John Wycliffe

The Morning Star of the Reformation Article by M. V. Pereira

John Wycliffe (c. 1324 - 1384), often called “The Morning Star of the Reformation,” was raised by divine providence to challenge the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church and restore the authority of God’s sacred Scriptures. His writings, including On Divine Dominion and On the Truth of Sacred Scripture, boldly confronted the false claims of papal power, declaring that Scripture alone should rule over Christ’s church. With unwavering zeal, he set himself to the task of translating the Bible into English, that the common people might behold the light of God’s truth in their own tongue. His labors, though fiercely opposed by the Roman Church, stirred the hearts of many and gave birth to a movement of reform that spread across England and beyond. Though Wycliffe’s enemies condemned him as a heretic, his work could not be silenced, for the seed of reformation was sown, and it would bear fruit in generations to come.

In the annals of medieval history, few figures shine as brightly as John Wycliffe, a scholar whose fervent love for sacred Scripture ignited a flame of reform that would illuminate the darkened corridors of the Middle Ages. Born in the late 1320s in Yorkshire, England, Wycliffe was raised up by God as a scholar. He began his studies at Oxford where he proved himself to be both astute and devout, mastering philosophy and theology under some of the finest minds of the day.

Scripture

His early career as a scholar was marked by a profound commitment to the pursuit of truth, which he sought not in the decrees of men but in the sacred texts of the Bible. The Spirit of God soon moved him beyond the bounds of human learning, and he set his heart upon the Scriptures, discovering therein the true authority of the church. For Wycliffe, the Word of God alone was the supreme rule of faith, far surpassing the traditions of men or the decrees of the papacy, which had led the church into grievous error and corruption.

Authority

Wycliffe's heart was captivated by the Word of God, and he ardently believed in the authority of Scripture as the ultimate guide for faith and practice. In an age when the Church wielded immense power, “Wycliffe placed special emphasis on the centrality, authority, and inerrancy of Scripture.”* Being deeply rooted in the Scriptures, he recognized the grievous errors of the Roman Catholic Church. He attributed these errors to her straying far from the authority of God’s Word. His early writings, including On Divine Dominion and On the Truth of Sacred Scripture, boldly confronted papal authority and the church’s claims over both spiritual and civil dominion, emphasizing the supremacy of Scripture above all earthly powers.

Preaching

His love for the Bible kindled a holy fire within him. Wycliffe believed that the common man ought to hear and read God’s Word in his own tongue, that he might behold the glory of the gospel for himself. He became convinced that in the Scriptures alone is found the true way of salvation. In an age when the traditions of the Church often overshadowing the teachings of Christ, Wycliffe championed the primacy of preaching, asserting that the faithful should be nourished by the unadulterated Word of God.

He lamented the state of the church in his day, where preaching had been neglected, and the clergy were more interested in wealth and power than in the care of souls. Wycliffe believed that the faithful preaching of the gospel was the very heart of pastoral ministry, and he called upon the ministers of Christ to return to the simple, biblical model of shepherding God’s flock through the exposition of Scripture.

He recognized that the pulpit was a sacred trust, a means by which the truths of the gospel could be proclaimed to all, and he urged that the clergy must be diligent in their duty to preach the Scriptures with clarity and conviction.

This conviction led him to send out preachers, later called Lollards, who traveled throughout England, proclaiming the Word of God and calling the people to repentance and faith in Christ

Translation

Wycliffe’s burning desire to make the Word of God accessible to all led him to undertake one of his most important labors—the translation of the Bible into English. In a time when the Scriptures were locked away in Latin, inaccessible to the common man, Wycliffe was moved by the Spirit of God to give the English people the Word of God in their own tongue. He believed that every man, from the king to the plowman, should be able to read the Bible for himself, that he might know the truth of the gospel and the way of salvation. He declared that “it helps Christian men to study the Gospel in that tongue which they know best.”

This work was revolutionary, and it stirred fierce opposition from the church as it threatened their control. Yet, Wycliffe pressed on, convinced that the authority of Scripture was higher than any earthly power and that the Word of God must not be bound. Despite opposition, he committed to spreading the light of God’s truth through English translations and through the work of his followers, the Lollards, who preached the gospel far and wide. His faith in the power of Scripture drove him, declaring boldly that even persecution or death could not deter his efforts.

