Leading in the time Tunnel

Harris Ha

　Today we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. There are countless achievements in the world of religious reform, but the most important thing was that, had established the bible on the transcendental position in the human ideological field as the truth and absolute authority, and established the " inerrancy of the scripture".

　Five hundred years ago Europe had been called the dark medieval. The ideology of the Western world at that time was essentially the same as the Eastern world, though it was in the name of the Lord God. W hen Martin Ruth ignited the fire of religious reform, the fire spread rapidly throughout Europe . There are a lot of positive works that the religious reform brings to Western society, but the most important thing is to establish that the Bible is the constant truth behind the changing world, and the ultimate criterion of human value judgment. This is based on a general belief that the Bible is the truth from the Creator's revelation. Only the constant truth beyond this changing world can advance with the times, it promote the development of human society in the past, and will continue to promote the future development of human society (the Bible indicated that the creation of the world of God is I AM THAT I AM, and is the beginning of the end).

　Admittedly, the aftermath of the religious reform in history also hit the Chinese culture. The fruits of the religious reform also benefit the land of China . The first ray of dawn in modern China 's anti-feudalism was brought by Christians. They brought the notion of equality and human rights granted to China to many Chinese traditions such as women's wrapping small feet and women's inability to go to school; built up the first hospitals, orphanages, infectious diseases such as leprosy to persecute and discriminate, and the establishment of schools for girls and adult women in China. The western science, technology and social studies were brought in China by the missionaries, then through Chinese intelligent people's cooperation, assimilation and integration, new cultural blood was infused into Chinese culture, causing great shock to Chinese society and having a profound impact. In a sense, it is the truth of the Bible that prompted the rapid collapse of the Chinese imperialism and promoted the development of modern Chinese history.

　Turning to the absolute truth of the Bible, we must relate to the issue of human ideology, some countries that differ from the ideology of the West will disagree with the above. But the ideology determines the development of a country or society in a large extent. The strength of the United States today is due to its ideology. Historians have argued that the Greeks conquered the world with philosophical ideas; the Romans conquered the world with military, Christianity conquered the world with faith, and the American conquered the world with rules. In the those days t he Romans used the philosophy of the Greeks in political and military management to get victory. Today American rule is the ideology too, it had built on the basis of Greek culture and Christian culture, The United States is a democratic country, France is also a democratic country, but the American democracy is different from the French democracy. We know that the French Revolution was not in accordance with the principles of the Bible in the pursuit of democracy, the results of the French Revolution ended with dictatorship. What kind of Christian spirit is used by the United States to build it?

　Professor Dean Curry who is at the University of Messiah in the United States tells us that American democracy is based on four hypotheses: human rights ； everyone is morally, politically and legally equal; the individual and the government are together under the extraordinary judgment of God, freedom should be balanced by virtue, personal interests should be balanced by compassionate hearts. At a glance, we can see that all four are from Scripture.

　Now we can go back to the interpretation of this painting “Reformation 500 years”. From the the Bible in the center of the picture, we can immediately feel that the theme of this painting is related to the Bible.

　What this painting tells us is that the religious reform of five hundred years ago established the "Bible" as the leading truth, thus leading Europe to break through the darkness of the Middle Ages and received democratic system that based on the equality and freedom, so that philosophy, culture, economy, science and technology, industry and other fields have great development. However the success of the religious reform is not only Martin Luther's merit, but the result of the joint efforts of countless believers. At the time there were at least six other people who were typical figures related to the success of reformation.

1.Martin Luther
　In 1510 he was nominated as a priest. In 1512 he obtained a doctorate degree at the University of Wittenberg in theological field and taught "Bible" course there. He was one of the earliest German professors taught new testimony in German and original language of the bible. One day when he was reading the Bible, he saw that " The man who does righteousness will be living by his faith. " (Romans 1:17),
　 suddenly he awakened that the man's salvation only because of his faith in "God" and the grace of God. All other laws can not guarantee that people can be "justified." He also received the support from some professors in the same school, with had seen the people being deceived to purchase indulgences, and had heard the scandal of the bishop's bazaar, so he began to attack the church's sale of indulgences. On October 31, 1517 he had written about the ninety-five argument of the indulgences, posted at the door of the church at the University of Wittenberg .
　 Actually, the purpose of these 95 items is not to call for religious reform, but as a college professor to discuss the issue of sale indulgence. The Pope and the Holy See were greatly enraged, and finally ordered him to get rid of the teaching materials. He originally only needed to reform part of the system of the church. From then on, he no longer recognized the authority of the pope, only the Bible as the authority.
　 In 1530 Luther made an explanation of the new movement at the Auschwitz meeting. His Reformation movement has split Christian Europe into two parts. The three major routes to the correction of the Church are the Lutheran, the Reformation and the Anglican . The Reform Church argues that believers should be united directly with Christ because Christ is the only source of salvation. His salvation comes to repentant believers through the power of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of the Word of God. No Mary, nor priesthood as priests to act as surrogates. God speaks to His children through God's prophets and apostles, through the Bible, through personal revelation, and God speaks to created creatures with compassion as long as new creatures in Christ can hear the word of God by faith and Answer him.

