Greetings in the Lord. It is my pleasure to offer this series in hopes that your soul may be edified by looking into the various characters and historical accounts of the Reformation. It is intended to be a basic series covering the most important common aspects of the Reformation, but also including a few that are uncommon. I pray that God will make His Church aware of the greatest revival of religion next to the coming of our Lord Jesus, the 16th century Reformation. May this series draw you closer to the Savior. Amen. Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This particular series is the history of the Reformation, an overview, a Reformation overview, on the events that surround the Reformation in general, some common and some uncommon, but in any case I hope that this particular series is as much a blessing to you as it was to me in studying throughout the course of church history this particular sliver that seems to weigh so heavy upon those who hold a Reformed and Calvinistic viewpoint. I believe that in looking at history we are able to see the progression of what God was doing in reviving his word among his people. I want to begin first with dealing with a basic preface in talking about what history is and how this Reformation history series may be beneficial to anyone who desires to know more about the revival of religion. History cannot be documented simply as chronological events, but rather the intrusion of God into time to establish his redemptive purposes in and through men. Two epochs in the Spirit's work point to the greatest revolutions ever documented. The entrance of the Lord of Glory and the fullness of time in the little town of Bethlehem, and the era of the Reformation breaking out of a reign of eclipsing doctrinal darkness and superstition. Christ brought forth the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the performers rescued the gospel from drowning in a sea of ecclesiastical expedience. Since the gospel writers, inspired as they were, have given an account of the life of Christ in the early church, We want to set forth in this particular series a sound history of the Reformation. Since the Gospel writers, inspired as they were, have given an accurate account of the life of Christ in the early church, my desire is to give an overview, a Reformation overview, that may be somewhat complete, but something that does not bog the reader down in some of the thick, multi, or large-volume history of the Christian Church. It takes a lot of work to read through Dauben's five-volume set, or to read through Schaff's eight-volume set. Church history is packed with information, but this particular series is going to be an overview. something that's going to help you see some of the intricacies, the main characters, some lesser known characters that you might not be aware of, and what God did all through the history of the Reformation to bring forth his glorious word and to exalt Jesus Christ in the midst of darkness. Now, God does not intrude into time to arrange events, but he comes in to bring revolutions that cover over the face of the earth. Revolutions accompany two key aspects seen in historiography, the invisible hand of God, and the actions of men used in the milieu of secondary causes. For the historian to accurately document redemptive history, or history at all, these two considerations must be taken into account. Though God has his providential hand in the affairs of Alexander the Great as well as the Apostle Paul, the greater question that should concern the historian surrounds the remedy of the fallen soul and the depraved man. To document history is to set one's historical eye upon the gospel of Christ and its effect on the world. This particular overview is going to give an account of the Reformation and demonstrate the continuation of God's hand in the furtherance of the gospel. The outward transformation of Christianity into Romanism in both its ministers and worship can be likened to the Greco-Roman world conquered by the Caesars. Though the greatest event in the history of the world took place within the Roman culture, which was the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, it appears that this same culture, harnessed by the unregenerate who thirst for power over a period of about 1500 years, would come crashing in upon the structure of the church to renovate it to its ancient and bygone secular counterpart, the papacy. The papacy progressively utilized the tactics of Roman warfare, subtly disguised them as spiritual guidance to affect not only the parishioners under their power, but the princes and kings who opted for their support. Christianity, under Popery's aberrations, turned from serving men by the gospel to ruling men by it. The copied secular realms of political forms and associations strengthened these men to overturn the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ into a religious political power. The greatest weapon utilized in this modification was the channel of the means of grace through the hierarchy of the priests, the cardinals, and popes, without which no one, not a peasant or a prince, could attain favor with God without the permission of the Roman Church. In their use of the Latin Vulgate sealed their ability to hide the gospel from the greater portion of unlearned mankind. Instead of nourishing the priesthood of believers, the Roman pontiff set himself as the head of the church and the vicar