This year, the Protestant as well as the Catholic Church are commemorating the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation through Luther with numerous and, in part, ecumenical events. However, the return to that what is written in the Bible, to the conversion of the individual to Christ, the Savior, and the personal relationship with God had actually already started 150 years earlier with John Wycliff in England and Jan Hus in the Czech Republic. Erasmus of Rotterdam, a Dutch man, was the first to publish the New Testament in the original Greek text. The Reformation was not limited to Germany but was happening in all of Europe. Luther helped it achieve the final breakthrough. Since he recognized the importance of the Bible, he translated it into German for the entire people.

Whoever reads about how varied the knowledge of the reformers and the subjects were, about which they argued among one another, will understand that it was just the beginning. Revivals followed under Menno Simons as the founder of the Mennonites, under John Smith as the forerunner of the Baptists, and under John Wesley as the founder of Methodism. Also the Imperial Count von Zinzendorf with the Moravian Church and other revival preachers increasingly began including the biblical subjects and the personal salvation experiences in the proclamation during the following centuries. And so it went on, until the beginning of the 20^th century. The Pentecostal revival, which began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on April 9, 1906, on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, was a breakthrough to the original Christianity in regard to the gifts of the Spirit, but not yet to the pure doctrine of the apostles. Most of the Pentecostal churches that came forth therefrom remained with the Trinitarian creed, which was formulated in ad 325 in Nicaea, amended in 381 by the Council of Constantinople, and called the “apostolic creed.” It must be made very clear that not a single apostle participated in the above-mentioned Councils. The biblical statement of faith is written only in the Bible, and only what the apostles taught by the commission of the risen Savior under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit is apostolic and valid for the Church of Jesus Christ until the end. It is a deception to write the headline “No other gospel” if a religious tradition is then presented anyway. It is of no benefit to anybody to use the term “faithfully biblical” if it is then followed by a statement that only originated with the state church in the 4^th century, but has nothing in common with the Bible. In Jn 17, the Redeemer is not talking about the unity of the many churches but about the spiritual unity of the believers:“I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one …”

All of the people in the various Christian denominations should give some serious thought to what the Apostle Paul had to write by the commission of God:

“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” (1 Cor 3:10).

“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Eph 2:20-22).

“One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph 4:5-6).

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Gal 1:8).

All reformers were in agreement that they rejected the pope as the vicar of Christ as well as the then customary selling of indulgences, the adoration of the virgin Mary, and the veneration of saints, images, and relics altogether. That also included the clean-up in the reformed church buildings: statues, images, even organs were removed. Sadly, the doctrine in these churches and denominations are still not in conformity with the doctrine of the apostles; upon closer examination, every denomination preaches its own gospel.

The apostles did not leave us with three or seven sacraments that can supposedly save our souls. They carried out the Great Commission from Mat 28:19, preached the Gospel of reconciliation with God and of the forgiveness of sins, and baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ all those who came to believe, according to Mk 16:16. That is the New Testament Covenant Name in which God revealed Himself as Father in the Son and through the Holy Spirit. The salvation of God is only in Him (Acts 4:12). The Trinitarian formula “in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Spirit” is not used a single time in the Bible. International church history confirms that during the first Christian centuries believers were only baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ by a single immersion. The misunderstanding about Mat 28:19 goes back to the Council in the year ad 381.

In Acts 2, on the founding day of the Church, repentance and forgiveness of sins were preached: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (v. 38). The first three thousand believers were baptized (Acts 2:37-41). This is the only valid pattern throughout the entire Book of Acts: Philip preached in Samaria, and we are told the following about those who came to believe: “… only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (chap. 8:14-17). Peter preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the house of the Roman centurion Cornelius, and the Holy Spirit fell upon the listeners. Then we read: “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” (chap. 10:43-48). Paul preached in Ephesus to those who followed the teachings of John the Baptist: “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (chap. 19:3-6). That is valid in the Church of Jesus Christ until the end.

In view of the anniversary of the Reformation, hundreds of articles, pro and contra, have been written about Martin Luther and the subject of “Reformation.” One title reads: “500 years of separation are enough.” Reconciliation services are taking place everywhere. It is always about the “unity in plurality.” But where is the reconciliation of the individual with God through Jesus Christ, the Savior (2 Cor 5:14-21)? When the daughter churches return to the maternal womb of the Church of Rome, they are thereby testifying that they belong there spiritually. All those who have found grace with God return to the original church, to the doctrine of the apostles that went forth from Jerusalem. The last call is now going forth, which is addressed to all true believers, regardless of their religious affiliation, and they will obey this call. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor 6:17-18).

Let us take a look at all of Christianity. Who among the more than two billion devotees has experienced a true conversion to Christ? Who has experienced the new birth through the Word and Spirit, which the Lord Himself demands: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jn 3:3)? Who has made the experiences of salvation as reported in the original Christianity? The Apostle John wrote the following, and it still applies today: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 Jn 5:11-12). No religion, not even the Christian religion, has ever brought anyone forgiveness of sins and the salvation of God.