2.Ulrich Zwingli
　In 1519 he became a pastor of the church in Zurich . Zwingli was linguistically competent in that he could translate either Hebrew, Greek, or Latin into the local language of Zurich . Later, the City Council of Zurich decided to make the sacrament reform program an official policy. In 1525 the Zurich City Council abolished the Mass and replaced it with the Holy Communion of Charity. The theme of reformation was the moral reorganization within the church. He began to attack atonement vouchers and was a planned attack. At the sacrament, he even had his own claim that the sacrament was a memorial service to the Lord, only symbolic; that Christ was not in the sacrament. Zwingli put the first fire on the religious reform in Switzerland .
　 In the conservative and radical struggles, between religion and politics, tradition and reform, Zwingli managed to find his own place and adhere to what he knew and believed in and endeavored to put his mind into action Combines his belief with social justice, glimpses the light of truth in the study of the Bible, sees his responsibility in the chaos of society, and sends the roar of reform in the corruption of the Holy See.

3.John Calvin
　During the 15th and 16th centuries, in the history of Christian religions reformation, there emerged three shining stars, Martin Luther in Germany, Zwingli in Switzerland, and Calvinism was the culmination of both, he spread the fire of reformation over all Europe.
　 At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the religious reform movement launched by Martin Luther was not immediately successful, and Lutheranism degenerated into a tool for the German princes. Calvinism was different. His religious reform won in Geneva , establishing the bourgeois republic of the first Protestant administration in Europe and greatly influencing the revolutionary movement in Europe .
　 Calvinism, a major tribe of Protestantism, has so far had great influence in the United Kingdom , the United States and Switzerland , with about 40 million followers. Calvin's thinking had a significant impact in the Netherlands , Scotland and England . He accepted a large number of European Protestant refugees to Geneva , making Geneva a true international center. Calvin became the most heroic French Huguenot, the Dutch beggar, the English Puritan, the Scottish oathist, and the father of the immigrants of the Puritan predecessors in the United States of New England, all historically famous for sacrificing anything in the world for the sake of freedom of conscience In the world. Calvin has made a significant contribution to the development of Protestantism and has theoretically laid the foundation for his true religion. His theological masterpiece is "the Essential Christianity" and is praised as the "father of faith" in the United States .

4.Lucas Cranach
　He was born in October 1472 in Kronach. He served as a court painter duke Saxony, participated in the religious reform movement. His famous masterpiece is "escape on the way to rest" that was a performance of the Virgin with baby Jesus refuge in Egypt. He also painted many portraits of Martin Luther, succeeding in portraying the perseverance and tenacity of the leader of the Reformation.
　 Lucas Cranach was also a life-long friend of the German Reformer Martin Luther who was a theology professor, at the University of Wittenberg , he firmly supported the Reformation Movement, he enjoys a very high reputation among German artists with outstanding talent and distinct humanism. He was active in Vienna as a young man, artistically influenced by Dürer.

5.Jane Gray
　The kingdom of England in the sixteenth century was in chaos of religious beliefs. Henry VIII turned to Protestantism because of divorcing event flipped face with the Holy See, resulting in the opposition between Catholicism and Protestantism. Jane Gray was born in October 1537, the daughter of Mary who was the sister of King Henry VIII of Great Britain. The throne of Henry VIII was inherited by his son Edward VI. July 6, 1553 the King Edward VI died, because of political and religious reasons, Jane Gray was pushed to the throne of the British king. Also for religious reasons, the British Parliament deposed Jane Gray's throne on July 19, 1553, and Mary I was the Queen. Immediately after her ascension into the throne, Mary declared the restoration of the Catholic Church and took a high-pressure against the Protestants and to slaughter some of the militants of Protestants. During the five years of her rule, more than 300 people were burned to death by the stake, including the bishop of Cramer who dared to announce her Parents' marriage was null and void, and she was an illegitimate daughter, while countless Protestants were forced into exile. She finally won the British people its "Bloody Mary" title for her atrocities.
　 After Jane Gray was detained by Mary I, she was given a chance to survive, but she has to gave up her faith of Protestantism. Jane Gray refused. It is said that one of her father's friend John Fakenham persuaded her to switch to Catholicism for three days but without changing her faith. Jane Gray's husband was first executed outside the Tower of London. Jane Gray cries in public when her husband's body was taken to the Tower of London. Subsequently, she was executed in secret in the tower. Jane Gray calmly dying, her last word was the word of Jesus on the cross: "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

