Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001371A
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01:30 ♪[Music]♪
01:50 I'm John Bradshaw and this is It Is Written. 01:53 Thanks for joining me. Here in Geneva, Switzerland, 01:57 there's a remarkable monument. Now, it's remarkable 02:00 in a number of ways. To begin with, 02:02 it's impressive to look at. The International Monument 02:07 to the Reformation, that's its official name, 02:09 is a hundred meters long, 325 feet. 02:13 That's longer than a football field. 02:14 But what's most impressive is what it 02:19 represents. The name pretty well 02:21 gives that away. It's commonly known 02:23 as the Reformation Wall, and was built a hundred or so 02:27 years ago on the campus of the University of Geneva, 02:30 to commemorate the Reformation. And in particular, the important 02:35 role played in the Reformation by the city of Geneva. 02:41 ♪ [hopeful melody] ♪ Geneva is sometimes referred to 02:43 as the Protestant Rome, or the Rome of the Reformation. 02:47 In a certain sense, what Rome is to Catholicism, 02:51 Geneva was to Protestantism. It was here that 02:54 John Calvin hugely influenced the Reformation. 02:58 Calvin is depicted on this wall, about 15 feet tall 03:02 when carved in stone. And with him on the main part of 03:05 the wall are John Knox, the Scottish reformer 03:09 and the founder of the Presbyterian church, 03:12 Theodore Beza, certainly less well known today than 03:16 Calvin, but incredibly important to the Reformation and also a 03:20 Frenchman like Calvin, and another French Reformation 03:23 figure, further to the left. The four men were all 03:28 Calvinists. That explains why Martin Luther 03:31 and Huldrych Zwingli, massively influential Reformation figures, 03:34 are featured much less prominently off to the side. 03:38 They had disagreements with Calvin. 03:42 Now, there's plenty you could find to argue with 03:44 John Calvin about. For example, 03:46 does God really choose some people to be saved 03:50 and some people to be lost, and there's nothing you 03:53 can do at all about God's decision? 03:56 So much for freedom of choice. But rather than arguing 03:59 with Calvin, it's probably better to understand him in 04:03 context, and to recognize the historic contribution 04:07 John Calvin made to the advance of Bible faith. 04:10 When Calvin was born in 1509, the Roman Catholic Church 04:16 was enormously powerful, spiritually and politically. 04:20 Lord Acton was referring to the papacy many years later 04:24 when he stated, "Power tends to corrupt, 04:26 and absolute power corrupts absolutely." 04:29 By the time Calvin came to Switzerland in the 04:33 1530s, about twenty years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 04:37 theses to the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, 04:40 the Catholic church was doing all it could 04:43 to hold onto its power. ♪ [ominous tone] ♪ 04:47 The church was trafficking in relics and indulgences. 04:53 People didn't have the Bible, so they couldn't know 04:56 what the Bible actually said. Local priests were incredibly 05:01 powerful, essentially the gatekeepers to heaven, because 05:04 it was taught by the church that salvation came to people 05:08 via the church. The darkness back then 05:11 was so dark, Catholicism so influenced 05:14 the world, that the motto 05:16 above the Reformation Wall says, "Post Tenebras Lux," 05:20 "After darkness, light." Now, it might not be 05:25 quite so easy to see today, but that's because 05:28 society has done a pretty bad job of remembering the darkness 05:33 of the Dark Ages. The darkness that became 05:36 virtually palpable, because the ruling church 05:39 shut away the Bible, kept it from the people, 05:42 and persecuted anybody who dared bring it to light. 05:46 But when the Bible was brought to light 05:50 by people such as John Calvin, the light began 05:54 to shine brightly. So back to the man 05:56 on the left. If it wasn't for this man, 06:00 John Calvin probably would not have become John Calvin, 06:04 and the Reformation would never have really taken hold 06:07 in Geneva. Geneva would never have emerged 06:11 from the dark. It would have been tenebras, 06:14 darkness, period. So who is the man on the left 06:19 responsible for the lux, the light, shining brightly? 06:24 The fact is, Calvinism owes its very 06:29 existence to the man on the left. 06:33 He's the one who recruited John Calvin 06:35 to remain in Geneva and minister here, 06:37 to make the city a fortress for the Bible, 06:41 a place where Bible faith flourished. 06:44 Geneva would never have become the city it became. 06:47 Protestantism would never have reached the heights it reached 06:51 without the man on the left. [punctuating refrain] 06:59 His name is William Farel, or Guillaume Farel, 07:01 if I were to attempt to honor his mother tongue. 07:04 Farel was French, born in a town called Gap, 07:08 nestled in the Alps in the south of France. But as idyllic as it 07:12 might look today, all was not well on the French landscape 07:16 when Farel lived there, that is, today in most places in the 07:21 Western world, a person is free to own a Bible and follow that 07:25 Bible according to the dictates of his 07:27 or her conscience. And that's how 07:29 most people like it. But 500 years ago, people 07:33 didn't have religious freedom. You believed what you 07:37 were allowed to believe, by a church that was 07:40 in desperate need of reform. ♪ [music continues] ♪ 07:44 Farel was influenced by a mentor, a Roman Catholic 07:49 priest named Jacques Lefevre. Lefevre believed that the Roman 07:52 Catholic Church should be reformed. 07:55 He had no intention of ever leaving the church and, 07:57 in fact, he never did. But he was banished from France 08:02 for disagreeing with the church. Now, let that sink in. 08:07 Run out of his home country because he disagreed 08:10 with the church. He taught that 08:13 it is God who gives us, by faith, that righteousness 08:17 which by grace alone justifies unto eternal life. 08:22 And that got him kicked out of his home country. 08:28 [thoughful melody] Let's think about that again. 08:30 In an age where the church offered salvation, 08:34 where salvation could be obtained through penance and 08:36 indulgences and receiving the sacraments, the idea that a 08:40 person could be saved by the grace of God through faith in 08:43 Christ was monumental. To put it simply, 08:47 the idea meant that a person didn't need the church 08:51 for salvation, but could receive salvation 08:53 directly from God, without the church. 08:57 That's not what Catholicism taught. 09:00 People like Lefevre, then, who talked of reforming 09:03 the church, were a real problem, and he was kicked out 09:07 of France. But before this, 09:11 Farel and Lefevre would visit churches together, 09:13 adoring the saints and worshiping at shrines. 09:16 But Farel found that in spite of all of that, he wasn't 09:20 experiencing peace in his heart. He heard Lefevre say, 09:24 "Salvation is of grace. The innocent one is condemned, 09:30 while the criminal is acquitted." 09:32 He was talking about Jesus taking the place of the sinner, 09:36 and the sinner going free. These words impacted Farel 09:39 so much, they led to his conversion, 09:42 which he described like this. He said, instead of having 09:45 a heart like a murderous and ravening wolf, 09:47 his heart became like a meek and harmless lamb, 09:51 its affections totally withdrawn from the Pope 09:55 and fastened on Jesus Christ. 10:02 [music] Now, it's hard to know 10:03 just what he meant by meek and harmless. 10:07 Because if you look at Farel as he's depicted 10:09 on the Reformation Wall, you notice his likeness is a 10:13 little different to the others. Calvin is holding a Bible. 