It Is Written Script: 1371 The Man on the Left Page 1 The Man on the Left Program No. 1371 SPEAKER: JOHN BRADSHAW I m John Bradshaw and this is It Is Written. Thanks for joining me. Here in Geneva, Switzerland, there s a remarkable monument. Now, it s remarkable in a number of ways. To begin with, it s impressive to look at. The International Monument to the Reformation, that s its official name, is a hundred meters long, 325 feet. That s longer than a football field. But what s most impressive is what it represents. The name pretty well gives that away. It s commonly known as the Reformation Wall, and was built a hundred or so years ago on the campus of the University of Geneva, to commemorate the Reformation. And in particular, the important role played in the Reformation by the city of Geneva. Geneva is sometimes referred to as the Protestant Rome, or the Rome of the Reformation. In a certain sense, what Rome is to Catholicism, Geneva was to Protestantism. It was here that John Calvin hugely influenced the Reformation. Calvin is depicted on this wall, about 15 feet tall when carved in stone. And with him on the main part of the wall are John Knox, the Scottish reformer and the founder of the Presbyterian church, Theodore Beza, certainly less well known today than Calvin, but incredibly important to the Reformation and also a Frenchman like Calvin, and another French Reformation figure, further to the left. The four men were all Calvinists. That explains why Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli, massively influential Reformation figures, are featured much less prominently off to the side. They had disagreements with Calvin. Now, there s plenty you could find to argue with John Calvin about. For example, does God really choose some people to be saved and some people to be lost, and there s nothing you can do at all about God s decision? So much for freedom of choice. But rather than arguing with Calvin, it s probably better to understand him in context, and to recognize the historic contribution John Calvin made to the advance of Bible faith. When Calvin was born in 1509, the Roman Catholic Church was enormously powerful, spiritually and politically. Lord Acton was referring to the papacy many years later when he stated, Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. By the time Calvin came to Switzerland in the 1530s, about twenty years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, the Catholic church was doing all it could to hold onto its power.
It Is Written Script: 1371 The Man on the Left Page 2 The church was trafficking in relics and indulgences. People didn t have the Bible, so they couldn t know what the Bible actually said. Local priests were incredibly powerful, essentially the gatekeepers to heaven, because it was taught by the church that salvation came to people via the church. The darkness back then was so dark, Catholicism so influenced the world, that the motto above the Reformation Wall says, Post Tenebras Lux, After darkness, light. Now, it might not be quite so easy to see today, but that s because society has done a pretty bad job of remembering the darkness of the Dark Ages. The darkness that became virtually palpable, because the ruling church shut away the Bible, kept it from the people, and persecuted anybody who dared bring it to light. But when the Bible was brought to light by people such as John Calvin, the light began to shine brightly. So back to the man on the left. If it wasn t for this man, John Calvin probably would not have become John Calvin, and the Reformation would never have really taken hold in Geneva. Geneva would never have emerged from the dark. It would have been tenebras, darkness, period. So who is the man on the left responsible for the lux, the light, shining brightly? The fact is, Calvinism owes its very existence to the man on the left. He s the one who recruited John Calvin to remain in Geneva and minister here, to make the city a fortress for the Bible, a place where Bible faith flourished. Geneva would never have become the city it became. Protestantism would never have reached the heights it reached without the man on the left. His name is William Farel, or Guillaume Farel, if I were to attempt to honor his mother tongue. Farel was French, born in a town called Gap, nestled in the Alps in the south of France. But as idyllic as it might look today, all was not well on the French landscape when Farel lived there, that is, today in most places in the Western world, a person is free to own a Bible and follow that Bible according to the dictates of his or her conscience. And that s how most people like it. But 500 years ago, people didn t have religious freedom. You believed what you were allowed to believe, by a church that was in desperate need of reform. Farel was influenced by a mentor, a Roman Catholic priest named Jacques Lefevre. Lefevre believed that the Roman Catholic Church should be reformed. He had no intention of ever leaving the church and, in fact, he never did. But he was banished from France for disagreeing with the church.
