The glory of the Church in history
I am sitting here scanning through my newly acquired “History of the Christian Church” by Philip Schaff. Upon scanning through the first volume (there are eight in total) I ran across this marvelous quote which, in my opinion, paints a beautiful picture of the Church as she sits in perspective to history.
“Christianity has thus passed through many stages of its earthly life, and yet has hardly reached the period of full manhood in Christ Jesus. During this long succession of centuries it has outlived the destruction of Jerusalem, the dissolution of the Roman empire, fierce persecutions from without, and heretical corruptions from within, the barbarian invasion, the confusion of the dark ages, the papal tyranny, the shock of infidelity, the ravages of revolution, the attacks of enemies and the errors of friends, the rise and fall of proud kingdoms, empires, and republics, philosophical systems, and social organizations without number. And, behold, it still lives, and lives in greater strength and wider extent than ever; controlling the progress of civilization, and the destinies of the world; marching over the ruins of human wisdom and folly, ever forward and onward; spreading silently its heavenly blessings from generation to generation, and from country to country, to the ends of the earth. It can never die; it will never see the decrepitude of old age; but like its divine founder, it will live in the unfading freshness of self-renewing youth and the unbroken vigor of manhood to the end of time, and will outlive time itself. Single denominations and sects, human forms of doctrine, government, and worship, after having served their purpose, may disappear and go the way of all flesh; but the Church Universal of Christ, in her divine life and substance, is too strong for the gates of hell. She will only exchange her earthly garments for the festal dress of the Lamb’s Bride, and rise from the state of humiliation to the state of exaltation and glory. Then at the coming of Christ she will reap the final harvest of history, and as the church triumphant in heaven celebrate and enjoy the eternal sabbath of holiness and peace. This will be the endless end of history, as it was foreshadowed already at the beginning of its course in the holy rest of God after the completion of his work of creation.”
Philip Schaff, “History of the Christian Church,” volume 1, introduction, p19-20.
While I don’t deny that there are churches that are stuck in their own little history, from my own observation and experience there seems to be a more prominent and growing body of Christians who are almost completely ignorant or increasingly apathetic when it comes to the history of the Church. I will admit that only in the past eight months has “Church History” been something that I have more paid more attention to than in the past. And while I am, as someone who loves history, somewhat biased in my attraction to the history of the Church, I have also noticed that my reading and study has impacted me beyond merely obtaining intellectual head-knowledge.
Reading about the history of the Church has helped me think through other deeper aspects of my life. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about who I am as a Christian and what that really means. I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a godly man. And I’ve been listening to all the hand-wringing and fretting going on in the Church about how we need to rethink this and redo that and move forward in this culture.
It’s been helpful for me to take a look backward. Backward through 200 centuries of a movement, and (to the dismay of my postmodern friends) an institution that will continue marching on long after my generation is gone. It’s been helpful as a reminder that the tradition and essence of the Church goes back much further than three or four generations of Turners. In my mind’s eye I see a sweeping mass of people from all walks of life and all nations shouting “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10b).
When I gaze across the panorama of Church History I realize that I don’t have to look to William Wallace or Maximus or Aragorn to see what in means to be a real man. But that I stand in the presence of giants like Martin Luther, John Calvin, William Tyndale, Athanasius, Hudson Taylor, Charles Spurgeon, William Wilberforce, Jim Elliot, and the Apostle Paul. Men who “fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7) and took stands (often alone or with very few supporters) against kings, popes, emperors, and even conventional wisdom; stands that in some cases cost them their lives. Men “of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38). Men who strove with all their might to imitate the true head of the Church, Jesus Christ himself.
My faith in Christ’s mercy is strengthened when I read how Christ pulled John Newton out of a life of depravity and slave-trading and gave him “amazing grace.” My faith in God’s providence is strengthened when I read of the answered prayers of men like George Mueller who trusted God to supply his financial needs. My faith is emboldened to stand (alone, yet with Christ, if need be) when I read of the unshakeableness of men like Spurgeon and Wilberforce. And I am enticed to pour out my life’s blood for God’s kingdom by looking at the lives of Jim Elliot and the Apostle Paul. This history of the Church is anything but useless.
I know to many people history is boring and dry. A bunch of dusty bones and a list of dead people. But as Christians we must come to see our history as so much more than that. Besides the comfort of knowing that we walk in good company (Hebrews 12:1-2), the history of the Church is the picture of our Lord and God working out his redemptive plan among the sons of the earth. It is the picture of the vanguard of the Kingdom of God cutting it’s way through the kingdom of darkness spreading The Light (see John 1) to all who will receive it. And if we really believe the words of Christ in John 16:13-15 then we must not simply throw out 2000 years of Church history as if they have no value. We dismiss it at our own peril.
Many today lament the weakness and ineffectiveness of the modern Church. I would venture to say that one of the reasons we are weak and ineffective is that we have forgotten where we’ve been.
Some verses come to mind:
“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7)
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
“And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)
“the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15b)
*all scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV).