To say that the Reformation ideas have only gained prominence in Luther’s time during the Middle Ages is not correct. During the prominence of the state church during their time, underground churches and numerous communities that held fast to the truth of God’s Word flourished. There have been many martyrs in the faith, including the innumerable Waldensians, the Lollards led by John Wycliffe, the Hussites led by Jan Hus, and William Tyndale, whose theology centered on God’s Word, proclaiming that salvation is only through Christ alone.

The fifth sola, Solus Christus, or ‘through Christ alone,’ emphasizes the Christian fact that Jesus Christ Himself plays a central role in the salvation of men. During the Reformers’ time, it was possible to seal one’s fate, which could guarantee that a soul would skip the torments of purgatory and directly enter heaven for a price. This belief is in line with the tradition that priests are intercessors between men and God and that they if only given enough powers, can mandate a person’s salvation or doom.

But Hebrews 4:15 explicitly says that there is no other High Priest but Jesus, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin.”

Christianity bears the name of Jesus Christ because He alone is why we are in this faith. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole,'” which means He is our Redeemer. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,” which means He is our only mediator.

Acts 4:12 proclaims, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” It is only through Christ alone. Solus Christus.

This sola summarizes what the other four say and is central to why the Reformation happened. Man, as instructed by sola scriptura (scripture alone), can only be saved through sola fide (by faith alone) and sola gratia (by grace alone), giving soli Deo Gloria (all glory to God alone), all because of Solus Christus (through Christ alone).

We continue to preach this truth, and as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation draws near, we are compelled to hold fast to the faith and ask for God to continue what He has begun in us.

Martin Luther said, “I must listen to the Gospel. It tells me not what I must do but what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done for me.”

Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

The Reformation brought key principles to define where the true Christian faith is based. These points are commonly known as The Five Solas/Solae, which took their names from the Latin word “sola,” meaning “alone.”

These solas echo Martin Luther’s observation of the excessiveness in the Roman Catholic Church during his time. Initially, there were three, called by the Lutherans as The Three Principles of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, and Sola Fides (“scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone”).

Further into history, with the rise of later Reformers, especially John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli, two more points were added to these and summarized the Reformed faith. These are Solus Christus and Soli Deo Gloria (“through Christ alone” and “all glory to God alone”).

Sola Scriptura was an early cry of Luther and his followers after he contradicted the priority given to tradition in his old church. He also lamented the inaccessibility of believers to the Word of God and the lack of translations available for common people. Through this, he was inspired to translate the Bible into German, establishing a translation in the vernacular and developing their literary language in the process. Before this, the Bible was only available in Latin.

Later, the Bible was translated into French and English, inspiring local Reformation movements in countries using these languages. The rest of this journey is history in the making as we see more translations being done as of this writing.

Sola Scriptura rejects the divine authority of human beings and emphasizes sacred tradition in practicing the faith. 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 further reiterates, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The picture shows an outdoor Protestant service outside a Roman Catholic sanctuary in the early 1900s. As Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States of America, American missionaries also took the opportunity to share their faith on the islands after more than 300 years of isolation.

Together with this, the prevailing anti-Spanish attitude of the people, who they associated with Roman Catholicism, paved the way for Protestantism to take root in the hearts of the people. Because of this, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist leaders met in New York in 1898, resulting in a comity agreement that divided the places of ministry to avoid conflicts among missionaries and converts. This means that only one ministry would be allowed in a specific area. The said missionaries also met in 1901 in Manila to form the Evangelical Union that aimed to “delineate the geographical work allotments for each church.”

From 1898 to 1930, the following comprised the agreement: Methodists (1898, most of lowland Luzon and north of Manila); Presbyterians (1899, Bicol, Southern Tagalog area and some parts of Central and Western Visayas); Baptists (1900, Western Visayas); United Brethren (1901, Mountain Province and La Union); Disciples of Christ (1901, Ilocos, Abra, and Tagalog towns); Congregationalists (1902, Mindanao except for the western end); and Christian and Missionary Alliance (1902, Western Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago). Manila was opened to all denominations and mission agencies. This explains why said denominations still have a presence in their respective areas up to this day.

