Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

Intro to DTR2

by Pastor John Kim

It was great to see so many people come out last night to the first meeting of DTR2. I hope to post my thoughts and highlight some points so that those who weren’t there might be able to have something as well. We will hope to put the messages on audio and video possibly in the future.

Deconstructing a wrong world view is something that most of us don’t think about because we don’t think at a world view level. We typically just think for the moment and react to situations instead of examining the foundations of our thinking and see if what we have in place is solid. Many Christians don’t realize that a lot of their thinking has been impacted by worldly philosophy, deception, and the traditions of man instead of the Word of God. It’s no wonder that the decision making process that many utilize is so skewed because the working parts are not healthy and primed with the truth.

Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

The Scriptures are clear in warning us from having the world be our primary influence. We must fight this because if we don’t, we will find ourselves easily affected and distracted, not to mention deceived.

Romans 12:2 challenges us to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is really a crucial point to consider, especially when we address the issue of dating relationships. I think that too many Christians have allowed their view toward dating relationships to be molded by the world to the point where there is no discernable difference in how they conduct themselves in the pursuit of a relationship, the maintaining of a relationship, and even in the ending of a relationship.

One of the things that many Christians will bring up is that the Bible doesn’t explicitly say anything about dating. While the term “dating” or the concept is not mentioned directly (because they didn’t have anything like that back in the day), the principles that one must employ are clearly given in Scripture. Exercising wisdom, discerning character, practicing sexual purity, learning to resolve conflicts, and many other issues that relate to dating relationships are addressed with clear instruction from our Lord through His Word.

One of the things that I presented was the use of the Reformation principles in the Sola statements. While I know I might have taken a little liberty in transferring the ideas, the principles still remain true.

Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone
Scripture alone is to be our authority when it comes to seeking wisdom and instruction for the issue of dating. Don’t fall for the tickling ear preacher who just wants you to have your “dreams come true.” The Word of God alone is sufficient to teach us, reprove us, correct us, and train us in righteousness in all areas of life, including dating relationships. Don’t be a fool and place your trust in something other than God’s Word.

Sola Gratia – Grace alone
Just as we are saved by grace alone, we are sustained in our Christian life by grace alone. God’s grace is what is sufficient for us and we need to really look to His grace in dealing with the many challenges and trials that come in life, especially in dating relationships (or the lack thereof). Just as the apostle Paul found comfort in the grace of God alone when faced with the thorns in his life, so must we lay our lives in the hands of our gracious God in facing the rough and tumble world of dating relationships.

Sola Fide – Faith alone
Trusting in the Lord is vital as we cannot afford to try and manipulate things by our own wisdom or power. When things don’t work out the way we hope for, faith in our good God who makes all things work together for good is something that will never fail us.

Solus Christus – Christ alone
Just as Christ alone is the way to salvation, Christ alone must be our first love. He cannot be challenged for the supremacy of our affections. Christ alone must be Lord. Christ must be the one that we submit our lives to and there can be no other challenge to His primacy. When we get involved in dating relationships, it is easy to let our dating partner take over our every waking thought and take the place of Christ in our affections. This is such a dangerous place to go – so don’t go there.

Soli Deo Gloria – God’s glory alone
Just as every part of our lives is to be to God’s glory, even our eating and drinking, how we approach dating relationships must be considered with God’s glory being at stake. We cannot afford to let any part, no matter how minor or mundane escape this point. Too many people want to carve out portions of their life for their own glory and fulfillment, even at the expense of bringing dishonor to God’s name.

Remember what Jesus said about what you build your house on. You can build your house on the rock of His words, His truth, and when the storms come, your house will stand firm because your foundation is firm. But if you build your house on the sand of worldly opinion and empty deception, you will get slammed hard by the storms of reality and great will be your fall.

Inspect your foundations now – you might find it rotting with hardly anything to hold up your life. Replace it with the sure foundation of the solid rock of Christ and His truth – you will not regret it.

