The Force of Truth - Defending Our Protestant Heritage.
The visible church in the United Kingdom today has largely fallen into a deepening state of apostasy, and with it's increasing participation in ecumenism and multi faith activities sadly it is blindly returning to those dark days before the Reformation. If ever there was a time to stand up and defend our Protestant heritage in the UK then it is now.
Don't get me wrong, I am not calling for an onslaught against the people who are involved in such activities, personally I have a great love for them all, and my greatest desire is see them all come to a true biblical understanding of the Christian faith, as well as come to a personal saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is clear that in the New Testament the call is for God's people to be aware of "wolves in sheep's clothing" and to become aware of the false teachers and their doctrinal heresies. Many of the partners that the visible church seems to be set on joining hands with are not even Christian in nature. The great Reformers of the past fought hard for the heritage we now enjoy, many of them gave their lives being burnt at the stake for their faith. Jude in his epistle calls true believers to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude verse 3b).
We can look back over a short period of time and reflect on those who did stand firm for the faith. Charles Haddon Spurgeon recognized the increasing liberal theology that was creeping in to the churches of the Baptist Union in his day, his stand, which is known as the Downgrade Movement" resulted in him coming out of the Union. E.J. Connor-Poole was another who was concerned about the dramatic collapse into modernism of the main Nonconformist denominations in England up to his death in 1962.
Reflection on the Papal Visit
September of 2010 saw the Papal visit to the UK and it is a sad reflection that the first thing planned for him is to be received by the Queen at the palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh, sad I say because as the Pope is the head of Vatican State it made it a State visit, although it was not hailed as such, but secondly it is sad because the Queen, by nature of her status is the head of the Church of England, and such a meeting only displayed the depth of the relationship between Rome and the Church of England.
Another point to reflect upon is that the Pope made a major speech in Westminster Hall, which was the ancient seat of the British Parliament at the time of the Reformation, it was there that King Charles was tried and condemned to death on a charge of treason. It was also there that on 20 April 1653 Oliver Cromwell, supported by about forty musketeers, cleared the chamber and dissolved the Parliament by force because it would not set a date for elections. Cromwell, having been saved from sin by God's mercy, placed his faith firmly within the Independent beliefs that the Reformation had not gone far enough, that much of England was still living in sin, and that Catholic beliefs and practices needed to be fully removed from the church.
Have we not learnt anything from history?
As the Apostle Paul stated in his letter to the Thessalonians: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good". Our Protestant heritage is grounded in the biblical doctrines of grace, we need to make a defence for them, and our heritage in these days of increasing apostasy.
Don't get me wrong, I am not calling for an onslaught against the people who are involved in such activities, personally I have a great love for them all, and my greatest desire is see them all come to a true biblical understanding of the Christian faith, as well as come to a personal saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is clear that in the New Testament the call is for God's people to be aware of "wolves in sheep's clothing" and to become aware of the false teachers and their doctrinal heresies. Many of the partners that the visible church seems to be set on joining hands with are not even Christian in nature. The great Reformers of the past fought hard for the heritage we now enjoy, many of them gave their lives being burnt at the stake for their faith. Jude in his epistle calls true believers to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude verse 3b).
We can look back over a short period of time and reflect on those who did stand firm for the faith. Charles Haddon Spurgeon recognized the increasing liberal theology that was creeping in to the churches of the Baptist Union in his day, his stand, which is known as the Downgrade Movement" resulted in him coming out of the Union. E.J. Connor-Poole was another who was concerned about the dramatic collapse into modernism of the main Nonconformist denominations in England up to his death in 1962.
Reflection on the Papal Visit
September of 2010 saw the Papal visit to the UK and it is a sad reflection that the first thing planned for him is to be received by the Queen at the palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh, sad I say because as the Pope is the head of Vatican State it made it a State visit, although it was not hailed as such, but secondly it is sad because the Queen, by nature of her status is the head of the Church of England, and such a meeting only displayed the depth of the relationship between Rome and the Church of England.
Another point to reflect upon is that the Pope made a major speech in Westminster Hall, which was the ancient seat of the British Parliament at the time of the Reformation, it was there that King Charles was tried and condemned to death on a charge of treason. It was also there that on 20 April 1653 Oliver Cromwell, supported by about forty musketeers, cleared the chamber and dissolved the Parliament by force because it would not set a date for elections. Cromwell, having been saved from sin by God's mercy, placed his faith firmly within the Independent beliefs that the Reformation had not gone far enough, that much of England was still living in sin, and that Catholic beliefs and practices needed to be fully removed from the church.
Have we not learnt anything from history?
As the Apostle Paul stated in his letter to the Thessalonians: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good". Our Protestant heritage is grounded in the biblical doctrines of grace, we need to make a defence for them, and our heritage in these days of increasing apostasy.
"If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Psalm 11:3 ...... David's answer was ..... "The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous; but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup." Psalm 11:4 - 6.
Seeking to Defend our Protestant Heritage won through the blood of the Martyrs, many of them burnt at the stake.
|
|
|
|