of Christ on earth, destroying the equality of believers in Christ. No nation remained unaffected by this counterfeit makeover. Now, true Christianity had declared grace through faith. And the papacy molded ecclesiastical grace, in their own image, over the oppressed people of the Catholic Church. Popery turned salvation into works made by men. Many of you are probably familiar with Pelagius. The British monk Pelagius threw the church into disarray by his errors, exemplifying the highest regard for such a system. Faith made a mere submission to authority through acts of penance, rather than the transforming grace of Christ by his work through the instrumental power of the Spirit. The Reformation would bring back justification by faith alone, where the Popes had set up a capitalistic endeavor to make faith something to be bought and achieved by works. The indulgence rapidly affected the superstitious that had already been familiar to a submission to their will under the vicar of Christ on earth. The clergy had become the conduit by which the grace of God, or the favor of the Popes, was to be dispensed. the works of bygone saints, even the supererogatory merits of Jesus Christ could be bought for a price in order to secure the salvation of the buyer or to aid in the release of those already captive to the purging of sin and purgatory. So financial advantage to the Roman Church didn't go unnoticed and purgatory became one of the teach doctrines to validate indulgences in the 13th century, and to furnish the livelihood of the Pope. The Reformation brought man face-to-face with God, rather than having paupery interpose the Church between God and man. Paupery separates men from God, and hides the Gospel from them. Where the Reformation, through the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, in justification by faith alone, will unite men to God. Now, the tyrannical suppression of biblical Christianity led the clergy of the Roman church to become spiritual apprentices of the physical and moral corruption of absolute power. The church had given itself over to a man-centered religion filled with relics, indulgences, and moral debauchery. Priests not only took advantage of the financial gain bound up in spiritual whoredom of potpourri, but engaged in illicit relationships with women that they even sustained, with new children from those women on tithes and offerings from the people under this immoral oppression. So they were using indulgences to fuel their own selfish desires. Consequently, their theological prowess was that of Bunyan's ignorance. Such a state within the church cried out in silence for the Reformation. The powerful inducement of a sold indulgence propagated the spiritual evils in the lives of the people. They depended on the clergy for these indulgences, believing that they were partaking in the welfare of their own souls. This caused those who sold them to make the wares, these indulgences, as attractive as they could in seducing people to buy such counterfeit graces and spiritual ignorance. Erasmus relates the disposition of the clergy in relation to propagating sexual sin. In one year, 11,000 priests presented themselves before him in order to partake in the regular tax they could pay to the church for sleeping with women. They also paid this tax for any children that they may have had as a result of the union, while simultaneously abiding by their vow of celibacy. Such an intricate web of corruption sustained these acts of immorality, since Christ was portrayed by the priest as a cruel judge. ready to condemn all to hell unless they partook of indulgences and penance. It is impossible that Christianity would ever be ultimately overthrown, for that would quench the decrees of God, something even more impossible to accomplish. Above and beyond the devices of corrupt men, even within the man-made midst of superstition, ignorance and the corruption of moral virtues exemplified by the clergy of Rome, The true gospel of Jesus Christ remained. In the process of time, God's providences manifested the practical outworking of a revival by setting the stage of gospel proclamation within the now political Church of Rome. Political turmoil and power struggles eclipsed the spiritual nature of the Roman Church. God's stratagem in preparation for Reformation permeated three spheres of life, the political, the ecclesiastical, and the literary. Though all of these, especially the literary world, were used for the transformation of the entire world through the Reformation, one small seed was planted as a catalyst for the spark of the Reformation to take place. The Elector Frederick of Saxony surnamed Frederick the Wise. He had immense influence, great wealth, and exercised both with liberality above any other before him. This gained him favor in every court with commoners, clergy, and the nation's politics. Frederick was also personally moved by the power of the word of God. In response, he placed a high value on good preaching from God's word. He was the prince that God would use to raise the reformer, Martin Luther, and spark the reformation of the church. as well as secure the protection of the movement as it unfolded under his wise rule. The state of Europe at the beginning of the 16th century varied from country to country because of ecclesiastical and political ramifications. The reception of the gospel in each of the countries surrounding the central locale of the country Germany and the uprising of the reformation from Germany fluctuated based on conditions peculiar to each nation and its economic system. For example, the intellectual and spiritual life of the Middle Ages had flourished readily in France and heightened its sensitivity to the Reformation. Bernard had taught piety and Abelard heightened theological study through the rational principle. The University of Paris stood up against the Church and had no fear in its opposition to her. Like France, every country in its own providence was primed for revival. Germany was more fine-tuned than the other countries before the reformers slowly engaged the scene. Germany was a confederate-based country and the revival about to embark could have been more popular in one side of the country or one confederacy over another. It was more probable that in such a confederacy the Reformation would not be quenched as if the country was based on a dictatorship or monarchy such as England. The university structure that arose within the free cities of each confederacy allowed the accessibility of information to become a free-flowing conduit to the people. Because the country was being molded in many ways to begin thinking, rather than simply a slave to superstition, it was likely that the Reformation would not be quenched in such an environment. The preparations of the Reformation were expensive. in contrast to the new religious additions made by the last two popes to the Catholic doctrine. God raised up men to attest to the truth of his word encountered to the Catholic superstition prominent to the day. Pierre Valdo, John Wycliffe, John Huss, a monk named Arnoldi, and Jerome Savonarola were some of these Reformation precursors. There were more and more sparks of light attesting to the truth as the Reformation drew near though Luther would actually bring the torch. In a primitive manner, the Reformation existed quite some time before the formal Reformation of the Church exploded in the hands of Luther. John of Gauch extolled the virtue of Christian liberty as the essence of every virtue. He even said that the prevailing doctrines within the Catholic Church were in fact Pelagianism reborn, even denouncing Thomas Aquinas as the Prince of Error. John Wessel taught justification by faith alone. And Luther says that he wished he had read this man's works sooner than he did, for it would have helped him greatly in his endeavors for understanding the truth. Well, just before the time that Luther was put in motion by God's providence and was in the midst of his own transformation, men like Nicholas Cuss were preaching openly against the Pope. And John Hilton wrote vigorously against the abuses of monastic life. Hilton exasperated his fellow Franciscan monks to the point that they threw him into prison. And Andrew Prolis, an Augustinian provincial leader, of which would have authority over Luther, who would become an Augustinian monk, prophesied that Reformation was just around the corner and that it was already approaching. The scholastics and the theologians of the church were working in their own individual spheres to providently set the stage for the reformation that would soon take place under the torch of Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin. Even the poet Dante said that faith renders us citizens of heaven, which was the same message the reformers would soon shout from the rooftops. Later, Laurentius Valla applied scholastic study to the Roman Church in a more critical method. Men of great thinking arose to define a new way in which the church would approach academics, such as Rudolf Agricola in Italy, Wessel and Ruslan. Ruslan was an academic genius of sorts. At 20 he was teaching Greek and later he was invited to teach at the University in Tübingen. He was known as one of the best orators of France and Italy. He spent considerable time learning Greek and Hebrew, and spent his money on acquiring the best text to study, which is something that all Christians should do. He wrote a Latin dictionary, a Greek grammar, translated and commented on the penitential Psalms, corrected the Vulgate, and was the first to publish a Hebrew grammar and dictionary. Ruslan's practical claim to fame was in teaching Schwarzard, his cousin, whom he named later Melanchthon. Melanchthon would later befriend Luther and be used mightily in the cause for the Lutheran Reformation. Ruslan came under attack when Cologne's Flanders, Peppercorn, and Hostreton rose up to choose out of his writings certain passages to pervert their meaning in order to overthrow or simply retaliate against his decision to give the Jews their books back. These books had been collected with the intention of having them burned and instead Ruslan thought it would be better to have theologians taught Hebrew in order to wrestle academically with the Jews than by force simply to burn their books. Erasmus of Rotterdam was probably the most prominent precursor of the Reformation. He pursued his studies though he lived in extreme poverty after his mother died. He was attentive of the ancients and his study placed him above the contemporaries of his day. His influence on the Reformation was varied. He was no reformer and could never become one based on his attachment to Rome. However, his sarcasms were strewn into every theological circle of his day. He wrote against the monks, the clergy, the schoolmen, and yet still coupled his sarcasm in the teachings of