DTR2 Is Coming!!

by Pastor John Kim

This Sunday, we will start the long-awaited DTR2 series. It will build on the messages that were done a few years ago (DTR1, which you can hear online from our audio section at http://www.lighthousebc.com/) which built a foundation of thought to consider for dating relationships. We will continue to work on building that foundation but will take some time also to directly confront and deconstruct the worldly maze that has blinded many a Christian with the kind of junk that keeps the Word of God from being seen clearly. We will then hopefully build a strategy that will reflect a Biblical worldview toward developing God-honoring relationships that will culminate in God-honoring marriages. We will also talk about how to deal with breaking up in a way that honors God and the other party. There will be a 5 part series to start everything off (Oct. 7 through Nov. 4) and then we will resume in January 2008 as there will be a lot going on during the holiday season. So keep in tune with the updates…

I know that some might think that doing a series like this is just a ploy to get people to come to church. This simply is not true. If anything, I would guess that some of the things that I will say will repel people from the church because they will not want to deal with the truth. This is not just about playing around with some fun topic – it actually is a very serious one because people’s lives are at stake as they head down the road to marriage and the foundations that many people have are so shaky that it is only a matter of time before the relationships they start begin to crumble.

One thing that those of you who are single and who want to date must consider is this – are you really willing to consider what is at stake for the future? Or is your goal simply to fulfill some fantasy? As I watch marriages get destroyed and families get torn about, the place to start dealing with this isn’t when the problems arise, it is to proactively build a foundation that is built on the rock solid truth of God’s Word, cemented with the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and sustained with the weatherproofing of God’s grace that is sufficient to face any challenge. In this way, you cannot go wrong. But if your foundation is build on worldly wisdom, cemented with the emotional fragility of your passions, there is nothing that will sustain you for the long haul.

I will plead with you before you come this Sunday evening – pray that you come with a teachable heart because your future depends on it!!

See you this Sunday, if you still dare to come =)

A Month of "Life Is Not About You"

by Pastor John Kim

As we finished up our series this past month on “Life Is Not About You”, I just couldn’t help be think that a month long series was not enough. It’s almost like we kind of get convicted at times about different truth principles for a short time, but then it fades as we go back to our normal status quo kind of mentality and we live the same self-absorbed lives that we are used to living. I think that it just gets too difficult to go against the flow of the broad path that the majority go that we end up just going back downstream when the battle to go upstream just gets too tiring.

To live the life of the cross is an exercise of perseverance and even pain, for it is a call to self-denial and an embracing of a life of inconvenience, discomfort, and suffering. It is not always so direct – it comes in subtle ways. But a minute or two here, a moment spent for myself doing something for my own pleasure can lead to an hour, a day, and then the pattern gets set in a rut which we struggle yet again to get out of.

We cannot afford to live the life of a Christian in a stop and go fashion. The days of the summer retreat spiritual high can’t be the kind of cycle that we go through. It is a long, hard road of incremental pursuit, it is a submitting of every part of life, even in my eating and drinking, and to take my eyes off myself and consider how I might honor my Master.

This Sunday we will go through our MVP (we haven’t done this in awhile) so I hope that you will come prepared, not just for a reminder, but for a challenge to live out what we have committed ourselves to fulfill:

The Mission: To make disciples of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20)
The Vision: To plan churches (Acts 1:8)
The Passion: To love God and people (Matthew 22:37-40)

Are you a part of the team? Are you in this for the long haul? I hope so. These are exciting days and as we look forward to God’s leading, let’s stop wasting time pursuing the “skubalon” of the world (check Philippians 3:7-8) and pursue knowing Christ and making Him known.

See you all Sunday!!

Caring for Members through Church Discipline

by Pastor Patrick Cho

When the church came together on Sunday evening for our members meeting, it was amazing to look around and see how much the congregation has grown these past nine years. This meeting came just after the membership class where seventeen more individuals were being taught about being committed to the church. What an encouraging evening it was, especially when the microphone was passed and various people shared about how the church had been a blessing to them. Each time we gather together, I am more and more appreciative of our church family. God certainly has blessed us tremendously with wonderful relationships and a body of believers that strives to grow together in His Word.

At the membership class, as I was teaching about the importance of membership, I was once again reminded of the many churches that do not place an emphasis on church membership. I understand and completely support the idea of the autonomy of the local church, but I must say that it causes a bit of concern when I hear that a church does not have formal membership especially because this means that these churches most likely do not practice church discipline either.

One of the participants in the membership class shared that it was the fact that LBC practiced church discipline that kept her at Lighthouse. This may have been a shocking statement to me years ago, but today it is no surprise. Not only is the practice of church discipline prescribed for churches in Matthew 18, it helps preserve the holiness of individuals (which in turn helps preserve the holiness of the church). I often tell believers, if you are serious about maintaining personal holiness, you must go to a church that practices church discipline. It is no wonder that John MacArthur often attributes the enormous success of Grace Community Church to the fact that they practice church discipline. He once stated (and I’m paraphrasing), “By kicking people out of the church, you help the church to grow.”

