Remember the Reformation
(A Message Delivered by the Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo at True Life BPC on Reformation Sunday, 25 October 2009)
Introduction
As Bible-Presbyterians, we are part of the great 16th Century Protestant Reformation movement which began on 31 October 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the castle door of the church in Wittenburg to launch a public protest against the superstition and idolatry of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC).
It is important that we pay attention to history, for if we do not remember what our faithful forebears had done, we are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past and backslide or fall away from the faith. In fact, this has already happened. The denomination that is named after Luther—the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)—had on 31 October 1999 declared the Reformation to be a mistake. The World Methodist Council (WMC) had on 23 July 2006 declared the same, that the 16th Century Reformation was divisive. Both the LWF and WMC saw no reason why they should not reunite with the RCC. Will the Anglican Church be next? Just a few days ago, in the Straits Times of 20 October 2009, we read about how the RCC is taking advantage of the current division within the Anglican Church over homosexuality and other issues to woo disillusioned Anglicans back to its Catholic fold.
Will the Bible-Presbyterian Church follow suit? How can we ensure that we do not depart from the faith? How can we keep ourselves from betraying the Lord? The Lord in Jeremiah 6:16 tells us how, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” We must find the old paths, and walk in the good way. The problem with professing Christians today (as it was in the days of Jeremiah) is, “The old is not good;” “We will not walk therein.” So we see all kinds of new doctrines and practices today—New Orthodoxy, New Evangelicalism, New Fundamentalism, New Theism, New Calvinism. The Christians of today want new gospels, new bibles, new worship, new music, new ethics, new…
(the list goes on). The New Christians despise the old. They want to redefine and reexamine the old because the old is just too old fashioned, too quaint for the modern man. The old just does not work anymore; to keep the young and the restless in church, we need the “New.” The old is written off as foolish, extreme, schismatic, divisive, and even heretical, not conducive for Christian unity and church growth.
At True Life BPC, we want to remember the old paths. One of the old paths we must take is the path set by our Reformation forebears. Unless we remember the Reformation and remain faithful and true to the living and true God and His inspired and preserved Words, we will end up becoming traitors like Judas Iscariot. Know that the Reformation was no ordinary event in the history of the Church and of the world. The Reformation was a history-making and life-changing event sent by God. According to Church historian, Philip Schaff, it was the greatest revival of the Church next to Pentecost (Acts 2).
What are the old paths of the 16th Century Protestant Reformation we must remember to follow? There are at least three:
Remember the Cross: We worship a living Saviour and not a dead one
The Roman Catholic cross is a crucifix displaying a dead Christ still hanging on the cross. The RCC teaches that Christ has to be sacrificed repeatedly for His death to be truly beneficial and efficacious for the people. This happens when the Mass, the Roman Catholic version of the Lord’s Supper, is observed each time. That is why the Mass is such a big thing in the RCC. The bread and cup are changed to become the literal flesh and blood of Christ. Since Jesus Christ is now physically present, the bread or wafer effectively becomes God or Christ Himself and can be worshipped for a blessing. This is nothing less than idolatry which is condemned in the Scriptures (Exod 20:3-5).
The Protestant cross on the other hand is an empty cross because the Bible teaches that we have a Saviour who is no longer on the cross, but risen from the dead, and now sitting at the right hand of God interceding for us: “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:14-16). Jesus Christ needs only to die once and not repeatedly. Hebrews 10:10-13 says, “…we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” We do not worship any image or sculpture of Christ, nor the bread and the cup. The Bible teaches that the bread and the cup are symbolic; they merely represent the body and blood of Christ, and we partake of them to remember what He had done for us 2000 years ago. We only worship Him who is now physically present in heaven as our Great High Priest, and spiritually present with us by His Spirit who indwells us.
Remember the Gospel: We believe faith alone saves and not works
The Roman Catholic gospel is a gospel of works. The RCC teaches that believing in Christ is not enough, one must also perform good works in order to be saved. For example, the RCC believes in baptismal regeneration, teaching that faith plus works (e.g. water baptism) equals salvation. This is no different from what the Judaizers taught in the days of the Apostles. The gospel of works was clearly refuted by the Apostles of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul for instance, using the example of Abraham, made it very clear that salvation is purely by the grace of God through faith and nothing else, “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision” (Rom 4:1-11). So, baptism like circumcision does not save; only believing in Christ saves. However, this is not to say that baptism is unimportant for we are commanded to baptise in the name of the Triune God (Matt 28:19). It is thus important for us to understand that baptism is not necessary for salvation, but for obedience. It is something good that is done after we are saved, not before. Not faith plus works equals salvation, but faith equals salvation plus works. Good works come after salvation, not before.
The RCC hates the Protestant Gospel of justification by faith alone. The Roman Catholics in the Council of Trent (1547) pronounced a curse on those who preached Sola Fide (Faith Alone): “If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone … let him be anathema.” But we need not fear the RCC; we need only to fear God. It is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself who holds the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, and not any man or church, not the RCC, not the pope. Their curses are powerless. There is however a curse on those who preach a false gospel, a gospel of works and not of grace and faith. Heed the double warning of the Apostle Paul, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:6-8).
How is a man saved from his sins? By the works of the law or by the faith of Jesus Christ? Paul answered most clearly, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Gal 2:16).
Remember the Bible: We submit to the absolute authority of the Holy Scriptures, not any man, not any institution
Is the Bible today totally infallible and inerrant, and all-sufficient, and thus the sole, supreme and final authority of Christian faith and practice? The Protestants affirm, the Roman Catholics deny. The latter believe in the infallibility of the pope and the traditions of the church, not just the Scriptures. The Roman Catholics believe that when the pope speaks ex cathedra, it is to be taken as equivalent to God’s Word. They also regard the Apocrypha and traditions of the RCC to be on par with the Holy Scriptures. Many doctrines and practices of the RCC like purgatory, indulgences, worship of Mary, the rosary etc come not from the Bible but from the non-inspired Apocrypha or from human traditions.
In medieval times, the RCC kept the Bible from the people. The RCC placed the Bible in the “Index of Forbidden Books” in the year 1229. It was a crime punishable by death to read, interpret and own the Bible. The Bible could only be read and interpreted by the priests. Under the tyranny of Rome, Bibles were burned and those who read, translated or distributed the Bible were put to death. How we thank God for the Protestant Reformation which put the Bible back into the hands of the common people so that we might read and study it for ourselves,and rejoice in the wisdom of God’s Word.
How did the RCC undermine the Reformation doctrine of Sola Scriptura? They did so by denying that the Bible was perfectly preserved. According to them, the Bible is no longer as perfect as before and cannot be absolutely authoritative. How did the Reformers refute this attack on the perfection of the Bible and its absolute authority? Finding their authority from the Bible itself, the Reformers affirmed that the Bible in the original languages was not only totally inspired by God but also fully preserved by Him to the last iota so that the Bible they held in their hands could be deemed the very Word of God, infallible and inerrant, and the sole and supreme authority of their faith and practice (see Westminster Confession of Faith, I:VIII). The proof text used was Matthew 5:18 where Jesus promised, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” For this reason, we continue to use the same old Bible the Reformation saints used as the very Word of God—the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus from which we get a most faithful and accurate translation of the Bible in the English language, namely, the good old King James Bible which God has mightily used and blessed for nearly four centuries.
Conclusion
Let us not forget but ever follow the Old Paths—the Old Rugged Cross (we have a living and not a dead Saviour), the Old Fashioned Gospel (we preach that faith alone saves and not works), the Good Old Book (we uphold a Bible that is not only perfect in the past, but also perfect today). Soli Deo Gloria!
