Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001472A
01:30 ♪[Theme music]♪
01:40 ♪[Theme music]♪ 01:49 >>John: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 01:52 Welcome to 500. 01:54 ♪[Music]♪ 02:05 ♪[Music]♪ 02:11 Five hundred years ago the world was a very different place. 02:16 There weren't any cars, or airplanes. 02:19 No trains. 02:19 No buses. 02:20 No computers. 02:22 There was no radio, 02:23 no television, 02:24 no internet. 02:25 There was no plastic, 02:26 no cardboard, 02:28 no United States. 02:29 There was no Taj Mahal. 02:31 There was no junk food, 02:32 no x-rays, 02:33 no antibiotics, 02:34 no vaccines. 02:35 There was no anesthetic. 02:37 Smoking was virtually unknown. 02:39 No GMOs, 02:40 no cameras, no newspapers... 02:42 It was a different world. 02:45 Now think about this. 02:47 There was no Baptist Church 500 years ago. 02:50 No Pentecostal Church. 02:52 There were no Presbyterians, no Methodists, 02:54 no Seventh-day Adventists, 02:55 no Church of England (or Episcopal Church). 02:58 In fact, there was only one Church. 03:02 Then, as now, it was led by a pope. 03:06 The popes 500 years ago were men like Leo the 10th, 03:10 Adrian the 6th, 03:12 Clement the 7th, 03:13 Paul the 3rd, 03:14 Julius the 3rd 03:15 and Marcellus the 2nd. 03:18 And they weren't only leaders of the church, 03:21 but they were also immensely powerful political figures. 03:25 Or, to put it another way, 03:27 500 years ago there was no religious freedom. 03:31 You could attend church, listen to the priest, 03:33 maybe hear the organ music, 03:35 but you couldn't believe what you wanted to believe. 03:38 And you definitely couldn't read a Bible. 03:41 You believed what the church told you to believe. 03:44 And if you dared to do otherwise, well, 03:47 life was difficult at best. 03:50 Now, down through the ages there were those who dissented, 03:53 but they existed in the shadows. 03:55 It was only a tiny minority that dared to stand up against 03:59 the might of the Church. 04:01 ♪[Music]♪ 04:06 Five hundred years ago it was tough 04:08 if you didn't agree with the church. 04:11 If you wanted to believe what you believed, 04:13 you either had to be very secretive about it, 04:16 or run the risk of being uncovered, 04:18 persecuted, 04:20 and more than likely killed. 04:23 If you value religious freedom today, 04:25 the freedom to belong to the church you want 04:28 and to believe what you believe, 04:30 or even the freedom to belong to no church 04:32 and believe there is no God, 04:35 then consider that a few centuries ago 04:37 that freedom didn't exist. 04:43 But all that would change. 04:45 In 1517, on October the 31st, 04:48 a priest in a small town in Germany 04:52 changed western civilization, 04:55 and risked his life by defying the power of the ruling church. 05:01 His contribution to history was so immense that 05:04 Time Magazine ranked him fourth on the list of the Greatest Men 05:08 of the Millennium. 05:10 Looking at those ranked above him, 05:11 it's easy to think he should have been ranked number one. 05:17 Five hundred years ago, 05:18 the Protestant Reformation began when a young priest 05:22 turned academic by the name of Dr. Martin Luther 05:26 nailed a list of protests to the door of this church 05:30 in Wittenberg, Germany. 05:31 When he did so, he didn't realize 05:33 he was about to set history on fire. 05:36 He had no intention of starting a new church. 05:39 All Martin Luther wanted to see was his church 05:41 come closer to the Bible. 05:44 He was calling for reform. 05:48 Bound up in the genesis of the Protestant Reformation, 05:51 several very important questions. 05:53 To begin with, 05:54 how important is it that a person have that right 05:59 to determine for himself or herself what to believe? 06:04 Five hundred years ago, 06:05 you believed what the church told you to believe. 06:08 Beyond that, you didn't have much of anything. 06:11 How important is it that you choose for yourself 06:13 what you think and what you believe? 06:17 Second, when it comes to what you believe, 06:19 think about that question that Pilate asked Jesus 06:22 the night before Jesus was crucified. 