, however, we need to set aside the emotional response, and see what the Bible has to say.

First, the Bible says quite a bit about our obligation to, at least among the brethren, feed and serve those in need. Matthew 25 reminds us that our failure to feed the hungry and clothe the naked is a failure to serve our Lord.  Calloused hearts have no place in the Christian life. Neither, however, does guilt manipulation. Neither does adding to God’s law. God has given us instruction in the formation of the nation of Israel as to how the poor and needy need to be helped. Poor tithes are established. Gleaning laws are established. Jubilee is established. What is not established, however, is either the wrongheaded notion that the poverty of one person is the result of the prosperity of another, or the backwards idea that to live beyond some arbitrary level of comfort is a sin against God and man.

When God established His design for caring for the poor of Israel note first that He did not establish a progressive tithing system. While certainly the more prosperous were to give more than the less the prosperous, they were not called to give a higher percentage of the wealth God had entrusted to their care.  They were called instead to enjoy the blessing of God with clean consciences.

This does not mean, of course, that one might not, whatever one’s level of prosperity, give more than God requires. What it does mean, however, is that no man, through guilt, and no state, through force, is free to require a man to give more than God requires. One famous evangelical asked years ago if Jesus were on earth today would He drive a BMW. He thought not, and I tend to agree.  He thought such would be too ostentatious for Jesus. I think He might prefer a Mercedes. 

One need not feel guilty for what God has given you, save for two reasons. First, if your gain is ill-gotten, by all means feel guilty. If your prosperity is the fruit of stealing from others, lying to others, repent. Second, if your prosperity was earned through serving others in the marketplace there yet remains one thing- you need to give thanks to the Master who owns all things. Our prosperity isn’t our due, but God’s good grace. He is not pleased if we take it for granted, nor if we look down our noses at it.  

Do not judge your brother if he obeys God’s law, no matter how God has chosen to bless him. Do not be ashamed, if you are obeying God’s law and God is blessing you.  Do not close your heart against those in need. Instead give freely, and be certain to give thanks.

Prince of Translators: William Tyndale

William Tyndale (ca. 1494–1536) made an enormous contribution to the Reformation in England. Many would say that he made the contribution by translating the Bible into English and overseeing its publication. One biographer, Brian Edwards, states that not only was Tyndale “the heart of the Reformation in England,” he “was the Reformation in England” (Edwards, God’s Outlaw: The Story of William Tyndale and the English Bible [Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 1999], 170).  Because of his powerful use of the English language in his Bible, this Reformer has been called “the father of modern English” (N. R. Needham, 2,000 Years of Christ’s Power, Part Three: Renaissance and Reformation [London: Grace Publications, 2004], 379).

John Foxe went so far as to call him “the Apostle of England” (John Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000], 114). There is no doubt that by his monumental work, Tyndale changed the course of English history and Western civilization.

Tyndale was born sometime in the early 1490s, most likely in 1494, in Gloucestershire, in rural western England. The Tyndales were an industrious and important family of well-to-do yeoman farmers, having the means to send William to Oxford University. In 1506, William, age twelve, entered Magdalen School, the equivalent of a preparatory grammar school located inside Magdalen College at Oxford. After two years at Magdalen School, Tyndale entered Magdalen College, where he learned grammar, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music, rhetoric, logic, and philosophy. He also made rapid progress in languages under the finest classical scholars in England. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1512 and a master’s degree in 1515. Before leaving Oxford, Tyndale was ordained into the priesthood.

Cambridge and the White Horse Inn

Tyndale next went to study at Cambridge University, where it is believed he took a degree. Many of Martin Luther’s works were being circulated among the instructors and students, creating great excitement on the campus. In this environment, Tyndale embraced the core truths of the Protestant movement.

In 1520, just three years after Luther had posted his Ninety-five Theses, a small group of Cambridge scholars began meeting regularly to discuss this “new” theology. They gathered at a pub on the campus of King’s College called the White Horse Inn. As they debated the ideas of the German Reformer, this group became known as “little Germany.” The group included many future leaders in the Reformed movement.

In 1521, Tyndale felt he needed to step away from the academic atmosphere in order to give more careful thought to the truths of the Reformation. He also wanted time to study and digest the Greek New Testament. So he took a job back in Gloucestershire, working for the wealthy family of Sir John Walsh. During this time, he realized that England would never be evangelized using Latin Bibles. He came to see that “it was impossible to establish the lay people in any truth, except the Scripture were laid before their eyes in their mother tongue” (Robert Demaus and Richard Lovett, William Tyndale: A Biography [London: The Religious Tract Society, 1886], 710).

