By Emeka Odogwu
Anglican Diocese of All Nations(Anglican Church in North America). Houston, Texas, The Rt Rev’d Dr Felix Orji has explained the roles of the Reformers and th teaching of Apostolic faith.
He gave this quote:
“A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.”
-John Calvin.
Right Reverend Dr.Orji continued:
“Good brethren, let us consider that as many of us as say we know God’s way, we know God’s word and his gospel: If virtue follow not, if honest conversation and upright living follow not this our profession, we shame God and dishonor his holy name. ‘They say that they know God,’ saith St. Paul [Titus 1:16], they say that they know his holy word and gospel; ‘but in their deeds, they deny God,’ they deny his gospel.
“… therefore, if we have the word of God as a song to delight our ears, if we turn the truth of God into riot and wantonness, if we confess God with our lips and deny him in our deeds, if we say we know God’s law, we know his commandments, and yet live not thereafter [accordingly], we do not praise God and confess his name, but we shame God and dishonor his holy name, we cause the people to think evil of God’s word and slander his gospel.”
-Bishop John Jewel(Diocese of Salisbury, 1559-1571)
He insisted that: “October 31st, is the anniversary of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. We give thanks to God for the Reformation because the Reformers led the Church back to long-forgotten Apostolic teaching and practices such as the supreme authority and primacy of Holy Scripture over tradition, reason and experience(Sola Scriptura), salvation by God’s grace alone (Sola Gratia-Grace alone is the efficient cause), through faith alone (Sola Fide-Faith alone is the instrument through which we receive salvation), in the unique saving work and mediation of Jesus Christ alone (Solus Christus-Jesus alone saves us), to the glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria-God alone gets the glory for our salvation).
The Reformers affirmed the utter sinfulness of humanity, the absolute necessity of God’s grace, the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, the priesthood of all believers, and the centrality of the gospel in preaching, worship, and the Christian life.
They called for the Church to be governed by God’s Word, to administer the two sacraments faithfully, to reform its doctrines and practices where necessary, and to uphold Christian liberty and the vocation of all believers to serve God without the mediation of priests, and do all these without jettisoning ancient catholic practices that are in conformity with God’s Word.
He concluded that: ‘Ultimately, the Reformation sought to restore the Church to biblical faithfulness, ensuring that its teaching, worship, ministry, and mission emphasized the gospel of Jesus Christ and glorification of God alone.
“This anniversary of the Reformation is a good and opportune time to be reminded and to remind one another of our need to embrace these truths and that’s the key to revival and effective mission. These Reformational truths are reflected in the Formularies of the Anglican Communion(The 39 Articles of Religion, the 1662 BCP with the Ordinals, and the Book of Homilies) which many Anglicans have abandoned. There is no good future for a church or Christian who disregards these truths to which God has graciously awakened us. We need to return to these old biblical paths for the good of the Church and for our blessing.
“It is my hope that every parish in this Diocese observes Reformation Sunday which is always the last Sunday in October because the Reformation is an important part of our history as Anglicans and more importantly the Reformation was God’s gift of rescue to the Church for which we must give glory to God. The knowledge of God’s truth is always for the purpose of doxology – the praise of God- as J I Packer reminded us! May God be glorified in our lives and in his Church forever. Amen”.
