Standing True
It was a world-changing event: a lone man voicing his beliefs before church and emperor. Martin Luther had nailed his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg’s church three-and-a-half years previously. There had been confrontations before Cardinal Cajetan in Augsburg. Other meetings or debates had been held at Leipzig. But now, summoned by the Emperor Charles V and excommunicated by his church, Luther stood alone at the Diet of Worms. The date was April 17, 1521.
Begging for time, Luther was given 24 hours to answer questions of life (or death) for him. Arraigned before the church council, faced by Dr Johannes Eck from Ingolstadt, Luther at that fateful time made his famous reply:
“If I cannot be proved wrong by words from Scripture, or by some other clear reason . . . then I am bound by those passages from Scripture I myself have quoted. As long as my conscience is bound by the Word of God, I cannot, and will not recant, because acting against conscience is unsafe and threatens salvation. God help me. Amen.”
For Luther and his followers, Scripture was the explicitly clear Word direct from God, which must be obeyed and followed, even at the cost of life itself.
The Reformation expanded across Europe and by 1525 Ulrich Zwingli, a former priest, had brought the concepts of salvation and justification—that Luther had espoused—to the city of Zurich. While the city fathers accepted this historic biblical position, they were a little slow to continue their search for truth.
In the congregation at Zurich were such Christians as Conrad Grebel, one of the city fathers; George Blaurock, a priest at Chur; Felix Mantz, likewise a priest from Witikon; and another priest Wilhelm Reublin, from Zollikon. These and other Christians rejoiced in their new understanding of salvation in Jesus and the great truths of the Reformation—sola Christus, sola fide, sola Scriptus—by Christ alone, by faith alone and by Scripture alone—were accepted by them.
These and others at Zurich began to study the Scriptures further, seeking to know God’s will for them. To them the issue was clear—if God makes it plain in His Word, we must obey it. The Scriptures were God’s medium of communication with human beings.
As these groups studied Scripture, they came across the words of Jesus, “Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). To them these words were as if God was speaking directly to them. Each of them was baptised as a believer—as an adult. This was strongly opposed by Ulrich Zwingli the pastor and priest of the main church in Zurich. In fact the city fathers under Zwingli’s influence passed an ordinance that prohibited independent Bible-study groups—as well as their opposition to these people who would be rebaptised as a believer—and who felt baptism as children could not qualify as “believers” or people who had faith in Jesus.
For holding such beliefs these people paid dearly, each of them lost their lives, often with torture preceding drowning (their hands and feet bound) in the cold waters of the Limmat River that flowed through the city. Derisively, these people were called Anabaptists, as they were baptised a second time as adult believers. Between 1525 and 1535 some 500 Anabaptists were executed for their faith, even though they demonstrated their belief was based on the Bible!
In the 21st century Western world, people aren’t executed for such reasons. However, the story of Luther and the Anabaptists raises a question for each of us. True, we may not have to pay for our belief in the Scriptures with our lives, but we need to be sure that God’s Word—Scripture—is the basis of our faith. Can we say with confidence of our own beliefs, “Sola Christus, sola fide, sola Scriptus”?
While maligned by many, the words of Scripture have demonstrated over millennia that they are the words of a God far above our intelligence. Prophecies have pinpointed the rise of nations hundreds of years before the events they recount. The words of Jesus today, after nearly 2000 years, still change lives. If people accept the words of Holy Scripture as of divine origin and follow them, stealing decreases, murder decreases, immorality does not flourish, and the quality of life increases.
The Bible shows that the God of the universe has an intense interest in me as a person and loves me; this knowledge brings hope and comfort. It also tells clearly that Jesus Christ died a substitutionary sacrifice for every person, and is coming back soon. That knowledge brings joy to every person who has come to know Him.
When I realise that Scripture will impact my life to such a degree, I’m faced with the question: Do I accept that it is indeed the Word of God for me? If so, then perhaps I need to engage in a deliberate choice to study His Word in a systematic way. If this book we call the Bible is indeed God speaking to me, should I not be reading it more? Many courses are available that can assist in this study. Why should I not make time to investigate these pages more if it deals with my eternal destiny?
Take the Bible yourself, and begin with reading the book of Mark in the New Testament. Let it speak to you about Jesus. Then try Luke and John.
While you may not be called upon to exchange your life for the Scriptures, it could well be that your eternal destiny will hang on how you regard this Word and what you do about it. Why not begin reading just a little a day and experience personally how it brings peace, joy and comfort to you?
| This is an extract from December 2004
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