The doctrinal abuses will be treated in the section of the reformers. Here, we will try to describe something of the ecclesiastical environment produced by the reformation.

1. The ecclesiastical taxes (gula papal): Many of the popes of the Catholic Church lived like kings. To finance the papacy they must impose strong taxes above all of the membership of the church. To provide for two popes the matter was complicated in a great way. These taxes were cruels and got rid the little that the people had.

2. Not only the popes, but many of the cardinals, bishops and priests took advantage of its positions to carry luxurious and immoral lives. Instead of take care for the family of God, many of them were dedicated to the care of their own families.

3. Simony: In the book of Acts we read that Simón, the magician; tried to buy the Holy Spirit. By this, the practice of buying and selling the offices of the church, carries his name. A pope could sell a "diocese" and the "prelate/buyer" had to sell his others positions to recover his investment. What should be determined by the spiritual gifts was determined by large amounts of money.

The church of those years was not totally bad. It is certain that when we see the hierarchy of the church, there is little good that to say. Nevertheless, always there were several movements of reform inside the church. Always there were groups and christian orders that demanded the abuses of the hierarchy, people that begged to the entire church to return to the simple road of the gospel. During the period of the "schism" there was another movement that tried to  reform the church, and to reduce the power of the pope. Sadly, when the matter of the papacy was resolved, the pope remained with all the power and this reformer movement was also frustrated.

There were many other events, so much historic as ecclesiastic, that contributed to promote and produce the Reform, but the space, does not permit a exhausted examination here.

Preguntas:

- The only head of the church is Christ. Wyclif said that if the pope was Christian, he could be of service to the church, but that the true head is Christ.

-The church consists of its members and not in its clergies. All the believers are priests.

- Being all the member priests, they had the right of reading the Bible in their own language and interpreting it for if same.

As it can be seen, there was reformer character a great deal of matter. Nevertheless, these reform you did not throw very deep roots in their country. Their followers harshly were pursued and the church managed to silence the voices of reform in England.

B. Juan Huss: ( 1373-1415 ) The history of Juan Huss is seemed to that of Wyclif, but with a tragic end. In the year 1403 Huss was done principal of the university of Prague and preacher in its chapel Bethlehem. In the intellectual life of Bohemian, Huss occupied a position of a great deal of importance. In the principle, Huss agreed with the doctrine of the church, was its style of life that he attacked. Nevertheless, some of the writings of Juan Wyclif arrived at the university of Prague and Huss, being rector, read them. It was very happy al to see that it there was another leader promoting very similar reforms to its. Although did not it be according to the teaching of Wyclif on the communion, saw with I please the majority of what Wyclif there was writing.

The enemies of Huss (the white of their criticisms), al to listen that the works were being discussed of Wyclif in the university, they were seen obliged to face it. They requested al king that to prohibit every work of Wyclif and that removed to Huss its pulpit in Bethlehem. The king did him, and Huss had to take a very difficult decision. He opted for the obedience to the Bible instead of the obedience to the human authorities, they be of the government or be of the church. It continued preaching. By his popularity with the people, the king did not want to create more problems and he left that Huss did what he wanted. And as soon as al pope Huss said, "A pope unworthy, that he be opposed al welfare of the church, should not be obeyed." During the next years Huss he was excommunicated of the church two times. But he continued preaching to large multitudes of followers. And, by the protection of its government, the Church could not do him more nothing.

Its history arrived at its tragic end when was invited al Council of Constanza. The leaders of the church asked that Huss presented its case in the Council, and the emperador Segismundo offered it a salvoconducto that its personal security guaranteed it. At last, thought Huss, would have the opportunity to be defended.

Little after arriving al Council, the salvoconducto it was been removed. The emperador wanted to protect him and wanted that its salvoconducto was respected. But did not it want to be affiliated with one that was going to condemn himself as heretic. It abandoned it. Huss, in turn, easily could have saved. Could be withdrawn of what it not the Council pleased. But he refused to be withdrawn until the Council could teach him in what was he wrong. This the Council it could not do. And by this Huss was condemned to die like heretic. They sent it al quemadero July 6, 1415.

