So what sort of grade does the almost five century history of the Reformation receive? I give it an "I" for incomplete.
Much was accomplished, don't get me wrong. The tyranny of Rome was broken, giving people at least an opportunity to gather in a place that was preaching the unadulterated Gospel. The Scriptures were returned to their rightful place of authority in the Church. The gospel message of justification by faith alone was recovered and without that message there is no Gospel, there is no "Good News" to be declared. The choke-hold Rome held over European nations began to crumble.
On the other hand, we find ourselves in a world where much has not changed all that radically. Modern evangelicalism espouses a deicisonal regeneration model and a "moralistic, therapeutic deism" that smacks of Rome. Even in those corners of evangelicalism where that is not what is preached, we still find ourselves horrible disfigured by our splintering and our endless arguments. We replaced the Roman priesthood with one of our own and adopted the basic structure of Roman worship, replete with liturgies and rituals. Many of the leading Reformers embraced a "magisterial" Reformation that linked the state and the church and left a legacy of wars and a landscape littered with the bodies of Protestants, Catholics and Anabaptists.
So in short, Martin Luther started a great movement but that movement to restore and reform t he Church has been stalled for centuries. We need more bold men like Luther, men who will stand up and call for the Church to be reformed by being conformed to the Scriptures.
3 comments:
Good points, Arthur.
I don't agree with all of them, though.
Liturgies and rituals can be quite helpful to keep the church centered on the work of Christ (what the Reformation was all about).
I belong to a church that practices a formal litugical worship...and we are non-religious.
Meaning that we do NOT put any emphasis or onus on us, the worshipers, as do the vast majority of Christian churches.
Our traditions and liturgy all are centered on the work of Christ for sinners and His Sacraments (pure gospel).
This external Word keeps from internalizing the gospel and constantly looking inward for the assurance of our salvation.
This is truly resting in Christ and His work for us and staying off the religious rat wheel of Christian performance.
Arthur,
A while back I posted about various branches of Protestantism and how far they've come in reforming from Rome toward pure Christianity. You can read about it here:
http://fromthepew.blogspot.com/2009/01/most-reformed-of-all.html
Reformation. Good or, er,
just another religious form.
Incomplete, or another religious diversion from
Jesus being the head of the body the Church.
Religion is the system, NOT the relationship.
Did Jesus reform “the Jewish Sytem” He etablished?
Or did He leave it?
Not only did He leave “The Religious System,”
He called others out of ”The System” with Him.
The “disciples of Christ,” are “the called out one’s,” the ekklesia, the Church.
Jesus is the head of the body
(the ekklesia, the called out one's), the church.
Disciples are “called out of the religious system”
into a relationship with Jesus.
They are “called out of the worlds system”
into the Kingdom of God.
They are "called out of self"
into the body of Christ.
They are “called out of sin”
into righteousness.
They are “called out of bondage”
into liberty.
They are “called out of darkness”
into light.
They are “called out of death”
into life.
Reform means to take one form
and make it different.
It’s still a form, NOT a relationship.
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness...
Peace...
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