Primitive Apostolic Christianity (Sabbatarian) - Protestant Reformation

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation came about through an impulse to repair the Church and return it to what the reformers saw as its original biblical structure, belief, and practice, and was motivated by a sense that "the medieval church had allowed its traditions to clutter the way to God with fees and human regulations and thus to subvert the gospel of Christ." At the heart of the Reformation was an emphasis on the principle of "scripture alone" (sola scriptura). As a result the authority of church tradition, which had taken practical precedence over scripture, was rejected.

The Reformation was not a monolithic movement, but consisted of at least three identifiable sub-currents. One was centered in Germany, one was centered in Switzerland, and the third was centered in England. While these movements shared some common concerns, each had its own particular emphasis. The Lutheran approach can be described as one of "reformation," seeking "to reform and purify the historic, institutional church while at the same time preserving as much of the tradition as possible." In contrast, the Reformed approach can be described as one of "restoration," seeking "to restore the essence and form of the primitive church based on biblical precedent and example; tradition received scant respect." While Luther focused on the question "How can we find forgiveness of sins?", the early Reformed theologians turned to the Bible for patterns that could be used to replace traditional forms and practices. Heinrich Bullinger and Martin Bucer in particular emphasized the restoration of Biblical patterns. John Calvin reflected an intermediate position between that of Luther and Reformed theologians such as Zwingli, stressing Biblical precedents for church governance, but as a tool to more effectively proclaim the gospel rather than as ends in themselves.

Luther opposed efforts to restore "biblical forms and structures," because he saw human efforts to restore the church as works righteousness. He did seek the "marks of the true church," but was concerned that by focusing on forms and patterns could lead to the belief that by "restoring outward forms alone one has restored the essence." Thus, Luther believed that restoring the gospel was the first step in renewing the church, rather than restoring biblical forms and patterns. In this sense, Luther can be described as a gospel restorationist, even though his approach was very different from that of other restorationists.

Protestant groups have generally accepted history as having some "jurisdiction" in Christian faith and life; the question has been the extent of that jurisdiction. A commitment to history and primitivism are not mutually exclusive; while some groups attempt to give full jurisdiction to the primitive church, for others the apostolic "first times" are given only partial jurisdiction.