Buried Treasure

Back in 1992, Eric Lawes was doing a favor for a friend in the town of Hoxne in England, using a metal detector to sweep a field for a lost hammer. Before long, he had dug up silver spoons, gold and silver coins, and a piece of gold jewelry. Archaeologists were called in, and soon they had unearthed a chest filled with ancient treasures. The Hoxne Hoard was the biggest single cache of Roman gold and silver ever found in Britain; it was valued at $1.75 million at the time.

The great men of the Reformation rediscovered priceless biblical treasures that had been lost for centuries. Many of the truths of Scripture that had been buried by the Roman church and hidden from the common people were brought back into the light—including the crucial gospel teaching that justification is achieved only through faith in Jesus Christ: “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

The Reformers were careful to point out that salvation cannot—as the Roman church taught—be earned by works of penance or any good works on the part of the believer. Grace is a gift from God. “If by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Romans 11:6).

While rejecting many unbiblical, man-made traditions of the Roman church, the Reformers affirmed the Bible’s higher authority as the infallible Word of God. They embraced the words of the apostle Paul, who wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Many don’t realize how the work of the Reformers has benefitted them in a tangible way. Their passionate defense of conscience influenced the eventual proclamation of religious liberty in many parts of the world, including America. Freedoms we enjoy today in speech, politics, worship, and even the arts, are linked to the Reformation.

Apply It:

Think of one treasure you have recently discovered in the Word of God.

Dig Deeper:

2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 3:15; Psalm 119:105