Pr Joshua Yong

Why We Must Remember the Reformation

Psalm 78:5-8

Philip Schaff the Church historian wrote: “The Reformation of the sixteenth century is, next to the introduction of Christianity, the greatest event in history.” The Protestant Reformation was used of the Lord to spark a spiritual revival in a time when the Church was filled with idolatry and corruption.  Sadly, many Christians today no longer remember the Reformation. Some may remember the Reformation for its impact on European history, or for its impact in the areas of the arts, music and science, but few remember it for its spiritual significance. Even more frightening is how some churches are trying to undo the Reformation. 

Why then must we remember the Protestant Reformation today? 

There are several psalms in the Bible which are known as historical psalms (Psalm 78, 105, 106, 135, 136). These are psalms which recount the history of Israel. The focus of these historical psalms is not on Israel per se, but upon a faithful God who works mightily in the history of Israel. These psalms show us that in remembering history, we are not merely recounting events of the past but more so remembering the God who works in history. 

1) We Must Remember For God’s Glory

First and foremost, we must remember the Protestant Reformation that we might glorify Him. 

Psalm 78:4 says, “we will not hide them from their children, shewing to generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”

Psalm 78:7 also reminds us that we must not “forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.”

The Protestant Reformation is a testimony of how God moved and worked in a wonderful way to bring the Church out of spiritual darkness into light. We remember the Reformation so that we may praise God for His faithfulness and goodness. 

Even before Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the castle door of Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, the Lord was already preparing the way for the Protestant Reformation. Between 1440 and 1450, a man named Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in Strasbourg, France. This transformed the way information was disseminated. It was with this moveable-type printing press that the Gutenberg Bible was published in 1455 – about 180 of them were printed with the Gutenberg printing press. The invention of the printing press aided in the furtherance of the Gospel. Martin Luther’s 95 theses, as well as other articles and books, could be printed and distributed more efficiently than ever before throughout Europe.  

When we consider the men and women God used to do His work in history, we cannot but marvel at God’s wisdom in the unfolding of His will. While God can use anyone to do His work, He was pleased to prepare a former Augustinian monk to stand against the Roman Church. Despite being a devout Catholic, Luther was unable to find peace in his soul until he studied the Scriptures. Upon reading Romans 1:17 “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith”, Luther felt he was “altogether born again.” Luther’s inability and failure to find peace and salvation through works gave him the conviction that the Roman Church was in serious error. The education he received in Erfurt and the discipline instilled in him in the monastery were also part of God’s preparation for the work of the Reformation. 

Apart from Luther, the Lord raised many others such as John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Knox to fan the reformation fire throughout Europe. 

Even when we ponder upon recent history, we cannot but see how God raised the right man at the right time to stand for His truth. Not only have we traced the history and roots of the Singapore B-P movement to the Sixteenth Century Reformation in Europe, but also to the Lord’s leading in bringing the Gospel to Singapore from England, China and America. The Singapore B-P movement is a testimony to God’s faithful and marvellous work. The Lord called Rev Timothy Tow, led him to China and then to America where he caught the vision of a Twentieth Century Reformation.  The Singapore B-P movement was thus born. 

The timing of events, the right man for the task, the preparation of the harvest field – all these attest to God’s marvellous workings in history. When we consider these things we cannot but give all glory to God. 

This is perhaps why one of the five “Solas” of the Reformation is Soli Deo Gloria (Latin for “Glory to God Alone”). The Reformers who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church saw how the Roman Church had robbed God of His glory by her idolatrous worship of Mary and the saints. The Roman Church taught a gospel that was not a gospel of Christ, but of salvation by works. Such robbery of God’s glory can also be seen in the Pope’s self-declaration as the “vicar of Christ”, meaning he stands as the representative of Christ on earth. In contrast, the Reformation gives all glory to God alone where the Holy Spirit was sent by Christ to be His eternal Representative. 

Remember That We Might Learn From the Past

Psalm 78:8 – “And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.”

