[Editor's Note: Parts 1-3 of the "Departing from the Faith" series were some of the best received articles of 2001. Bro. Woodward continues the study below.]
Departing From The Faith - Part 4 by Paul Woodward
(Reprinted from The Religious Reminder)
Restoring the Faith
By AD 1790, there were so many different denominations (Catholics and Protestants) that a number of members in these various denominations became concerned about the religious divisions that existed among them. Their concern resulted in the Restoration of New Testament Christianity, Restoring to the Faith the original doctrine of Christ. Following are the names of a few of the men who became leaders in this movement - "Back to the Bible." Their slogan became "Where the Bible Speaks, We Will Speak. Where the Bible is Silent, We Will be Silent." This principle is a scriptural principle: I Peter 4:11, "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God."
This Restoration movement grew rapidly uniting many people of different denominational backgrounds into one body, the Church of Christ, thus making peace. Here are the approximate dates when these men accepted this challenge of restoring the Faith, which is taught in the New Testament.
1. 1794 - James O'Kelly, a Methodist preacher, insisted on going back to the original plan of Salvation, which was proclaimed by the apostles of Jesus Christ and other verbally inspired men.
2. 1800 - Abner Jones, a prominent Baptist preacher in Vermont, broke away from the Baptist church, and led in starting local congregations that endeavored to worship after the New Testament order. Read what Jesus said about his way to God, John 14:6.
3, 1801 - Barton W. Stone, a Presbyterian preacher, rejected the human creed of the Presbyterian "Confession of Faith" and broke away from the Presbyterian Church. In 1803, Stone began calling himself a member of the Church of Christ. He was instrumental in planting a true local Church of Christ at Cane Ridge, Kentucky (New Paris). He is buried in the Cemetery at Cane Ridge and on his tombstone is the name "Church of Christ."
4, 1809 - Alexander Campbell, a Presbyterian, came to America from Ireland and began to preach the Gospel plan of Salvation. "Hear the Gospel, believe the Gospel, repent of sins, confess the name of Christ and be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins." Campbell was instrumental in helping to plant many local congregations of the true Church of Christ.
5. Besides the men just mentioned, there were hundreds of others who also became convinced that denominationalism was wrong and sinful because it divided the true body of Christ, the Church. All of these men began to respect the silence of the scriptures, and this caused them to "speak where the Bible speaks, and to be silent where the Bible is silent" (I Peter 4:11). This great re-awaking to simple Bible truths without addition, subtraction or substitution became known as the Restoration Movement.
Observe - this Restoration Movement resulted in the establishing of many faithful, local Churches of Christ (Rom. 16:16), just like those mentioned in the New Testament. However, this unity was short lived, much to the sorrow of faithful brethren. This will be explained in lesson #5 of Departing From the Faith.
Admonition - Every one who reads this article is hereby admonished to contend earnestly for the faith and fight the good fight of the Faith, and to keep the Faith always.
When It Was A Crime To Read The Bible by Joe R. Price
(Reprinted from The Spirit's Sword)
By the start of the third decade of the 16th century, William Tyndale had already been on the run for five years. The king of England, Henry VIII, had declared him a felon. Fleeing Roman Catholic authorities in London (never to return to England), he went first to Cologne, France, and then Worms, Germany. What crime had this "evil" man committed? Of what rebellious act of treason was he guilty? He dared to translate and then print the New Testament in the English language!
In England in the 1520's (indeed, throughout Europe during the middle ages), unless you were literate in Hebrew, Greek or Latin, reading the Bible for yourself was impossible. You had to rely upon what the Roman Catholic clergy said the Bible contained. You would not have been able to study the Bible for yourself to discern the truth for yourself - much less be free to practice what you learned therein. Rome ruled with an iron hand.
The Catholic Church did not want nor permit a wide transmission
of the Bible and its contents. When Tyndale's NT was published
in Worms, 6,000 copies were shipped back to England. Medieval
historian William Manchester reports,
"To the bishop of London this was an intolerable, metastasizing
heresy. He bought up all that were for sale and publicly burned
them at St. Paul's Cross. But the archbishop of Canterbury was
dissatisfied; his spies told him that many remained in private
hands. Protestant peers with country houses were loaning them
out, like public libraries. Assembling his bishops, the archbishop
declared that tracking them down was essential -- each was placing
souls in jeopardy -- and so, on his instructions, dioceses organized
posses, searching the homes of known literates, and offered rewards
to informers -- sending out the alarm to keep Christ's revealed
word from those who worshiped him." (A World Lit Only By
Fire, 204-205)
Tyndale was eventually arrested and imprisoned for sixteen months in the castle of Vilvorde, near Brussels. In 1536, after being tried and convicted for heresy he was publicly executed, being tied to a stake, strangled to death, and then his corpse burned.
As we consider Tyndale's struggle and sacrifice to provide the common Englishman with readable, discernable scriptures, we are made to thank God for the daily ease and convenience with which we can open the Bible and study it for ourselves. We are made to cherish the privilege that is ours to pour over the divine text, understand it, reflection upon it, think over it so as to bring our hearts and lives into harmony with it, as well as also teach it to others (Eph. 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Pet. 3:18; 2 Tim. 2:2).
If you have been neglecting to read, learn and live God's word, please remember the good fortune you have: education and access -- the abundant opportunity to read and knnow God's word. To not drinking deeply from its well is to squander a precious blessing (cf. Jas. 4:17).
The next time you pick up your Bible and read it, remember the sacrifices of countless others who have made that simple act possible. But above all, remember the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life on the cross and was then resurrected from the dead so that you know the truth, abide in His word and thus be freed from your sin (Jno. 8:31-36; 1:1-3, 14-18).
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THE BOTTOM LINE - "People are like tea bags - you have to put them in hot water before you know how strong they are." (See James 1:2-4)