Of course, it’s not that LBC gets a kick out of excommunicating members. It is actually the most painful and draining ministry for the elders. So why do we go through the trouble if it is so difficult? Here are some reasons:

1. Church discipline upholds the glory of God in His church. The glory of God is the chief motivation for any ministry at LBC. If the church allows sin to go unaddressed in the church, it defames the name of Christ since He is the head of the church. By practicing church discipline, God’s glory is magnified because His saints are dedicated to preserving His name.

2. Church discipline protects the holiness of the church. One of the most practical reasons for church discipline is to show the members that there are consequences to habitual, unrepentant sin. When members know that the church will confront them if they are unwilling to repent, it gives them additional motivation to make things right with God and others. It provides a level of accountability that cannot be provided in any other institution.

3. Church discipline is a ministry of care to the members of the church. It would be entirely unloving to see a brother or sister in sin and not do anything about it. This is one of the reasons why we refer to the discipline process as “member care” at LBC. This was an idea that was first introduced to us through the ministry of Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist. When a member falls into unrepentant sin, the church lovingly is to appeal to that member to repent and return to good standing with God and the church. Through church discipline, the member can see how serious his actions are to God.

4. Church discipline serves as a witness to unbelievers that the church stands for holiness. When an individual’s name is announced to the congregation as having gone through the disciplinary process, it provides a great opportunity to preach the gospel and to explain to people the reason for practicing church discipline. In doing so, even unbelievers can get a sense that the church has been called to be holy as God is holy. What a lame testimony it would be for a church to preach the gospel and yet be full of members who allow unrepentant sin to defile their lives.

5. The Bible tells us to practice church discipline. If for no other reason, this should be motivation enough for any church. Since the Bible gives us set principles in Matthew 18 about this process and we see the outworking of these principles in the epistles, churches should seek to be obedient to God’s will and practice church discipline.

I’m sure there are many more good reasons to practice church discipline. It is a sign of a healthy church that it maintains formal membership and practices church discipline. I just don’t see how the leaders of a church can adequately care for their flock without membership, and I really feel it is an obedience issue to practice church discipline.

All-Church Retreat 2007

The All-Church Retreat promises to be a wonderful time of teaching, fellowship, and growth! Describing the benefit of attending an All-Church Retreat, Pastor John says, “In regards to getting to know one another, one retreat together is better than a year’s worth of Sunday services.” Come out and be encouraged as we open up God’s Word together! Private and shared lodges are available for families with small children.

This year’s All-Church Retreat features Dr. Andy Snider of The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, California. Dr. Snider is a professor of Theology and has also taught classes on Hermeneutics and Prayer. He has been teaching full-time since 2002. He specializes in the doctrines of God and salvation. His wife Pamela is an amazing pianist and was featured on the Todd Beamer Foundation CD, “Let’s Roll!”

theopneustos

by Raymond Kim

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the Apostle Paul makes a remarkable statement regarding the words of Scripture. He writes that “All Scripture is inspired by God (θεόπνευστος) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (NASB). What is the nature of this divine inspiration and what relevance does this have for us today?

The phrase “inspired by God” is actually from a single Greek word, θεόπνευστος (theopneustos). It is a compound adjective comprised of the noun θεός (god, God) and the verb πνευω, (I am blowing), which gives the idea of something being God-breathed. Amazingly, θεόπνευστος occurs only once in the entire New Testament and is unique to 2 Timothy 3:16. While words and ideas are often repeated several times in Scripture for emphasis, the rarity of word usage is a significant consideration as well.

The translation rendered as “inspired by God,” in the NASB and others is misleading as it gives the impression that God inspired the biblical authors to write Scripture, when the language is clear that it is the Scripture itself that is “inspired by God,” literally God-breathed. As an adjective (God-breathed), it describes and gives quality to the noun phrase (all Scripture) that it modifies. It therefore asserts something about the noun, namely that all Scripture has the quality of being God-breathed. To correctly understand the doctrine of “inspiration,” it is important to grasp the fact that God did not “breathe into” the biblical authors or their writings, but rather that all Scripture has been “breathed out” by God. Although He used divinely appointed individuals to record His Word, God is the originator, source and ultimate author of all Scripture. The same breath that spoke the universe into being and gave life to Adam is the breath from which the Scriptures were brought forth.

