What will happen when God’s people seriously begin to study church history? That was a question once posed to me and it gave me yet another opportunity to share my conviction with others about the importance of knowing our Christian heritage. I would suggest to you that there are plenty of compelling reasons why every Christian should diligently study about the past but consider just a few:
First, there will be a greater appreciation for the saints that have lived before us. I think especially of the young people in particular now. Young Christians in the faith need heroes in which to believe. Role models are important. Therefore, study the lives of the saints. Let me suggest one such person in particular. His name was William Borden and he was the heir to a large American fortune.
Having graduated from Yale and attended Princeton Seminary, Borden was committed to being a missionary for Jesus Christ. Despite an elite upbringing, his travels around the world had challenged him to the needs of the lost to hear about Jesus Christ. He wanted to make his own life count for Christ.
As William Borden trained for a life of service to the Kansu people of China, his heart and labor went out in practical ways to the widows, orphans, and handicapped in the slums of Chicago. A quiet yet powerful young man, Borden sought to win other young college men for Christ and His service. In 1913 Borden finally fulfilled his dream to move toward the mission field. He arrived in Egypt and was soon battling cerebral meningitis. Borden understood there were risks to serving the Savior—and he accepted those risks. Nearly every newspaper in the United States covered his untimely death at the age of 25. Borden made a great decision. Like Moses he gave up the pleasures of this world to lead others to a better world to come. Though his life was a “waste” in the eyes of the world, his life and death have been a testimony and a challenge beyond his own generation to “keep eternity’s values in view.” Those who study history will be challenged by great lives.
Second, in the study of history there will be a greater confidence in witnessing for there will be no apology for the Church. One of the dangers of modern thinking is that the church is a corrupt institution living in the last days—and this is taught by those within the body of Christ. We, however, should not be of that persuasion. We believe the church is the most glorious institution. To know her story is to invite others to come to the only kingdom that will never end.
Finally, there will be the enjoyment of great stories. There is, for example, the dramatic narrative of men such as John Wycliffe (1320 -1384) and John Huss (1369 - 1415). John Huss, as a servant of the Savior, remained uncorrupted during the dark ages of human history when the glory of the gospel was darkened by the superstitions of the prevailing church structure of that era.
John Wycliffe, who preceded John Huss, attempted to turn the minds of the common people away from the vain superstitions of the offending church by placing the Scriptures into their hands. While the “Morning Star of the Reformation” continued to criticize the sale of indulgences, the doctrine of transubstantiation (the miraculous turning of the elements into the literal body and blood of Christ), and religious hierarchies, darkness continued to descend upon the church. Another voice was needed to carry on the attempts of reform of Wycliffe. That voice was found in the ministry of John Huss. John Huss was bold enough to criticize churchmen who rode on horses with brilliant tassels trailing behind in order to beat their fellow citizens with silver clubs. For his cries against injustice Huss was hated. He was arrested and brought to trial at a council of the Church of Constance where, over a seven-month period, Huss was accused of teachings contrary to the official Church dogma.
In defense, Huss declared that he had never taught what he was accused of teaching. How could he recant or take back what he never said or wrote? Nor could he renounce the truth that the church had become corrupt in some areas. The practice of penance was wrong, for salvation is by grace through faith alone. Because of his stand for an alien righteousness, on July 6, 1415, Huss was condemned to be burned at the stake. He was taken outside the city limits and tied to a stake where a fire was lighted. He died with these words upon his lips: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy.”
There are great men and movements to be read about in the study of history. Therefore, cultivate a greater appreciation for the saints of old, learn to witness with confidence, and learn the interesting stories of the church.