10:18 Beza is holding a book in his right hand. 10:20 Knox, he's holding a Bible. Farel is holding a Bible 10:25 in his left hand. What's he holding 10:29 in his right hand? Nothing, because his right hand 10:33 is formed into a fist. 10:38 ♪ [serious underscore] ♪ Now, why would that be? 10:40 Why would Farel be shown with his hand formed 10:43 into a fist? I'll tell you 10:46 in just a moment. [pastoral melody] 10:49 Announcer: You are watching the weekly It Is Written program 10:52 with Pastor John Bradshaw. But did you know that 10:54 there's a daily program, too? "Every Word" is a one-minute 10:58 Bible-based daily devotional presented by Pastor John 11:01 Bradshaw and designed especially for busy people like you. 11:05 Look for "Every Word" on selected networks, 11:07 or watch it online every day on our website, 11:10 ItIsWritten.com. Receive a daily spiritual boost. 11:16 Watch "Every Word." You'll be glad you did. 11:24 ♪ [Every Word Theme] ♪ JB: I've read any number 11:28 of inspirational stories about people who suffered for their 11:31 faith in God, often in communist countries, where at the time 11:34 Christianity was outlawed. But one thing I've noticed 11:36 about each of those people is that they were persecuted 11:39 not for doing wrong, but for doing right. 11:42 It's hard to endure being misrepresented when you're 11:44 doing what's right, when you're serving God. 11:46 But listen to I Peter 2, verse 20. It says, 11:49 "When you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, 11:52 this is commendable before God." It goes against the grain of it, 11:56 doesn't it? But Christianity reveals 11:58 what we really are on the inside when things don't go our way. 12:03 And to have that sort of faith in God that allows you to be 12:05 constant and faithful, even when you're not being fairly treated, 12:09 you know, that's something. And that's how Jesus lived. 12:13 ♪ [Every Word Theme] ♪ I'm John Bradshaw 12:14 for It Is Written. Let's live today by Every Word. 12:20 ♪ [orchestral jaunty melody] ♪ JB: This is It Is Written. 12:29 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me today. 12:32 I'm in Geneva, Switzerland. It's not the capitol 12:39 of Switzerland. That's Bern, about a hundred 12:40 miles away, or here, 158 kilometers. 12:42 It's not the largest city in Switzerland, 12:44 that's Zurich, 175 miles or 280 12:48 kilometers northeast of here, getting over toward 12:52 Lichtenstein. Geneva's really a global city. 12:55 It's the home of an enormous amount of international 12:58 organizations. The United Nations 13:01 Palace of Nations is here, and the World Trade 13:05 Organization. So too is the 13:06 World Health Organization, as well as 13:08 the International Red Cross. In fact, the Red Cross flag was 13:13 derived from the Swiss flag; the colors were simply inverted. 13:18 Incidentally, the World Wide Web was born here in Geneva. 13:21 British computer scientists Tim Berners-Lee was working here at 13:26 CERN in the late 1980s, and, well, the rest is history. 13:33 But what happened in this city almost 13:35 500 years ago is, in all reality, probably the 13:39 most important thing that ever took place here. 13:44 On the Reformation Wall in the Park de Bastogne 13:47 in Geneva, Farel is the man on the left, 13:51 or on Calvin's right. The only one of the four 13:55 main figures who doesn't have a book in his right hand. Instead, 13:59 his right hand is clenched into a fist. 14:02 The French sculptors who formed the figures were telling 14:05 us something about their fellow countryman. 14:07 ♪ [punctuating underscore] ♪ Farel was the oldest 14:11 of seven children. His family once belonged 14:14 to the nobility, but then they fell on hard times. 14:17 He was raised a Roman Catholic, once describing himself as 14:20 "more Popish than Popery." He was dedicated to his church. 14:26 So what happened, then, that Farel not only left his 14:29 church but dedicated his life to working against the church's 14:34 influence and authority? Well, to understand that, 14:37 let's go back again to Farel's time. 14:39 The church was the way of salvation, 14:42 yet idolatry and simony and tradition were everywhere. 