Although their voice was quiet, their followers in Bohemian continued carrying their message.

You ASK:

11. What believed Wyclif as for the authority of the church and that of the state?
12. Which was the position of Wyclif with respect to the communion?
13. Which were the other doctrines "radical" of Wyclif?

14. What said Huss on a pope unworthy?
15. How died Juan Huss?

IV. Martín Luther: Father of the Reform

Having seen the sacrifice of so many to reform to the church, is difficult that it be attributed to one only the title of Father. Nevertheless, we do it with Martín Luther because its influence surpassed that of all the ones that had passed before him. In the life of Luther we have a summary of a great deal of what had occurred before. Also, with Luther the doctrinal reform arrived at a level that had not reached before. There had been many intents, with Luther there was a principle, a true beginning.

A. Its Life : (1483-1546 ) Martín Luther was born in the town of Eisleben, Germany in the year 1483. His father was a free compatriot who worked in a mine. When Luther he was born, the family was very poor. Then, her economic condition improved enough, but the youth of Luther was very hard. The father of Luther wanted that his son was lawyer. He recorded him in the university to study this matter. But Luther, by the death of a friend and by a frightening experience with a lightning, he abandoned the legal studies and he entered a monastery. After two years in the monastery, Luther he was ordered monk and he celebrated his first mass.

In the year 1511 Luther he moved to Wittenberg. In Wittenberg Luther he received its doctorate and he began to work in the since would be his to its death, that of professor of teología. Since there Luther began to give speeches above all the Bible in the language of its people, German. Its biblical studies motivated to study the Bible in its original languages. And her more than he studied the Bible her more convinced was that only she would be able to be the authority for the Christian life. Al same time and by the same studies Luther he found the peace that had always sought but never he had found. Its reading and study of Roman 1:17 he convinced it that the justice of God is not something that we do for God, but something that God did for us in its Son Jesus. For the first time the experienced the peace that comes with the security of the salvation.

The process that carried Luther to its separation of the Roman Church began in the year 1517. In this year the Pope decided to grant al prelate of the diocese where was Luther two dioceses more. On the other hand the prelate had to deliver him al papado an enormous quantity of money (simonía). To raise these funds a monk was sent that was called Tetzel to sell indulgences. Tetzel, in a very raw way, he was dedicated for sale. The he promised al buyer that at the moment that the currency in its box fell, the soul of the addressee of the indulgence was liberated. In the event that the person still was living, according to Tetzel not even he had to be repented - the currency saved it.

Luther could not bear such abuses and wrote its 95 teses, condemning the abuses of this system of indulgences. Although Luther wrote its teses with the motive to reform the church since inside, the reaction of the church was such that Luther very prompt recognized that would not be possible. There was that there to be a division.

During all this conflict with Rome, Luther continued preaching, teaching and writing. One of its more important achievements the translation went of the Bible, of its original languages, in aleman. This translation served not only to guide to the Germans in the roads of God, but also to establish many of the norms for the language aleman.

Luther, having left the Roman Church, left also the votes that had taken like priest. Married Katerina Go Bora and they they had 6 children.

Sadly, not all it of Luther went very pleasant. When a popular movement raised himself to protest the abuse that received this low class, Luther was affiliated with the powerful and wrote a hard criticism of the low classes.

B. The Three "Be used to " : The thought of Luther and of all the Reform arrived at to be characterized by three phrases that begin with the word "alone". Its answer to the complicated thing of the faith and catholic tradition was these simple phrases:

1. alone fide : "Only the faith"

With alone fide Luther and the other reformers meant that the unique thing that the man has to do to receive the salvation of God is to believe. The faith is the only way in which the salvation arrives al man. This faith is also a gift of God and not a product of the human will.

2. alone gratia : "Only the grace"

With alone gratia Luther meant that the salvation himself does not earn, but is given. Not any work exists done by the man that can save it. The salvation is totally free for the believer.

