October 12. Thomas Bilney. Thomas first found forgiveness through a translation of the Bible done by Erasmus.
As Thomas grew in faith, he studied the writings of William Tyndale, and Thomas spoke out every chance he got—He preached that every man had a right to read the Scriptures in his own language. In 1531, Thomas was burned at the stake. Here’s his story.
Faltering faith? God is the God of new beginnings.
Kindhearted Thomas found it hard to be kindhearted to himself. In a confused state of mind, he had made a compromising decision, and now he found himself imprisoned in a hellish self-reproach he thought he had left behind.
From his unremarkable beginning, Thomas grew up to be a well-mannered, studious, and scrupulous man. Born in Norfolk, England, he attended Cambridge University and became a priest, studying at Trinity Hall. But Thomas suffered privately, burdened under the weight of his own sin. No matter how obediently he kept God’s laws or observed the many rules and obligations of the church, it was never enough to satisfy his troubled soul.
At Cambridge, he learned of a new translation of the New Testament by Erasmus—but the Pope had forbidden the clergy to read it. Tormented by his need of salvation and searching for truth outside the strict parameters of the pope, Thomas smuggled the translation into his private chamber.
He read from Paul’s letter to Timothy: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15). Thomas thought, “I am also like Paul, the greatest of sinners, but Christ saves sinners.” This simple truth released him from the condemnation of the law.
When Thomas was able to trust the blood of Christ alone—his only hope—he became a changed man.
Thomas shared his faith with others freely. He even influenced the highly renowned Hugh Latimer, a fellow priest and gifted orator. But other priests began to see Thomas as a growing threat.
While preaching Christ, he denounced the worship of relics and saints and the need for making pilgrimages, and this rankled the other clergy. Thomas was arrested on May 28, 1527, and brought before the bishop’s court at Westminster. He had a choice: he could stop his controversial preaching or be burned at the stake until he was dead.
Under tremendous pressure from the authorities and his friends, Thomas wavered. If he saved his life, he could still serve God, he reasoned. In a weak and compromised state of mind, Thomas agreed to stop preaching, but they still convicted him as a heretic and imprisoned him for two years.
It was then, in the dungeon at St. Paul’s Cross, a deep and crippling despair returned to haunt Thomas. He barely found the courage to lift his eyes toward heaven. Yet God in his great mercy forgave him and reignited in him a new resolve to serve the Lord.
Thomas was filled with new determination. He renounced his former renouncement and was eager to make up for his wasted years in prison. He returned to preaching the simplicity of faith and began distributing Tyndale’s New Testaments printed in the language of the people.
As expected, Thomas was re-arrested and charged as a “re-lapsed heretic.” He was condemned to die at the stake in Norwich. In a sunken field called Lollard’s Pit, Thomas succumbed to the flames repeating the name “Jesus” and “I believe!”
Are you ready for a new beginning? God is the God of new beginnings.
D’Aubigné, J, H. Merle. “The Death of Thomas Bilney” Extracted from The Reformation of England. Volume 2. Article published July 20, 2001. https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2001/the-death-of-thomas-bilney/.
Story read by: Chuck Stecker
Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter
Audio production: Joel Carpenter
Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/
Project manager: Blake Mattocks
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