06:24 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” 06:29 Today you'll hear that people have their truth. 06:32 I have my truth. 06:33 You have your truth. 06:35 What is truth? 06:36 And how do you decide? 06:38 Is truth subject to a vote? 06:41 Should there be a, a court of ideas? 06:44 How do you decide? 06:46 Is there a standard by which ideas or truths 06:51 can be objectively judged? 06:55 And what's truth worth? 06:57 What is the freedom to believe actually worth? 07:02 How far do you press this? 07:05 When is it worth being a troubler of the people? 07:09 And is there ever a time that the freedom to believe your own 07:14 ideas is something that's actually worth dying for? 07:19 ♪[Music]♪ 07:22 Now, when you think of a person's 07:24 deeply held personal beliefs, 07:27 you could dismiss that as just ideas, theories. 07:32 But what we know is that a person's 07:34 deeply held personal beliefs provide the framework 07:38 for that person's entire life, 07:40 and they certainly form that person's faith. 07:44 In looking at the Protestant Reformation, 07:46 it's important that you go back and consider 07:48 the foundation of Christianity altogether. 07:52 Reform today typically means new ideas, 07:56 whether you're dealing with political, cultural, 07:58 social, or religious reform. 08:00 It's about finding something new, whatever's next. 08:04 But not the way God sees it. 08:06 As God looks at reform, typically He calls us back. 08:09 He calls us back to old ideas, 08:13 to things that he has established already. 08:17 Speaking for God, the prophet Jeremiah said this: 08:20 “Thus says the Lord, Stand in the ways and see, 08:24 and ask for the old paths, 08:26 where the good way is, and walk in it; 08:29 then you shall find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16). 08:35 The Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, 08:38 form the basis of the early Christian church. 08:42 The Apostle Paul, writing to young Timothy said that 08:44 “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, 08:47 and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 08:51 and for instruction in righteousness.” 08:53 That's Second Timothy 3 and verse 16. 08:56 The consuming passion of the early Christians, 08:59 the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus 09:02 for the salvation of humanity, 09:04 was said by Paul to rest upon the Scriptures: 09:08 “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 09:12 that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 09:17 And that He was buried, 09:18 and that He rose again the third day 09:21 according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3 and 4). 09:25 The New Testament teaching of justification by faith, 09:29 a central focus of the Protestant Reformation, 09:32 is also said by Paul to rest upon scripture. 09:35 Listen to what he said in Romans, chapter 1, verses 16-17 09:40 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, 09:44 for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone 09:48 who believes, 09:49 for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 09:54 For in it the righteousness of God 09:56 is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 10:00 ‘The just shall live by faith'” (Romans 1:16 and 17). 10:06 What was clear to the founders of the Christian religion 10:09 is that the message they shared was the Word of the eternal God. 10:14 “When you received the word of God which you heard from us, 10:17 you welcomed it not as the word of men, 10:20 but as it is in truth, the word of God, 10:24 which also effectively works in you who believe” 10:28 (First Thessalonians 2:13). 10:30 When certain individuals got it in their heads 10:33 that the church had to be reformed, 10:35 and when they chose to put their lives on the line 10:37 to see that it happened, 10:39 things were going to get exciting. 10:43 I'll be back with more in just a moment. 10:45 ♪[Music]♪ 10:53 [Sound of wolves] 10:57 ♪[Music]♪ 11:05 [Camera equipment rattling] 11:08 [Rustling in grass] 11:11 [People talking] 11:13 [Wind Gusts] 11:18 ♪[Music]♪ 11:28 ♪[Music]♪ 11:37 [Cheering] 11:48 ♪[Music]♪ 12:02 >>John: This is It Is Written, I'm John Bradshaw. 