Watch Bach video here.
The Scriptures demand that God’s creatures glorify Him in everything. Whether we eat, whether we drink, whether we play, whether we work, whether we sing, whether we compose, whatever we do, we are to praise and give honor to God (1Co. 10:31). Johann Sebastian Bach loved instruments and singing and is known today as one of the greatest composers of all time. He dedicated his life to show the world that music is one of God’s greatest tools to glorify Jesus Christ.
Watch Matthew Henry video here
The Scripture warns that it is far easier to see the faults in others than to observe the blemishes in our own lives. Rare is the man who examines his own weaknesses far more than the foibles of others. Matthew Henry was such an example. Pastor, preacher, father of a large family, and author of perhaps the most popular biblical commentary ever written, Matthew Henry never stopped examining his own heart in pursuit of holiness and Christ-likeness.
Tinkering with the grace of God brings great offense to the Almighty. Some of history’s godliest giants at first disdained the Lord’s free gift of salvation, at times nibbling around the edges, seeking to yield only partial allegiance to Christ.
John Bunyan did not convert to Christ in a moment, nor was it an easy journey to the Celestial City. But when he finally saw that grace alone could wash away his sins, he took his place as one of the greatest preachers and writers the world has ever seen.
Watch Joshua Gianavel video here
Throughout history, there has rarely been a time of greater persecution upon the church then against the 17th-century Christian minority called the Waldensians. These were peaceable Protestants that learned there was a time to fight.
Like the warrior Joshua of old, Captain Joshua Gianavel was a man of heroic bravery, unyielding resolve, endless energy, and risky creativity.
As a general par excellence, Gianavel was fast to make decisions and quick to carry them out. He knew well Jesus’ words to live as peacemakers but also understood a Christian’s calling to defend himself, his family, and his nation. By this, Gianavel models for believers when they must fight and when they must seek peace.
The Bible emphasizes doing tasks completely, heartily, and with all one’s might. John Owen, the great theologian of the Puritan movement, never did his work by halves but embraced the kind of thoroughness Colossians 3:23 promotes: “Work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Whether it was writing catechisms for children, penning theological treatises, or preaching before Parliament, Owen worked with all his might.
Watch Richard Baxter video here
Visit the market town of Kidderminster in Worcestershire, England today and you’ll notice a statue of a man preaching, his right hand pointing upward and his left hand holding a book. This monument of Richard Baxter, the 17th century nonconformist minister, captures the three items he loved most: Heaven, preaching, and books—ultimately the greatest book of Scripture.
Gifted with a tenacious memory and an incomparable work ethic, Richard Baxter stands as the most prolific English theological writer of all time. A study of his life will illustrate an excellent model of Christians studiousness to the glory of God.
John Milton is remembered today as one of England’s greatest poets, second only to William Shakespeare. But unlike the Bard of Avon, Milton was a committed Protestant that wrote with poetic genius, grandeur, and complexity.
Most have heard of Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost,his masterpiece and most famous work. But few know people that he wrote this work while enduring the most difficult trial of his life: blindness. Not one to sulk, Milton altered his course, and devoted himself to the work of his life. In doing so, he leaves the church an example of Spirit-filled adaptability.
John Elliot was born 188 years before William Carey sailed for India as the Father of Modern Missions. Though many consider Carey’s voyage as the beginning of the modern missionary movement, Eliot had already crossed the Atlantic nearly two centuries earlier for Great Commission work.
Prior to Eliot’s labors, the church had given little effort toward gospel preaching around the world. One exception was Leif Ericson of Norway, who took the good news to the people of Greenland. John Eliot, indeed, was a pioneer missionary. And he was so successful in his gospel work among the Native Americans that he became known as “The Apostle to the Indians.”
Watch Samuel Rutherford video here
Many today remember Samuel Rutherford as the great 17th-century theologian and member of the Westminster Assembly. But it was his work while out of the limelight and laboring in prison that most impacts the church today.
Rutherford developed a knack for finding a wounded soul, applying the balm of Scripture to fix it, and then expressing this Christ-centered medicine through pen and ink. This resulted in The Letters of Samuel Rutherford, widely considered a classic of Protestant piety. These letters of encouragement to fellow Christians stand today as a citadel of edification for the down and hurting.
Watch Richard Sibbes video here
Sixteenth-century Puritan Richard Sibbes excelled as a friend, pastor, and preacher, but it was his book The Bruised Reed that remains his greatest legacy to the church. Just as a good father does not focus on the blemishes of his child, so a sympathetic man will give grace toward the weaknesses of his friend.
Sibbes said: “A mother who has a sick and self-willed child will not therefore cast it away. And shall there be more mercy in the stream than in the spring?” Yes, and the spring is Christ, as we shall now see.
