Sunday School wk 2

Luther – the wild boar

Last week’s issues:

Wycliffe – Definition of the Church, RCC’s greed & corruption, Authority?   

Huss – spoke out against the Crusades, Indulgences

Amazingly all of this comes back up about a hundred years later in ML’s time…

Nuances: for now I’m not going to debate any of Rome’s ideas but as you may not know them already here is a crash course to make since of ML’s objections…

Indulgences: started back in the Crusades, the Church promised people forgiveness for Swords in Service of the RCC. In Luther’s time, Pope Leo X’s greed was shown in using the poor’s money (Indulgences) for repair / reconstruction of St Peter’s Basilica even though he was personally filthy rich & more of a banker than a priest. Indulgence =partial forgiveness & Plenary = whole forgiveness

RCC position 2 kinds of sin: major which = permanent hell & minor which = temp. Purgatory

Purgatory (which became a doctrine as late as the 13the Cent.) is a temp. time of punishment between death & heaven where the filth of sin is burnt off the human soul in preparation for the glory of heaven. Now this temp. time could be 1000s & 1000s of years but still temp. Think of it as the eventual burning off of moss covering off a lump of solid gold.

So Indulgence is granted by the hierarchy of the RCC if enough good works are done to off set the punishment you deserve in purgatory. Included in these “good works” would be charity like alms for the poor & indulgences. So from a Protestant view, both you & Christ atone for your sins – not just you or not just Christ.

How? = the Treasury of Merit, because the RCC defines the Church as unified group of believers then the “merit” of 1 can be applied to another member (living or dead) so goodness of Christ, Mary, the Saints, can be applied to you your dead mom or your starving baby. Also because of RCC’s idea of Apostolic succession of Peter, it is RCC & only the RCC that has authority to withdraw merit from treasury & dispense it to believers in this life or in Purgatory to atone for some or all of your minor sins. This will explain why it was sooo serious to be excommunicated or declared a heretic because if the Church officially rejected you how could you be saved from either Hell-fire or even Purgatory-fire?  

RCC doctrines are derived from their own tradition rather than direct from Scripture, RCC only accepts Scripture as part not whole of its authority. In my opinion all of this error is due to a mistranslation of “do penance” instead of repentance for Salvation.

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Issues: Protestantism answered 4 questions.  How are people saved?  Where does religion’s authority lie?  What is the church?  What is the essence of Christian living?  Though Protestantism generally agrees on most issues, answers to these questions emerged from the burdened soul of a burly German theologian and his personal conflict with Rome.

            For Luther and his family his goal was to grow up to be a lawyer.  1 day he was caught in a violent thunderstorm and a lightening bolt nearly killed him.  With that, he made a vow to become a monk if kept safe and he did join an Augustinian monastery.

            **He declared, “I kept the rule so strictly that I may say if ever a monk got to heaven by his sheer monkery, it was I.  If I had kept on any longer, I should have killed myself with vigils, prayers, readings & other works.”  Luther racked his own health for the rest of his life from fastings & austere blanket-less German winter nights, suffering for God.

            Luther was sure of 2 things: 1 the unutterable majesty of God & 2 a profound sense of his own sinfulness.

            The troubled monk found the soothing balm of grace in his study of Scripture.  2 things brought this to pass 1^st Christ’s words from the cross: my God, my God why has though forsaken me? Luther himself felt forsaken of God because of his sin but why would Christ? Luther decided it had to be due to Christ identifying with a sinful humanity?  2^nd Romans 1:17, the righteousness of God revealed, that the just live by faith…Night & day he would ponder these words till he made this connection. A connection between the justice of God and living by faith, meaning that the justice of God became the righteousness (or justification) by which God justifies us by faith. 

            **ML said, “There upon I felt myself reborn & to have gone through open doors to paradise.”

            Luther saw it clear now: Man is saved by faith in the Merit of Christ’s sacrifice for him.  To Luther the cross, alone, could remove men’s sin & save him from the grasp of Satan,  (institutionalizing the doctrine of justification by faith alone).  This was contrary to Rome’s doctrine of justification by faith & works: like demonstration of faith through virtuous acts, acceptance of church dogma & participation in church ritual.