This act of translation was not merely a linguistic endeavor; it was a revolutionary proclamation of the right of every believer to read the Scriptures for themselves. Wycliffe's work boldly laid the groundwork for future translation endeavors.

Salvation

At the heart of Wycliffe’s teaching was the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. He boldly opposed the Roman church’s corrupt system of indulgences, relics, and the mass, which he saw as a denial of the gospel. He preached that salvation was a gift from God, received not through the merit of works but through faith in Christ alone. This doctrine stood in stark contrast to the prevailing teachings of the Church, which emphasized the sacraments. The church in his day taught the necessity of indulgences and the veneration of relics as means of grace. Wycliffe boldly challenged these corrupt teachings, asserting that the true grace of God could not be bought or sold, nor could it be mediated through the trappings of ecclesiastical power.

Communion

He rejected the doctrine of transubstantiation, which taught that the bread and wine of the Eucharist became the literal body and blood of Christ. Wycliffe insisted that the bread and wine were symbols of Christ's body and blood, rather than a literal transformation of elements. He declared that the church had turned the sacrament into an object of idolatry and had thereby obscured the true meaning of the gospel. This view, which would later be echoed by the Reformers, underscored his belief in the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice and the direct relationship between the believer and God, free from the intercession of a corrupt clergy.

Papacy

The papacy, in Wycliffe's eyes, had become a bastion of power and privilege, often more concerned with temporal authority than with spiritual integrity. His opposition to the papacy was fierce. He saw the Pope’s claims to authority as a direct challenge to the kingship of Christ, who alone is the head of the church.

Wycliffe believed that the papacy had led the church into grievous error and corruption, amassing wealth and power at the expense of the truth. He wrote extensively against the abuses of the papacy and called for a return to the simple, biblical structure of church leadership, where pastors would serve as humble shepherds rather than lords over God’s people.

Wycliffe's pastoral ministry was characterized by a deep concern for the spiritual well-being of his flock. He loved the Church and sought to shepherd the flock away from the abuses and corruptions that had infiltrated her.

Lollards

Despite the fierce opposition he faced, Wycliffe’s influence spread far and wide. His writings and teachings inspired followers known as the Lollards, a group of laypeople and clergy who embraced a vision of biblical reform and sought to live out the principles of Scripture in their daily lives. The Lollards continued to preach the gospel and distribute the Scriptures long after his death, keeping alive the flame of reform. His writings found their way to Bohemia, through associates of Queen Anne, where they influenced Jan Hus, another forerunner of the Reformation.

Legacy

Wycliffe's legacy is one of profound significance. He was a precursor to the Protestant Reformation, a voice crying out in the wilderness long before Luther nailed his theses to the church door. His commitment to the authority of Scripture, the necessity of preaching, and the importance of making the Bible accessible to all believers laid the foundation for a movement that would reshape the landscape of Christianity.

Though Wycliffe's teachings earned him the ire of the church and his condemnation as a heretic posthumously in 1415, his legacy of devotion to Scripture remained unquenchable. The Lollards, inspired by his teachings, would carry forth his message, enduring persecution and hardship in their quest for reform. His legacy continues to inspire those who seek to uphold the truth of God’s Word in every age.

At the end of the day, John Wycliffe’s life and ministry were a testament to the power of God’s Word and the enduring authority of Scripture. He stood against the corruptions of his day with courage and conviction, declaring that the church must return to the teachings of the Bible if it is to remain faithful to Christ. The seeds of reformation that Wycliffe planted would bear fruit in the years to come, as the great Reformers of the 16th century built upon his work and carried forward the cause of biblical truth. Men like Jan Hus and Martin Luther drew from his writings, continuing the battle for biblical truth and the reform of Christ’s church. Wycliffe’s light shone brightly, guiding others toward the true dawn of gospel reformation, which would break forth fully in the years to come.

John Wycliffe stands as a towering figure in the history of the Church, a scholar whose love for the Bible and commitment to the truth challenged the status quo of his time. His teachings on grace, the Eucharist, and the need for reform within the Church resonate through the ages, reminding us of the enduring power of the Word of God. As we reflect on his life and legacy, we are called to embrace the same fervor for Scripture and the same commitment to truth that characterized Wycliffe's ministry, ever seeking to proclaim the gospel in a world that desperately needs its light.

Resources

For more on John Wycliffe, consider the following resources:

Forerunners of Reformation