Of dogs and vomit - The reformation at 503. Part 3

The objective was to return to TRUE biblical Christianity ie; restore the Church that Rome had succeeded in colonizing and contaminating with its paganism and its attendant “works doctrine”. It was a restoration of the church described by Justin Martyr and the one revealed in the book of Acts. The ideals of this movement are what became known as the Five Solas. They define the foundation of what has come to be known as Reform Theology. Collectively called Sola scriptura, a summary of it would read;

Salvation is by grace(Sola Gracia-1) through faith(Sola Fide- 2) in Christ alone(Sola Christus-3) , to the glory of God alone (Soli Deo O gloria-4). The Bible(scripture) is the only authoritative source for understanding this and all other aspects of the Christian faith (Sola Scriptura-5).

With these scripture-based principles, the church was freed from the iron claws of Rome. Luther translated the Bible into German and the timely arrival of the printing press would ensure that congregants finally had access to the Bible so they can read for themselves. They could now develop personal relationships with their God without the middleman-role of clergymen and dead saints whose preoccupation it seemed was to exploit them. After all; the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). Rome did not like this idea and had previously thwarted every attempt to make the Bible accessible to the masses through persecutions, executions, and ex-communications among other things.

 

Contrary to the generally held view that Protestantism or the Reformation is the break-away of a wayward Church that Rome had mothered; the reformation is in fact a return to the original church that Rome had covered. Sadly, the church had descended back into the same obscenity that plagued and still plague the Roman Catholic Church. Churches like the Anglican Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches with their inherited mass, relics, and ceremonies are guilty of Roman Catholic near-pagan practices. The contradiction is made vivid when juxtaposed (as pointed out) against the description found in the Justin Martyr description. Thus; the church that Christ created was not what Rome carried forward.

In the Charismatic movement, the sale of the gospel is at an all-time high as god-like pastors and who are little popes in their own rights, ride on the back of the masses and continue with the most outrageous extortions schemes that scream – Catholic!. There is also an alarming sale of experience over the “Word” and church services have been overloaded with rituals and practices borrowed from the works driven religions. Personal revelations and church tradition have also been elevated above scripture just it was with the Roman Catholic Church and its many sects and orders. It is this later point that gave meaning to Semper reformanda (Latin for always reforming) –an expression that became (albeit at a later time), the slogan of the reform movement. It simply means always reforming. 503 years on, it is more important than it has ever been.

From the Old Testament through the New to the early patristic period down to today, it is clear that God’s people in a matter of time forget who and whose they are and get carried away by “strange winds of doctrines”(Ephesians 4:14 ).

Moses only had to turn his back for barely a minute for the Israelites who had witnessed God’s presence and provisions; to start worshipping a golden calf (Exodus 32). Solomon simply used the wealth and wisdom God had entrusted him with to depart from the ways of his father and break God’s very first commandment(1 kings 11, Exodus 20:3) in rebellion. Such cases as the downgrade of 1887 is a reminder that semper reformanda is imperative.  It is this return to that which was rejected by the reformers that is captured metaphorically in the title of this project. For it is not uncharacteristic of a dog to eat back that which it had vomited.

Unless the church is continuously re-examining itself in the light of scripture, it, in a matter of time, after every overhaul, starts on a downward spiral. It is for this reason that the commemoration of the 503^rd year of the reformation is of extreme importance. It will take us back to the very foundation of the church, helps us understand the ideals of the reformation, and affords us an opportunity for that all-important self-examination. This is how we can be rid of the many bugs that have come to plague her. This is how we can return to worshiping our maker and savior in truth and in spirit.

On the 31^st of October, several ministries that subscribe to the ideals of the Reformation and as such stand for true biblical Christianity are getting together to commemorate the Reformation. The event will also introduce the newly born Ghana Reform Network. You are cordially invited to be part of this historic event to the glory of God. We hope that you come to understand your faith better and be more rooted than ever. Most importantly, you can ask questions and receive edifying answers that help build your relationship with God. Join fellow believers all over the world on Hopeman Ministries’ E.A.R (Ecclesia Africanus Reformanda) Roundtable Discussion via Zoom. 
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God bless and keep you. For a full teaching on Sola Scriptura, please follow the link below. Sola Scriptura (Video lecture from R.C. Sproul)

More on the downgrade here: (https://jasonkallen.com/2015/12/spurgeon-and-the-downgrade-controversy/)