Watch Theodore Beza video here
The “Reformation Wall” is a monument in Switzerland that honors four great men of the Protestant Reformation. These theological giants were called “reformers” because they worked diligently to change and improve the corrupt church of their day.
The four men standing upright upon the wall—from left to right—are William Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza and John Knox. With the exception of Calvin, Beza was considered the most celebrated theologian among the French Reformed, using the brilliant mind God had given him to spread the gospel throughout Europe.
The term “rigor” comes from a Latin word meaning “stiffness”. Rigor mortis is the stiffening of a body’s muscles and joints a few hours after death. A man who shows rigor is thorough, exhaustive, and accurate. He is not flexible with the facts, soft with the truth, or fast and free with the details.
This trait serves historians well, who mustn’t be careless with the truth but diligent, not easily bent to another’s opinions. John Foxe stands as church history’s greatest martyrologist, the name for a historian who studies the lives of those who were killed for their faith. Some Christians value Foxe’s Book of Martyrs above all other human books because it details so carefully the lives and deaths of some of Church history’s greatest Christians.
Foxe was a man of courage and godliness, who showed meticulous attention to detail and, in doing so, provided the greatest record of Christian martyrs ever written.
Watch John Bradford video here
Though heroes should be household names, many of the greatest giants in church history have been forgotten. One example is John Bradford, who is remembered primarily for his martyrdom, though his godly life of spiritual discipline should be equally revered.
Watch Rowland Taylor episode here
One would think that the Catholic Church triumphed when it burned the Reformers at the stake. Instead, thousands of people who were once enemies of the gospel turned from their errors and became friends of the cross when they saw the bravery of devoted Christians in the flames.
Rowland Taylor, of the 16th century, lives on as one of the famous Marian martyrs—the name given to the Christians that Queen Mary killed during her bloody five-year reign. Taylor wrote no books, not a single sermon of his remains in print and no large headstone marks his grave.
In some ways, his life has been forgotten. And yet, Taylor’s testimony still stands as a monument of faithfulness today when we consider the endless commitment he showed to his calling, his wife, his children, and his Lord.
Watch John Calvin episode here
John Calvin, the great French reformer, stands as the most significant leader in the second generation of the Protestant Reformation. Unlike Luther, Calvin dreaded quarrelling.
Though he was reluctant to speak about his personal life and avoided public attention, his long tenure as pastor in Geneva teaches us how a supposed “chance” event can change history and how humble submission to wise counsellors can lead believers aright.
The first generation of the great Protestant Reformers laid a sturdy foundation upon the Five Solas and helped the Church pull away from the theological abuses of the Roman Catholics. When men like Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli died in the first half of the 16th century, they were followed by the second-generation of Reformers who carried on their work.
With the exception of John Calvin, Heinrich Bullinger may have been the most instrumental of the succeeding generation which sought to exalt Jesus Christ through the faithful preaching of His Word.
The 16th century in church history saw a three-pronged revolt against the heresies of the Roman Catholic Church. In one corner stood the Reformed Reformation, led by John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox. Conrad Grebel, Felix Mantz, Balthasar Hubmaier and the Anabaptists were another branch that rebelled against the papacy.
The final group that rose up against the pope were the Lutherans, led by Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon. The powerful personality of Luther overshadowed his friend, but Melanchthon was a giant of the faith in his own right, modeling not only careful theological acumen but the warmth of godly admiration and friendship.
The most foolish mistake the Catholic Church made during the reign of Bloody Queen Mary was executing John Hooper, one of the boldest champions of the Reformation. Though he was burned at the stake in 1555 after enduring nearly an hour of fire that would not enflame, it was said that Hooper died as quietly as a child in his bed.
Yet his death was not forgotten, and his cause could not be quieted. By torturing a man for his faith, the church in Rome reached millions with the message of the gospel, where Hooper’s sermons could not.
What the Martin Luther episode here
Among the most important dates in church history is October 31, 1517, the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This document changed the world forever by opening the common man’s eyes to the falsehoods of the Catholic Church. But another event happened eight years later, lesser known, but just as controversial—the marriage between a monk and a nun.
Here’s a good Latin phrase to know: semper reformanda. It means “always reforming”. Christians should seek continuously to be changed (or, “reformed”)—not by culture or popular opinion—but by the Word of God.
The most outstanding theologian among the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century was Balthasar Hubmaier, who modelled well the mentality of semper reformanda, though the phrasedid not become popular until hundreds of years after his death.
Watch Rawlins White video here
Two common excuses people employ for avoiding God’s Word are “I’m too busy” and “the Bible is boring”. A far less typical alibi is “I can’t read”, especially because of the rise of education and printed and digital books worldwide over the past several centuries. But in 15th century England, literacy was far less common, with only a quarter of the men able to read.
