"On October 6, in the year 1536, a pitiful figure was led from a dungeon in Vilvorde Castle near Brussels, Belgium. For nearly a year and a half, the man had suffered isolation in a dark, damp cell. Now outside the castle wall, the prisoner was fastened to a post. He had time to utter aloud his final prayer, “Lord! open the king of England’s eyes,” and then he was strangled. Immediately, his body was burned at the stake. Who was this man, and what was the offense for which both political and ecclesiastical authorities had condemned him? His name was William Tyndale, and his crime was to have translated and published the Bible in English.
"Tyndale, born in England about the time Columbus sailed to the new world, was educated at Oxford and Cambridge and then became a member of the Catholic clergy. He was fluent in eight languages, including Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. Tyndale was a devoted student of the Bible, and the pervasive ignorance of the scriptures that he observed in both priests and lay people troubled him deeply. In a heated exchange with a cleric who argued against putting scripture in the hands of the common man, Tyndale vowed, “If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough, shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost!”
"He sought the approval of church authorities to prepare a translation of the Bible in English so that all could read and apply the word of God. It was denied—the prevailing view being that direct access to the scriptures by any but the clergy threatened the authority of the church and was tantamount to casting “pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6)."
"Tyndale nevertheless undertook the challenging work of translation. In 1524 he traveled to Germany, under an assumed name, where he lived much of the time in hiding, under constant threat of arrest. With the help of committed friends, Tyndale was able to publish English translations of the New Testament and later the Old Testament. The Bibles were smuggled into England, where they were in great demand and much prized by those who could get them. They were shared widely but in secret. The authorities burned all the copies they could find. Nevertheless, within three years of Tyndale’s death, God did indeed open King Henry VIII’s eyes, and with publication of what was called the “Great Bible,” the scriptures in English began to be publicly available. Tyndale’s work became the foundation for almost all future English translations of the Bible, most notably the King James Version.1
First does the point that King Henry the VIII was the kings whose heart was softened? Amazing.
Our discussion really took off when woman after woman spoke of her conversion story. I am amazed by the response that I get when I have religious conversations with others who love the scriptures and the gospel and the Savior but have never been told by their clergy to read and pray for their own answers! This is so shocking to me. Why wouldn't a clergy be willing to encourage anyone desiring for truth to seek it to the fullest?
These women speaking of their own gospel discoveries found that one common denominator was the opportunity to not only read the scriptures for themselves but to ask and know that they would receive answers to their prayers. It's such a liberating way to live the gospel.
Each of us is so different.-each with different personalities, life experiences, cultures, family issues, etc. So why wouldn't we be approaching the Lord in different ways needing a different take on how to maneuver in life?
Yes, many things are a constant-morality, charity, love, the Atonement, the 10 Commandments, etc. The constants are the road signs of life, the speed bumps, the lines in the road. But how we travel on the road with those that we have chosen or maybe not chosen at times to travel with takes asking and answering from someone who really knows us and those around us, no?
So when we say that we have a personal relationship with the Lord, we really need to take a look and see if we are asking Him for the answers that bring our lives to a fullness and help us to be a better person.
Two other thoughts:
If the Lord can soften the heart of a leader like King Henry the VII, then why should we be tentative about Him doing the same in our day with the many wicked or hardened men and women in leadership?
And when reading about faith:
Defin: " And now as I said concerning faith—afaith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye bhope for things which are cnot seen, which are true."(Alma 32:21)
When we, in faith, seek for answers and get an answer we know that it's up to us to see that answer through. We act on the answer even if it shakes us a little. If we have enough faith to follow through on the answers we get we can very well come to a point each time where we gain perfect knowledge on that thing we are praying about. A great scripture for this:
"27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than adesire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
Wonderful discussion today on the gift and blessing of having the scriptures and the things we gain from having them in our lives!