Local priests often came to dine at the Walsh manor, and Tyndale witnessed firsthand the appalling ignorance of the Roman clergy. During one meal, he fell into a heated argument with a Catholic clergyman, the latter asserting, “We had better be without God’s laws than the pope’s.” Tyndale boldly responded: “I defy the pope and all his laws.” He then added these famous words: “If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plough, shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost” (Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, 77). From this point forward, the ambitious task of translating the Bible into English was Tyndale’s driving mission.

To London with a Plan

In 1523, Tyndale traveled to London to seek official authorization for a translation project. He arranged to meet the bishop of London, Cuthbert Tunstall. Tyndale felt Tunstall would be open to his translation project, but he met resistance. Tunstall was determined to resist the spread of Luther’s ideas, fearing an upheaval in England such as had occurred in Germany after the release in 1522 of Luther’s German Bible. Tunstall knew that an English Bible, accessible to the people, would promote Reformed teachings and challenge the Catholic Church. Tyndale soon realized that he would have to leave the country to accomplish his translation project. 

In April 1524, Tyndale, about age thirty, sailed to the Continent to launch his translation and publishing work. Tyndale would live in exile from England for the final twelve years of his life, a fugitive and outlaw.

After arriving in Hamburg, Germany, it appears that Tyndale first journeyed to Wittenberg to be under the influence of Luther, who had thrown off the last vestiges of popish authority. Here Tyndale began the work of translating the New Testament from Greek into English.

In August 1525, Tyndale traveled to Cologne, where he completed his first translation of the New Testament. In this bustling city, Tyndale found a printer, Peter Quentell, to publish his translation. He wanted the secrecy of the printing to be guarded at all costs, but the news about the project leaked. A bitter opponent of the Reformation, John Cochlaeus, overheard and immediately arranged for a raid on the press. However, Tyndale was forewarned; he gathered the printed leaves after only ten pages had been run and escaped into the night. He fled up the Rhine to the more Protestant-friendly city of Worms. 

In 1526, Tyndale found a printer, Peter Schoeffer, who agreed to complete the printing of his English New Testament. This was the first portion of the Scriptures to be translated into English from the Greek and to be mechanically printed. Some six thousand copies were printed in clear, common English. In spring 1526, Tyndale began to smuggle his English New Testaments into England in bales of cotton. Demand quickly outstripped supply.

By the summer of 1526, this underground circulation of Tyndale’s New Testament was known to church officials. Both the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of London were enraged. They attempted to destroy all the copies of Tyndale’s New Testament that they could find and declared it a serious crime to buy, sell, or even handle it. But these actions failed to stop the spread of Tyndale’s translation. Demand only increased.

On June 18, 1528, the archbishop of York, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, dispatched three agents to the Continent to search aggressively for Tyndale. Wolsey also ordered John Hacket—the English ambassador to the Low Countries (the Netherlands)—to demand that the regent of the Low Countries authorize the arrest of Tyndale. But Tyndale withdrew to Marburg for safety. Hacket eventually reported that Tyndale could not be found.

Translating the Pentateuch

In September 1528, another attempt was launched to track Tyndale down. John West, a friar, was dispatched from England to the Continent to apprehend the fugitive and bring him back. West landed at Antwerp, dressed in civilian attire, and began hunting for Tyndale. He scoured the cities and interrogated printers. Sensing the pressure, Tyndale remained in Marburg. He spent the time teaching himself Hebrew, a language that had not been taught in the English universities when Tyndale was a student. With this new skill, Tyndale began translating the Pentateuch from Hebrew into English.

In 1529, Tyndale moved from Marburg to Antwerp. This thriving city offered him good printing, sympathetic fellow Englishmen, and a direct supply route to England. Under this new cover, he completed his translation of the five books of Moses, but he felt the danger was too great to stay in this large city. He realized that the Pentateuch must be printed elsewhere. So Tyndale boarded a ship to sail to the mouth of the Elbe River in Germany and then to Hamburg. But a severe storm struck the ship and it was wrecked off the coast of Holland. Tragically, his books, writings, and the Pentateuch translation were lost at sea. He had to start the work from scratch.

