This past week at KI, we went in detail through the history of the church starting with Peter. We got to see how the church grew, was persecuted, expanded, split into denominations, and how it has impacted the culture and been affected by the culture also. The church has grown the most during times of persecution because persecution is always a purifying and strengthening factor. When Martin Luther saw error in the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, he sought to find the truth that scripture explicitly taught and apply it. By his faithfulness to the pursuit of absolute truth, the Protestant reformation began and truth was uncovered. For many, it was the first time they got to know what the Bible actually said rather than what the priests propagated. Luther committed to translate the Bible from Latin into German so that people could read it for themselves rather than depend on the clergy to relay it to them. This was a watershed moment for the church.

Through our study of the church’s complicated history, I was made overwhelmingly aware of the severity of importance of one’s interpretation, application, and handling of truth. As the church, we should understand how great the responsibility we have in doing this. Scripture is the basis of our faith; everything we believe hinges on it’s accuracy and validity. Its words contain life and the very breath of God. I am motivated to study Scripture with this knowledge, understanding that what I say and do should always be a product of what I believe. This is essential because other people are influenced by the interpretation and application of Scripture; they only will judge by what they see – we have an important role as believers to handle the truth accurately.