science, philosophy, and language, particularly of Greek and Latin. He spoke out against the church regulations of dress, fasting, feast days, vows, marriage, and even confession. Though he saw these abuses, he did not see them through the spectacles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This, said Luther, demonstrates that he does not know how to teach the truth, though he may be very capable at exposing error. In any case, his main maxim was, give light and darkness will disappear of itself. However, this is only half the battle. For when the wicked rise up to take the light from Erasmus' hand, his courage failed him. He was grounded in his flesh rather than in the spirit of the Lord. Through the pen of Erasmus, aided the cause of the preparation for the Reformation, when it actually came upon him and overwhelmed the world, Erasmus did not take kindly to it. He was confused as to the direction he should take, whether to go with the Reformation or stay with Rome. His diatribe, though, sets him in the camp of those opposed to the light. Yes, as some say, Erasmus laid the egg of the Reformation, so to speak, but as the saying goes, it was Luther who hatched it, and it bears the testimony to the torch of the truth. Now, as much as we have seen so far that God raised up monks, schoolmen, and clergy to fight for the truth, So we must also look towards the nobles and the knights and the warriors for regenerated men who love the truth of Christ. There were various small reformations going on in the midst of the nobles as much as the schoolmen. Ulrich of Huten was the link that united the knights and the schoolmen. Not only was he famous as advancing himself with the sword, but also by his writings. Though he was set aside to be a monk, he ran away at age 16 to the University of Cologne. in order to study literature and poetry. He wrote against the papal court and its corruptions, and consequently was sought by the Inquisition. He desired the protection of Charles V, who at the time was in opposition to the Pope. He took refuge in the castle of Urbanburg, where he sought a phylum, and here he wrote to the nobles of his country in order to take up arms for the Reformation and for the Gospel. The same fervor may be seen in Francis of Sycongen, a friend of Hewton. He was a genuine adversary of Rome, loved the word of God, and a study of the schoolmen. Many reformers took refuge in the castle of Sycongen, men such as Hewton himself, Bucer, Aquila, Schwebel, and Ocolimpedius. Even at that time, Ocolimpedius had the honorable duty of preaching in the castle each day. He declared war against the Archbishop of Treves, but wound up mortally wounded. Another knight, Hermit of Kronberg, was a friend to both Huton and Sycongen, and had a profound knowledge and love of the truth. He wrote letters to Leo X, exhorting him to allow the Emperor his rightful power over the land, and even explain the Gospel to him in those letters. In each of these instances, and more, foundations for the Reformation were laid. These did not advance the Reformation, for that task would be given to the monk, Martin Luther, and the generational reformers that would follow. However, though these nobles and other scholastics laid a simple foundation, it is by God's providence that they helped in setting the stage for Luther to arise. In the next lesson, we'll look at Martin Luther. This Reformation audio track is a production of Stillwater's Revival Books. SWRB makes thousands of classic Reformation resources available, free and for sale, in audio, video, and printed formats. Our many free resources, as well as our complete mail-order catalog, containing thousands of classic and contemporary Puritan and Reform books, tapes, and videos at great discounts, is on the web at www.swrb.com. We can also be reached by email. by phone at 780-450-3730, by fax at 780-468-1096, or by mail at 4710-37A Edmonton, that's E-D-M-O-N-T-O-N, Alberta, abbreviated capital A, capital B, Canada, T6L, 3T5. You may also request a free printed catalog. And remember that John Calvin, in defending the Reformation's regulative principle of worship, or what is sometimes called the scriptural law of worship, commenting on the words of God, which I commanded them not, neither came into my heart. From his commentary on Jeremiah 731, writes, God here cuts off from men every occasion for making evasions, since He condemns by this one phrase, I have not commanded them, whatever the Jews devised. There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions than that they are not commanded by God. For when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies, and attend not to His commands, they pervert true religion. And if this principle was adopted by the papists, all those fictitious modes of worship in which they absurdly exercise themselves would fall to the ground. It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God by performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them, as it is well known, and as it manifestly appears. Were they to admit this principle, that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying His word, they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The Prophet's words, then, are very important, when he says that God had commanded no such thing, and that it never came to his mind, as though he had said that men assume too much wisdom when they devise what he never required, nay, what he never knew.