Among these illiterate fellows was Rawlins White, who did not allow his learning deficiencies to stop him from imbibing God’s Word, following after Jesus Christ, and eventually becoming one of the three Welsh Marian martyrs.
Watch Thomas à Kempis video here
A “classic” refers to a book which endures with such excellence that people read and admire it long after the author is dead. Classics increase in popularity hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years past its publication date. The holy Scriptures outpace all books as the classic of classics. Some of its authors lived over 4,000 years ago, yet it still stands atop the bestseller list year after year and has been translated into are more languages than any volume in world history.
The Christian classics that rise above the rest include Confessions by Augustine, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, and The Institutes by John Calvin. Another book equal in substance and readership is The Imitation of Christ by Thomas á Kempis, a man devoted to piety and the emulation of Lord Jesus Christ.
In the 14th century the fault lines of the church widened when Oxford professor John Wycliffe clamored for the holy Scriptures in the vernacular of the common man. He, along with John Hus, thrived as a Reformer before the coming of Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli.
Today he is known as the Morning Star of the Reformation, for just as some planets become visible mere moments before sunrise, so did Wycliffe shined as a pre-reformer. His censure of false teaching and his love for the Scriptures burned brightly in the night sky so as to illumine the Reformation on come.
Around the time of the Middle Ages, a group of educated Christian leaders began to emerge called “schoolmen”.They sought to discover how reason (the power of the mind to think) and faith could work together. They wanted to use their minds to think deeply about why God exists and who He is. The “first of the schoolmen”, and perhaps the greatest, was Anselm of Canterbury.
Anselm entered the world during a time when the church had been in decline spiritually and culturally for hundreds of years. The leaders of the church were sometimes more ignorant than the common people. One of the sparks of hope in an otherwise gloomy world was Anselm, sometimes called the “Second Augustine”. He became a godly saint that not only served Jesus with his heart and hands, but also with his mind.
In the first few centuries after Jesus’ death, the church spent most of its time on defense, protecting the truth against enemies attacking the deity of Christ. After several centuries, God chose a towering figure to go on the offensive.
From the time of the Apostle Paul to Martin Luther 1500 years later, there was no one in the church that better explained salvation by grace alone than Augustine of Hippo. But Augustine’s journey to faith was a winding one, full of obstacles and dangers, no barrier more severe than the 7th commandment: “You shall not commit adultery.”
The Laws God had given his people to help them live holy lives only plunged Augustine deeper in despair. Not until Christ melted his heart of stone could Augustine live a life of purity that God had created him to enjoy.
It was said of John the Golden Mouth that it was better for the sun never to shine on Constantinople than for Chrysostom to stop preaching. While the multitudes loved him and his enemies despised him, this towering bishop continued to use the oratorical gifts God had given him to honor the name of Christ, even until the very end when it led to his death.
Each generation of church fathers built upon the teachings of the previous era. Should you observe a painting of Jerome, most likely you’ll see him sitting at a desk, reading a book, or holding a pen.
He was learned, eloquent, and a lover of words, most importantly a lover of the Word of God. With these gifts he served the Church well and is best remembered for his translation of the Bible into Latin and introducing the monastic life to the world.
The giants of the faith that established the foundations of Christianity between the first and fifth centuries are called the Early Church Fathers, a broad category that can be broken into three smaller divisions. The Apostolic Fathers, like Clement of Rome, were contemporaries of Jesus’ twelve apostles.
The Ante-Nicene Fathers predate the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 and include Justin Martyr and Tertullian. The Post-Nicene Fathers come immediately after the Council of Nicaea and include Ambrose, Augustine, Chrysostom and the focus of this episode, Jerome.
God gives some people more advantages than others. One man is born free with excellent parents, a good education, and food on the table. Another is born amidst danger, receives no schooling, and endures the daily challenge to eat.
Three men that enjoyed immense privilege in their youth were Nicene theologians known as the Cappadocian Fathers because they were natives of the province of Cappadocia in modern-day Turkey. The most formidable of the three was Basil of Caesarea (330-79), sometimes called Basil the Great; not only for his tremendous influence upon the Church, but for his generosity toward the needy.
The extraordinary men of church history gave their lives for the central truths under attack in their day. Paul focused his energy on Christ crucified. Martin Luther preserved the doctrine of justification by faith alone.
Athanasius jumped headlong into the Arian dispute, the greatest theological controversy in church history, and as we shall now see, defended the deity of Jesus Christ with robust determination.
In the 2nd century, God gifted the church with a shrewd and systematic thinker from North Africa. His name was Tertullian, and his warlike spirit and cutting sarcasm laid an axe upon the tree of false teaching.
The writings of this hot-blooded Roman lawyer were pungent and thought-provoking. He became a fiery champion of orthodoxy against “practically every opponent of Christianity.”