12:05 Thanks for joining me for 500. 12:09 Now, think of some of the great reform movements of history. 12:12 The Civil Rights movement in the United States. 12:15 Lunch counter sit-ins. 12:16 Bus boycotts. 12:18 Protest marches. 12:19 Where would the United States be today 12:21 without those heroes who stood up boldly and demanded reform? 12:26 Many lost their lives. 12:29 Was it worth it? 12:32 The fall of European communism in the early 1990s. 12:35 Starting with Lech Walesa and the Solidarity Movement, 12:39 and desperate East Germans 12:41 who wanted to see the Berlin Wall come down, 12:44 and Czechs who protested in Wenceslas Square. 12:49 Was that worth it? 12:51 The Boston Tea Party in 1773. 12:54 Of course the list goes on. 12:56 Sometimes protest is absolutely essential. 13:01 A protest about taxation without representation? 13:04 Yeah, that's important. 13:05 Your country is occupied? 13:07 Well, that's important too. 13:08 You don't like your system of government; 13:11 you feel like you're being oppressed. 13:13 Well, most of us can only imagine. 13:15 But the Protestant Reformation was 13:18 on an altogether different level. 13:20 ♪[Music]♪ 13:25 Christianity began with people such as Peter and James 13:29 and John and Paul and Silas and Timothy, 13:32 carrying forward the message of the gospel. 13:35 But after a few centuries, 13:36 that message began to get clouded. 13:39 When the Roman Empire officially accepted Christianity 13:42 and called off its persecution of the church, 13:45 faith in Jesus became popular. 13:47 Unfortunately, it also became corrupt. 13:52 Jesus had warned His disciples, 13:53 saying to them in Luke 6 and verse 26, 13:55 “Woe unto you when all men speak well of you.” 14:00 Instead of the Bible deciding what Christians should believe, 14:04 church councils and bishops, 14:06 even Roman emperors like Constantine, 14:08 began making these decisions. 14:10 Now, of course, not all of those decisions were bad. 14:13 But more and more these human judgments 14:15 began subverting the authority of the Bible. 14:19 Church tradition began to hold veto power over scripture. 14:23 Jesus' words regarding the Pharisees of His day 14:27 began to hold more and more relevance. 14:29 “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines 14:33 the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). 14:37 In the centuries that followed the so-called 14:39 conversion of Constantine, 14:41 this reliance on human ideas and human traditions 14:44 became more and more pronounced. 14:47 Those who wanted to follow the Bible 14:48 were forced to go underground. 14:51 ♪[Music]♪ 14:54 The Vatican became more and more powerful, 14:57 effectively governing the lives and the souls 15:00 and the political institutions of Europe. 15:04 No pope was more powerful than Pope Innocent the Third, 15:07 who reigned from 1198 to 1216, 15:10 a period that's been referred to as the 15:12 “high noon” of the papacy. 15:15 A leading Protestant historian, J.A. Wylie, wrote that 15:18 “the noon of the papacy was the midnight of the world.” 15:23 Innocent the Third was able to compel the monarchs of Europe 15:26 to do his will. 15:28 At times he deposed those who would not. 15:31 ♪[Music]♪ 15:35 One weapon that the church had in its arsenal 15:37 was something known as interdict. 15:40 A territory that was censured with an interdict 15:43 was made to believe that the priests 15:45 would not hear confession, 15:47 prayers would not be offered for the dead, 15:49 and the sacraments of the church would not be dispensed. 15:52 Now, for anybody who actually believed that the pope 15:55 held the keys to God's kingdom, this was absolutely terrifying. 16:00 They were effectively shut out from the grace of God. 16:04 Now this mindset that had existed for hundreds of years 16:07 and which greeted the Protestant reformers 16:10 at the beginning of the sixteenth century 16:12 ♪[Music]♪ 16:13 John Wycliffe, the English scholar 16:15 who translated the Latin Bible into English in the 1300s, 16:19 is often called the “morning star of the Reformation.” 