Continue the Reformation By Having Serious Bible Studies

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As the 500th Anniversary of the start of the Reformation happens this month it's very important to remember to study the Bible. What launched the Reformation was because of the Bible. The late William Tyndale translated the Bible into English and the late Martin Luther translated it into German. Many Bible-believing Christians prior to the Protestant Reformation were condemned by the Roman Catholic institution for giving copies of the Bible. The record also shows how many Baptists were put to death before the Reformation for sharing the Bible to Roman Catholics so they will learn the truth.

What was in the Bible that Rome feared and said that only the "infallible" council of the Pope and his cardinals are allowed to read it during the Dark Ages? The late Popes Leo XIII and Pius IV said that Bible reading at the hands of the layman will do more harm than good. It's a common tactic to say that reading the Bible for yourself will drive you crazy. To make sure that this policy is implemented the Roman Catholic institution would have these people declared heretics. Tyndale himself was burnt at the stake as a heretic for sharing the Scriptures. Today, the Roman Catholic institution has the nerve to boldly lie that (1) Protestants should thank them that they have a Bible, (2) that the Roman Catholic institution compiled the Bible, and (3) that the Inquisition was just a myth and many Roman Catholics believe it otherwise. This should raise the issue if they gave us the Bible then why did they forbid Bible reading?

There is nowhere in the teachings of the pages of the Bible that laymen aren't allowed to read the Bible. On the contrary, Bible reading is very much encouraged. Deuteronomy 11:18-19 encourages parents to teach their children the Bible. They may argue that there was "no Bible" yet that time whenever somebody cites verses from the Old Testament. Don't tell me that the Book of the Law was not their Bible during that time? Did the Bible only become the Bible when all 66 books were completed? Instead, the Scriptures were always God's inspired word and unless a new revelation from God came in then it remained that way. If the people in Joshua's time only had Genesis to Deuteronomy then that's the Book of the Law they follow. The Bible became the source to determine whether or not certain books were inspired or not inspired.

Did you know God actually encouraged people to read the Book of the Law for themselves? If that's not their Bible that time then I wonder what is. To say that the apostles "did not carry a Bible" is ridiculous. They had the copies of the Scriptures. Joshua 1:7-9 has the people encouraged to read from the Book of the Law. Nowhere did God command the Old Testament priests from the House of Aaron that only they may open the Book of the Law. Instead, God told the Israelites to observe whatever is written in the Book of the Life and follow it. How can anyone meditate upon the Word of God if they're not even allowed to read it? Some Roman Catholic fanatics may say that it's just Old Testament all the while they appeal to the same part of the Bible to justify their erroneous priesthood.

When both Leo XIII and Pius IV said that Bible reading does more harm than good it's true. It's that it does more harm than good on their part because people will find out they were lied to. When people started reading the Bible they started leaving. The Reformation didn't even start and it already started. The late heroes Jan Huss and Girolamo Savonarola used the Bible to protest against the incumbent Popes of their day. They only had a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible yet they found out the truth. Luther found the truth from the pages of Scripture from a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible. Some priests and nuns who are now Bible-believing Christians found the truth from their own translation of the Bible. What's also more true about their statement is that reading the Bible for yourself has been considered a heresy and translators were put to death for simply sharing the Scriptures.

The Bible is not a book that can be taken for granted. How many people died just so people can freely read the Bible today? The Bible's legacy is soaked with the blood of Christian martyrs. Before the papacy the Roman Empire tried to suppress the Bible but failed. Papal Rome tried to suppress the Bible but failed. Islamic empires tried to stop the Bible from being preached but failed. Communists and Nazis tried to stop the Bible from being preached but failed. You can see how Jesus' promise to Peter in Matthew 16:18-19 is true. The true Church will march and the gates of Hell cannot prevail against it. There is one absolute truth that the Bible is absolute. Matthew 24:14 says that the Gospel will be preached. Many preachers today believe that the Lord's coming is very near because of the fact that preaching the Gospel is now in jet age speed and we're already in the Laodicean age. Even so come Lord Jesus!

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