Happy Reformation Day

We prayed for our separated brethren.

 

A sad feature of the Reformation & all that made a Reformation necessary is the whole concept of Constantinian church & state links.

Before the Reformation believers who wanted to meet together as believers apart from the state church, & practice the baptism of believers as distinct from the state-church baptism of babies were severely persecuted. They saw no conflict between the quite separate service to God & their duties to the state as citizens.

Under Constantine & the subsequent Holy Roman Empire the "two swords" became in effect the sword of the Word wielded by the church, & the sword of steel wielded by the state on behalf of the church.

The teaching of Jesus was -

Mat. 22:21 They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”​

No conflict.

The Reformers in breaking free from the Roman church-state set up their own dual authority & the independent believers continued to suffer vicious persecution.