16:23 Wycliffe spoke against what he saw as the inaccuracies 16:27 of the state church. 16:28 Church leaders in Rome summoned him to stand trial, 16:32 intending to end his life. 16:34 He got sick and died before he could be tried, 16:36 but Wycliffe's work was done. 16:40 But such was the animosity of the church towards him 16:42 that his body was exhumed, and it was burned, 16:47 and his ashes were dumped in a river. 16:52 Wycliffe's teachings were carried forward 16:54 by a Bohemian priest named John Huss. 16:58 The church summoned Huss to a council in Constance, Germany, 17:02 and promised him protection. 17:04 Huss arrived in Constance and was arrested, 17:07 thrown into a horrible prison, sentenced to death, 17:11 and was then burned at the stake. 17:14 But as one historian wrote, 17:16 “The blood of the martyrs was seed.” 17:18 The persecution the Reformers suffered 17:22 only seemed to further their cause. 17:25 And the need for reform seemed obvious. 17:28 The luxury and the depravity indulged in by church leaders 17:31 was breathtaking. 17:33 It's no secret that there were popes 17:34 who fathered illegitimate children. 17:36 Church offices were bought and sold, 17:40 and the luxurious lifestyle of church leaders 17:42 was out of sync with the self-denial of Jesus. 17:45 Speaking of the corruption of that time, 17:47 one historian wrote that 17:49 “the advance of the Turks 17:50 since the fall of Constantinople in 1453 17:54 was generally considered to have been allowed by God 17:57 in punishment for the sins of the Church.” 18:02 The Christian church was certainly ready for a change. 18:06 But how would that change come about? 18:08 We'll find out in just a moment. 18:10 ♪[Music]♪ 18:18 >>Announcer: In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, 18:21 "It is written, 18:22 'Man shall not live by bead alone, 18:24 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 18:27 "Every Word" 18:28 is a one-minute, Bible-based daily devotional 18:31 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw, 18:33 and designed especially for busy people like you. 18:36 Look for Every Word on selected networks, 18:39 or watch it online every day on our website, 18:41 ItIsWritten.com. 18:43 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 18:45 Watch “Every Word.” 18:47 You'll be glad you did. 18:48 Here's a sample. 18:51 ♪[Music]♪ 18:55 >>John: After he was arrested, 18:57 a New York man confessed to 6 burglaries, 19:00 in the borough of Queens. 19:01 He broke into churches and stole from them. 19:03 He said he did it because “I'm mad at God. 19:06 I don't like church anymore. I break in to get back at God.” 19:10 Get back at God? 19:11 After all God has done for you; 19:13 brought you into existence, 19:14 sustained you, 19:15 gave you opportunity, 19:16 and promised you everlasting life, 19:18 in a world where there's no sin, 19:20 disappointment, or broken dreams. 19:22 You can't get back at God. 19:24 If you want to get back at anyone that'll be the devil who 19:26 is responsible for every ounce of misery that has ever existed. 19:31 Jesus said in John 5 verse 40: 19:33 “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” 19:36 If you want to right wrongs, come to faith in Christ. 19:40 Staying away from God only plays into the devil's hands. 19:44 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 19:46 Let's live today by every word. 19:48 ♪[Music]♪ 19:51 ♪[Music]♪ 19:54 One hundred years after the death of Huss, 19:57 a young German priest by the name of Martin Luther 20:01 found himself in the city of Rome, 20:04 seeking to earn God's favor 20:06 by climbing on his knees up Pilate's Staircase. 20:10 The church claimed that Jesus Himself 20:12 had walked on that staircase, 20:14 and that it had been miraculously 20:16 transported from Jerusalem to Rome. 20:19 While performing this act, Luther seemed to hear a voice 20:23 as loud as thunder, 20:25 declaring in his ear the gospel truth articulated by 20:28 both Testaments of the Sacred Word: 20:31 “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17; 20:34 Habakkuk: 2, verse 4). 20:38 So why was Luther walking up a staircase on his knees? 