Reformation
and Missions: The Impact of Reformation upon Missions
Were
the Protestant Reformers against missions and evangelism? Was their theology in
conflict with the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ, which calls upon
the Church to go to all nations and preach the gospel? What were their impacts
toward the spreading of the gospel to Europe and to other parts of the world? Should
the Reformed churches have a missions mandate? Significantly, by looking into
the geographical advancement of the gospel during the last 500 years of the
history of the Church, one is able to identify that the 16th Century
Protestant Reformation movement was greatly instrumental for the spread of the
gospel from one end of the world to the other end. The Reformation era is understood
as one of the greatest spiritual awakenings that happened in the Church, ever
since the revival experienced by the Early Church during the Day of Pentecost,
recorded in Acts 2. This revival not only impacted the doctrinal and ethical
purity of the Church, but also the mission endeavors of the Church. It began
with the spread of the gospel to various cities and villages of the European
continent, transforming the lives of nominal Christians to a genuine spiritual
experience with the Lord Jesus Christ, as the liberating and the transforming
power of the gospel penetrated the hearts of the people. From there, the gospel
missions advanced to America, Africa, Asia, and to the uttermost parts of the
world. Truly, the Reformation movement was not only a doctrinal movement, but
also a missions movement!
Criticism Against the
Reformers
It
has been said that the Reformers were against missions because, firstly, they
thought that missions mandate of the Church was already fulfilled by the
Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Early Church as they had taken the
gospel to the ends of the earth during their lifetime itself. Secondly, according
to the critics, the Reformers were very busy fighting with the Catholics to
establish the right doctrinal understanding on the doctrine of justification,
and as a result, they neglected missions or sharing the gospel with others. They
engaged in a theological war with the Catholics, and therefore they overlooked
the mission concerns of the Church. Thirdly, the criticism was that the
Reformers were predestinarians (the doctrine of God electing people to
salvation), believing in the sovereignty of God in salvation, and therefore
precluded the responsibility of man in coming to Christ. The accusation was
that the Reformers thought that if God wanted to save the heathen, they would
be saved without the instrumentality of man. In this regard, they even quoted
John Calvin as he wrote, “we are taught that the kingdom of Christ is neither
to be advanced nor maintained by the industry of men, but this is the work of
God alone.”
Theological Evaluation
Was
the theology of the Reformers against evangelism and missions, as the critics
observed? An observation of the theology of the Reformers and their
understanding on missions helps us to realize that the critics had wrongly
judged the Reformers on this matter.
It
was true that the Reformers’ theology was different from the Catholics in many
sense. Especially that in the doctrine of salvation, there was a paradigm shift
between the Catholics and the Reformers. In fact, it was the theology that
shaped the missions approach of the Reformers. The Catholics’ doctrine of
salvation was a man-centered, humanistic, approach. They taught that there was
some moral goodness in man, and that he could by himself come to God for
salvation. On the contrary, the Reformers understood the doctrine of salvation
as centered around God. According to Apostle Paul’s exposition of the doctrine
of salvation in the Epistles of Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians, the Reformers
taught that salvation is the work of God, and God alone, and a sinner receives
it as God grants it unto him as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8). A sinner has no
ability whatsoever within him to come to God for salvation. Our salvation is
not through man’s freewill as our will is flawed by sin, and of our own, we
will never turn to God and to His righteousness (read Romans 3:9-18). The Bible
clearly says that there is none righteous (Romans 3:10), “for all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Even, our faith that we
place upon God to believe in Him is His gift to us. Therefore, the Scripture
teaches that a sinner is saved solely by the sovereign will and mercy of God.
One
will not miss this truth if he objectively studies Romans 8-9 along with
Ephesians 1-2. God is sovereign over a sinner’s salvation. Paul writes in
Romans 8:28-31, “And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate,
them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If
God be for us, who can be against us?” This is known as the chain of salvation
that from the election of a sinner to salvation, all the way to his
glorification, salvation is the work of God, by His most sovereign will, and
for His glory. No one can be brought into God’s salvation plan, but only those whom
He did predestinate, them He called, them He justified, and them He glorified. God,
in His great plan of salvation, chooses some into His saving grace, but many
are left out. In Romans 9 Paul explains this difficult truth through the case
of Jacob and Esau in the Old Testament, saying, “. . . that the purpose of God
according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth”
(verse 11). Paul then asks this question, “What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God?” (verse 14), and the answer is, “God forbid,” means
“certainly not.” And the reason that some sinners are left out of God’s
salvation plan is that they are condemned by God in their lost sinful estate as
they deserve nothing but condemnation. On the contrary, for those whom God has
chosen to salvation, it is nothing but the sheer mercies of God. Paul
continues, “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of
him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. . . .
Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he
hardeneth” (Romans 9:15-18). Later in verses 21-23 Paul adds that God has
complete authority over man as he is just like a clay in the porter’s hand, “Hath
not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and
to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath
fitted to destruction: And that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore
prepared unto glory” (Romans 9:21-23). Take note the last phrase that says,
“which he had afore prepared unto glory.” This is God’s sovereign election that
before the foundation of the world, God chose some to eternal salvation, out of
His pure mercy.
Again,
the Apostle Paul expounds this truth clearly in Ephesians 1-2. In Ephesians 1:3-14,
Paul explains that the Triune God—Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit—is the
Author, Accomplisher, and Applier of salvation. According to Paul, salvation is
by the Will of God, through the Work of God, and for the Worship of God. He
says in verses 3-6, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ: According as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved.” God has done this, Paul says, “according to the riches of his grace”
(verse 7), and out of His rich mercy, and for His great love toward us (2:4).
Paul concludes, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of
works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:7-9). The point, therefore, is
that man is not saved by his own freewill as some people say, but by the
sovereign will of God, and man receives it as God’s pure gift as man responds to
God through faith, that is placing his trust in God. Thank God that He has
taken the initiative to save us and reached out unto us through His Son Jesus
Christ!
However,
the doctrine of the sovereignty of God in salvation never negates the
importance of gospel preaching and missions endeavors of the church. The Reformed
theology, in accordance with Paul’s teaching on this matter in Romans 10,
teaches that an elect sinner comes to know the truth of salvation through the
preaching of the gospel. The Apostle, having expounded God’s eternal and
sovereign election for salvation in Romans 9, expounds in chapter 10 that
preaching is the means by which a lost sinner is brought to the saving
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, “For there is no difference
between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that
call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how
shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear
without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is
written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel.
For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God” (Romans 10:12-17). Like the chain of salvation we earlier
discussed (Romans 8:28-31), in these verses there is the chain of logic in
sharing the gospel and salvation: the only way to be saved is to call on
Christ’s name; the only way to call on Christ’s name is to believe the gospel;
the only way to believe the gospel is to hear the gospel; and the only way to
hear the gospel is to be told the gospel. This calls on us the urgency of
reaching out to the ends of the earth with the gospel as without the glorious
gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, there is no hope of salvation and
eternal life for this hopeless and perishing world.
In
other words, the Reformed theology stands against any inclusivism, which
teaches that though salvation is only through Jesus Christ, there may be
persons who are saved without knowing it. Inclusivism simply put, Jesus may
save some who never hear of Him. The argument comes from the understanding of
the so called “innocent people” around, who may never get the opportunity to
hear the gospel. The argument is based on Romans 1:19-20, which talks about God
revealing Himself through the nature which He created, and Romans 2:14-15,
which talks about the moral law written within human hearts, which would
provide sufficient knowledge for salvation. Those who argue this way wrongly
understood the logic behind Paul’s arguments in Romans 1-2. The point the
Apostle is making in these two passages is the inexcusability and the inability
of man—he is “without excuse” before God’s wrath on the Day of Judgment. Paul’s
argument is that God’s revelation in nature is sufficient only to condemn a
sinner, not to save, as he suppresses the truth (verse 18). His own conscience
will bear witness against him, testifying against him, that he is a lawbreaker
as there is no inborn ability in him to come to God of his own or to do that
which is good to merit salvation before God. Hence Paul’s conclusion in Romans
3, “let God be true, but every man a liar” (verse 4); “there is none righteous,
no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after
God” (verses 10-11); and “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God” (verse 23). That means there is no “innocent man” in the first place.