What this means for us today is that as we hold our Bibles in our hands, we can have confidence that we are holding the very word of God. It means that we can place our faith in the Scriptures because all of it has been breathed out by God and reflects His wisdom, not the wisdom of this world. Since all Scripture is God-breathed, all of it possesses His authority to the extent that to disobey God’s Word is to disobey God Himself.

It means that everything in the Bible is important and all of it must be obeyed, not just the parts that we pick and choose. God’s word is our spiritual sustenance, that’s why Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Thankfully, every word that has proceeded from the mouth of God has been recorded for us in the Scriptures for us to know, to study, to believe, to obey, and to live out. God didn’t just speak to an original audience thousands of years ago in the ancient near east. God is still speaking today through His eternal, inerrant, God-breathed Word; the question is, are you willing to listen?

Shame and Secret Sin

by David Ahn

Over past several months, the news has brought a seemingly endless stream of embarrassing headlines and shameful accusations against otherwise respectable figures in society. Whether it’s a conservative US Senator being arrested for lewd acts in a public restroom, or an NBA referee being accused of having officiated games in a way to benefit his own gambling interests, it seems as if no occupation is any longer above reproach. Unfortunately, even a prominent Christian pastor in the past year has been exposed for leading a scandalous double-life. If you’re anything like me, the following string of questions immediately comes to mind: How could this happen? How could they harbor such heinous sins over the span of years, while actively carrying out their admirable every-day lives?

It’s easy to assume that these people are just inherently evil, or that they struggle with unique and extreme desires of the flesh, but we should not be so quick to distance ourselves from them. Their situations did not come about overnight. What most likely took place is that those areas of sin began as seemingly minor temptations, but were cultivated and expanded over many years of indulging while hiding their sin from the public eye. The Bible clearly states that we are all sinners, so we must take heed and really consider the danger of entertaining secret sin in our own lives, no matter how insignificant they might appear at the time.

To begin, we must examine what secret sin really is and the danger that it poses. Is there even such a thing as sin that is truly secret? The answer is a resounding no, at least according to our theology. We worship an omnipotent, omnipresent God who sees and knows everything. Interestingly enough, we know this fact in our heads but yet it doesn’t seem to take root in our hearts, which explains why temptation seems most appealing when our brothers and sisters are not around, or why our private thought lives are often the hardest to control. Sadly enough, this essentially reveals a fear of man over a fear of God, and the Bible firmly denounces such thinking: “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28, NASB). Secret sin is not inherently any worse than any other sin. God does not rely on human witnesses to sway His judgments. However, secret sin can be more dangerous because of the soil in which it takes root: the absence of a fear of God.

In his book, Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin With Superior Pleasure, John Piper elaborates upon the disparity between the fear of God and the fear of man through a thoughtful discussion of shame. He introduces and defines two types of shame: misplaced shame and well-placed shame. The difference between the two is whose glory is at stake: do you feel shame when you look bad in front of others or fail to meet their expectations, or do you feel shame your actions have dishonored God? The only time that we are justified in feeling shame is when we have done or thought something that takes away from His glory.

King David had the right idea of shame. When he was confronted regarding his sins of sending Bathsheba’s husband out to die in battle so that he would be able to take her as his own wife, King David immediately responded by saying, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13) and also wrote Psalm 51: “Against You, You only, have I sinned \ And done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4, NASB). He was not remorseful because he was being punished with his son being stricken with disease, he was not ashamed because his secret sin had been discovered and might tarnish his legacy, but he was contrite because he realized that he had dishonored God.

A proper understanding of the difference between appropriate and misplaced shame is crucial for fighting secret sin because it addresses the underlying heart issue. Without this, the problem of our fear of man can remain uncorrected even after our sins have been exposed. In this case, we might just go about trying to repair our image by going through the motions of apologizing or even by correcting our behavior, but this is only an incomplete and temporary fix. In fact, it can even exacerbate the problem by causing us to build back up our pride and decrease our dependence on the grace of God, further feeding our fear of man. On the other hand, if we have a correct view of what well-placed shame looks like, we will humble ourselves and remember that our sole purpose is to bring glory to God in everything that we do, then all sin (public or private) becomes equally shameful because it dishonors Him, and we would respond by immediately confessing to God and taking comfort in the work of the Cross, and the joy of salvation would quickly overcome the feelings of doubt and guilt.

This is obviously not an easy shift of perspective that will take place over a day or two, but we can make an effort to persistently check our motivations and intentions for why we do what we do and why we feel shame when we do. Try out the following practical suggestions: The next time your cheeks flush red and your blood temperature rises, try to identify why you are feeling shame. When a brother or sister calls you out and rebukes you, identify why you are feeling shame. When the temptation to sin comes knocking, try to identify what shame it is that you fear the most. Is it misplaced or well-placed shame? Is it a fear of God or a fear of man?

Book Review: When Sinners Say "I Do"

Book by Dave Harvey

Review by Tim Sohn

I should preface this column by saying that I am not married. Lord willing, I hope to be someday. Until then, I will have to read books to live vicariously through more experienced authors. Like many single people, I’ve read a lot of relationship books (if you’re single and you say you haven’t, stop lying). Out of all the relationship books I have read (more than my fingers and toes), this book has been the most eye-opening, encouraging, and convicting. I admit, I was a little embarrassed to have it on my desk or read it on the plane since I keep getting asked, “When’s your wedding?”. Despite these comments, I couldn’t resist since many people in the blogosphere have been saying this is the best marriage book ever. I wholeheartedly agree.

For many years I thought that marriage would be an unusual bliss, almost like heaven on earth. If you had relationship problems, the solution was get married. If you can’t cook, get married. If your car won’t start, get married. Dave Harvey pummels through these ridiculous ideas by laying out the most fundamental fact about all of us, our sinfulness. Every marriage involves two sinners saying, “I do” to a lifetime of love, yet as the wheels start to turn the selfish and unloving attitudes come out. All of our efforts and best works are shot through with sin, making the wedding of two sinners that much more earth shattering.

Sound bleak? When Sinners Say “I Do” is a book that is about marriage, but focuses a lot on sin. Harvey begins by focusing on sin, but leads us to the green pastures where we find grace in the Gospel of Jesus. The first half of the book is spent breaking the reader to see that we are more sinful that we know. Harvey writes, “My friends, when sin becomes bitter, marriage becomes sweet.” This isn’t a book that will give the 7 steps to a better marriage, or secrets found by observing 50 successful couples. This book will show you that the biggest obstacle in marriage is often your own sin, and the only way to deal with it is by looking to the Gospel.

I couldn’t say it any better than Paul David Tripp in the book’s foreword. “This book grasps the core drama of every married couple. This drama is no respecter of race, ethnic origin, location, or period of history. It is the one thing that explains the doom and hope of every human relationship. It is the theme that is on every page of this book in some way. What is this drama? It is the drama of sin and grace. What do all of us do in our marriages in some way? We all tend to deny our sin (while pointing out the sin of the other). By denying our sin, we devalue grace. What is important about this book is that at the level of the hallways and family rooms of everyday life, it is very honest about sin and very hopeful about the amazing resources of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.”

Whether you’re married or not, this book is a must read. It will change the way you view yourself, your marriage, and even relationship with others. However, the way that will happen will be through the cross, and allowing the Gospel to go deeper to cause radical change.

Editor’s Note (2009): Tim is happily married to a lovely Christian woman named Candy now, and they continue to minister faithfully in the Silicon Valley area. Congrats Tim!

Thomas À Kempis

by Stephanie Shin

“For were the works of God readily understandable by human reason, they would neither be wonderful nor unspeakable.”
-Thomas À Kempis

As I read up on Thomas À Kempis (much of the following thoughts taken from Pages from Church History) one of the forerunners of the mysticism movement and author of the well-known work, The Imitation of Christ, it became a challenge to find a happy medium between many of the ideas espoused by the mystics and a faithfulness to the living Word of God. In the end, a growing appreciation for Thomas À Kempis and his teachings found its way in God’s sovereignty. But let’s start at the beginning.

À Kempis was believed to have lived from 1380-1471. Some of À Kempis’s earlier contemporaries were sizeable figures such as John Wycliffe, who championed the then-heretical teachings on the sole authority of Scripture in the church life, and Jan Hus, Wycliffe’s counterpart in the Czech Republic. While the Roman Catholic Church in the 14th and 15th centuries had grown in size and wealth, the pope struggled to maintain its hold on Britain and Germany. This is the era that prefaced the Reformation and the context that À Kempis lived.

A heavy influence on the writings of Thomas À Kempis developed from the monastic order that he was a part of—the Brethren of the Common Life founded by Gerard Groote. The heart of this monastery was the idea of being a “true disciple,” an imitator of Christ. At the time, the scholastic movement had penetrated Christianity. Many criticized the scholastics for the heavy emphasis placed on intellectual examination and rationale. This movement ignited the reactionary mysticism movement of which À Kempis himself was a proponent. The mysticism movement, as a rejoinder, described the knowledge of God as personal and transcendent; God was not to be found in books but experience. Unfortunately, this often came at the expense of Scripture.

Many of Kempis’s own convictions took shape in his most renowned book, an organized meditation named The Imitation of Christ. His book was split into four sections: Counsels on the Spiritual Life, Counsels on the Inner Life, Counsels on Inward Consolation, and On the Blessed Sacrament. A brief look at the three points in the first section is a good indicator of his ideals that:

    1. We must follow Christ’s way of life if we are to attain true enlightenment and freedom from the blindness of the heart.

    2. There must be humility in learning of the Trinity. Lofty words attain nothing, but a good life is pleasing to the Lord.

    3. There must be a withdrawal from the love of visible things and an affection to things invisible.

À Kempis wrote much of his treatise with the context and practice of monastic life in mind, but he acknowledged that spiritual health does not stem from the monastery in and of itself, but from the transformation of one’s life.

Coming from a fairly sparse knowledge of À Kempis and the mysticism movement, it was interesting to see how God used men like À Kempis and Groote to impact the coming Reformation. They gave voice to the dissatisfaction that was rising against the Roman Catholic Church and the need for moral and reform restructuring was identified.

While À Kempis was unable to bring about any extensive change because his teachings lacked the biblical foundation, a relatively new focus on the “suffering servant” and the idea that the Scripture was to be lived out in real life and not just intellectually known surfaced. While faith and Bible knowledge standing on their own do not depict the full picture of the Christian, it was soon made clear through revolutionaries like Martin Luther that Christ demanded full obedience in both areas. How awesome to know we are enabled because we are controlled by His love!

John Wycliffe

by Jennifer Shin

Even before Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, there was another man who opposed the Roman Catholic Church and challenged its teaching and its authority – John Wycliffe. Wycliffe is considered to be the main precursor of the Reformation and is thus called “The Morning Star of the Reformation.” It was through his own Bible studies that he first began to question the teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church.

Wycliffe challenged several views that were held by the Catholic Church including transubstantiation – the idea that there is a change of substance from the bread and wine to the actual body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist – and also submitted the view of the priesthood of all true believers. But the foundation of his desire for reform in the Roman Catholic Church laid in the authority of Scripture. He believed in the sole and absolute authority of Scripture in the life of the Church but much of what he saw in the Church was Papal supremacy. The papacy did not adhere to the will of God according to Holy Scripture. Wycliffe stated, “Holy Scripture is the highest authority for every Christian and the standard of faith and of all human perfection.”

Because he believed the Word of God to be the absolute and only authority for the Christian, he also believed that the Bible needed to be made available to all men. At the time, England only possessed Bibles in Latin Vulgate. Church services were conducted in a language the people could not understand. Complete Bibles were only found in monasteries, college halls, the largest abbeys, and in the homes of the elite. Wycliffe thus conducted a translation of the entire Bible into the English vernacular from the Latin Vulgate. Though parts of Scripture were already translated into English prior to his involvement, Wycliffe was the first to oversee the process of translating the entirety of Scripture and to produce the first fully translated English Bible.

Many opposed the idea of the “average man” having a Bible in his hands and attacked Wycliffe and those who shared his vision, stating that those who could read English “did not know enough theology to understand the Bible.” The Church also took action and burned the English Bible wherever they found it.

The Bible was hard to obtain, even after it was translated into English, because of its monetary value. One Bible cost as much as two hogs, which fed an entire family for a year. It’s quite unfortunate to see how the majority of the copies of Scripture today are sitting on our bookshelves, full of truth, yet unable to transform our lives – not because it is powerless, but because we do not care to know what God says. We would rather choose to be swayed by the influences of the world and live under its authority, rather than allow God to govern our lives through His Word.

“Above everything else Wycliffe placed the Word of God, which was to him a beacon and a shining light in a world of gross spiritual darkness.” There is no greater authority than God, Himself. And knowing what this world is like and how it so easily manipulates us and tells us how to live, we ought to be constantly running to His Word for wisdom and protection from its ways.