Tyndale eventually made his way to Hamburg. There he was received into the home of the von Emersons, a family with strong sympathies for the Reformation. In this protective environment, Tyndale undertook the laborious effort of retranslating the Pentateuch from the Hebrew language. This task took from March to December 1529. In January 1530, the five books of Moses in English were printed in Antwerp, then smuggled into England and distributed. 

In November 1530, Thomas Cromwell, a counselor to King Henry VIII, tried another strategy to sway Tyndale. He commissioned Stephen Vaughan, an English merchant who was sympathetic to the Reformation, to find Tyndale. On behalf of the king, Vaughan was instructed to offer Tyndale a salary and safe passage back to England. When he arrived on the Continent, Vaughan sent letters to Tyndale. Tyndale replied, and a series of secret meetings took place in Antwerp in April 1531. However, Tyndale feared that the king would break his promise of safe passage, ending the translation work. Therefore, Tyndale told Vaughan that he would return on only one condition—the king must have the Bible translated into the English language by someone else. If the king would do that, Tyndale said, he would return to England, never translate again, and offer his life unto death to the king if need be.

On June 19, Vaughan wrote back to Cromwell from Antwerp these simple words: “I find him [Tyndale] always singing one note” (Stephen Vaughan, cited in David Daniell, William Tyndale: A Biography [New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1994], 217). In other words, Tyndale would not change his tune. He would not return to England until the king had commissioned a Bible in the English language.

Captured in Antwerp

In early 1534, Tyndale moved into a house in Antwerp as the guest of Thomas Poyntz, a wealthy English merchant who was, according to Tyndale biographer David Daniell, “a good, shrewd, friend and loyal sympathizer” (Daniell, William Tyndale, 361). Poyntz took Tyndale into his protection and even provided him with a stipend. 

Feeling secure, Tyndale set about the work of completing a revision of his New Testament translation. This second edition contained some four thousand changes and corrections from the 1526 edition. Tyndale’s Hebrew was now as good as his Greek, which allowed him to work masterfully on the next part of his Old Testament translation, Joshua through 2 Chronicles.

Back in England, a certain Harry Phillips had been given a large sum of money by his father to pay a man in London. But Phillips gambled the money away. An unknown high official in the church—probably the bishop of London, John Stokesley—was made aware of Phillips’ plight and offered him a large sum of money to travel to the Continent and find Tyndale. In his desperation, Phillips accepted the offer. He arrived in Antwerp in early summer 1535 and began to make the necessary contacts among the English merchants. When he found Tyndale, he deviously established his friendship and won Tyndale’s trust. Then, one day he lured Tyndale into a narrow passage, where soldiers arrested him. After twelve years as a fugitive, Tyndale was captured.

Poyntz’s home was then raided and a number of Tyndale’s possessions were removed. However, his bulky manuscript translation of Joshua to 2 Chronicles somehow survived the raid. In all likelihood it was in the possession of his friend John Rogers, who eventually printed it in the Matthew’s Bible (1537).

Imprisoned in Vilvoorde

Tyndale was imprisoned in the castle of Vilvoorde six miles north of Brussels. There, Tyndale languished for nearly a year and a half as preparations were made for his trial. Foxe writes that Tyndale “was affecting his very . . . enemies,” because, during the time of his imprisonment “it is said, he converted his keeper, the keeper’s daughter, and others of his household” (Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, 127).

In August 1536, Tyndale at last stood trial. A long list of charges was drawn up against him and he was condemned as a heretic. That same day, Tyndale was excommunicated from the priesthood in a public service. He then was handed over to the secular powers for punishment. The death sentence was pronounced.

Tyndale was executed on October 6, 1536. He was strangled, burned, and his body blown apart by gunpowder, but at some point before his death, he cried his famous last words: “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes” (Tyndale, cited in Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, 83).

Excerpted with edits from Pillars of Grace, © 2011 by Steven J. Lawson. Published by Reformation Trust Publishing, a division of Ligonier Ministries.

[image error]

$5 Friday: Spiritual Growth, Children & Inerrancy

Find $5 Friday resources today on the Joseph, biblical truth, spiritual growth, children's devotions, biblical integrity and music. Sale starts Friday at 8 a.m. and ends Saturday at 8 a.m. EST. Special thanks to Reformation Heritage Books for partnering this week.

View today's $5 Friday sale.

