The Protestant Roots

By Nick Bibile

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They loved not their lives to the death.” (Rev 12:11)<= /span>

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· John Wy= cliff. Roman Church dug up his bones and burned

· John Hus. Roman Church burned him <= /span>

· Savonarola. He was put to de= ath by burning.=

· Martin Luther. Returned back to true Christianity, the authority of scripture, by protesting against Roman Catholicism.

· Ulrich Zwingli, Switzerland.

· John Calvin. The theologian<= /span>

· Queen Mary Roman Cathol= ic burned 300 Reformers men and women in <= st1:place>England. (1546)

· William Tyndale was burned by the Roman Catholic Church.

· John Knox. <= st1:country-region>Scotland’s greatest reformer.

· Huguenots of France.

· Netherlands. Arminianism was rejected at Synod of Dort.

· 1500s to 1600s. William Perkins, Thomas Goodwin, Richa= rd Sibbes, John Rogers, Samuel Rutherford, Richard Baxter, John Owen, John Bun= yan, Matthew Henry and others.

· 1620 Pilgrim reformers arriv= e in America. (Protestant)

·        18th Century, America’s greatest theologian Jonathan Edwards was born.

·        George Whitefield. (1714-70)=

·        R.L. Dabney (1820-1898)

·        Charles Hodge (1797-1878)

·        John Ryle (1816-1900)=

·        Charles Haddon Spurgeon. (1834-1892)=

Today majority of the modern Churches have fallen a= way from the purity of the Reformation and embraced Roman Catholicism, Arminian= ism and other religions.

All Protestant Christians agree it was the reformation that brought us out of the darkness of Romanism, but do they know their history? Most don't, a pastor in a well known church told me that he is not aware of= the history of the Protestants!

The reformation that brought us out of the darkness of Romanism. The term Reformation is a historical t= erm that goes back almost four centuries. It refers to a period when the church underwent a "reformation" as men of God attempted to return Christianity to the authority of Scripture. The desire of the Reformation w= as not to change God's word but rather to bring the church back to the early Christian church. Led by men like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, John Knox and the others. The Reformation churches split off from t= he errors of the medieval Roman church and began what we know today as Protestantism. The Protestant churches were born out of the Reformation.

In the 1500’s, Queen Ma= ry of England burned 300 reformers. They were burned publi= cly and they walked to the stake to be burned as they were walking for their weddin= g. The dominant figure of the Protestant Reformation was John Calvin, a master theologian. He did not compromise the Word of God, what scripture taught Ca= lvin believed. Students came from all over the world to listen to his lectures. About two or three years before he died Calvin became very sick. His friends advised him to rest in his labors. However, Calvin replied to them, “Do y= ou want the Lord to find me idle?”

The Protestants were persecuted and Geneva became a hav= en of refuge to Protestants. Almost the whole city came to hear the Word of God. = On Sundays, there were services at daybreak, noon<= /st1:time> and afternoo= n, and there were services on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. In addition 17 sermons= a week in a city of 13,000 people!

When John Knox went back from Geneva to Scotlan= d, his soul cried out to the Lord,”O Lord give me Scotland, or I die” The reformation came to Scotland. Then in the 1800’s Charles Spurgeon said, �= ��The old truths that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, is the truth that= I preach today, or else I would be false to my conscience and to my God. I cannot shape the truth. I know of no= such thing of paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox’s gospel is my gospel, and= the gospel which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again.”

Without human manipulations for altar cal= ls, or using sensational and emotional gimmicks, Spurgeon trusted on God alone = to convict the sinners, as he said, "I do not come to this pulpit hoping = that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter, I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and sa= y, ‘you are mine, and you shall be mine, I claim you for myself.’ My hope = arises from the freeness of grace, and not from the freedom of the will."

Jonah learned good theology in a strange school, in the belly of a great fish, as he realized salvation comes from the Lord! (Jonah 3:9) God pardons and justifies, a= nd delivers from hell. All the glory= to God!

Calvinism and Arminianism

Arminius, Ja= cobus was a Calvinist before, and then later he was influenced by humanistic traditions. Then he developed his own system of belief known as Arminianism. Some of the followers gave support to his views by signing Remonstrance a theological authoritative decision. Then a bitter controversy sprang on this subject. Then the Arminians made their five points first.=

In November 13, 1618, 39 pastors, 18 ruling elders, 5 professors and 19 delegates were invited to se= ttle this issue at Synod of Dort. It lasted for seven months. What was the resul= t? Arminianism was unanimously rejected and condemned. The five theological points of Calvinism = were formulated to answer the five points of Arminianism.

Election is not a controversial issue. Charles Spurgeon said on the election, "I do not hesitate to say, that next to the doctrine of the crucifixion and the resurrection of our blessed Lord, no doctrine had such prominence in the early Christian church as the doctrine of the election of Grace." Today Pastors feel very uncomfortable on this subject and they will avoid it as the plague. Many believe that Calvinists are against evangelism. This is also false as one of the greatest soul winners was non other than Charles Spurgeon who a Calvinist, then there are others like Wil= liam Carey, David Brainerd, Henry Martin, Jim Elliot, Adoniram Judson John Paton= and host of other great missionaries were Calvinists. Arminianism was unanimous= ly rejected and condemned at the Synod of Dort, but today majority of the chur= ches embrace Arminianism. Our goal is to show the errors of Arminianism and to b= ring the doctrines of grace back to the Church.= Arminians get confused between Calvinism and Hyper Calvinism. The da= nger is not Calvinism but Hyper Calvin= ism.

Majority of the modern chu= rches are Arminian in their doctrine. All Roman Catholic churches are Arminian in doctrine. Also Wesleyan/Methodists, Anglican, Pentecostal= Churches, Assemblies = of God, Calvary Chapels movement churches, (They say they are neither Arminians nor Calvinists but their doctrine is based on Free will of man) Baptists, (Except Reformed Baptists and Sovereign G= race Churches) Wesl= eyan/Methodists a= nd majority of the non denominational churches are Arminian in doctrine. =

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