3. alone scriptura : "Only the Scriptures"

Martín Luther and the other reformers put the Sacred Scriptures over all the other authorities in the church. So much the pope as the humblest member was under the authority of the Scriptures. Luther taught also that the Scriptures were for all the believers, not only for the clergies of the church.

You ASK:

16. Why it was dedicated Martín Luther all its life?
17. Who was Tetzel, and why is an important figure in the Reform?
18. It which it is three "be used to" and that signify?

V. Juan Calvino (1509-1564) : The Reform Continues and is Deepened

With the personage of Juan Calvino we arrive at the most important figure in the definition of the faith Reformed. Through its greater work, The Institution of the Christian Religion, Calvino left a good part of all the new protestants convinced of the truth of its interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures. Calvino was firmamente in the lineage of Agustín and the Father of the Reform, Martín Luther. The majority of the teología of Calvino was nothing new, but in its hands reached a new level of clarity and organization.

A. The History of Its Life : Juan Calvino was born in Noyon, France, 60 miles al north of the city of Paris. Its family was not very rich but he could send the children to the better schools and universities of this place. The father of Juan there was determined that his son would be educated for the priesthood. By this, to the early age of 12 years Juan Calvino entered the University of Paris to begin his studies. There Calvino, as the other students of this epoch, was very interested in the humanism of Erasmo and was in this new environment humanist that completed its studies.

We know very little of the "conversion" of Calvino. The only place where he speaks of that experience is in the introduction of its comment on the Salmos, and the reference is not very clear. What yes it said on the salvation in general was this: we are converted God little to little, phase for phase. Always it spoke of the gradual or slow nature of the true conversion.

Calvino continued its studies in Paris to the year 1533. To this year the students had enjoyed a great deal of liberty and they could criticize the church and to speak of the necessary reforms. They same were dedicated to these reforms. But in this year there was a political change in France and the entire nation was thrown for the traditional and catholic side. Calvino and its companions in the university had to flee. Thus Calvino began its life in exile and never could return to live in its dear country.

In the year 1535 Calvino wrote the first edition of The Institution of the Christian Religion. This first edition had only 6 chapters, but in the following years came to be an immense volume. It was the first one teología systematic produced by the Reform.

Calvino wanted to pass a tranquil life with its books and studies. It wanted to be dedicated in full to what had begun with The Institution. But in one of its trips an old preacher, that was called Farel, obliged it to be remained and to work with the church in Geneva, Swiss. And thus began the other part of its career, that of shepherd. Calvino, as shepherd, was not very easy. It believed that all the city, not only the church, should live under the divine law. It believed, with reason, that was the same God who had given authority to the church and al government and, by this, the two institutions should respect the same law. Its first intent in Geneva failed, but years later returned and created their ideal community where the church and the government worked together in the service of God.

The contributions of Calvino to every protestantismo were many. Among them are:

-The Institution of the Christian Religion

-Its emphasis in the education and the educational model created in Geneva

-Its support for the political system of the democracy. In Geneva worked with a system of representatives.

-Their predicación that served like boss for the ones that they continued it.

-It wrote comments on all the books of the Bible with the exception of Apocalypse

B. The Teología Reformed : Here we will try to give a brief summary of the teología reformed as was developed for Calvino. We will see first two basic bases, and later, the five points of Calvinismo.

1. The Bible: For Calvino, the Bible was the only base for the Christian. So we we are sinners and so everyone has suffered the results of our sin, we cannot depend on no other source of information. Neither the world, neither the science, neither the reason, neither the personal revelation can be a dependable source of information on God. Only the Bible has the perfect revelation as for the person of God and its will with respect to our lives.

2. The Sovereignty of God: For Calvino and them reformed the sovereignty of God is one of the basic and clearest points of the biblical revelation. God does not need anything neither to nobody to exist; is totally self-sufficient. And God is the unique one to be self-sufficient. We, otherwise, we depend on him for all in our life. God continues, by his providence, guiding and handling the course of the human history. Although God gave al certain man liberty, this liberty also is inside the system on which God has absolute control.