Go Digital with Reformation Trust Books

When Reformation Trust Publishing started in mid-2006, we had 3 titles. Now not only do we have a library of more than 40 titles, but they are all available as eBooks. Find titles ranging from The Masculine Mandate to The Prince's Poison Cup for your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Nook, or other device. Get a complete list of Reformation Trust titles here.

While Kindle books need to be purchased directly from Amazon, you can purchase eBooks for other devices directly from Ligonier.org. Here are some frequently asked questions:

What format are eBooks?

eBooks are ePub files, which is currently the most popular open book format in
the world.

What kind of devices read ePub files?

iPhones, the iPod Touch, iPads, Sony Readers, and Nooks are a few of the devices that read ePub files. You may also view ePub files on your computer by using Adobe Digital Editions. Additional devices and reader applications may be found here.

If you have a different device that one listed here, please check with the manufacturer to ensure it can read ePub files. The Kindle does not read these files, but Amazon does sell all Reformation Trust titles in the Kindle format.

How do I download my eBook(s)?

After purchasing the eBook, you will be directed to your Account (you must set up a Ligonier account to access your data and all electronic files). You will see the title listed as well as a "File" link. Click on "File" and the ePub file will be downloaded to your computer. You may then move the file to your designated software and upload to your device.

iTunes instructions on adding ePub files to iBooks

See All Reformation Trust eBooks

Reformation Bible College Inaugural Convocation

Sunday evening, October 16, 2011, at Saint Andrew’s in Sanford Florida will be remembered as a very special evening in the history of Reformation Bible College. Founded by R.C. Sproul, the college held its inaugural convocation installing Dr. Sproul as president.

Guests began arriving early afternoon for an open house for potential students, families and friends to tour the buildings and the campus.

The evening began with inspiring music by Reginald Lyle, playing the beautiful prelude of Highland Cathedral on the bagpipes, followed by the processional hymn, A Mighty Fortress, and ultimately concluding with the hymn, All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.

Honored guests in attendance included the students from the Class of 2011, their families, and many friends and supporters of Reformation Bible College. The sermon “The College with No Alumni” was delivered by Dr. Sproul’s long-time friend Rev. John Sartelle, who also administered the Vow to the President, followed by prayer and the presentation of the Presidential Medallion. Dr. Sproul’s first act as president was to administer the faculty vow to Dr. Steve Adamson, Dr. Keith Mathison, Dr. Michael Morales, and Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr.. Prayers of dedication were offered for the faculty, staff, students, and the academic year.

Reverend Sartelle read from Psalm 19: 1-10 of the poet of Israel’s description of two great resources in which God reveals Himself. The poet wrote that God’s creation declares God’s wondrous character in every language, and to every person.  Then he described a book of laws, testimonies, and precepts – a book that further reveals God and brings indescribable blessings to mankind as he lives in God’s creation, by God’s Word.

He further explained that Reformation Bible College is focused on two great sources of revelation, and there are three theological truths that make up the larger context to its excellent and noble purposes.

First, the earth is God’s creation given to man. It is God’s special revelation. Consider the first words of the book of Genesis, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Second, God reveals Himself in His creation. Just as the work of the artist, the painting reveals something of the artist, so God’s handiwork, His creation, reveals something of Him. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). The Psalmist could not help but see God in creation. Third, God is redeeming His creation. Man rebelled against the Creator effecting all of creation. That day man died spiritually. But from that garden, God began to speak of a Redeemer.

Jesus, our Redeemer, has called us to be students of His creation, students of His Word. He’s called us to become builders of a redeeming civilization. Students of Reformation Bible College will graduate and become alumni of this institution. The college of Psalm 19 has no alumni. We are destined to be students of God’s revelation forever.

A joyous reception ended the evening. Thank you to all who have joined us in prayerful support and eager anticipation culminating in the realization of this dream. May God be pleased to advance His kingdom through the lives and vocations of these students wherever He takes them.

Visit ReformationBibleCollege.org to stay informed about important dates, campus tours, the chapel schedule, and more.

[image error]

How Has God Used Ligonier Ministries in Your Life?

The Lord calls every generation to remember His name — to know His character, honor His majesty, and proclaim His holiness. Psalm 45:17 shows every generation how to remember God’s name by exalting Israel’s King, the Messiah. This King is Christ Jesus, the incarnate Son and fullest revelation of God’s glory.