It Is Written Script: 1371 The Man on the Left Page 3 Now, let that sink in. Run out of his home country because he disagreed with the church. He taught that it is God who gives us, by faith, that righteousness which by grace alone justifies unto eternal life. And that got him kicked out of his home country. Let s think about that again. In an age where the church offered salvation, where salvation could be obtained through penance and indulgences and receiving the sacraments, the idea that a person could be saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ was monumental. To put it simply, the idea meant that a person didn t need the church for salvation, but could receive salvation directly from God, without the church. That s not what Catholicism taught. People like Lefevre, then, who talked of reforming the church, were a real problem, and he was kicked out of France. But before this, Farel and Lefevre would visit churches together, adoring the saints and worshiping at shrines. But Farel found that in spite of all of that, he wasn t experiencing peace in his heart. He heard Lefevre say, Salvation is of grace. The innocent one is condemned, while the criminal is acquitted. He was talking about Jesus taking the place of the sinner, and the sinner going free. These words impacted Farel so much, they led to his conversion, which he described like this. He said, instead of having a heart like a murderous and ravening wolf, his heart became like a meek and harmless lamb, its affections totally withdrawn from the Pope and fastened on Jesus Christ. Now, it s hard to know just what he meant by meek and harmless. Because if you look at Farel as he s depicted on the Reformation Wall, you notice his likeness is a little different to the others. Calvin is holding a Bible. Beza is holding a book in his right hand. Knox, he s holding a Bible. Farel is holding a Bible in his left hand. What s he holding in his right hand? Nothing, because his right hand is formed into a fist. Now, why would that be? Why would Farel be shown with his hand formed into a fist? I ll tell you in just a moment. EVERY WORD I ve read any number of inspirational stories about people who suffered for their faith in God, often in communist countries, where at the time Christianity was outlawed. But one thing I ve noticed about each of those people is that they were persecuted not for doing wrong, but for doing right. It s hard to endure being misrepresented when you re doing what s right, when you re serving God. But listen to I Peter 2, verse 20. It says, When you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. It goes against the grain of it, doesn t it?
It Is Written Script: 1371 The Man on the Left Page 4 But Christianity reveals what we really are on the inside when things don t go our way. And to have that sort of faith in God that allows you to be constant and faithful, even when you re not being fairly treated, you know, that s something. And that s how Jesus lived. I m John Bradshaw for It Is Written. Let s live today by Every Word. RETURN TO PROGRAM: This is It Is Written. I m John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me today. I m in Geneva, Switzerland. It s not the capitol of Switzerland. That s Bern, about a hundred miles away, or here, 158 kilometers. It s not the largest city in Switzerland, that s Zurich, 175 miles or 280 kilometers northeast of here, getting over toward Lichtenstein. Geneva s really a global city. It s the home of an enormous amount of international organizations. The United Nations Palace of Nations is here, and the World Trade Organization. So too is the World Help Organization, as well as the International Red Cross. In fact, the Red Cross flag was derived from the Swiss flag; the colors were simply inverted. Incidentally, the World Wide Web was born here in Geneva. British computer scientists Tim Berners-Lee was working here at CERN in the late 1980s, and, well, the rest is history. But what happened in this city almost 500 years ago is, in all reality, probably the most important thing that ever took place here. On the Reformation Wall in the Park de Bastogne in Geneva, Farel is the man on the left, or on Calvin s right. The only one of the four main figures who doesn t have a book in his right hand. Instead, his right hand is clenched into a fist. The French sculptors who formed the figures were telling us something about their fellow countryman. Farel was the oldest of seven children. His family once belonged to the nobility, but then they fell on hard times. He was raised a Roman Catholic, once describing himself as more Popish than Popery. He was dedicated to his church. So what happened, then, that Farel not only left his church but dedicated his life to working against the church s influence and authority? Well, to understand that, let s go back again to Farel s time. The church was the way of salvation, yet idolatry and simony and tradition were everywhere. Many of the priests enriched themselves at the expense of the people, and dissenters were often ruthlessly killed and persecuted. The priests held a huge amount of power over the common people. In the church they were God s intermediaries on earth. Yet they conducted mass in a language few people could understand. You didn t have to be as bright as Farel to realize that the system was badly broken. When he heard the teachings of Martin Luther, Farel was convinced. He d accepted the Gospel; the Bible was now the foundation for his life. He believed that salvation was by grace through faith and didn t come through the church. He believed that a sinner could approach God directly for forgiveness, and didn t have to go through a priest. He didn t see images and idols as being in harmony with the will or the Word of God.