14:48 Many of the priests enriched themselves at the expense 14:51 of the people, and dissenters were often ruthlessly killed 14:55 and persecuted. The priests held a huge 14:59 amount of power over the common people. 15:01 In the church they were God's intermediaries on earth. 15:05 Yet they conducted mass in a language few people 15:08 could understand. [inspirational melody] 15:12 You didn't have to be as bright as Farel 15:14 to realize that the system was badly broken. 15:17 When he heard the teachings of Martin Luther, 15:19 Farel was convinced. He'd accepted the Gospel; 15:24 the Bible was now the foundation for his life. 15:27 He believed that salvation was by grace through faith and 15:31 didn't come through the church. He believed that a sinner 15:34 could approach God directly for forgiveness, 15:36 and didn't have to go through a priest. He didn't 15:39 see images and idols as being in harmony with the will or the 15:43 Word of God. The more he believed 15:46 the Bible, the more he hated errors 15:49 that were based on tradition. Farel saw what the church 15:53 was teaching about relics, the idea that a little part 15:56 of a dead so-called saint's body should be kept 16:00 and venerated. He didn't like that, 16:03 nor should he have. And he didn't agree 16:05 with the teaching that the dead saints possessed 16:08 the power to work wonders in people's lives long after 16:11 they were dead. Farel saw the Word of God 16:15 and the law of God being relegated while tradition 16:18 was being elevated. Farel saw it all for 16:24 what it was. Superstition. He wanted people to know 16:27 what he knew-- the church was hindering 16:30 and not helping. And the Bible was a much 16:33 better way than tradition. That fist on the statue 16:37 represents Farel's unwillingness to yield. 16:40 This was a man who wouldn't back down. 16:43 And that unwillingness to yield was what brought 16:47 John Calvin to Geneva. ♪ [Triumphant melody] ♪ 17:13 ♪ Sound the battle cry! ♪ ♪ See, the foe is nigh; ♪ 17:17 ♪ Raise the standard high ♪ ♪ for the Lord; ♪ 17:21 ♪ Gird your armor on, ♪ ♪ stand firm every one; ♪ 17:25 ♪ Rest your cause upon ♪ ♪ His holy Word. ♪ 17:30 ♪ Rouse, then, soldiers, ♪ ♪ rally round the banner, ♪ 17:34 ♪ Ready, steady, ♪ ♪ pass the word along; ♪ 17:38 ♪ Onward, forward, ♪ ♪ shout aloud, "Hosanna!" ♪ 17:42 ♪ Christ is Captain of the ♪ ♪ mighty throng. ♪ 17:49 ♪ ♪ [patriotic interlude] ♪ ♪ ♪ Strong to meet the foe, ♪ 18:02 ♪ marching on we go, ♪ ♪ While our cause ♪ 18:05 ♪ we know must prevail; ♪ ♪ Shield and banner bright, ♪ 18:10 ♪ gleaming in the light, ♪ ♪ Battling for the right ♪ 18:14 ♪ we ne'er can fail. ♪ ♪ Rouse, then, soldiers, ♪ 18:18 ♪ rally round the banner, ♪ ♪ Ready, steady, ♪ 18:22 ♪ pass the word along; ♪ ♪ Onward, forward, ♪ 18:27 ♪ shout aloud, "Hosanna!" ♪ ♪ Christ is Captain ♪ 18:31 ♪ of the mighty throng. ♪ 18:38 ♪ O Thou God of all, ♪ ♪ hear us when we call, ♪ 18:43 ♪ Help us one and all ♪ ♪ by Thy grace; ♪ 18:47 ♪ When the battle's done, ♪ ♪ and the vict'ry's won, ♪ 18:51 ♪ May we wear the crown ♪ ♪ before Thy face. ♪ 18:56 ♪ Rouse, then, soldiers, ♪ ♪ rally round the banner, ♪ 19:01 ♪ Ready, steady, ♪ ♪ pass the word along; ♪ 19:05 ♪ Onward, forward, ♪ ♪ shout aloud, "Hosanna!" ♪ 19:10 ♪ Christ is Captain ♪ ♪ of the mighty throng. ♪ 19:15 ♪ Christ is Captain ♪ ♪ of the mighty throng. ♪ 19:30 [thoughful melody] 19:41 ♪ [Driving Theme] ♪ "Babylon Rising" 19:43 is a dynamic book that I've written describing the 19:45 significance of Babylon in Bible prophecy, 19:48 and I want you to have it. Right now, this powerful 19:50 book is available free from It Is Written. 19:53 Just call 1-800-253-3000, ask for the book 19:58 "Babylon Rising" Or write to 20:00 It Is Written at P O Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401, 20:05 and we'll mail a copy to your address in North America. 