It seems like only yesterday that Mrs. Dora Hillman approached me with the idea of opening a small study center just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, to train people for ministry. Back then, I never realized that within a generation God would grow the Ligonier Valley Study Center into a teaching fellowship with an international reach. By God’s grace, Ligonier Ministries has labored for forty years — the equivalent of a biblical generation — to help others to know and remember the Lord.

Our work continues today amidst significant challenges. Biblical illiteracy, theological liberalism, and disbelief in the existence of objective truth are all pervasive. Helping believers remember God’s truth in this generation and in generations to come remains the need of the hour. Ligonier proclaims God’s name worldwide via Renewing Your Mind, internet resources, Tabletalk, Reformation Trust books, The Reformation Study Bible, teaching series, conferences, and Ligonier Academy. The ministry cost is significant and is funded, in the Lord’s providence, through the gifts of friends like you.

I want to thank you for your prayers for Ligonier, which are doubtless motivated by Ligonier’s impact on you personally. Knowing this, we want to hear from you about how Ligonier Ministries has helped you over the years. Send your thoughts via a personal e-message using mystory@ligonier.org. Knowing how our work has affected you blesses us and encourages us to keep on moving forward. 

As we join together to reach the world with the glorious message of God’s character and faithfulness, we fulfill the psalmist’s call to remember His name in all generations. Thank you for coming alongside us in ministry.

Your servant in Christ,

R.C. Sproul

Zurich Revolutionary: Ulrich Zwingli

Other than Martin Luther, Heinrich Bullinger, and John Calvin, the most important early Reformer was Ulrich Zwingli. A first-generation Reformer, he is regarded as the founder of Swiss Protestantism. Furthermore, history remembers him as the first Reformed theologian. Though Calvin would later surpass Zwingli as a theologian, he would stand squarely on Zwingli’s broad shoulders.

Less than two months after Luther came into the world, Zwingli was born on January 1, 1484, in Wildhaus, a small village in the eastern part of modern-day Switzerland, forty miles from Zurich. His father, Ulrich Sr., had risen from peasant stock to become an upper-middle-class man of means, a successful farmer and shepherd, as well as the chief magistrate for the district. This prosperity allowed him to provide his son with an excellent education. He presided over a home where typical Swiss values were inculcated in young Ulrich: sturdy independence, strong patriotism, zeal for religion, and real interest in scholarship. 

The elder Ulrich early recognized the intellectual abilities of his son and sent him to his uncle, a former priest, to learn reading and writing. Thanks to his prosperity, Zwingli’s father was able to provide his son with further education. In 1494, he sent the ten-year-old Ulrich to the equivalent of high school at Basel, where he studied Latin, dialectic, and music. He made such rapid progress that his father transferred him to Berne in 1496 or 1497, where he continued his studies under a noted humanist, Heinrich Woeflin. Here Zwingli was given significant exposure to the ideas and Scholastic methods of the Renaissance. His talents were noted by the Dominican monks, who tried to recruit him to their order, but Zwingli’s father did not want his son to become a friar. 

Universities of Vienna and Basel

In 1498, Zwingli’s father sent him to the University of Vienna, which had become a center of classical learning as Scholasticism was displaced by humanist studies. There he studied philosophy, astronomy, physics, and ancient classics. In 1502, he enrolled at the University of Basel and received a fine humanist education. In class, he came under the influence of Thomas Wyttenbach, professor of theology, and began to be aware of abuses in the church. He also taught Latin as he pursued further classical studies. He received his bachelor’s (1504) and master’s (1506) degrees from the school.

Zwingli was ordained to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church and immediately purchased a pastorate at Glarus, his boyhood church. Paying money to a prince for a church position was a common practice prior to the Reformation. His time was spent preaching, teaching, and pastoring. He also devoted himself to much private study, teaching himself Greek and studying the Church Fathers and the ancient classics. He became enamored with the pagan philosophers and poets of old. Most significantly, he began reading the humanist writings of Desiderius Erasmus and was profoundly impressed with his scholarship and piety. This sparked a highly prized correspondence with Erasmus.