It Is Written Script: 1371 The Man on the Left Page 5 The more he believed the Bible, the more he hated errors that were based on tradition. Farel saw what the church was teaching about relics, the idea that a little part of a dead so-called saint s body should be kissed and venerated. He didn t like that, nor should he have. And he didn t agree with the teaching that the dead saints possessed the power to work wonders in people s lives long after they were dead. Farel saw the Word of God and the law of God being relegated while tradition was being elevated. Farel saw it all for what it was. Superstition. He wanted people to know what he knew-- the church was hindering and not helping. And the Bible was a much better way than tradition. That fist on the statue represents Farel s unwillingness to yield. This was a man who wouldn t back down. And that unwillingness to yield was what brought John Calvin to Geneva. [song] Sound the battle cry! See, the foe is nigh; Raise the standard high for the Lord; Gird your armor on, stand firm every one; Rest your cause upon His holy Word. Rouse, then, soldiers, rally round the banner, Ready, steady, pass the word along; Onward, forward, shout aloud, Hosanna! Christ is Captain of the mighty throng. [music - song] Strong to meet the foe, marching on we go, While our cause we know must prevail; Shield and banner bright, gleaming in the light, Battling for the right we ne er can fail. Rouse, then, soldiers, rally round the banner, Ready, steady, pass the word along; Onward, forward, shout aloud, Hosanna! Christ is Captain of the mighty throng. [music song] O Thou God of all, hear us when we call, Help us one and all by Thy grace; When the battle s done, and the vict ry s won, May we wear the crown before Thy face.
It Is Written Script: 1371 The Man on the Left Page 6 Rouse, then, soldiers, rally round the banner, Ready, steady, pass the word along; Onward, forward, shout aloud, Hosanna! Christ is Captain of the mighty throng. Christ is Captain of the mighty throng. OFFER Babylon Rising is a dynamic book that I ve written describing the significance of Babylon in Bible prophecy, and I want you to have it. Right now, this powerful book is available free from It Is Written. Just call 1-800-253-3000, ask for the book Babylon Rising Or written to It Is Written at P O Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401, and we'll mail a copy to your address in North America. For even faster access, you can download a free electronic version of the book Babylon Rising from our website. Babylon Rising is also a four-part seminar that I ve presented that you can get on video. For details, please visit our website, Itiswritten.com, and discover more about Babylon Rising and other inspirational resources. It Is Written is a faith-based outreach made possible by viewers like you. Thank you for your continued support. Call us: 800-253-3000. Visit us at Itiswritten.com. RETURN TO PROGRAM Why is it that William Farel, the man on the left on the Reformation Wall at Geneva, is depicted with a clenched fist? Well, listen to this. This is what Farel said back in 1535 when he ceased this church. Here s what he said: I have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I go about preaching Christ, why he died for our sins and rose again for our justification. Whoever believes in him will be saved. Unbelievers will be lost. I am bound to preach to all who will hear. I am ready to dispute with you. Farel incited a wave of destroying religious images, idols and statues in Geneva. Images were removed from churches, and the mass itself was abolished. In another city, he snatched an image of St. Anthony out of the hand of a priest and threw it off a bridge into a river. He was fortunate to escape with his life. When Farel was forced to flee his home country of France, he intended initially to travel to Wittenberg, Germany, the home of Martin Luther. But he didn t quite make it that far. He got to Strasberg, and then he went to Basal. But when he was in Basal he criticized the Roman Catholic Church with so much gusto that the people there, including Erasmus, demanded that he be kicked out of town. Farel and Calvin were even booted out of Geneva, although Calvin did come back a few years later. His preaching has been described as full of fire and fury, which is interesting for man who, when he came to Geneva, first started teaching the Bible to children, knowing that through the children he could reach their parents. Theodore Beza, the man to the right hand of Calvin as we look at the Reformation Wall, and Calvin s successor in Geneva,
