BINGHAM: Hi, I'm Nathan W. Bingham with Ligonier Ministries, and we're here in
Victoria Embankment Gardens as part of our English Reformation Study Tour, taking place
in London.
And as you can tell, it's raining, so we're grateful for the wonderful weather that London
has brought for us today.
But I'm joined by Dr. Steven Lawson.
Now, Dr. Lawson, London is a wonderful city, aside from the rain, because it has so much
history.
And wherever you walk there are statues and monuments to monarchs and military figures.
But we're in this particular garden because there's a statue of one man behind us that
I think would be of interest to our Ligonier friends.
LAWSON: Well, just over my left shoulder is a statue, a stunning statue, of William
Tyndale, who was the father of the English Reformation.
He was the father of the English Bible, and he is the father of the modern English language.
That all three of those would merge in one individual is absolutely stunning.
This statue is an enduring monument testimony to the impact of William
Tyndale upon the English-speaking world as he translated the Bible from the original
Greek and Hebrew into the English language—the first time anyone had ever done that.
BINGHAM: And on the plaque there, if I'm remembering correctly, it has Tyndale's
last words: "Lord, open the King of England's eyes."
LAWSON: Yes.
BINGHAM: And it says there that within a year after his death, by the King's decree,
there was a Bible in every church parish.
Steven Lawson: That is absolutely true.
He said that right before he was martyred.
He was strangled by the neck.
He had gun powder put around his body.
His dead body was then dropped into the fire.
He was blown up into so many pieces that there was nothing left to bury.
He made the greatest sacrifice anyone could make to get us the Word of God.
And it was a sacrifice that Martin Luther and John Calvin never had to make, nor John
Knox.
He was a heroic figure who made a the ultimate commitment to leave England at age 30 and
to be an outlaw and a fugitive from Henry VIII for the next 10 years, until he was finally
captured and put into prison then for the next 18 months.
But this man was a towering giant who brought the greatest gift that could
be brought to the English-speaking people from one human to another, which is a Bible
in your own language.
He said his goal would be "that the plow boy in the field would know more of the Word of
God than the Pope in Rome."
And he brought that to pass with this English translation that was so good that 75% of it
was retained by King James’ translation committee.
So this large committee of men could not improve upon the work that William Tyndale did by
himself.
BINGHAM: Now, every study tour that we host at Ligonier is handcrafted.
On this particular tour, we're having you stop at certain places like this.
Only a couple of days ago, you were talking to our students about Tyndale right here.
But also, in the evenings over dinner, you're giving lectures about key people from the
English Reformation and key events.
Is there someone else that you're speaking about this week that you're passionate about
and would love to share briefly about?
LAWSON: Well, certainly.
I will be talking in two nights on John Rogers, who was the first martyr burned at the stake
by Bloody Mary.
His crime was that he finished and completed Tyndale's translation of the Old Testament.
And he preached the gospel passionately over at St. Paul's on the outer circumference of
the building and preached a strong message against transubstantiation and the false gospel
of the Roman Catholic Church.
And so, for that he was arrested and led to the stake at Smithfield, where we were, and
he was strapped to a stake and burned in front of his own congregation, February 4, 1555.
For this, he should always be remembered as a true hero of the faith.
BINGHAM: Now, as I said, we handcraft these tours.
Another treat that our students enjoy is that over breakfast we have a time of devotions.
And on this tour, you're speaking through Romans 10.
LAWSON: I am speaking through Romans 10.
And it's been more than devotions, Nathan, it's been pure truth that has been taught
and preached.
Romans 10:9, "If we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that
God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
For with the mouth man believes unto righteousness and he confesses unto salvation."
So that's what we've been looking at.
I still have one more devotion to give— BINGHAM: Bible study.
LAWSON: Bible study—thank you, Nathan—which will be forthcoming, not tomorrow morning,
but the following morning.
I can hardly wait because verse 13 says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved."
And so we who believe in the sovereignty of God, nevertheless, we proclaim the message
far and wide, and we trust God for the results.
But we tell people to whom we witness, "Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved."
So that that is our gospel preaching.
And yet, we know that God has his people marked out, and they will respond, and they will
believe.
BINGHAM: Now Romans 10:17, a very familiar verse: "Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word of Christ."
Is that verse significant for you, why you're so laser focused on preaching and helping
encourage all the men to be better preachers?
LAWSON: Absolutely, because knowing can be saved without hearing the gospel.
And the gospel is really meant to be preached and heard, as opposed to being primarily read.
I mean, many people are saved by reading the Bible, and we fully support that.
But principally, as you read the Scripture, the Bible is meant to be preached and proclaimed,
and for people to hear the message brought in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And so, that's important to me because I love training men to preach the
Word of God.
And, of course, I work in close partnership with Ligonier Ministries, with OnePassion,
the Institute for Expository Preaching.
We want to get many preachers out preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
BINGHAM: Well, that's some lightning and thunder that just happened, so that'll
be my final question so we can get out of the rain.
But for those watching, if you want to know more about Tyndale, Dr. Lawson has written
a book called The Daring Mission of William Tyndale, published by Reformation Trust.
And if you'd like to learn more or express interest in an upcoming study tour, simply
visit LigonierTours.com.