Thank You, William Tyndale

William Tyndale was an English Reformer, Bible translator, and Christian martyr. In the words of John Foxe, Tyndale was "a true servant of God" and "a faithful minister of Christ." He was born about the borders of Wales, and he was raised in the University of Oxford. From the University of Oxford Tyndale then moved to the University of Cambridge, and he increased in his knowledge of the Scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although Tyndale was a servant of Christ, he was a menace to the Roman Catholic Church, and he was a thorn in the side of the papacy. How did Tyndale become this English Reformer, Bible translator, and Christian martyr? The answer is simple. It was his love for the written Word of God. This may be surprising in a church culture where many Christians refuse to bring their Bibles to church. This may be astonishing in a church culture where many Christians do not read, study, and meditate upon Scripture on a daily basis. However, this was true for William Tyndale, and by the grace of God I want this to be true in my life. I was to develop an increasing love for the written Word of God so that I am willing to die for its preservation and propagation. What happened to William Tyndale? He was burned at the stake. What was his crime? He wanted to translate the Bible into the English language. Why did this frighten the Roman Catholic Church? For one reason: if ordinary people could read the Bible for themselves, then they would soon discover that there was no biblical support for the papacy or sacramentalism (salvation by automatic ritual) or purgatory or sacred tradition or the veneration of saints and on and on it would go. If Christians had the written Word of God, then Rome would lose her power, and the gospel of the grace of God would triumph over the sacramentalism and superstition. How did Tyndale have the strength to stand for Christ even when he faced death? Well, again, the answer is simple. Tyndale had a vision. He said that he looked forward to the day when "the boy that driveth the plough will know more of Scripture than the pope himself." Praise God!