In
contrast to inclusivism, the Reformed theology teaches exclusivism, which is
the view that salvation of a lost sinner is possible only through faith in the
gospel of Christ. Having explained the totally depraved, sinful, state of human
condition, Paul moves on in Romans 3 to explain God’s glorious gospel for man, “Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the
forbearance of God; To declare, I say,
at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law?
of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:24-28). There is
only one way of salvation all through the Bible, for everyone, everywhere, and
in any period of time. Jesus categorically stated this truth as He mentioned in
John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me.” Interestingly, the saints of the Old Testament were also
saved through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. To a doubting and rebellious
Jews, Jesus reminded that their father Abraham placed his faith in Him (John
8:56). Paul says in Galatians 3:8 that the gospel was preached unto Abraham,
and Abraham believed it and counted it unto him for righteousness (cf. Hebrews
4:2).
Having
understood the importance of the gospel for salvation, Paul himself said, “I am
debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the
unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that
are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:14-17).
Later he adds, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for
necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1
Corinthians 9:16; cf 2 Corinthians 4:1-7).
It
is the Reformed theology that understands this truth correctly. Hence, the Reformers
emphasized the need for preaching the gospel and the people with a Reformed
persuasion have been in the forefront of missions expansions of the Church.
Historical Evaluation
A
historical evaluation of the Reformation period and the subsequent centuries
helps us to understand that the Magisterial Reformers, namely, Luther, Zwingli,
Calvin, and Knox, and their followers worked earnestly not only for the purity
of the doctrines of the gospel but also for the spreading of the gospel message
to the near and far. For the Reformers, their priority was setting the
doctrines of salvation right, and for that they fought with the established
Catholic system. Along with that, they did their part in the faithful
proclamation of the gospel.
It
was observed that in the early period of the Reformation, the Reformers
concentrated more on “regional” missions rather than “foreign” missions. During
that period, the Reformation cities such as Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich, and Basel
were like hubs and from these cities, many returned to their home regions,
having received pastoral training to be pastors and evangelists. In the 16th
century, missions nearer home involved much challenges as the opposition was
fierce. It was told that from Geneva alone, more than 200 preachers were sent
out during the period of 1555-70. Of whom many were imprisoned and executed
before they could reach their destinations. Those who survived, could establish
Protestant congregations.
The
Reformers played a crucial role of spreading the gospel in and around Europe
through the Bible translations. The Renaissance and the invention of the
printing press opened a great opportunity to print the Bible in vernacular
languages. People like William Tyndale, Erasmus of Rotterdam, Theodore Beza,
and many others published the Greek and English Bibles, in the languages of the
common people. Bible translations were also done into German, French, and Dutch
languages so that ploughboys and milkmaids could read God’s Word in their own
languages.
In
the 17th century, the Reformation impact on missions was seen as
many movements, such as, Puritanism (in England), Pietism (Lutherans in Germany),
and Moravianism (Unity of Brethren) committed to gospel outreaches to their own
homes, societies, and to the neighborhoods. Significantly, the Anabaptists and
the Pietist movement were greatly influenced by the Reformed theology, especially
for their missionary zeal. Later, the Pietist movement led the way to the
Wesleyan revival and Baptist Missionary Society. By the middle of the 17th
century, three missionary societies were in function, namely, the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in New England, the Society for Promoting
Christian Knowledge (SPCK), and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel
in Foreign Parts (SPG).
The
eighteenth century had witnessed an explosion in missions endeavors. This was
the period England and North America witnessed the First Great Awakening
through the Calvinistic preacher George Whitefield. The Wesley brothers, John
and Charles Wesley, though with a different theological persuasion, contributed
toward the Great Awakening. This century was known as the modern missionary
movement as this period witnessed the birth of many missionary organizations in
different parts of the world, especially in England and in Northern America. To
name a few: the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792, the London Missionary
Society in 1795, the Church Missionary Society in 1799, and the Wesleyan
Methodist Missionary Society in 1813. For the Northern America, in 1810, the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was born, which was the
first missions society in the US.
