This Fall marks 500 years since the start of the Protestant Reformation. October 31, 1517 is the date that Martin Luther nailed his “Ninety-five Theses” on the church door in Wittenberg. His Reformation ideas quickly spread over all of Europe by means of the movable-type printing press… and the rest, they say, is history.
In honor of this anniversary, I am re-posting my teaching series entitled, “A Survey of the Reformation: Its History and Doctrine.”
I developed this teaching series in 2012 and have taught through it for adult Sunday School classes in two different churches. The audio files are primarily from 2012, but one of the lessons had corrupted audio and so I made a replacement recording in 2014 the next time I taught the material.
My goal in this series is two-fold: to introduce people to the history and ideals of the Reformation, and to give an introduction to the doctrine known as the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of Grace. I have found that understanding and appreciating the doctrines of Grace is easier when one is led to understand the history of the Reformation as a whole. Also stressed in this study, are the Five Solas, and the Reformation emphasis on God’s sovereignty.
The Reformation doesn’t stand or fall with the doctrines of Grace, but that understanding flows directly from the heart of the Reformation. And while Luther may not have agreed on all the particulars of how the five points came to be articulated, he is in fundamental agreement on God’s role in salvation — as were all the original reformers.
Feel free to use the .pdf and .mp3 audio files freely, I just ask to be credited as the source of this presentation. May God grant the spirit of the Reformation and its doctrine, to continue to occupy a warm place in the hearts and minds of God’s people.
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A Survey of the Reformation: Its History and Doctrine
HISTORY
- Introduction & An Overview of Church History • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
- Forerunners of the Reformation • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
- The Protestant Reformation • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
- Puritanism & The Legacy of the Reformers • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
DOCTRINE
- Reformation Doctrine: The Big Picture • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
- Total Depravity & Irresistible Grace • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
- Limited Atonement • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
- Unconditional Election • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
- Perseverance of the Saints • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
- Answering Objections • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
- Why the Reformation Matters Today • No audio (see note below) ∼ View the Slides.
Note: You may notice that the audio deviates from the slides more and more as the lessons progress. This is due to the fact that the slides match the 2014 audio, which is unavailable. The 2012 audio files line up closely with my older slides available here.
I used a variety of resources for this series, but the four I recommend to my SS class are listed here below:
- Exploring Church History by Howard F. Vos (Thomas Nelson, 1996)
- Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism by Joel R. Beeke (Reformation Trust, 2008)
- Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul (Tyndale, 1986)
- What We Believe about the Five Points of Calvinism by John Piper (booklet, 1985) – available online at DesiringGod.org [available as a book here]
This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at our church again. My text was Ezekiel 47:1-12 and the theme was living water. I had so much fun exploring the biblical theological theme of life-giving water. My sermon borrowed from the ideas I gleaned from G.K. Beale on how Jesus in both John 4 and John 7, alludes to Ezekiel’s eschatological temple and specifically chapter 47, where the river of life flows from the center of the temple. See an