Church History - John Wycliffe

Before we get into some of the importance of Wycliffe, it will be interesting to note a similarity that existed in his time that also existed in the time of Martin Luther.  

Both of these men have been given great importance in playing a role in the reforming of the church. Yet, interestingly enough, none of this could have happened over a normal lifespan if they hadn’t received help. What am I talking about?  One of the most interesting facts that link the two of them is that they had physical protection from civic rulers of their day that protected them from harm by the religious authorities that wanted to kill them.  

This gave them enough time to repeatedly get their message across in a way that has lasted throughout the centuries.  

Why is Wycliffe so important? He is one of the few, which over a lifetime, were able to challenge the absolute power of the existing religious institution without being martyred.  

This gave him time to not only write against the errors of the day, but to train up others that went out all over to show forth the ways of God more clearly. These that inherited this ministry were eventually called ‘Lollards.’  

One of the things that Wycliffe did was to point out that there was only one mediator between God and man. While this may not sound too radical by today’s standards, back then it was not only revolutionary, but considered heretical.  

Back then it must be remembered that for the most part it wasn’t doctrine that was what people thought of when they heard the word heresy; rather it was whether someone went along with the notion that the institutional church leaders had absolute authority. Challenge that authority in any way and you were considered a heretic and worthy of death.  Versions of this continue to this day.  

Another one of the important things that he accomplished was that he oversaw and participated in the translating of the scriptures into the language of the common people of his nation, which was English.  

As throughout all of history, this was hated by those who loved absolute power over men. It went against the concept of centralized power. It affirmed the reality that Christ was to be the center of all things.  

Wycliffe began to see the church in a light that many in our day still do not understand fully or live out practically. He talks of the church not being an institutional organization whose leaders are ordered in some type of power-based hierarchy. Rather he was seeing it as many today have, in the light of being a body, the bride, a living organism being filled with Christ through the Spirit.  

He saw that salvation came through Christ and Christ alone, not through some type of official connection to an institution.  

While there were others before him that saw these things and lived them, Wycliffe was able to survive long enough to show forth some of these things and to pass them on to others that took them up and ran with them for generations to come. He was truly a remarkable individual.