In the light of these developments
of the Post-Reformation missions initiatives, it was observed that, “It seemed
so obvious at the end of the nineteenth century that Calvinism and missions had
been good partners that few felt pressed to document the full extent of it. One
who did (from within the Presbyterian and Reformed constituency) claimed at the
century’s end that of the world’s Protestant missionary force, a full 25% were
recruited from that family of churches. His figure took no account of the many
Congregationalists, Anglicans, and Baptists whose convictions substantially
overlapped. It is good to be reminded just how many “household names” from that
great era of missionary expansion were both sent out by agencies upholding and
served within a Calvinistic framework. A dictionary of biography would rapidly
make this plain regarding Robert Morrison (1782–1834) who translated the Bible
into Chinese by 1818; Robert Moffat (1795–1883) and his son-in-law David
Livingstone (1813–73), who gave themselves to South and Central Africa; and a
host of others.” (Kenneth J Stewart, “Calvinism and Missions: the Contested
Relationship Revisited”). Following are the names of some great missionaries
from the Reformed persuasion took the gospel to the different parts of the
world in the 19th century: Alexander Duff, Donald
Fraser, John Geddie, Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth, Adoniram Judson, David
Livingstone, Robert Moffat, Samuel A. Moffett, Robert Morrison, John L. Nevius,
John G. Paton, John Philip, A. T. Pierson, John Scudder, Mary Slessor, Johannes
Van der Kemp, John Williams. (Ibid.)
India Specific Impact of Post-Reformation Missions
The
impact of Post-Reformation missions on India is clearly seen as early as 1706.
The King Frederick IV of Denmark, a Lutheran, was instrumental in sending
Protestant missionaries to India. Though there were no right candidates from
Denmark available for this task, there were two young theological students from
the University of Halle, namely, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Henry Pluetschu,
from the German Pietism movement, who took on the challenge of coming to India
as missionaries. They arrived in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu, in 1706, where
Denmark’s colony was situated. Having learned the Tamil language, they were
able to produce a Tamil New Testament in 1714, and later in 1796, their
successors produced an entire Tamil Bible.
The remarkable impact of
Post-Reformation missions effort on India continued with William Carey’s
missions to India. Carey, an English Calvinistic Baptist, who was instrumental
in promoting the foundation of the Baptist Missionary Society (1792), later
volunteered himself to go as a missionary to India. It was not an easy decision
for Carey as he was encountered opposition from his own quarter by some saying
that God could save the heathens without him. But, Carey, having convinced that
God uses instruments in saving people to salvation, took the challenge upon
himself, and arrived in India in 1793. Carey’s arrival to India marked a major
milestone in the history of Christian missions because the Serampore Missions he
established in Calcutta was known as the first modern Protestant missions in
the non-English speaking world.
Carey brought in not only a
spiritual transformation for the people of India, but also a social revolution
to improve the moral and social standards of the Indians. For the social and
educational benefits, he established the first newspaper, ever printed in an Oriental
language. For the spiritual liberation of the Indians, he translated the Bible
into over 40 different Indian languages. With all his contributions for India
missions, he was regarded as a pioneer of the modern Christian missionary
movement.
Conclusion
When
the Reformers stood for the doctrines of salvation, and for God’s faithful
Word, the result was that the glorious gospel truth of salvation spread from
one place to another in Europe and other parts of the world like wildfire.
Church history in post-Reformation era says that it was the people who were
impacted by the Protestant Reformation who took the gospel to the ends of the
earth. What more to say, even William Carey, the Father of Modern Missions, who
gave his all to the Indian subcontinent to save Indian heathens from idol
worship to serve a living and true God, was a Calvinistic Baptist.
We,
therefore being the sons and daughters of the Reformation, need to be committed
not only for the doctrinal purity of the Church, but also to the gospel
missions legacy of the Reformers as well. As we know that no sinner will ever
be saved, from eternal condemnation to everlasting life, without the faithful
preaching and hearing of the gospel of salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
need to accelerate the gospel proclamation, that those who are appointed unto
salvation by the sheer mercies of the Lord, would come to know the way of
salvation for them. The Apostle Paul says, we are debtors to the heathens
around, both to the wise and the unwise; we must be ready to preach the gospel
to the ends of the earth; and we must not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God unto salvation, for therein is the righteousness of
God revealed from faith to faith (Romans 1:14-17). Christians of the 21st
century should never be turned aside from fulfilling the heart-cry of the
Apostle, “. . . necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not
the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). May the Lord help us!
No comments:
Post a Comment