During his service in Glarus, from 1506 to 1516, Zwingli twice served as chaplain to bands of young Swiss mercenaries. Swiss soldiers for hire were in great demand across Europe and were a major source of income for Swiss cantons. Even the pope had Swiss guards around him. But this practice cost the lives of many of the best Swiss young men. As a chaplain, Zwingli witnessed many of them fighting each other, Swiss killing Swiss on foreign soil for foreign rulers. He was forced to administer the last rites countless times. The Battle of Marignano (1515) took nearly ten thousand Swiss lives. Zwingli came to deplore the evils of this system and began to preach against it.

His final year at Glarus proved to be pivotal. It was at this time that Zwingli came to an evangelical understanding of the Scriptures. Erasmus published his Greek New Testament in that year, and Zwingli devoured it; it is said he memorized Paul’s epistles in the original language. This occurred a little more than a year before Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the Wittenberg Castle Church door. Thanks to his study of the Scriptures, with no knowledge of Luther’s ideas, Zwingli began to preach the same message Luther would soon proclaim. He wrote: “Before anyone in the area had ever heard of Luther, I began to preach the gospel of Christ in 1516. . . . I started preaching the gospel before I had even heard Luther’s name. . . . Luther, whose name I did not know for at least another two years, had definitely not instructed me. I followed holy Scripture alone” (Zwingli, cited in The European Reformations Sourcebook, 6.12, ed. Carter Lindberg [Malden, Mass: Blackwell, 2000], 112).

Popular Preacher at Einsiedeln

Because of political pressures and his sermons against mercenary fighting, Zwingli was forced to leave Glarus in 1516. He served as a priest at the Benedictine monastery of Einsiedeln until 1518. Einsiedeln was a resort city that was known for its shrine to the Virgin Mary. This shrine attracted large numbers of pilgrims from all parts of Switzerland and beyond. This wider audience heard Zwingli preach, which expanded his reputation and influence.

Einsiedeln was smaller than Glarus, so his duties were lighter. That afforded him more time for the study of Scripture and the Church Fathers. He read the works of Ambrose, Jerome, Chrysostom, and Augustine, as well as the writings of Erasmus. Further, he copied by hand Erasmus’s Greek New Testament. As he distinguished himself as a popular preacher, he also began attacking some of the abuses of the church, specifically the sale of indulgences, and his preaching began to take on a stronger evangelical tone. However, Zwingli did not yet see the need for changes in what the church believed. Rather, he felt reform should be primarily institutional and moral. Also, he remained more dependent on the Church Fathers than the Scriptures in his teaching. He was not yet ready for the work of reform.

In December 1518, Zwingli’s growing influence secured for him the office of “people’s priest” at the Grossmünster (Great Cathedral) at Zurich. This pastorate was a significant position. Zwingli immediately broke from the normal practice of preaching according to the church calendar. Instead, he announced he would preach sequentially through whole books of the Bible. On January 1, 1519, his thirty-fifth birthday, Zwingli began a series of expository sermons through Matthew that were drawn from his exegesis of the Greek text. He continued this consecutive style until he had preached through the entire New Testament. This ambitious project took six years and prepared the ground for the work of reform that was to follow. 

In autumn 1519, Zurich suffered an outbreak of the plague. Two thousand of its seven thousand citizens died. Zwingli chose to stay in the city to care for the sick and dying. In the process, he himself contracted the disease and nearly died. His three-month recovery taught him much about trusting God. This personal sacrifice also increased his popularity with the people.

Introducing Reform

As Zwingli preached through the Bible, he expounded the truths he encountered in the text, even if they differed from the historical tradition of the church. This kind of direct preaching was not without challenges. In 1522, some of his parishioners defied the church’s rule about eating meat during Lent. Zwingli supported their practice based on the biblical truths of Christian liberty. He saw such restrictions as man-made. That same year, he composed the first of his many Reformation writings, which circulated his ideas throughout Switzerland.

In November 1522, Zwingli began to work with other religious leaders and the city council to bring about major reforms in the church and state. In January 1523, he wrote Sixty-seven Theses, in which he rejected many medieval beliefs, such as forced fasting, clerical celibacy, purgatory, the Mass, and priestly mediation. Further, he began to question the use of images in the church. In June 1524, the city of Zurich, following his lead, ruled that all religious images were to be removed from churches. Also in 1524, Zwingli took yet another step of reform—he married Anna Reinhard, a widow. All of this appears to have happened before Zwingli ever heard of Luther. This was truly an independent work of God.

