2017 was a historical year for the church and evangelical Christianity.  Five hundred years ago marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation where Martin Luther took his stand against abuses within the Roman Catholic Church.  October 31 has been called Reformation Day celebrating this stand where Luther literally nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. 

It was this protest that sparked the recovery and clarification of the Gospel of salvation that comes by grace through faith alone! 

At the core, this Reformation can be boiled down to a single issue.  Spiritual authority.  Answering, “Who has spiritual authority and where does this authority rest?”  Is the authority in the church and specifically within its traditions or is spiritual authority in the Word of God? 

Resolving this issue released the Gospel back to the church.  Throughout the Middle Ages God’s Word had been at a distance from the common man by the established church, resulting in massive spiritual darkness in the world. 

Most people did not have access to God’s Word because it was not translated into the common tongue.  The Bible was unreadable and impossible to understand; however, with the Protestant Reformation, all this changed.  Access to the Bible was gained.  In fact, one of the heart-cries during this time was the slogan post tenabras lux: “After darkness, light.” 

At this point in history, through the Word being preached and read, spiritual awakening came with blinding brilliance and spread the gospel across the globe.  John Calvin, a reformer, born in 1509 was a major pioneer of this gospel/Word movement.  His ministry in Geneva was bound up in his commitment to expository preaching. 

Though a busy pastor, his elders observing and believing in this post tenabras lux movement through Europe, freed Calvin to preach.  Calvin prepared to preach two sermons every Sunday plus one sermon every day of the week on alternating weeks.  Every two weeks Calvin we preaching on average, nine to ten times.  He also taught as a theological professor.  So in a typical year, Calvin preached about 286 sermons.  Calvin’s elders believed preaching would effect change in the surrounding Genevan culture and it did.      

I bring this testimony up in light of a study I did on Paul’s conversion and calling in Galatians 1.  From verse 11 Paul shares his testimony recounting both his conversion and calling.

“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.” (Galatians 1:11-17)

Paul adamantly makes the point that he was converted, called, and also taught the Gospel by Jesus Christ himself.  Christ revealed himself to Paul directly.  In 1 Corinthians 9:1 Paul says, “Am I not an apostle…Have I not seen Jesus Christ out Lord?”  Back to Galatians 1:12 at Paul’s conversion he affirms receiving the gospel directly “through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (v. 12).  Then, in verse 16 he tells how God “was pleased to reveal his Son to me” (v. 16). 

This is the testimony of Paul and every truly converted person’s testimony.  Let me show you how this works.  When Paul spoke of “receiving revelation”, he was not simply referring to seeing Christ with his physical eyes (though he did according to 1 Corinthians 9:1).  Paul’s referring to receiving revelation through his ears or through hearing. 

From Acts 9:3-5 we know Paul was blinded by the glorious flash of light around him making the emphasis in the narrative not seeing but hearing.  Acts recounts how Paul’s conversion came with Saul (Paul) “falling to the ground and hearing a voice” which said, “I am Jesus” (Acts 9:3-5).  “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).  In the same way, through the Bible, Christ’s speaks.  Through the Bible, Christ revels himself. 

Reading and or hearing Scripture gives us Christ.  This has been compared to looking into the sun and knowing it is light not dark or tasting honey and knowing it is sweet and not sour.  Reading by the Holy Spirit is the verbal portrayal of Jesus in the Gospel (John Piper).  Believers should strive to have this kind of spiritual assurance and conviction about your spiritual standing. 

Gaining this confidence always comes back to answering, “Where spiritual authority rests?”  How you know you are saved comes back to God’s Word, which is his gospel.    Paul is making the same case in Galatians.  For him everything returns to this question of authority.  Paul’s point is that his gospel is God’s gospel and that it is God’s gospel because God revealed it directly to him! 

How does this apply to our current chapter of church history?  As things in our city reopen, reopen your heart to the importance of hearing Truth.  Clear biblical Truth is what takes us from darkness to light.  From blindness to sight.