"What Lies Ahead"
Published on Oct 28, 2017
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era.
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In northern and central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice.
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They argued for a religious and political redistribution of power into the hands of Bible.
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The disruption triggered wars, persecutions and the so-called Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church’s delayed but forceful response to the Protestants.
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The key ideas of the Reformation—a call to purify the church and a belief that the Bible, not tradition, should be the sole source of spiritual authority—were not themselves novel. However, Luther and the other reformers became the first to skillfully use the power of the printing press to give their ideas a wide audience.
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5 Pillars
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Roman Catholic Church: Access to God, was through priests, departed saints, holy angels, and the Virgin Mary.
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No more, my God, I boast no more
Of all the duties I have done:
I quit the hopes I held before,
To trust the merits of Thy Son.
The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before Thy throne;
But faith can answer Thy demands,
By pleading what my Lord hath done.
Dr. Isaac Watts.
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Protestantism, as important as it is, was not the goal of the Reformation but rather the result of it. And the Reformation was not the goal Martin Luther had in mind when he nailed his 95 Theses to the church door. The movement that led to religious freedom for millions of people was, rather, merely the result of lifting up Jesus Christ. The result of the belief that salvation is through Christ alone. The result of the belief that no merit from man adds to or takes away from the plan of salvation. The result of the belief that it is Christ alone who changes hearts, Christ alone who relieves guilt, Christ alone who sanctifies lives.
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As Adventists, we must be at the forefront in promoting Protestant principles, of turning away from any hint of hierarchy. We must reject any tendency, individually or corporately, to interject ourselves between an individual and Christ. We must fully understand what it means—in the church—to have a representative form of government. No man has authority over the conscience of another. The power is in the pew. People elect our leaders as servants, not as kings.
The most powerful force on earth is an individual committed to Christ, taking their stand on the word of God, with the freedom of conscience to act and move as God leads daily in their life.
Pastor Dean Coridan
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