6.John Knox
　He born in 1514, a Scottish pastor, leader of the Scottish Reformation. As the European Reformation movement boiled over, Scotland was under the (bloody) management of Mary I, in the midst of poverty, intermittent civil war between seigneurs, and corrupt church personnel. It was at this time that John Knox played the greatest Scottish Reformer. In 1554, Knox fled to Germany and moved to Geneva where he was greatly influenced by Calvin, became his disciple and translated the English Bible into Geneva local language. And has been respected by British Puritans. In 1555, Knox returned to Scotland to launch a series of preaching, six months later returned to Geneva, the reform ministries was more mature.
　 On May 2, 1559, Knox returned to Scotland. Knox's sermons were full of power, making the reformation as strong as raging fire in the whereabouts, so that in 1560 the Scottish Parliament announced the reform of religion.
　 The Scots Confession was written by him in 1560. It is the first English-language Reformed creed proposed by John Knox, whose keynote is John Calvin's "Only Listen to God's Word," adopted by the Scottish Parliament, it is the important document for opening Scotland's " Presbyterianism ". Knox also wrote The First Book of Discipline, which advises on the church's basic law and finances. He believed that people have the knowledge to truly accept the Word of God, so he tried hard to establish a universal system of national education for caring and love. He encourages proper care for the poor in the diocese

7.Philipp Melanchthon (February 16, 1497 - April 19, 1560).
　He was influenced by her parents, for his whole life and was godly. At the age of ten, his father died. He love Latin and classical literature, proficiency in Greek, Hebrew. He enter into the college was 12 years old; obtained a master's degree (M.A.) at the age of 17. Before the age of twenty, he had published six books, including the popular Greek grammar. He is a German linguist, philosopher, anthropologist, theologian, textbook writer and neo-Latin poet, known as "Praeceptor Germaniae", he was another representative in German and European's religious reforming in addition to Martin Luther.
　 He was the closest friend to Martin Luther, who met in 1518, the decisive meeting to turn Melanchthon from a humanist to a theologian and reformer. Under the influence of Luther, he became a advocate of the Reformativeist. His influence in the Lutheran religion was greater than Luther in some places. Luther himself said, "I was born to fight the war and to fight the party and the devil, so my book is full of storms and battles, and I have to move away from the rotten branches of trees ... over like a shaggy mountain-worker who opens the way and prepares everything in ready, but Melanchthon quietly walked, pleasantly cultivated, planted, sowed, and irrigated, according to the abundance of God's gifts to him. "Thus, Melanchthon was known as a" quiet Reformer ".

　At the same time, this painting tells us that since the Bible principle was taken as the absolute truth of human transcendence, it not only led mankind's development over the past 500 years, it will surely continue to lead mankind's forward development.

　The mission of the Christian is to present the truth of the Bible to all, to bless all the people on earth. It is for us Chinese to introduce Bible truth into Chinese culture. The traditional Chinese is isolated from the bible culture and developed from the witch history culture. It is a culture that emphasizes practicality. It pays more attention to the external change of things rather than the invariability behind the things that determine the change of things . For example, to explain what is the immutability behind the decision of things: From ancient to present, on the earth, people born and death endlessly, total how many lives appeared in the world no body knows, but one thing we can know, although no two of these billions of people are identical, but the nature and essence of human beings are the same and unchanged. Because of this characteristic of Chinese culture, it will form a way of thinking based on experience to make decisions ， f or example: "Regardless of the white cat black cat, catching the mouse is a good cat, " this is the typical way of thinking. This way of thinking can never grasp the most essential truth of human existence, as well as the value of truth. The trinity of monotheism revealed by the Bible offers mankind the complete foundations of ontology, both transcendental and innermost.

　To grasp the truth and value of truth can only be done by God's leading, because God is the origin and the end, and God is self-eternal. He sets the constantness in the changing world, this constantenss is the Word of God, the love of God, the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament, the commandments of Jesus in the New Testament. Many of the theological ideas, doctrines, and church traditions that have emerged during process of developing of Christianity in two million years, all of them have been born under the guidance of Bible truth. The Christians always say that all who have divinity must be contemporary. This means that if history is definitely going forward, as long as it follows the teachings of the Bible, it will surely catch up with the times. When a country or a society upholds such principles, it must be harmonious, prosperous, prosperous and peaceful.