Monday, October 22, 2007
[This week we'll take a look at some of the people that preceded Martin Luther. We might call these people "forerunners" of the Reformation. Through them the stage was set for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to break free from a cold and corrupt church, once again taking its rightful place at the center of Christian teaching.]
1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
FORERUNNERS OF THE REFORMATION: JOHN WYCLIF (1320?-1384)
The message of preachers must ever be judged by what the Bible says. Those who preach Christ as Savior are from God. Those who don't, aren't. But what if we did not have the Bible with which to judge their messages?
Unbiblical teaching consistently came from the church of Wyclif's day. Since Bibles were unavailable in English, the English people had no reliable way of judging what they heard. False teachings went largely unchallenged.
Knowing Latin, John Wyclif was able to study the Bible extensively. Seeing that the teachings of the church did not mirror the teachings of God's Word, he spent much of his life attempting to reform the church.
He spoke out against unbiblical teachings and even challenged the authority of the Pope, preaching that the true church of God needed only one head, Christ (Ephesians 5:23).
Wylclif's greatest gift to the world, however, was his translation of the Latin Bible into English. Corrupt church leaders greeted this first EVER English translation of the Bible with contempt, saying, "The jewel of the clergy has become the toy of the laity."
Thirty-one years after Wyclif's death, the church showed their appreciation for Wyclif's work by excommunicating him. Twelve years later, Pope Martin V had Wyclif's remains exhumed, burned and cast into the Swift River.
What Wyclif placed in the Englishman's hand, let us place in our hearts. That is where God intends His Word to live. Then we will be ready to test the spirits with confidence.