            The implications were ENORMOUS enough to change the very face of Europe, politics, religious institutions, education & the every day life of normal people. 

            Luther had no idea where his thoughts on Salvation would lead but it took the flagrant abuse of church finance to lead him to his position on papal authority.

            Sale of Indulgences – introduced during Crusades, Indulgences remained a favored source of papal income.  In exchange for a meritorious work – like contribution to a worthy cause or a pilgrimage to a shrine – the church granted an exception from penance pulled from an imaginary treasury of merit, which comes from both Christ’s sacrifice & good deeds of the lives of Mary & the Saints.

Nuance:         Too often the sellers of indulgences (Tetzel) downplayed the condition of a person’s soul & it became just a transaction $ for forgiveness, or not even you so if you’d just stop being a cheapskate & cough up some $ means you could free your child or parent or friend from 1000s of years of painful suffering in purgatory.

Tetzel’s pimping of indulgences in Germany lead Luther on Halloween to nail his 95 thesis to the Wittenberg church door which sparked the Protestant Reformation, 11-31-1517. ML’s intent was only to debate but German printers due to the new printing press mass marketed his writings & ML’s ideas became widespread, within 2 weeks all of Germany was talking of ML’ ideas & within 2 months it was all of Europe.

            **As Luther debated his new ideas with Roman theologians he said, “A council may sometimes err.  Neither the church nor the Pope can establish articles of faith.  These must come from Scripture.” 

            Here Luther moved from 1^st issue Salvation by faith to 2^nd issue Authority. Scripture not Popes or councils had to be recognized as the final authority for Christian faith & life as the standard for Christ-like faith & behavior.  Making Luther sound just like Huss & Wycliffe before him.

            Submitting to this Biblical Authority then ML wanted to edit Rome’s 7 sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Penance, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Anointing the Sick – which used to be Last Rites) to 2 sacraments only: Baptism & Lord’s Supper

            This idea also lead from view of church as a hierarchy headed by the Pope & returned to something more like Baptists & the Early Church to a view of a community of Christian believers in which all believers are priests called to live lives as spiritual sacrifices to God. Think NT Church book of Eph, for the assembled Christians in Eph…or Philippians or so on.

            **On Good works & the gospel - “God works do not make a man good, but a good man does good works.” Me: “Christians do good works, good works don’t make one a Christian.”  

           

            As he was on the verge of excommunication from Roman Church, Luther rejected monastic life defining worship of God as living separated lives in service to God, but instead serving God through one’s calling: serving one’s neighbor.   * This relates back to something Daniel was saying which is RCC worship is show God you are serious you are & Prot. Ref. worship is love your neighbor because you love God & in loving your neighbor you do worship God.

           

            After his excommunication from the church and condemnation as a heretic Luther was saved from execution by Prince of Saxony, Duke Frederick the Wise, ML was disguised as a minor noble man called “Junker George” & hid in Wartburg Castle where he translated the NT into German falling in line with Wycliffe. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V presented the final draft of the Edict of Worms on 25 May 1521, declaring Luther an outlaw, banning his literature, and requiring his arrest: "We want him to be apprehended and punished as a notorious heretic." It also made it a crime for anyone in Germany to give Luther food or shelter & it permitted anyone to kill Luther without legal consequence.

            Surviving this ordeal in hiding were he translated the Bible into German much like Wycliffe did into English…Luther lead pastors to marry, he married a former nun named Katherine Von Bora, & he translated the liturgy or Church’s order of Worship from Latin into German.   Changed communion from just bread to bread & wine and changed the emphases of the service from the mass to the preaching & teaching of God’s Word.  His ideas even changed the face of politics & economics in Germany, and not only Christianity but all of Western Civilization.

ML:      1^st Salvation?  Not by works or even faith + works, but by faith alone

            2^nd Religious authority?  Not in the visible institution of the Roman Church          headed by Pope but in the Word of God

            3^rd What is the church?  The whole community of Christian believers.

            4^th Essance of Christian living?  Serving God in any useful calling whether            ordained or laity

**ML words @ diet of worms (get gummy worms)

“Since then your sere Majesty & your Lordships seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner, neither horned nor toothed. Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the Pope or in Councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred & contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted & my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot & I will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.”

