Last week we started a new series on 2 Timothy. We looked at chapter 1 and I suggested that Paul’s central message to Timothy was, ‘Don’t be ashamed of the gospel’.
Today we’re moving on to chapter 2. But I’m going to approach the passage by a different route. I’m going to take a look at three men who played a significant part both in Christian history and in British history. I think they’re a great example of what Paul is talking about. After that, we’ll come back to chapter 2.
The three men are Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer. They were respectively, Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop of London and Bishop of Worcester.
Do you know what they’re famous for? They were burned at the stake.
What was the issue? The issue which they were finally tried on was the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation: that Christ is physically present in the bread and wine which we take at the Lord’s Supper.
We might think it’s absurd that anyone would die for an issue like this. But conversely, we might think that these men give us a wonderful example of courage in holding fast to their principles. Let’s take a look at their story and you can decide what you think.
Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer lived at the time of the English Reformation – the time when Christians in Europe rejected the authority of the Catholic Church and formed a new grouping, Protestants. As Baptists we are part of that grouping – so Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer played a part in our history.
The English Reformation was from about 1527 to 1563, just a little after the Reformation in Europe. But the foundations of the English Reformation were quite a bit earlier. One person in particular was its morning star. He was John Wycliffe. He lived from about 1328 to 1384. Wycliffe emphasised many of the principles which were later taken up by the Reformers, especially the idea that scripture must be our authority, not the church. William Tyndale, whom we associate with the first English version of the Bible to be printed, was also a leading figure in the Reformation.
So, by the time we come to Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer, some people in England were already protesting about the authority of the Catholic Church.
Enter Henry VIII. Henry VIII also had a dispute with the Catholic Church, or at least, with the Pope. But his dispute wasn’t over the matter of scripture or transubstantiation; it was the matter of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry resolved his problem by rejecting the authority of the Pope and declaring himself head of the English Church! Henry appointed Thomas Cranmer as Archbishop of Canterbury. Cranmer helpfully annulled Henry’s marriage to Catherine and five days later he declared Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn valid. Henry VIII wasn’t happy with Anne Boleyn either and about three years later he had her executed. But that’s another story.
Over the following 10 years there was a whirlwind of activity. As you may imagine lots of people were unhappy with Henry for separating from the Catholic Church. Many of them were executed.
In 1547 Henry VIII died. His only legitimate son, Edward, became king. He was just nine. It was during Edward’s reign that Protestantism was established for the first time in England. But there were storm clouds not far away. Edward fell ill. In 1553 he knew he was dying. He named his cousin, 16-year-old Lady Jane Grey, a committed Protestant, as his successor. Edward died at the age of 15.
But Lady Jane Grey’s succession was on shaky ground. Edward’s half-sister Mary contested it and she became queen. Mary was a staunch Catholic.
So, what would become of the people who had supported the Protestant Reformation? The outlook wasn’t good.
Thomas Cranmer was the architect of the English Reformation. He had supported Lady Jane Grey to become queen in favour of Mary. Nicholas Ridley was Bishop of London. He had preached that neither Mary nor Elizabeth, his daughter by Anne Boleyn, could succeed to the throne. Hugh Latimer was Bishop of Worcester and a leading reformer. The three men were in trouble.
Mary got on with the job of restoring Catholicism. For the most part Protestants did nothing. They didn’t like what the queen was doing but they didn’t question her authority to do it. Cranmer, the archbishop, spoke up to reject the queen’s catholicizing policy, but rather quietly. A rumour went about that he had conformed to the queen’s wishes. He couldn’t allow that! He wrote a letter in which he made his position very clear. He was committed to the Tower and indicted for high treason. After three months of solitary confinement, Cranmer was placed in a cell in the Tower with Latimer and Ridley. The authorities then decided to move them to Oxford where there would be a show trial to highlight the error of their ways.
The issue which the trial would be over was transubstantiation, the view that Christ’s body is present in the bread and wine. At the trial there was a lot of discussion. Neither side made any impression on the other and at the end the judge decided that the Catholics had won. Although in one sense the issue was over a minor point of theology, at a deeper level the question was over the authority of the Catholic Church. The real question Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were being asked was, ‘The Catholic Church says it is so; do you accept that?’ Their answer was no. We don’t accept something just because the Catholic Church says it is so. At the root of the issue of transubstantiation was a principle they were determined to defend.
Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were given another chance to accept the Catholic position. All three refused to do so. They expected to be burned at the stake and a year or so later, they were.
After their death, persecution and burnings continued. In total, 280-300 people died. Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer marched at the head of an army of martyrs.
However, things changed. After Mary died, Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth I and she consciously steered England back towards Protestantism.
So, what do you think?
You might think, ‘Transubstantiation? It’s hardly a central Christian doctrine! Not worth a big fight over. Not worth losing my life over!’
But you might think, ‘This is part of a much bigger issue. It’s about who is Lord. If the Catholic Church can tell me what I should believe then the Catholic Church is Lord. But if I believe that scripture is the word of God and I place scripture over every other authority then Jesus is Lord.’
If you had been Cranmer, Latimer or Ridley, what would you have done? Would you have stood your ground?
Let’s return now to 2 Timothy. Last week I suggested that chapter 1 verse 8 is probably Paul’s central message to Timothy:
‘Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God…’
Is this a message we need to hear today? Yes, it is! Many Christians today are ashamed of the gospel. It isn’t cool to be a Christian. Many people react to the Christian message as though we need our heads examined. So we need this message, not to be ashamed. Contemporary Christian musicians get it. On the SongSelect website there are about 80 songs by Christian artists with the title either ‘Not Ashamed’ or ‘I am not Ashamed’!
Last week we looked at some of the reasons Paul gives not to be ashamed. It IS tough to hold fast to the gospel. But God will help. ‘Share in suffering for the gospel BY THE POWER OF GOD’, Paul writes. And we have a wonderful message to proclaim!
In chapter 2, Paul continues on the same theme. In the Bible I’m using chapter 2 has the title ‘A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus.’ I’ve never been a soldier in the British army but I’m sure it can be tough. I’m sure that being a soldier in Paul’s day was tough too. But Paul tells Timothy to be one. ‘Share in suffering AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF CHRIST JESUS’, he says.
Christ’s calling hadn’t been easy for Paul. He was writing from prison. But, he says, ‘I endure everything...’ What motivated Paul to accept the suffering, to endure everything? He gives two reasons.
Here’s the first reason. It’s in verse 10. Paul writes, ‘I endure everything for the sake of the elect, THAT THEY ALSO MAY OBTAIN THE SALVATION that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.’
Soldiers who fight in a just cause free people from oppression. A good soldier of Christ Jesus does the same. He or she frees people from the oppression of sin. That’s a good reason to endure, isn’t it?
Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley chose to stand up for the truth of the Christian message. They helped rescue England from a form of tyranny: from being told what we must believe and from being denied scripture in our own language. They played their part in enabling the elect to obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus.
Let’s go on to the second reason to endure. Look at verses 11 and 12. Paul writes, ‘If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.’
That’s actually a bit uncomfortable, isn’t it? ‘Him’ clearly means Jesus. ‘If we have died with him, we will also live with him..?’ So does that mean that if we DON’T die with him, we WON’T live with him? If we DON’T endure, we WON’T reign with him? What do you think? Do we need to die in order to live?!
Actually, that’s exactly what Jesus says. He said, ‘For whoever WOULD SAVE HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’
Did you notice the word ‘whoever’? This is EVERY Christian’s calling. If you enlist as a soldier in the British army you are signing up for some tough times. If you enlist as soldier for Christ there will be some tough times. But the rewards are great. Having died with Christ, we will live with him! Having endured, we will reign with him!
Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley did just that. They lost their lives for Jesus’ sake. By doing that, they saved them for eternity.
So, what about us? Will we follow Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley's example? Will we refuse to be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord? Will we share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God? If we will, we will help others find God’s salvation – and we will find salvation too.
Concluding prayer
Thank you, Lord, for what we’ve seen in Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley’s story. Thank you for their courage. Thank you that they were willing to be good soldiers and fight for the truths of the Christian message. We pray that we too may be good soldiers for the truth of the gospel. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Talk given 17th September 2021 at Rosebery Park Baptist Church, Bournemouth, UK