However, this agreement proved complicated and shattered due to conflicts in individual doctrines and practices. During the Japanese occupation, the thirteen major denominations (listed above plus the Seventh-day Adventists, the Episcopal Church, Iglesia Evangelica Metodista en las Islas Filipinas, Iglesia Evangelica Unida de Cristo, and American Protestant Missions) were again unified by the Japanese into the Evangelical Church of the Philippines to distinguish the evangelicals and control their affairs. After the independence at the end of World War II, the churches again split and regained autonomy.

But Christ’s plan is still for unity among His believers. Several efforts for ecumenism and church unity are happening inter-denominationally in the country and worldwide, serving God’s purpose for the universal Church.

The Christian Reformed Churches in North America sent a mission to the Philippines during the 1970s, which planted many congregations there. A small fellowship was eventually started in the 1980s in Iloilo City. This group eventually became the present-day members of the Re:New Christian Church, rooted in the Christian faith and the values of the Reformed tradition.

Though currently a non-denominational church a sense of inclusivity and love for all, we owe all of this to the Reformation that started 500 years ago, as we remain in God’s love and serving His purpose for us.

As Paul said in Philippians 3:12–14 (NIV), “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,l but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Spain started its colonization of the Philippine islands in March 1521, just six years after Martin Luther declared his faith at the doors of Wittenberg Church. While the Reformation was enjoying its early success in Europe, the inhabitants of these islands had yet to encounter the Christian faith.

Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition aimed to jumpstart the Kingdom of Spain’s quest for God, Gold, and Glory, where God signifies the Christianization of lands they will colonize. In this painting by Fernando Amorsolo, we see the first mass on the islands and the conversion of the locals into Christianity through the Roman Catholic Church.

Before this arrival, Spain was one of the prospective states for the Reformation ideology to penetrate. However, the Spanish Inquisition, a special tribunal to identify those deemed heretics by the kingdom and the church established in 1478, was a strong opposing force. This deadly tribunal led to countless deaths of Protestants, Jews, Muslims, and other non-Catholics, or their exile, whichever comes first. The Inquisition was only disbanded in 1834.

Understandably, this also prevented the spread of the Reformation to the Philippine Islands throughout the 333 years of Spanish rule. However, through its influence on the Enlightenment, the Reformation may have spread some ideologies through literature. Several local uprisings from local church leaders were also noted, notably, the separation of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente from the Roman Catholic Church led by Gregorio Aglipay, often hailed by the church’s members as the “Martin Luther of the Philippines.”

The Reformed church formally stepped on the country’s waters after the Treaty of Paris in 1898, which ended the Spanish-American War, was signed, and the Philippines was ceded to the United States of America. Because of this, American Protestant Missionaries were able to spread the Gospel among the people. Before this, Catholicism was the state religion, and other denominations were prohibited from practicing their faiths.

The first Protestant service held in the Philippines was on Sunday, August 28, 1898, led by Chaplain George Stull of The Methodist Episcopal Church; after the service, he said, “That the power of God will use this day to make a good Catholic better, any weak American stronger, any backslider ashamed, and the gloomy old dungeon the beginning of wonderful things in these Islands, is my prayer.”

Re:New Christian Church lives up to this legacy of how the Reformation shaped the world and how the Gospel of God was shared with this generation of Filipinos. We continue to meet and discover this incredible story that God has laid before us, speaking of His greatness and His love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Further back, this is our answer to Jesus’ Great Commission, and we dream of fulfilling this commandment, spreading His word up to the ends of the world.

Martin Luther said, “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.”

“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal Gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.'” Revelation 14:6–7 (NIV)

Vincent van Gogh painted this painting in 1885 titled “Still Life with Bible.” By then, the Reformation had taken place for more than 200 years, yet the movement’s message is still vibrant, as shown in the painting. The centrality of the Bible in this newfound way of a relationship with God has inspired numerous artists in Europe. Van Gogh himself was the son of a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Several Christian groups may have emerged, claiming they are Bible-believing churches. Some even integrate the Scriptures’ importance in their denominations’ names. Why is this emphasis on believing in the BIble only important? What is the Reformation’s part in this?

One of Martin Luther’s criticisms of why he led the reforms was the practice of tradition in the old church. His inspiration for speaking up was, after all, the Bible itself. He found that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone and that every word written in the scriptures is God-breathed and is His final instruction to men.

This is the case for one of the cries of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura. Scripture Alone.