At the end of this speech, Luther raised his arm "in the traditional salute of a knight winning a bout." Renaissance historian Michael Mullett considers this speech as a "world classic of epoch-making oratory."

Sunday School wk2 quotes

Purgatory -

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, first published in 2005,

210. What is purgatory? Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.

211. How can we help the souls being purified in purgatory? Because of the communion of saints, the faithful who are still pilgrims on earth are able to help the souls in purgatory by offering prayers in suffrage for them, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice. They also help them by almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance.

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ML on Monastery life – He declared, “I kept the rule so strictly that I may say if ever a monk got to heaven by his sheer monkery, it was I.  If I had kept on any longer, I should have killed myself with vigils, prayers, readings & other works.”  Luther racked his own health for the rest of his life from fastings & austere blanket-less German winter nights, suffering for God.

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Justification by faith – ML said, “There upon I felt myself reborn & to have gone through open doors to paradise.”  If salvation comes through faith in Christ’s work alone then that meant the intercession of priests was irrelevant.  If faith formed and nurtured by the Word, written and preached, requires no monks, no masses, no prayers to saints, no pilgrimages to shrines, trips to holy lands, or touching holy relics then life as it was known in Europe was forever altered.  The mediation of the Pope & the Roman Church crumbles into insignificance.

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Authority – As Luther debated his new ideas with Roman theologians he said, “A council may sometimes err.  Neither the church nor the Pope can establish articles of faith.  These must come from Scripture.” 

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On Good works & the gospel – “God works do not make a man good, but a good man does good works.” My paraphrase: “Christians do good works, good works don’t make one a Christian.” 

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ML words @ diet of worms -“Since then your sere Majesty & your Lordships seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner, neither horned nor toothed. Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the Pope or in Councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred & contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted & my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot & I will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.” At the end of this speech, Luther raised his arm "in the traditional salute of a knight winning a bout." Renaissance historian Michael Mullett considers this speech as a "world classic of epoch-making oratory."

Wycliffe's issues with the Roman Catholic Church

W issue #1 - Wycliffe took the new definition of the church on earth not as those under authority of a Catholic parish & in good standing with the pope but the whole number of God’s elect. This doctrine is then called the Invisible Church of the Elect as its numbers are not necessarily everyone in the visible church & not necessarily excluding those who are not in the visible church

W issue #2 - This Bible is for the government of the people, by the people & for the people.

W issue #2 - Where Popes said because Peter died in Rome the Roman Bishop was lord over all other bishops. Wycliffe exposed this senseless logic by saying if Christ died in Jerusalem why is the Jerusalem Bishop not Pope over all? Thus revealing the papal institution as antichrist (a man exalting himself into Christ’s authority) as Christ is the only true head of church, arbiter (& advocate) between God & man

W issue #3 - Wycliffe had a very “apostolic poverty” view of the papacy, he insisted anyone who sits in St Peter’s chair should be like an Apostle without silver of gold. Wycliffe’s “Bible Papacy” consisted of a poor & humble life spent in service of the church, setting before God’s people an example of Christian goodness. A pope should be the shepherd of the flock of God & preacher who brings men to Christ.

            W issue #3 - One of the ideas Hus & Wycliffe shared was the Papal trappings of power, wealth & grandeur which departed from the simple faith & practice of Christ & his disciples.  “Christ lived in poverty, Popes labor for worldly magnificence. Christ refused temporal dominion, the Pope seeks for it.”

W issue #3 - He also continued Wycliffe’s charge against Papal indulgences where Pope rode a mighty horse Christ walked; where Jesus washed the disciples feet the Pope preferred to have his feet kissed.

Sunday School wk#1 – Hus & Wycliffe

Sunday School wk#1 – Hus & Wycliffe

            Before we ever talk about TULIP or the Solas & what they mean and why they are important, I need to take you back in time.  Like in a fairy tale, this was a time of kings & queens, princes & princesses & 1 singular massive Christian church that all peoples feared and longed to control.

            This was 14th Century Europe.      (write on board)

            Now before we jump into doctrines & theology we need to understand the people & the times they live in to see why these particular ideas were so powerful & revolutionary to them.