20:08 For even faster access, you can download a free 20:11 electronic version of the book "Babylon Rising" from our 20:14 website. "Babylon Rising" is also a four-part seminar that 20:18 I've presented that you can get on video. For details, 20:21 please visit our website, Itiswritten.com, and discover 20:25 more about "Babylon Rising" and other inspirational resources. 20:29 It Is Written is a faith-based outreach made possible by 20:32 viewers like you. Thank you for your continued support. 20:35 Call us: 800-253-3000. Visit us at Itiswritten.com. 20:45 It Is Written is dedicated to sharing the gospel around the 20:49 world. To discover more about It Is Written, visit our website: 20:53 itiswritten.com and you'll see what we do and how we do it. 20:58 Let's get to know each other better. Visit our website; 21:01 itiswritten.com today, and follow us on Facebook and 21:05 Twitter. 21:07 ♪ [string ensemble] ♪ Why is it that William Farel, 21:17 the man on the left on the Reformation Wall 21:20 at Geneva, is depicted with a clenched fist? 21:24 Well, listen to this. This is what Farel said 21:27 back in 1535 when he seized this church. Here's what he said: 21:33 "I have been baptized in the name of the Father, 21:37 the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I go about preaching Christ, 21:42 why he died for our sins and rose again for our 21:45 justification. Whoever believes in him 21:50 will be saved. Unbelievers will be lost. 21:54 I am bound to preach to all who will hear. 21:58 I am ready to dispute with you." 22:03 Farel incited a wave of destroying religious images, 22:07 idols and statues in Geneva. Images were removed from 22:11 churches, and the mass itself was abolished. 22:14 In another city, he snatched an image of St. 22:17 Anthony out of the hand of a priest and threw it off a bridge 22:22 into a river. He was fortunate to escape 22:25 with his life. When Farel was forced 22:28 to flee his home country of France, 22:31 he intended initially to travel to Wittenberg, Germany, 22:34 the home of Martin Luther. But he didn't quite make 22:37 it that far. He got to Strasberg, 22:39 and then he went to Basal. But when he was in Basal 22:43 he criticized the Roman Catholic Church with so much 22:46 gusto that the people there, including Erasmus, demanded that 22:50 he be kicked out of town. Farel and Calvin were even 22:54 booted out of Geneva, although Calvin did come 22:56 back a few years later. 23:00 [melancholic melody] His preaching has been 23:01 described as full of fire and fury, which is interesting for 23:06 man who, when he came to Geneva, first started teaching the Bible 23:10 to children, knowing that through the children he could 23:14 reach their parents. Theodore Beza, 23:17 the man to the right hand of Calvin as we look at the 23:20 Reformation Wall, and Calvin's successor in Geneva, said that 23:24 Farel's words were like thunder. Farel called the pope 23:29 the anti-Christ. He called the mass idolatry. 23:33 Of course, he surely wasn't alone in making those claims. 23:37 He got the attention of the people, that's for sure. 23:40 And if Farel seems a little harsh in his words, 23:43 remember this: at that time, 23:46 the church was putting people to death for disagreeing 23:50 with its doctrines, for showing any disloyalty to 23:53 the church at all. People were being burned 23:56 to death by the church. No one Farel got 23:59 a little strident. In fact, it was when he stumbled 24:03 across the burning of a martyr that Farel was deeply affected. 24:08 He considered the serenity, the peace of the poor victim, 24:12 and he realized he didn't have that same 24:14 peace in his own heart. So when you consider 24:18 the times, it's no wonder Farel got 24:20 a little bit bold. This was life and death. 24:24 Now, Farel realized his own limitations. 