The reformed church has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the Bible and why this book should be the sole authority on faith and practice for Christians. As Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV): “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The scripture clearly states that the Bible should be our yardstick for what we do in our lives to be trained in righteousness. Psalm 19:7 (NIV) also says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” No other statutes are more important for Christians than those in the Bible.

Luther said, “The Bible is the proper book for men. There, the truth is distinguished from error far more clearly than anywhere else, and one finds something new in it every day. For twenty-eight years, since I became a doctor, I have now constantly read and preached the Bible; and yet I have not exhausted it but find something new in it every day.” (WA TR 5, no. 5193).

“Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations;
You established the earth, and it stands.
They stand this day according to Your ordinances,
For all things are Your servants.
If Your law had not been my delight,
Then I would have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have revived me.” Psalm 119:89-93 (NIV)

Last week, Jan Hus was introduced to be a forerunner of the Reformation. He was a Czech priest whose country was formerly known as the Kingdom of Bohemia. He also served as dean and rector of the Charles University in Prague, known to many as the first reformer of the Church.

He is often associated with the Englishman John Wycliffe, the theorist of ecclesiastical Reformation. Living before Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, his teachings greatly impacted the reformist Bohemian religious denomination and Martin Luther himself. Among the known Reformers, he is noted to be one of those martyred for his beliefs. He was burned at the stake for heresy against the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, including those on ecclesiology, the Eucharist, and other theological topics.

The aftermath of his death on July 6, 1415, saw his followers spearhead the Hussite Wars. His actions denouncing the moral failings of clergy, bishops, and even the papacy from his pulpit led to his demise but have inspired generations of Christian reformers to seek knowledge of the Word of God.

On the day of his execution, he was noted to have knelt, spread out his hands, and prayed aloud. The executioner took off his clothes, tied his hands behind his back with ropes, and bound his neck with a chain to a stake around which wood and straw had been piled up so that it covered him to the neck. At the last moment, he was asked to recant his beliefs to save his life. He responded by saying:

“God is my witness that the things charged against me I never preached. In the same truth of the Gospel which I have written, taught, and preached, drawing upon the sayings and positions of the holy doctors, I am ready to die today.”

Before he breathed his last breath, he cried, “Christ, son of the Living God, have mercy on us!”.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-25: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.'” (NIV)

Even though Martin Luther’s movement in the 1500s created the larger Reformation in Europe, several movements in the past have existed and are considered the roots of Protestantism. Most notable are those started by Jan Hus, who was executed, thus starting the Bohemian Uprising, and John Wycliffe, who was an English theologian in the 1400s. Both of them preached against the Roman Catholic Church’s then practice of indulgences and have written accounts that led to small victories for their part.

It has been established that even though, at that time, the Roman Catholic Church was already the largest Christian body, there were small churches that were not part of the organization. However, like Martin Luther, Jan Hus initially intended to reform the church and change some of its teachings back to what is taught in the scriptures.

These movements were greatly suppressed by the powerful church at that time, and they did not have a great impact except on their areas. However, the effectiveness of Luther’s Reformation led to international attention to the practices of the church in question. With the excommunication of Luther and the support of state leaders in this newfound faith, Protestantism saw an emergence of smaller groups of churches, which became the various Christian denominations that we have today.

The old church spearheaded their counter-reformation, a true reformation on their part, where some of their practices were discontinued, and more focus was on education, and God’s Word was given. For the Protestants, the spread of the faith through kingdom-states, including the French, Dutch, and others, adopting the belief helped it reach even England, where the church closed ties with the Holy See and established its own hierarchy.

A Protestant reform also rose in England with the rise of the Puritans, who also suffered persecution in their country. This led them to seek a new place to practice the faith that brought them back to God. They found this freedom in America, where the Great Awakenings happened, giving way to religious revivals in American history. These awakenings paved the way for Evangelicalism and other Christian denominations, practicing their faith and worshipping God in their own ways.

By the 20th century, the Christian denomination scene was further animated by the rise of Pentecostalism and Charismatic movements, giving new life to the Protestant branch of the faith. Today, Christian denominations are often involved in interdenominational and ecumenical movements, finding unity amidst diversity and answering the call for unity of Jesus Christ.

It is the goal of Reformation 500 to let people see that the gradual history of the Christian faith, despite the differences in doctrine and practices, still boils down to what Paul said in Ephesians 4:4-6: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (NIV)

Jesus prayed, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:20-23 (NIV)