            The first 2 people we’ll look at is Jan Hus & John Wycliffe 2 men who are often overlooked in Reformation History who basically taught everything Luther & Calvin did but before Luther & Calvin did.

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            (Left on white board – photo [write name] mid 1300s Eng.)

            First we’ll start with John Wycliffe who lived in the mid 1300s; he was an English philosopher, theologian, Bible translator & Seminary professor at Oxford.  Wycliffe loved Jesus & the Bible & yet had lots of serious issues with the Church of his day.

            3 of his issues were answering these questions:

1-    What was the definition of “the Church”?          (the Church?)

2-    What authority was meant to rule the life of men on Earth?             (the authority)  

3-    Why was it, the higher up you looked in the RCC (Roman Catholic Church) the less people seemed like the Jesus from the Bible (regarding worldliness & luxury of popes & cardinals)?         (worldliness & luxury?)

            Because of these ideas, & Wycliffe’s answers to them, he strongly advocated for translations of the Bible in the common tongue; so you can thank Wycliffe for owning an English Bible today instead of a Latin Bible.

            Wycliffe completed a translation of the Bible directly from the Catholic’s Vulgate into Middle English in the late 1300s, now known as Wycliffe's Bible. It is probable that he personally translated the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; and it is possible he translated the entire New Testament, while his associates translated the Old Testament for him. Wycliffe's Bible appears to have been completed by 1384.

            This was a big deal at the time because not only were all prior editions of the Bible Latin but because often lower parish priests couldn’t read Latin, they’d simply memorize the portions they were to cite during Masses. So this opened up the mind of God, the gospel & Jesus to the masses & lower clergy. 

            Wycliffe's followers were known as Lollards and followed his lead in advocating doctrines like Predestination, while attacking the traditional Catholic ideas of veneration of Saints, the Sacraments, Requiem Masses, Transubstantiation, monasticism, and the very existence of the Papacy itself.

            The previous century’s idea that the pope was the direct channel from God to Mankind slowly died as wave after wave of scandal & corruption & sin came to light.  No longer did men accept the notation that their ruling kings & queens only existed at the sanction of the Pope.

            2 brave souls John Wycliffe (English) & Jan Hus (a Czech) toyed with the idea that Christianity was something other than the current visible organization of the church on Earth headed by the Pope.

            Previously, people thought law & lordship came direct from God through Popes & to men, to the extent that laws passed by non-Catholic, non-approved rulers were deemed unlawful & good Catholics need not obey them.  Ex.) That would be like saying since Obama isn’t a Southern Baptist then it would be okay to speed, run red lights & not pay your income taxes, since his lordship over us wasn’t invalid.

Picture of RCC ideas of doctrinal & moral hierarchy *draw

            Wycliffe was influential in the Refomation’s way of emphasizing the spiritual freedom, “Everyman, therefore, priest or layman, holds an equal place in the eyes of God & breaks down medieval barriers between God and his people no longer merely mediated by priest class & their sacrificial masses but direct from God to man.

Verse only 1 mediator between God & man – JC

Picture of Reformers view of doctrinal & moral hierarchy * draw

Cover 2 problems with the RCC that led to the Protestant Reformation & leads to confusion between Protestants & RCC today:

1-    Morality issues – it is w/o doubt that the leadership of the RCC of the day was wildly corrupt from sex abuses (open affairs), to violence (the crusades), to greed (selling offices) to love of comfort & power

2-    Theological issues – many that will be viewed in the coming weeks

So the problem today stems from either people thinking there is no difference between 1300s-1600s RCC & the RCC today OR just because they cleaned up their act morally (counter Reformation) then that means the Reformation is over, ignoring the many theological issues.

End: John Wycliffe- quote

It is not good for us to trust in our merits, in our virtues or our righteousness; but only in God’s free pardon, as given us through faith in Jesus Christ.  Trust wholly in Christ; rely altogether in His sufferings; beware of seeking to be justified in any other way than by His righteousness. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient for salvation. There must be atonement made for sin according to the righteousness of God. The person to make this atonement [therefore] must be [both] God & Man. (Solas Christus, Sola Fide & Sola Gratia)

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            Next we’ll look at Jan Hus. Hus lived in the late 1300’s to early 1400s, was a Czech priest, philosopher, and Master at Charles University in Prague.  Hus was a key predecessor to the Protestant Movement of the 16^th Century & his teachings had a strong influence on the states of Western Europe.