20:41 Because Luther believed that climbing those steps 20:46 would earn favor with God. 20:49 And why did Luther believe that? 20:51 Because that's what the church taught. 20:54 ♪[Music]♪ 20:55 [Birds chirping] 20:58 The church taught that you could reduce your punishment for sin, 21:02 that you could lessen the “temporal effects of sin” 21:05 by doing things such as attending a certain church 21:09 on a certain day, 21:10 honoring the “blessed sacrament,” 21:12 praying the rosary, 21:14 or climbing the Scala Sancta, 21:16 Pilate's Staircase, on your knees. 21:19 In fact, the church still believes this. 21:23 Here's what the church says about indulgences. 21:26 "An indulgence is a remission before God 21:29 of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt 21:34 has already been forgiven, 21:36 which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains 21:40 under certain prescribed conditions 21:43 through the action of the Church which, 21:45 as the minister of redemption, 21:48 dispenses and applies with authority 21:51 the treasury of the satisfactions 21:53 of Christ and the saints.” 21:56 So you can understand why Luther felt he had to do something. 21:59 The church was teaching salvation by works. 22:03 In fact, indulgences were sold for money. 22:07 Money was raised for the building of St Peter's Basilica 22:10 through the selling of indulgences. 22:12 This was Luther's reality. 22:15 Of course he had to protest. 22:17 ♪[Music]♪ 22:20 That moment at Pilate's Staircase proved to be 22:22 the turning point in Martin Luther's experience. 22:25 With that voice still ringing in his heart, 22:28 he sprang to his feet and fled from the place 22:32 in shame and horror. 22:33 ♪[Music]♪ 22:34 Luther's zeal would spark a fire 22:36 that spread throughout Europe and beyond. 22:39 From John Calvin's Geneva to William Tyndale's England, 22:43 from France to Scandinavia and the Netherlands, 22:46 and then to Plymouth Rock on an unknown 22:48 and distant shore, 22:50 the message of supreme biblical authority, 22:52 justification through faith in Christ, 22:55 and a conscience set free from civil 22:57 and ecclesiastical control, 22:59 would inspire millions of hearts and alter the course 23:03 of human events. 23:05 [Birds singing] 23:10 Luther and others would also teach 23:12 the principle of Sola Scriptura, the Bible alone. 23:17 The Reformers believed that any teaching should be subjected 23:20 to the ultimate authority: God's Word. 23:23 Now, 500 years later, 23:25 in much of Christianity, 23:26 we simply take that for granted. 23:29 But five hundred years ago? 23:31 No way. 23:32 That's not the way the church was run. 23:35 Now, of course, the Reformers were human, 23:38 and human beings are faulty. 23:41 Martin Luther certainly had his faults. 23:43 But we must keep in mind that the Reformers 23:46 came to the Bible a lot like an archaeologist 23:49 comes to an artifact. 23:50 It was new to them. 23:52 They had to wrestle with the Bible 23:54 and work some things out. 23:55 They didn't have the benefit of hundreds of years 23:57 of scholarship having gone before them. 24:00 Now the truth is, 24:01 we inherit a lot of what we believe by the people 24:05 who've gone before us and done the heavy lifting. 24:07 Which is fine, as long as what we receive from 24:11 those who have gone before us is true. 24:14 In all cases, 24:15 it's important that we go to the Bible and find out. 24:18 ♪[Music]♪ 24:21 With the translation of the Bible by Luther 24:23 and Tyndale and others, 24:24 into German and English 24:27 and French and Polish and Czech, 24:29 and with the advent of the printing press, 24:31 the common people soon had access to God's word. 24:35 And when the Bible was put in the hands of Bible students 24:38 hungry for Scripture, 24:40 the church and the world could never be the same again. 24:44 ♪[Music]♪ 24:48 The church of Rome wasn't about to quietly tolerate an attack 24:52 on what they genuinely believed was their God-given right 24:55 to direct the minds and hearts of men and women, 24:59 to compel them in faith in God, 25:01 and to correct them when they fell into error. 