It Is Written Script: 1371 The Man on the Left Page 7 said that Farel s words were like thunder. Farel called the pope the anti-christ. He called the mass idolatry. Of course, he surely wasn t alone in making those claims. He got the attention of the people, that s for sure. And if Farel seems a little harsh in his words, remember this: at that time, the church was putting people to death for disagreeing with its doctrines, for showing any disloyalty to the church at all. People were being burned to death by the church. No wonder Farel got a little strident. In fact, it was when he stumbled across the burning of a martyr that Farel was deeply affected. He considered the serenity, the peace of the poor victim, and he realized he didn t have that same peace in his own heart. So when you consider the times, it s no wonder Farel got a little bit riled. This was life and death. Now, Farel realized his own limitations. He wasn t the most diplomatic, and he realized that he wasn t a true theologian. When he met Calvin, he realized that in Calvin was the Reformation and Geneva s great chance. Calvin came to Geneva one night and Farel sought him out. He discovered that Calvin s intention was to go to Strasberg to study, and Farel wasn t having any of it. He came to where Calvin was staying and he said to him, May God curse your studies, if now, in her hour of great need, you do not lend your aid to the church. Strong stuff. Calvin heard in the voice of Farel the voice of God. He was shaken; not only shaken, but moved. And what he intended to be one night in Geneva ended up being 30 years. Geneva became an incredibly influential center for the Reformation. John Knox was one of many who came to Geneva, and he left Switzerland to lead the Reformation in Scotland. Farel was to Calvin what Barnabas was to the Apostle Paul. He was the great enabler. It was he who gave impetus. He used his gifts so that the gifts as another could be as effective as possible. Now, I doubt that Farel was a perfect man, nor Calvin, for that matter. Both men had their issues. And their understanding of the Bible lacks just a little bit when you look at it through a lens that s had 500 more years experience and development. But to point out the flaws of these men is to quibble with the big picture. Farel was a man of the moment, a man used by God in a time of crisis, a man who risked everything so that he could hand to others a biblical faith based on God s Word and not on tradition, superstition and ignorance. Farel ended up living here in Neuchatel, 80 miles or 130 kilometers from Geneva. Of course, the Neuchatel of today looks nothing like the Neuchatel of Farel s day. He preached in this very church. He died in 1565 at the age of 76. Exactly where he s
It Is Written Script: 1371 The Man on the Left Page 8 buried isn t known. We do know that he died broke, and that s because he put God s cause ahead of personal gain. He was beaten frequently; he survived murder attempts because, to him, God s cause was more important than personal safety. He wasn t afraid of swimming upstream. He believed that faith was not a matter of preference, but was a matter of principle. Farel s life was defined by his faith in God. It was who he was. And God was able to use him powerfully, not only change his own world, but to change the whole world. Would Geneva be the city it is today if not for Farel and Calvin? No way in the world. He might just be the man on the left, but where he stood and how he stood changed the world. We don t know where Farel is today; the location of his grave is a bit of a mystery. But maybe that s not what s most important. Perhaps the question we should be asking is, where are the Farels of today? PRAYER Our Father in Heaven, we are thankful that we ve been able to examine a life lived for Your glory, a life that impacts us even now, a life that You used to change the world. And we thank You for Jesus, who came into this world that we all might be saved and know You eternally. Bless us now I pray, and take our hearts, make us Yours. We look forward to eternity with You by faith in Jesus Christ. And we pray in Jesus name. Amen. It Is Written PO Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401 USA Tel: 423-362-5800 Fax: 1-877-507-3239 www.itiswritten.com