September 29, 2021

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD. Isaiah 54:17

Wycliffe became professor of theology at Oxford, preaching the Word faithfully to students who gave him the title “the gospel doctor.” Wycliffe’s greatest work was to be the translation of the entire Bible into English. His heart’s desire was for every English person to read of the matchless love of the Lord Jesus. But the work was halted suddenly. Still in his 50s, the intense toil, study, and assaults of his enemies had stolen his strength. He was prematurely old and became quite ill. The friars gleefully hurried to his bedside expecting to hear from him repentance for all of the “evils” he had perpetrated upon the church. They bade him to retract all that he had said and written. Wycliffe listened silently, then sat up in the bed with the help of his assistant and said, “I shall not die, but live; and again declare the evil deeds of the friars.”

Wycliffe did indeed live. His work of Bible translation shattered fetters of ignorance and vice, liberating and elevating his countrymen. Since this was still before the printing press, copies of the Word were multiplied by hand. The copyists could hardly keep up with the demand. Because of the labor involved, it was costly. Poorer families would unite to purchase and share a single copy. Thus, the Bible found its way into homes. Passive submission to papal dogmas gave way to the joy of clear discernment of the distinctive doctrines of the Word: salvation through faith in Christ! . . . empowerment for obedience to His Word! . . . understanding that God is love! . . . He desires all men to be saved!

Numerous additional papal orders came from Rome demanding retractions, calling for trials, emphasizing the urgency to silence the heretic Wycliffe. At the third such trial, Wycliffe said: “With whom, think you, are ye contending? With an old man on the brink of the grave? No! With Truth—Truth which is stronger than you and will overcome you.” He walked out and no one laid a hand on him. He had never sought to shield himself. The Lord had been his protector. All glory to Him!

He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  John 8:32