24:28 He wasn't the most diplomatic, and he realized that 24:31 he wasn't a true theologian. When he met Calvin, 24:35 he realized that in Calvin was the Reformation and Geneva's 24:38 great chance. Calvin came to Geneva 24:41 one night and Farel sought him out. 24:44 He discovered that Calvin's intention was to go to Strasberg 24:48 to study, and Farel wasn't having 24:50 any of it. He came to where Calvin was 24:54 staying and he said to him, "May God 24:57 curse your studies, if now, in her hour of great need, 25:00 you do not lend your aid to the church." Strong stuff. 25:06 Calvin heard in the voice of Farel the voice of God. 25:09 He was shaken; not only shaken, 25:12 but moved. And what he intended 25:14 to be one night in Geneva ended up being 30 years. 25:19 Geneva became an incredibly influential center 25:23 for the Reformation. John Knox was one of 25:25 many who came to Geneva, and he left Switzerland to lead the 25:29 Reformation in Scotland. Farel was to Calvin 25:33 what Barnabas was to the Apostle Paul. 25:37 He was the great enabler. It was he who gave impetus. 25:41 He used his gifts so that the gifts as another could 25:45 be as effective as possible. Now, I doubt that Farel 25:49 was a perfect man, nor Calvin, for that matter. 25:52 Both men had their issues. And their understanding 25:55 of the Bible lacks just a little bit when you look 25:58 at it through a lens that's had 500 more years' experience 26:02 and development. [bells ringing] 26:04 But to point out the flaws of these men is to 26:10 quibble with the big picture. Farel was a man of the 26:14 moment, a man used by God in a time of crisis, a man who risked 26:20 everything so that he could hand to others a biblical faith based 26:25 on God's Word and not on tradition, superstition 26:29 and ignorance. [thoughful melody] 26:33 Farel ended up living here in Neuchatel, 26:36 80 miles or 130 kilometers from Geneva. 26:39 Of course, the Neuchatel of today looks nothing like the 26:41 Neuchatel of Farel's day. He preached in this very church. 26:47 He died in 1865 at the age of 76. 26:51 Exactly where he's buried isn't known. 26:55 We do know that he died broke, 26:57 and that's because he put God's cause ahead of personal gain. 27:02 He was beaten frequently; he survived murder attempts 27:06 because, to him, God's cause was more important 27:09 than personal safety. He wasn't afraid of 27:12 swimming upstream. He believed that faith 27:14 was not a matter of preference, but was a matter of principle. 27:19 Farel's life was defined by his faith in God. 27:22 It was who he was. And God was able to use him 27:27 powerfully, not only change his own world, 27:31 but to change the whole world. [thoughful melody] 27:50 Would Geneva be the city it is today if not for Farel 27:54 and Calvin? No way in the world. 27:58 He might just be the man on the left, 28:01 but where he stood and how he stood changed the world. 28:11 ♪ [music continues] ♪ We don't know where 28:13 Farel is today; the location of his grave is a bit of a mystery. 28:16 But maybe that's not what's most important. 28:18 Perhaps the question we should be asking is, 28:22 where are the Farels of today? Let me pray with you now. 28:26 Our Father in Heaven, we are thankful that 28:28 we've been able to examine a life lived for your glory, 28:31 a life that impacts us even now, a life that you used 28:36 to change the world. And we thank you for Jesus, 28:39 who came into this world that we all might be saved and 28:44 know you eternally. Bless us now I pray, 28:47 and take our hearts, make us yours. 28:50 We look forward to eternity with you by faith 28:54 in Jesus Christ. And we pray in Jesus' name. 28:58 Amen. 29:00 [music interlude] Thanks for joining me today. 29:18 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 29:20 Until then, remember, it is written, man shall not 29:25 live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from 29:30 the mouth of God. [theme music] |
Revised 2017-08-07