25:04 The Counter-Reformation would see Rome fight back, forcefully, 25:10 creatively, and not always obviously. 25:13 ♪[Music]♪ 25:14 So what does a church do when its authority is threatened, 25:17 along with its hold on the minds of the people 25:20 of the western world? 25:22 In Europe, there was a lot of bloodshed. 25:25 Protestants were burned at the stake. 25:28 Thousands died in the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre 25:31 in France in 1572. 25:32 And anything resembling toleration disappeared. 25:37 More than 200,000 fled France. 25:42 The first foreigners to reach what would become 25:44 the United States of America 25:46 were Protestants of English descent. 25:48 But even then there would be growing pains. 25:51 The Puritans of New England believed that religious freedom 25:55 applied to you only if you lived and believed 25:58 and worshipped as they did. 26:01 But then along came Roger Williams, 26:03 who introduced the concept of religious liberty for all. 26:08 And then the truth would go marching on. 26:11 Through men like Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich 26:14 and John Wesley and his brother Charles in England. 26:17 Through Philip Melanchthon and Thomas Cranmer 26:20 and Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley 26:21 and Theodore Beza and John Knox in Scotland 26:24 and Huss and Jerome 26:25 and William Farel and Roger Williams 26:28 and many others. 26:30 So when did the Reformation end? 26:32 Or has it ended? 26:34 Perhaps there's still a work to be done, 26:37 a work of reform, 26:38 a work of calling people to faithfulness to God 26:42 and to faith in the Word of God. 26:44 Throughout the rest of this series, 500, 26:47 you'll meet some of the great characters of the Reformation. 26:51 Your faith in God will grow, 26:53 and your personal experience with God 26:56 will be richly blessed. 26:57 ♪[Music]♪ 27:05 >>John: The book of Revelation makes clear that Babylon 27:08 will be a major player on the prophetic scene 27:11 down in the close of time. 27:13 How do we understand that? 27:14 Well, that's why I'd like you to have this book. 27:16 I wrote it. 27:17 “Babylon Rising.” 27:18 To receive it, call us at 800-253-3000. 27:23 Or visit us online at www.itiswritten.com. 27:28 Or you can write to the address on your screen. 27:31 I'd like you to receive our free offer, 27:33 “Babylon Rising.” 27:35 And thanks for remembering that It Is Written 27:37 exists because of the kind support 27:39 of people just like you. 27:41 Your donation makes it possible for It Is Written 27:44 to share life-changing, biblical truth with the world. 27:48 You can send your tax-deductible gift 27:50 to the address on your screen, 27:52 or you can support It Is Written through our website, 27:54 itiswritten.com. 27:56 Thanks for your generous support. 27:59 Our number is 800-253-3000, 28:02 and our web address is itiswritten.com. 28:06 >>John: Let's pray together now. 28:08 Our Father in Heaven, 28:09 we thank you that you have preserved your Word, 28:13 that we can possess the Bible not only in our hands, 28:17 but in our hearts. 28:19 And we thank you for Jesus, 28:21 the One the Bible calls the Word Made Flesh. 28:25 As down through the ages you have guided your truth, 28:29 guided your Word and led your people, 28:32 I pray that you would guide us now. 28:34 Friend, do you need to experience a reformation 28:38 in your heart? 28:40 Father, as we talk about the Reformation 28:42 from an historical perspective, 28:44 we recognize we must experience reformation in our lives. 28:47 So now we pray that you would take our hearts, 28:50 make them yours. 28:51 Friend, now is an opportunity for you to yield to God. 28:54 Would you do that? 28:56 Our Father, we thank you, 28:58 as we continue to study in 500, 29:01 we pray for your blessing, 29:03 and we pray in Jesus' name, 29:07 Amen. 29:09 Thanks so much for joining me. 29:10 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 29:13 Until then, remember: 29:14 It Is Written. 29:16 Man shall not live by bread alone, 29:18 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 29:23 ♪[Theme music]♪ |
Revised 2017-10-17