By 1525, the Reformation movement in Zurich had gained significant traction. On April 14, 1525, the Mass was officially abolished and Protestant worship services were begun in and around Zurich. Zwingli chose to implement only what was taught in Scripture. Anything that had no explicit Scriptural support was rejected. The words of Scripture were read and preached in the language of the people. The entire congregation, not merely the clergy, received both bread and wine in a simple Communion service. The minister wore robes like those found in lecture halls rather than at Catholic altars. The veneration of Mary and saints was forbidden, indulgences were banned, and prayers for the dead were stopped. The break with Rome was complete.

Anabaptists: Radical Reformers

Zwingli also entered into controversy with a new group known as the Anabaptists or Rebaptizers, a more radical reform movement that began in Zurich in 1523. Though Zwingli had made great changes, he had not gone far enough for these believers. For the Anabaptists, the issue of baptizing believers only was secondary to separation from the Roman Catholic Church. The Anabaptists sought an entire reconstruction of the church that was akin to a revolution.

Zwingli saw the Anabaptist proposals as radical excess. In response to the Anabaptist demands for the immediate overhaul of church and society, he urged moderation and patience in the transition from Rome. He counseled that the Anabaptists must bear with the weaker brethren who were gradually accepting the teaching of the Reformers. However, this approach only caused the conflict between Zwingli and the radicals to widen.

An order by the magistrates of Zurich for all infants in the city to be baptized proved too explosive. The Anabaptists responded by marching through the streets of Zurich in loud protests. Rather than baptizing their infants, they baptized each other by pouring or immersion in 1525. They also rejected Zwingli’s affirmation of the city council’s authority over church affairs and advocated total separation of church and state.

The Anabaptist leaders were arrested and charged with revolutionary teaching. Some were put to death by drowning. It is not known whether Zwingli consented to the death sentences, but he did not oppose them.

The Lord’s Supper Controversy

Meanwhile, a controversy began brewing between Zwingli and Luther over the Lord’s Supper. Luther held to consubstantiation, the belief that the body and blood of Christ were present in, through, or under the elements. There is, he contended, a real presence of Christ in the elements, though he differed from the Roman Catholic teaching of transubstantiation, which holds that the elements change into the body and blood of Christ when blessed by the priest during Mass. Zwingli adopted the position that the Lord’s Supper is mainly a memorial of Christ’s death—a symbolic remembrance.

In an attempt to bring unity to the Reformed movement, the Marburg Colloquy was convened in October 1529. The two Reformers appeared face to face, along with Martin Bucer, Philip Melanchthon, Johannes Oecolampadius, and other Protestant leaders. They agreed in principle to fourteen of the fifteen items put before them: the church-state relationship, infant baptism, the historical continuity of the church, and more. But no agreement could be reached regarding the Lord’s Supper. Luther said that “Zwingli was a ‘very good man,’ yet of a ‘different spirit,’ and hence refused to accept his hand of fellowship offered to him with tears” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. VIII: Modern Christianity: The Swiss Reformation [1919; repr., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984], 87). To colleagues, Luther commented of Zwingli and his supporters, “I suppose God has blinded them” (Luther, cited in Heiko Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, trans. Eileen Walliser-Scharzbart [New York: Doubleday, 1992], 120).

In one of the strange ironies of history, Zwingli, who earlier had opposed the practice of using mercenaries in war, died on the battlefield in 1531. An escalating conflict between Protestants and Catholics had cantons in arms, and a war soon broke out. The city of Zurich went to battle to defend itself against five invading Catholic cantons from the south. Zwingli accompanied Zurich’s army into battle as a field chaplain. Clad in armor and armed with a

battle-ax, he was severely wounded on October 11, 1531. When enemy soldiers found him lying wounded, they killed him. The southern forces then subjected his corpse to disgraceful treatment. They quartered him, hacked his remains to pieces, and burned them, then mixed his ashes with dung and scattered them abroad.

Today, prominently displayed at the Water Church in Zurich, is a statue of Zwingli. He is standing with a Bible in one hand and a sword in the other. The statue represents Zwingli in his towering influence over the Swiss Reformation, strong and resolute. Though his Zurich ministry was relatively short, he accomplished much. Through his heroic stand for the truth, Zwingli reformed the church in Zurich and led the way for other Reformers to follow.

Excerpted with edits from Pillars of Grace, © 2011 by Steven J. Lawson. Published by Reformation Trust Publishing, a division of Ligonier Ministries.