This is session 4 of a class I presented regarding the history of denominations. This session pertains to the German Reformation and the Swiss Reformation - along with the Anabaptist influence.

1. Session 3 – Pillars of Reform

2.  Europe of the Reformation – Germany, Switzerland

4.  Became a monk in 1515
 Attempted to fulfill the law of God and Canon
 C.f. Apostle Paul, John Bunyan (years later)
 Attempted to pacify an angry God
 Slept on the hard floor without cover in dead of winter
 Starved and beat himself as punishment for his own sin
 The abbot of Luther’s monastery tried to help Luther
 “Go away and don’t come back until you have significant
sins to confess!”
 “Love God” – to which Luther replied, “I hate Him”

5.  Experienced Conversion in 1515
 Discovered the true Gospel in Romans 1:17
 C.f. Apostle Paul, John Bunyan (years later)
 “I felt myself to be reborn” – Martin Luther
 Slept on the hard floor without cover in dead of winter
 Starved and beat himself as punishment for his own sin
 Salvation by grace through faith was revolutionary
 Roman Catholic Church emphasized 7
sacraments, pilgrimage to holy relics, Church canon law
 Eastern Orthodox emphasized church liturgy

6.  Chair of Biblical Studies – Wittenberg University

7.  Priest and Pastor – Castle Church in Wittenberg

8.  Command to Build St Peter’s Basilica in Rome
 Monks sent out to “fundraise” using indulgences
 Meritorious works of Jesus and Saints were applied for a fee
 Purgatory (purge of sins) lessened or removed
 Indulgences began as method of funding Crusades
 Johann Tetzel sent to Wittenberg to “fundraise”
 Tetzel extended indulgences even to dead relatives
 “A coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs!”
 Luther began to preach against Tetzel from the pulpit.

9. 95 Thesis nailed to Wittenberg Door - Oct 1517

10.  Penance/ True Repentance – 19 theses
 Purgatory – 38 theses
 Remission of Sins – 21 theses
 Indulgences – 35 theses
 Clergy Indiscretion – 13 theses
 Treasures of the Church – 12 theses
 True Christian Virtue – 25 theses

12.  Luther asserts that Popes and Councils are subject to the
authority of Scripture
 Eck likened Luther to John Hus as his primary attack
 Luther afterward appealed to German authorities to
consider a “German” state church
 Eck afterward traveled to Rome to have Luther formally
declared a heretic.

13.  Pope Leo X issued a Papal Bull to Luther condemning his
teachings and commanding him to recant in 1520.
 Luther threw the Bull on a bonfire upon which other
Catholic books and paraphernalia were being burned.
 Pope Leo X declared Luther a heretic and had him booted
out of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church

15.  Luther summoned to give an account of his
beliefs by Emperor Charles V who was loyal to the
Pope.
 Spanish son of Philip the Handsome and Joanna the Mad
 Grandson of Maximilian I (1459-1519)
 Luther’s safety guaranteed by Duke Frederick III
of Saxony
 Necessary now as Hus’ fate still echoed in recent history
 Frederick III helped to get Charles V crowned Emperor
 Frederick founded University of Wittenberg
 Frederick III pressed Maximilian I for Chruch Reform decades
before Luther.

16.  Yet again Luther debated Eck and yet again, destroyed him.
 Luther asserted his views based on Scripture and called for
their refutation from Scripture. They were not.
 Luther won new minds and hearts among the royalty present at
the Diet.
 Luther’s famous quote recorded at the Diet:
 “My conscience is captive to the Word of God, I will not recant
anything, for to go against conscience is neither honest nor
safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”

17.  Charles V called Luther “swine” and pedaling “filth”
and heresy of heretics passed, adding his own.
 Luther declared an outlaw and gave Luther 2 weeks to
leave to return home to Wittenburg
 Frederick III staged a fake kidnapping and took Luther
to his Wartburg Castle
 Luther went by pseudo name “Junker George”
 Here Luther began to translate the Bible into German

18.  Charles V declared it illegal for anyone to help Luther.
Anyone could kill him without cause or recourse.
 Frederick III – rescinded the Edict in his lands of
Saxony – but it would be reinstated some years later.

19.  1. How is a person saved?
 Not by works but by faith alone.
 2. Where does religious authority lie?
 Not in clergy or councils but in Scripture.
 3. What is the Church?
 Community of Christian Believers – all are priests
 4. What is the essence of Christian living?
 Serving God in any useful calling, ordained or lay

20.  Only 2 of the 7 Sacraments are Scriptural:
 Baptism and Eucharist (Lord’s Supper)
 Unscriptural Sacraments:
 Penance – confession to an ordained priest
 Confirmation – mature deepened commitment to Church
 Marriage – Must be in Catholic Church by ordained Priest
Holy Orders – Ordination into the Catholic priesthood
 Extreme Unction (Last Rites) – at death by ordained Priest
 Celibacy of Priesthood is not Scriptural
 Priests are permitted to marry
 Luther married an ex-nun himself

22.  Called by Charles V – who was backpedaling amidst the
rising popularity of the Reformation.
 Luther did not attend due to threat of arrest
 Philip Melancthon a friend and colleague of Luthers, acted
as representative.
 He presented the Augsburg Confession
 Ulrich Zwingli arrived with his Fidei Ratio
 “Account of Faith” 12 articles providing an early “statement
of faith” for the Reformed Church
 Based on the Apostles Creed
 Outlined differences between Reformed, Catholic, & Lutheran

23.  Written by Philip Melancthon and submitted to Luther
for approval.
 28 Articles
 21 comprise an early Lutheran “statement of faith”, approved
ecclesiology, and Christian living
 7 outlined corrected abuses: 7 sacraments, ecclesiology, and
asceticism.