Another reason why we must remember the Reformation is that we can learn lessons from the past. 

One important lesson which we can learn is that the Devil is constantly seeking to attack Christ and His Gospel. Throughout the centuries, the Devil has never ceased to corrupt and conceal God’s Word. 

When the Devil sought to corrupt the truth of God by introducing falsehoods and false teachings into the Church, God raised faithful men to hold the fort. 

During the Dark Ages, the Devil worked hard to conceal the truth of God from God’s people. The Roman Catholic Church prohibited the possession, reading and study of the Holy Scriptures. People were largely ignorant of the gospel truth and heeded blindly to the superstitious teachings of the Catholic priests and friars.  This was when the Lord used men like William Tyndale to not only diligently study God’s Word but also to translate the Scriptures into the common language of the people so that they too can read God’s Word. 

Today, the Devil uses the method of compromise and confusion. With the rise of the various false movements such as Charismatic, Neo-evangelical and Ecumenical Movements, Christianity today is in a very confused state. 

In the history of the Singapore B-P Church, due to the infiltration of these false movements which led to a state of confusion, not a few B-P churches fell prey to them and aligned themselves with the leading false teachers and preachers. 30 October 1988 marks the day of one of the saddest events in the history of the B-P movement in Singapore – the synod of the B-P Church in Singapore was dissolved.

One of the issues that led to this dissolution was that the Zion-Carmel B-P churches taught that the gift of tongues-speaking had not ceased and that these were “meaningful ecstatic utterances.” Rev Tow wrote a book about Charismatism to combat this erroneous teaching. 

Another issue which led to the dissolution was the doctrine of Biblical Separation. Some B-P churches felt that infiltration was better than separation to influence rebellious professing Christians for Christ. They were sadly wrong. Instead they became influenced. The warnings went unheeded, allowing the spirit of compromise to creep into the church. 

Another major issue which divided these churches was the Bible Versions Debate. There were some B-P churches that promoted the use of modern Bible versions, such as the New International Version, even though these versions were not faithfully translated and were based on corrupted texts. 

Rev Timothy Tow recounted how “the decision was arrived at after much prayerful consideration and discussion over certain protracted issues. These issues centred mainly on strong differences in interpreting the Doctrine of Biblical Separation, Fundamentalism, and Neo-Evangelicalism. Concerted attempts were made during the past two years at reconciliation through personal discussions and formal meetings. Even a moratorium failed to resolve these differences and break the impasse. Dissolution is accepted as the last resort.” 

Another attack came in around 2002, where within the Far Eastern Bible College several lecturers started to question and cast doubts upon the perfect preservation of the Word of God. Thank God that there were several churches that took a firm stand for the preservation of God’s Word. However, there were many others who refused to believe that the Word of God was perfectly preserved by God’s singular care and providence.

These events should serve as a constant reminder of how the Devil will continue to attack God’s Church. Yet, these events in history are also a comfort and an encouragement to us, for we see that the Lord will also raise men to defend His truth. 

Remember For Our Children’s Sake 

Psalm 78:6 – “That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children.”

We have to remember the Reformation because the battle still rages on. Previous generations have fought their battles, but there are still battles to be fought in the present and in the future. If this present generation will not remember its roots, the next generation will soon forget this precious heritage. Remembering the Reformation is to remember and know why we believe what we believe. If this present generation will not remember the Reformation, the next generation will not know how precious the truth is – for there was a time when men and women lived in darkness and blindness, until the light of the Gospel shone into their hearts, and that was during the Reformation. 

In this age of apostasy and unbelief, it is all the more important that we not only carry the flame of the 21^stCentury Reformation, we must also pass the torch of the Reformation to the next generation. Satan will continue to attack God’s Church. Old falsehoods and errors will take on new forms and disguises. There will be new methods and deceptions which Satan will employ to harm us. Remembering the Reformation today will prepare our children for the battles they have to contend for in the future. Amen.