            His RCC issues:

            Hus was outspoken in his agreement with most, if not all, of Wycliffe’s teachings but was loudest about his condemnations of the Sale of Indulgences (which we’ll get into during Luther next week) & the Crusades.  Hus spoke out against indulgences but could not win over the men of his university.  In 1412, near the end of his life a dispute broke out where Hus asserted that no Pope or bishop had the right to take up the Sword in the name of the Church; but instead he should pray for his enemies and bless those that curse him; & that man obtains forgiveness of sins by true repentance & faith, not money.  Some of Hus’ followers publically burnt letters from the Pope, saying that people should listen to Hus & not the Church, AKA the Pope.  In response, 3 men from the lower class who openly called the indulgences a fraud were beheaded.  He was so worried for the people of the city he left for the countryside.  In the meantime, the faculty had condemned 45 articles & several other theses of Hus’ as heretical. 

            By the time Hus’ ideas had become widely accepted in Bohemia, there was broad resentment against Church hierarchy.  The attack on Hus by the Pope & other Archbishops caused riots in Bohemia.  Good King Wenceslaus (which is a great Xmas song & children’s book BTW) took Hus’ side & his adherents grew & grew.  

Archbishop of Prague tired of both the growing popularity & polarizing effect of Hus wrote to the Pope who said to Root out the Heresy, so after Hus finished his great work “On the Church” (de Ecclesia) he was urged to attend the Council of Constance where he thought he’d be granted safety to present his views but was trapped an Inquisition. Inquisition was simple if enough witnesses testified to your guilt then you had to recant or be burnt alive. Reward for confession was life imprisonment instead of the burning stake.

He was judged a heretic, as he would not recant of various teaching he adamantly stated he had never taught. At Devil’s Place he was burnt alive always standing faithful to the truth & his desire to draw men from their sin & to the Gospel.

End: Jan Hus quote –

Quote: An Address to His Persecutors and a Prayer to God:

“Alas, drag my poor carcass to death, so that you cannot sin any longer against an innocent victim!" "Leave the mercy or punishment of my soul to Him who is a just judge and not like you unfortunate blind ones. My trust is in the Almighty God and in my Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed me and has called me to preach His Gospel to the last breath of life. I fervently hope that he may have mercy upon me and receive me in grace and that he will hand to me the cup of eternal salvation and will never take it from me. I also truly believe that he will hand me this cup today, out of which I shall drink bliss and my salvation in eternity. His blessed name be praised by all!" - John Hus

READ OR LISTEN ONLINE: Hus the Heretic or The Infallibility of the Pope at the Council of Constance by Poggius the Papist

John Hus

             

Order of Worship 01-03-16

WORSHIP SERVICE

Call to Worship

Worship Leader: Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation. (Isaiah 25:9)

“O Come, All Ye Faithful” (Hymn of Adoration)

God Graciously Renews Us in Christ

As we join together in our Confession of Sin; Gen 2 says:

Worship Leader: The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

& our Forgiveness of Sin Through Christ, Psalm 145 says

Worship Leader: “The Lord is near to those who call on him, to all who call on him faithfully.  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he hears their cry and helps them.  The Lord preserves all those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked.”

“In Christ Alone” (Song of Assurance)

As we join together to Thank God for what He has done by Giving Our Offerings, Psalm 98 says

Worship Leader: Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.  He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to his people, and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.  Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.   

“Be Thou My Vision” (Song of Petition)

God Instructs Us Through His Word

Sermon

Eric Tiffany

God Feeds and Nourishes Us Through His Supper

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53:1-6 (Bread)

Who has believed what he has heard from us?^[a]
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected^[b] by men; a man of sorrows,^[c] and acquainted with^[d] grief;^[e] and as one from whom men hide their faces^[f] he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

** The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for^[b] you. Do this in remembrance of me.”^[c]

Colossians 1:19-20 (Cup)

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

** In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

God Blesses and Sends Us Out

Worship Leader: “Be comforted in all your troubles so that you may comfort those in trouble with that comfort you have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)