The Tragedy of the Reformation
The tragedy of the Reformation started in the late 15th, early 16th century as the church lost sight of its mission in the world. Protestants, protesters, objected to a number of doctrinal practices, the most famous of which is perhaps Martin Luther dramatically decrying the practice of papal indulgences. He was not the only protester. The cracks in our church’s foundation were becoming more and more evident after fifteen centuries of dilution and decay. All were excommunicated along with Luther, many were martyred, and ecumenical wars tore Christendom into pieces. The tragedy is that descent into hatred and bickering within the one body, the Holy Spirit distributed to every believer, the Church of Jesus Christ. No wonder it has taken the Gospel so long to be preached in all the world. No wonder the world scorns Jesus.
The Rift
We have discussed the gift of our salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, the implications of that grace and gratitude expressed in our obedience. Also, I will take it as established that Jesus was a historical figure; I will accept he taught and believed he had come into history as God in the flesh. But reading in scripture, both Old and New Testaments, we also see many references to the Holy Spirit who is vital to pleasing God and is in fact our guarantor of God’s mercy.
Luke writes in Acts 1:3-8, “After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This,’ he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’"
After his resurrection, Jesus had some unfinished business with the disciples. He had not only saved them, he was teaching them and leaving them with a promise. It was somewhat like the water baptism of John, a baptism of repentance, but the coming of the Holy Spirit was to be different. The disciples were still confused about Jesus’ entire mission; they wondered if he was going to restore the earthly kingdom of the nation of Israel, but instead he told them the coming of his spirit would set them on a new mission entirely.
Before we get to this new vision of their new mission 😉, let’s read on to see what the coming of the Holy Spirit entailed. First, a mighty wind was heard and tongues of fire were seen over the heads of the disciples. Next, they began speaking in the languages of the known world because of the widespread attendance of pilgrims in Jerusalem at festival time so that even these “foreigners” could hear the stories of God’s power in their own language. Some wondered, skeptics sneered, attributing their behavior to drunkenness. But Peter stood to provide context in Acts 2:15-41:
“Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’ This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.
I think this passage foreshadows the new mission of the Church although it wasn’t called that yet. But the Church was born that day. Read on in Acts to see what the nascent church was like. One thing that struck me is despite their community and care for one another, controversies arose. We know many among the Jews were not happy with the growth of Christianity in their midst, but there was even dissension within the community of those baptized with the Holy Spirit, Acts 6:1. It seems the flesh is ever present, even in God’s people.
Enter Saul who became the Apostle Paul, Acts 8, an extraordinary story. He was known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, but in his letters he is writing to churches in various places throughout the Roman Empire starting about twenty years after the coming of the Holy Spirit. One theme that is quite prevalent throughout Paul’s letters is expressed in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 1 verse 11, “there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.” Are quarrels to be the legacy of the church? If ever there was a quarrel within the Church, the Reformation was a barn burner.
In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul addresses another church with issues, “I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the UNITY of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.” I read this passage, there are many other corroborating it, and it is impossible not to see it as an admonishment against factionalism. One God, one Lord, one Spirit, ONE BODY!
I believe Father, Son, and Holy Spirit weep at our division: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, etc, etc.
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It just goes on, and on, and on. Again, I believe Father, Son, and Holy Spirit weep at our division. I believe this because as I write it, I am weeping. ONE BODY! Go through the entire New Testament and you will see no reference to more than one Church only to those that are located in different parts of (throughout the known) the world. Consider this seriously.
Because my faith is being restored, my wife and I have been looking for a church that fits us. One observation I have made in visiting, Catholic and Protestant churches all over, is that they are full of believers. Seekers. Those struggling in their flesh. As Paul wrote in Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: … enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, … I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” I feel this is not an exhaustive list. Why do such things even exist in the body of Christ? Read Romans 6-8 if you want to see that which Paul himself was up against.
Paul again, Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We are not at war with one another, but against spiritual evil in the heavenly places. But what about the Church? Is it not a heavenly place?
What about the Church?
How can we ever become the Bride of Chris if we are divided? Try this excerpt from Ephesians 5:23, “Christ is the head of the Church, the body of which he is the Savior… Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the Church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.” (Emphases mine.) This is not salvation, this is the work, the process of sanctification, being set apart, being made holy as He is holy. Why? Wait for it. That we, The Church, may stand in His presence! Does Jesus want for his bride only half a body? A dismembered corpse? He will spit us out of his mouth.
Back to my thought about visiting different churches. I could feel it; more importantly scripture say that it is so: The Spirit of the Lord was there, in every one of them, in the people of The Church, the presence of the Almighty God in this world! Yet, there is not One Body evident to the world. Guilty of this fact, we should weep! Repent! With our factionalism, we are no better than Shia and Sunni, Buddhist and Hindu, atheist and agnostic, hedonist and animist, all of whom wonder at the mystery of Creation and the purpose of this human existence, who seek even unknowingly the God and Father of us all, in whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17). They will be our accusers; they will judge us for our lack of unity in the Spirit. This is the tragedy of the Reformation.
Search the scriptures to see if I have handled this subject accurately, appropriately. Look inward to hear the still small voice of His Spirit witnessing to you and ask, Could it be true? Oh Lord God! Abba, Father! Restore Your Church to One Body. I ask this in the name above all names, your Son, Jesus Christ.
You ask, am I saying that we should rid ourselves of all denominations? From your lips to God’s ears! Frankly, in my experience, there are lovely doctrines and practices in EVERY worship group I have visited. There are fine points of distinction, of course, but these should only be addressed with gentleness, patience, self control, long-suffering, charity, kindness, in short, LOVE IN THE BONDS OF PEACE; the fruits of the Spirit! Mathew 20:25-29: “But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’" If this is not an indictment of our current separation from each other, I don’t know what is. Pray for peace in the Body, The Church. I think we can trust the example of Jesus.