Session 14 - History Pt. 2 - The Reformation

Video

First Pause

  • Do you think that the choice of the word reformation – reforming the Church – as opposed to a recreation of the Church, is significant? If so, how?
  • Do you think that Luther’s position as a priest and theologian within the Catholic Church is important? Does it shape how we should understand the beginning of the Reformation?

Second Pause

  • What are some of the issues with the doctrines of purgatory and indulgences? Can you think of any Bible passages that demonstrate this?

Excerpts from Luther’s 95 Theses, discuss:

“Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”

“10. Those priests act ignorantly and wickedly who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penalties for purgatory.”

“28. They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory. 29. It is certain that when money clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased; but when the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone.”

“35. They who teach that contrition is not necessary on the part of those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessional privileges preach unchristian doctrine. 36. Any truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without indulgence letters.”

“52. It is vain to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or even the pope, were to offer his soul as security. 53. They are the enemies of Christ and the pope who forbid altogether the preaching of the Word of God in some churches in order that indulgences may be preached in others.”

  • What do you think of the statement that we are “Justified by Grace through Faith”? Can you think of any Bible verses to evidence this statement?

Third Pause

  • How significant do you think the distribution of the Bible in common languages was to the spread of the Reformation?
  • What do you think of the Reformation idea that, ultimately, the scriptures supersede anything said by a church official?

Final Pause

The Five Solas
Sola ScripturaScripture Alone
Sola FideFaith Alone
Sola GratiaGrace Alone
Solus ChristusChrist Alone
Soli Deo GloriaTo the Glory of God Alone
  • Do you see these Reformation statements about the fundamentals of Christianity reflected explicitly or implicitly in your own Church or Faith? Do you think they’re important, or even correct?
  • How do we deal with disagreements amongst the Reformers, or their mistakes?
  • What ultimately unites the Churches that have gown out of the Reformation?

The Timeline thus far

  • ~70 AD – The Death of the Last Apostle
  • Mid-2nd Century – The Earliest Canons of the New Testament are written
  • 312 AD – Constantine the Great’s “Conversion”
  • 313 AD – Edict of Milan legalises Christianity in the Roman Empire
  • 325 AD – The Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed
  • 354-430 AD – Augustine of Hippo
  • 381 AD – (Not mentioned in video) The Council of Constantinople reaffirms the Nicene Creed and expands it to its modern form (technically now the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed)
  • 405 AD – The Bible is translated from Greek into Latin, known today as the Vulgate Bible (an edited form of which was still used by the Catholic Church until at least 1979)
  • 451 AD – The Council of Chalcedon on the nature(s) of Christ and the breaking away of the Coptic Church
  • 5th Century onwards – The Greek East and the Latin West begin to split ways
  • 8th Century – The Gospel reaches China
  • 1054 AD – Official date of “the Great Schism” which separated the Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) churches.
  • 1225-1274 AD – Thomas Aquinas
  • 1328-1384 AD – John Wytcliffe
  • 1369-1415 AD – Jan Hus
  • 1453 AD – Constantinople Falls
  • 1483-1546 AD – Martin Luther
  • 1496-1536 AD – William Tyndale
  • 1509-1564 AD – John Calvin
  • 1517 AD – Luther nails the 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg, beginning the Reformation
  • 1521 AD – Luther is Excommunicated
  • 1526 AD – Tyndale's Bible
  • 1557 AD – Geneva Bible (New Testament only, full bible published in 1560 AD)

Resources

University of Kent Christian Union