3. The Five Points of Calvinismo: as for the salvation, the teología reformed has been summarized for five basic points. These five points find its more complete expression in the document The Canons of Dort. Here it will be a matter of giving a summary of this summary.

A. The Total Depravation: The total depravation means that it not to have swum that have escaped the influence of the sin in this world (Roman 3:23). The sin has touched and has damaged all the creation. Besides, the total idea of depravation implies that our inclination is always toward the bad thing. We are not capable, without the aid of the Mister, to produce works that please it (I Corintios 2:6-16). This doctrine does not mean that we are 100% evils, but the sin each area of the life has damaged us.

B. Election or Predestinación Unconditional: God saves us for grace and by his good will. Us does not it save on account of ours good works neither ours good decisions (Juan 1:13; II Tesaloncenses 2:13; Tito 3:4-7). The faith with which we believe is also gift of God and is not our work (Efesios 2:8-9). God saves to the chosen because thus he decided before the creation of the world (Efesios 1:4).

C. Atonement Limited: With this doctrine the reformers meant that Christ he did not suffer in bucket. His grace was sufficient for all, but efficient only for the chosen. That is to say, all the grace of the sacrifice of Christ was appointed also before the creation of the world. The it died for its, not for the ones that did not they be going to save himself (Kill 20:28; Juan 10:15; Efesios 5:25).

D. Irresistible grace: If God wants us to save, we are not going to be able to resist his grace. We are salvos by the will of God, not by ours. The chosen will be salvos. God will do in their lives until they accept their divine love (Juan 6:37; Roman 9:16-19).

E. Perseverancia of the Saints: so the salvation comes from God and not of the man, is totally sure for the ones that the Mister has elected in its love. Although yes there is false, there are not Christians true Christians that can lose its salvation (Juan 10:27-29; Roman 8:28-39). What God begins, God also finishes (Filipenses 1:6; Hebrew 3:15).

Each one of these points deserves and needs a great deal more explanation. Nevertheless we expect that with the little bit thing that there is here, you can understand the sketch of the faith reformed.

You ASK:

19. How it was the environment in which was educated Juan Calvino?
20. In which city was established Calvino as shepherd?

21. What thought Calvino on the Church and the State?

22. Which was its more important book?

23. What does you think on the five points of Calvinismo?

I SAW. The Path of the Church Reformed from Calvino:

From Calvino the faith reformed has arrived at almost all the parts of the world. Almost immediately the Christian faith as went expressed by Calvino gained many followers in an extensive part of Europe. In Germany, Hungary, France, Holland, Scotland, England, Ireland, and Poland churches were established reformed. In some of these places the churches were established under the protection and with the favor of the government (Holland and Germany by elemplo). In other places, as France and Spain, them reformed seriously they were pursued.

The two lineas stronger of the church reformed are the ones that passed by Holland and Escosia. Since these two countries, and then England, the faith reformed reached to everyone. The descending churches of Scotland and its main leader, Juan Knox, are called presbiterianas. The descendants of Holland are called reformed.

The Christian Church Reformed belongs al Dutch lineage. Its ancestors arrived at the United States and Canada of Holland and since there have sent missionaries to many parts. The presbiterianos, in turn, they have done the same thing. To the Dominican Republic the presbiterianos arrived al principle of the century XX, very before them reformed. They began a denomination presbiteriana but then they were unified with other churches to form The Evangelical Church Dominican.

The history of the Christian Church Reformed in the Dominican Republic is enough cuts. In 1975 The mission of our church went guest to work here by some groups of Haitians that they had listened for the radio our program, "The Hour of the Reform." First they visited some missionaries reformed of Puerto Rico and then sent a family to establish the work here.

In recent years the Mister has blessed this work, and we expect that their blessings continue, so much here as in the other you split where the churches reformed continue preaching their Word.

You ASK:

24. Which they went the main countries in the dissemination of the faith reformed?
25. How the faith arrived reformed to the Dominican Republic?

* This pagina is part of a course in the Institute Biblico Reformed

for contacts: stevebrauning@yahoo.com