What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecc 1v 9)
It is impossible to appreciate that scripture without understanding.
We act as if we stumbled on a perfect set of Paleo-Hebrew Dead Sea scrolls and Yeshua led us into the desert like Rav Shaul to explain His Truth to us. Instead, He handed us 2000 years of His faithful working in the mess to bring us to this place. Gratitude should be our starting point.
Church History is made up of debates that have raged for 2000 years. A good understanding of that history will cast light on “new heresies” and explain so many traditions we take for granted despite them having no biblical support.
The sixteenth century alone provides a treasure of soul-stirring narratives. Think of Martin Luther’s bold and daring stand for the gospel against the destructive errors of Rome. Had it not been for that flawed anti-Semite – we would still be sitting in a Latin Mass with no access to a bible – let alone an English one. Consider the faithful witness of the English martyrs who died singing psalms as they were consumed by flames.
The story is messy and bloody and should stir our hearts to do great feats.
Church History is a reminder of God s faithfulness:
Like the psalmist, we must “recount all of God’s wonderful deeds” to remind ourselves that He will never leave us or forsake us (Ps. 9:1; Heb. 13:5).
All of Church History is His-Story. The stories of His faithfulness to the men like George Mueller who fed and clothed 20,000 orphans on prayer alone should encourage us to pray.
God provided us with perfect scriptures to perfectly equip us. The history of the Canon of (both old and new) testaments are in themselves amazing stories. God protected His word against all kinds of attacks. Tyndale’s translation was the first English Bible to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, the first English one to take advantage of the printing press, and first of the new English Bibles of the Reformation. Tyndale died to give us that access.
Throughout time, God was there providing the tools for the next move of God in the hearts of men.
Church History protects us from error and clarifies previous errors:
Irish philosopher Edmund Burke wisely remarked that “those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” Indeed, without a basic knowledge of church history, individual Christians and churches are prone to repeat the same doctrinal errors and foolish mistakes of former days.
Learning about Adoptionism, Pelagianism, Arianism, Donatism, or Gnosticism will help you see some of those same heresies in the teachings of many modern preachers and teachers. Without studying Church history, these doctrines may seem new and creative.
A study of the revivals will reveal the Revivalism that cropped up where manipulation methods of Finney replaced the authentic work of the Holy Spirit in the pursuit of “converts” rather than conversion.
A study of the Welsh revival will reveal how emotionalism supplanted biblical doctrine. A great move of God was derailed and fell apart very quickly. Unstructured emotional meetings did not nurture or train mature believers or prepare saints for the long road ahead.
As Twain said “The less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it” A study of history teaches us which traditions are suffocating and need to be avoided and which are so crucial that they must be preserved at all costs. Studying history will open our eyes to traditions we have always assumed were biblical.
Church History humbles us:
Our current generation with pride declares that we are the greatest generation of believers in the history of the world. Rev 3 v 17 – You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realise that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. A look at history will shame us.
For instance, reading the letters of the Church Father, Ignatius of Antioch (35-108 AD), places our own efforts in perspective. The words of Ignatius to the church in Rome, about his own willingness to die as a martyr, should humble us in the light of the “easy-living” approach of many of today’s Christians: “I am writing to all the Churches and I enjoin all, that I am dying willingly for God’s sake, if only you do not prevent it. I beg you; do not do me an untimely kindness. Allow me to be eaten by the beasts, which are my way of reaching to God. I am God’s wheat, and I am to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may become the pure bread of Christ.”
Queen Mary ascended the throne of England in 1553. In subsequent years, she had at least two hundred people put to death (often by fire) for their religious convictions. – Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were burned at the stake on October 16, 1555. Latimer died much more quickly; as the flames quickly rose, Latimer encouraged Ridley, “Be of good comfort, Mr Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out.”
The martyrdoms of Ridley, Latimer, and Thomas Cranmer are today commemorated by a Martyrs’ monument in Oxford. The faith they once died for can now be freely practised in the land.
Church History encourages us:
Hebrews 12 v 2 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
God filled the bible with biographies for many reasons….He wanted us to read them.
In 1563, Englishman John Foxe published his Acts and Monuments to give a universal history of God’s work at building His church. Often called Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, the history has become a Christian classic. There was a time when the Bible and Foxe’s work were the only two books many Christians ever read.
Link to get your free copy – Foxes-Book-of-Martyrs-John-Foxe.pdf
Hebrews 11 v 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised….
We put free history books on this site in the hope it would light a fire in your heart to cry “once more into the breach.” Now let us finish the task set before us.