26.  Ordained a Priest in Constance
 First duties – Priest in Glarus as “chaplain” to
mercenaries
 Spoke out against the lucrative trade & lost his post.
 “We are trading blood for gold”
 Moved on to church in Einsiedeln & met Erasmus
 Began learning Greek

27.  1519 – was promoted to “Grand Cathedral” in Zurich
 Began arrive, independently, at many of Luther’s
conclusions regarding the Catholic Church
 Preached Matthew verse by verse – first expository
preaching of its kind.
 Plague hit Zurich killing one third of its population
 Zwingli contracted the disease but survived
 His heart toward “reform” took on a whole new vigor

28.  Indulgences
 Purgatory
 Veneration of Mary
 Celibacy of Priests – He took a wife himself
 Refused his church wages from the Pope

30.  Founded by students of Ulrich Zwingli:
 Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz

31.  Radicals Reformation Movement
 Zwingli reformed too slow or not enough
 Separation of church and state
 Baptism by choice and not as an infant
 Same council that condemned ‘unscriptural’
teaching: condemned the movement.
 George Blaurock baptised in defiance of council 1525
 Declared Illegal in 1527 and practices banned.
 Anabaptists continued in spite of this ruling

32.  Zwingli threw his students under the bus
 Gave “unofficial” approval for execution
 Condemned their views as heretical
 Zurich City Council made example of Felix Manz
 “You have sinned against the waters of baptism
so by the waters you shall die”
 Common method of martyrdom for them.
 Manz was first protestant martyred by another
protestant group.

33.  Heavily persecuted by both Protestant &
Catholic alike.
 Fled Zurich to religiously tolerant
Moravia, but were expelled in 1535 and
dispersed throughout Europe.
 Jakob Hutter – joined movement 1529
 His death in 1535 started the Hutterite movement, later to be
the Hutterite denomination.
 Menno Simons – joined movement 1536
 His movement was called “Mennonite”
 Amish are a branch of “Mennonites”

35.  Called by Philip of Hesse to unify Reformation
between Luther and Zwingli
 Luther and Zwingli agreed on 14 of 15 articles of
faith
 Disagreed on 1 article: The Lord’s Supper
 Luther “Denying transubstantiation is like denying the
incarnation itself” – thereby elevating a “non-essential”
to an “essential”
 Zwingli – “Saved by Grace through Faith” not “Grace +
Bread.
 Luther writes “est” – this bread IS my body.
 Both movements remain divided over a
practice designed to bring unity.

37.  Civil war among Swiss “Cantons” (states)
 5 holdout Catholic states remained
 5 Catholic states staged a surprise attack
 To break a food embargo/blockade
 Zwingli, the pacifist, was among the fighting
pastors
 Given chance to recant, refused, was given death blow
 Zwingli’s body was quartered, burned, and
ashes cast to the wind.

39.  Left Catholic Church in 1530 and became a French
refugee in Switzerland
 William Farel – common friend with Zwingli –
convinced Calvin to remain in Geneva.
 Calvin returned to Geneva in 1541 to remain permanently
 Wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion
 An apologetic for Christian theology and positions of the
Swiss Reformation
 Enlarged from 6 chapters to 17 by 1539

40.  Submitted articles for reform to the Geneva
City Council and all were accepted:
 Pastors to preach and administer the sacraments
 Doctors to instruct believers in the faith
 Elders to provide discipline
 Deacons to care for the poor and needy
 Created a special council for religious affairs
 Preached over 2000 sermons – twice on
Sunday and thrice throughout the week.

41.  Condemned “Libertines”
 Group that believed that the Gospel excused
them from civic and ecclesiastic obedience
 Condemned “Servetus”
 Heretic stalker of Calvin – condemned the
Trinity and infant baptism
 Sent 30 copies of “Institutes” with annotated
“errors” found
 Was an outlaw on the run but showed up at
Calvin’s services – Calvin had him arrested

42.  Marian (Catholic Queen) exiles from England
 “Bloody Mary” for her persecution of protestants
 Exiles found safe haven in Geneva with Calvin
 John Knox – student and protégé of Calvin
 Returned to England and Founded Church of
Scotland, 1560 – mainline denomination today
 Also called “Scottish Presbyterians”
 William Whittingham returned to England and
brought Reformed theology with him.

44.  Human Wisdom in 2 parts
 Knowledge of God; Knowledge of Self
 Trinitarian and Deity of Jesus
 Against Icons (c.f. Zwingli)
 Process of Conversion (book 2 of Institutes)
 Faith = firm knowledge of God in Christ
 Leads to true repentance & remission of sin
 Leads to regeneration = pre-fall Adam status
 Perfection in this life impossible – lifelong
struggle with sin is to be expected

45.  T-otal Depravity of Man
 God makes one alive without any help from that person
 U-nconditional Election
 God makes one alive without looking for “good” in them
 L-imited Atonement
 God laid his life down for His sheep and no one else Jn 10:11
 I-rresistable Grace
 God makes one to “want” His grace – not kicking and screaming
 P-reservation of the Saints
 God preserves His people so they can never be lost.