Forget Not the Religious Reformation
Written by Rev Tay Piak Kheng on 19 October 2025
“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)
The greatest watershed point of church history was the 31 Oct 1517 Reformation that was born in Wittenberg, Germany. The church was set free from the Roman Catholic yoke and came out of the darkness that lasted over 1000 years. The authority to read the Bible and other privileges were then returned to God’s children.
Long before Martin Luther, there were other forerunners of the Reformation, such as England’s Wycliffe and Bohemia’s John Hus, etc. Rather than the rules laid out by the Papacy or the Pope, they firmly believed that Scripture is the ultimate authority and that God’s words are the foundation of a saint’s life.
The call of the forerunners influenced and kindled Martin Luther. He courageously pinned the Ninety-Five Theses on the doors of the church in Wittenberg to refute the Papacy’s erroneous doctrines and corrupt practices such as the sale of indulgences, doctrine of purgatory, the worship of Mary, etc. God used this great feat to stir up soldiers of truth in other territories, such as Calvin of Geneva, Zwingli of Switzerland and John Knox of Scotland etc.
Without the Reformation, our Sunday worship today would be similar to that of 500+ years ago. The congregation would sit on the pews without a Bible in their hands, being devoid of the right to recite the word of God; neither would they be allowed to sing praises to God. Hymn singing, reading the Bible and prayer would have been the special privilege of the minority called the clergy. This is why we have avoided practices such as “Sacred Music Sunday,” where all hymns are sung solely by the choir, turning the congregation into an audience. This practice is a return to the times of the Roman Papacy.
Why do we commemorate the Reformation each year? To ensure that we do not lose the truth of the faith handed down to us through the blood and tears of our forefathers, and their unfeigned faith. That is why we constantly urge you to study the Bible to understand God’s will instead of imposing a set of dos and don’ts on you. As we believe in the believers’ holy priesthood, we do not classify believers into clergy or laity. The prayer of a believer is as effective as that of a pastor.
There is a trail of blood, spanning from the Old Testament to the New Testament, the early churches, the Dark Ages, the Reformation movement, the Crusades in Europe, and continuing to the present day. Every drop of tears and blood of the Church for passing on the apostles’ teachings is recorded in God’s scrolls of deeds. Dear brothers and sisters, the name “Truth Baptist Church” was intended to remind us to hold on to the spirit of the reformers and sail on the route of “returning to the Bible” at all times. We try to be vigilant in every teaching and hold to the foundational principle of biblical exegesis – interpreting “Scripture in light of Scripture”. O Lord, let every local church be faithful in leading your congregations to read the Bible, meditate on Your words, and live according to Your will!
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