Also the 300 million Pentecostals and Charismatics must face the question: How many of you have repented, asked for forgiveness of sins, and have been scripturally baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it not rather the case that all churches and denominations preach their own gospel and build their own kingdoms – not upon Christ, the Rock of Salvation, but upon their own creeds? These are serious words, which the Lord spoke in Mat 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

This year, the Protestant as well as the Catholic Church are commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation through Luther with numerous and, in part, ecumenical events. However, the return to that what is written in the Bible, to the conversion of the individual to Christ, the Savior, and the personal relationship with God had actually already started 150 years earlier with John Wycliff in England and Jan Hus in the Czech Republic. Erasmus of Rotterdam, a Dutch man, was the first to publish the New Testament in the original Greek text. The Reformation was not limited to Germany but was happening in all of Europe. Luther helped it achieve the final breakthrough. Since he recognized the importance of the Bible, he translated it into German for the entire people.

Whoever reads about how varied the knowledge of the reformers and the subjects were, about which they argued among one another, will understand that it was just the beginning. Revivals followed under Menno Simons as the founder of the Mennonites, under John Smith as the forerunner of the Baptists, and under John Wesley as the founder of Methodism. Also the Imperial Count von Zinzendorf with the Moravian Church and other revival preachers increasingly began including the biblical subjects and the personal salvation experiences in the proclamation during the following centuries. And so it went on, until the beginning of the 20th century. The Pentecostal revival, which began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on April 9, 1906, on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, was a breakthrough to the original Christianity in regard to the gifts of the Spirit, but not yet to the pure doctrine of the apostles. Most of the Pentecostal churches that came forth therefrom remained with the Trinitarian creed, which was formulated in ad 325 in Nicaea, amended in 381 by the Council of Constantinople, and called the “apostolic creed.” It must be made very clear that not a single apostle participated in the above-mentioned Councils. The biblical statement of faith is written only in the Bible, and only what the apostles taught by the commission of the risen Savior under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit is apostolic and valid for the Church of Jesus Christ until the end. It is a deception to write the headline “No other gospel” if a religious tradition is then presented anyway. It is of no benefit to anybody to use the term “faithfully biblical” if it is then followed by a statement that only originated with the state church in the 4th century, but has nothing in common with the Bible. In Jn 17, the Redeemer is not talking about the unity of the many churches but about the spiritual unity of the believers:  “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one …”

All of the people in the various Christian denominations should give some serious thought to what the Apostle Paul had to write by the commission of God:

“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” (1 Cor 3:10).

“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Eph 2:20-22).

“One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph 4:5-6).

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Gal 1:8).

All reformers were in agreement that they rejected the pope as the vicar of Christ as well as the then customary selling of indulgences, the adoration of the virgin Mary, and the veneration of saints, images, and relics altogether. That also included the clean-up in the reformed church buildings: statues, images, even organs were removed. Sadly, the doctrine in these churches and denominations are still not in conformity with the doctrine of the apostles; upon closer examination, every denomination preaches its own gospel.

The apostles did not leave us with three or seven sacraments that can supposedly save our souls. They carried out the Great Commission from Mat 28:19, preached the Gospel of reconciliation with God and of the forgiveness of sins, and baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ all those who came to believe, according to Mk 16:16. That is the New Testament Covenant Name in which God revealed Himself as Father in the Son and through the Holy Spirit. The salvation of God is only in Him (Acts 4:12). The Trinitarian formula “in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Spirit” is not used a single time in the Bible. International church history confirms that during the first Christian centuries believers were only baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ by a single immersion. The misunderstanding about Mat 28:19 goes back to the Council in the year ad 381.

In Acts 2, on the founding day of the Church, repentance and forgiveness of sins were preached: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (v. 38). The first three thousand believers were baptized (Acts 2:37-41). This is the only valid pattern throughout the entire Book of Acts: Philip preached in Samaria, and we are told the following about those who came to believe: “… only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (chap. 8:14-17). Peter preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the house of the Roman centurion Cornelius, and the Holy Spirit fell upon the listeners. Then we read: “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” (chap. 10:43-48). Paul preached in Ephesus to those who followed the teachings of John the Baptist: “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (chap. 19:3-6). That is valid in the Church of Jesus Christ until the end.

In view of the anniversary of the Reformation, hundreds of articles, pro and contra, have been written about Martin Luther and the subject of “Reformation.” One title reads: “500 years of separation are enough.” Reconciliation services are taking place everywhere. It is always about the “unity in plurality.” But where is the reconciliation of the individual with God through Jesus Christ, the Savior (2 Cor 5:14-21)? When the daughter churches return to the maternal womb of the Church of Rome, they are thereby testifying that they belong there spiritually. All those who have found grace with God return to the original church, to the doctrine of the apostles that went forth from Jerusalem. The last call is now going forth, which is addressed to all true believers, regardless of their religious affiliation, and they will obey this call. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor 6:17-18).

Let us take a look at all of Christianity. Who among the more than two billion devotees has experienced a true conversion to Christ? Who has experienced the new birth through the Word and Spirit, which the Lord Himself demands: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jn 3:3)? Who has made the experiences of salvation as reported in the original Christianity? The Apostle John wrote the following, and it still applies today: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 Jn 5:11-12). No religion, not even the Christian religion, has ever brought anyone forgiveness of sins and the salvation of God.

Also the 300 million Pentecostals and Charismatics must face the question: How many of you have repented, asked for forgiveness of sins, and have been scripturally baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it not rather the case that all churches and denominations preach their own gospel and build their own kingdoms – not upon Christ, the Rock of Salvation, but upon their own creeds? These are serious words, which the Lord spoke in Mat 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”