While Luther was laboring in Germany, there was also a work going on in other parts of Europe, in particular Switzerland. Principal among the reformers in Switzerland was Ulric Zwingle. Zwingle was born of a well-established family in little town of Wildhaus on the lake of Zurich. Being a gifted student, he studied at Basle, Berne, Vienna, and then again at Basle. While at Berne he was taken in by the Dominicans but was quickly commanded to leave by his father and was sent on to Vienna. At Basle he studied under Thomas Wittenbach, from whom he appears to have learned the great truth of justification by faith. In 1506, having completed his course in theology and having obtained a Master of Arts, he became the pastor of Glaris. There he remained for 10 years. During this time of service he continued his studies, in particular of the Greek scriptures and the early church fathers. Zwingle did not fail to expose the corruptions of the Church of Rome from the pulpit, while maintaining the absolute authority of the Word of God. In 1516, Zwingle became the pastor and preacher in the church of “Our Lady of the Hermitage” at Einsiedeln — home to a Benedictine monastery of great renown and superstition. Zwingle continued his ministry, being stirred even further by the sight of thousands of pilgrims coming to Einsiedeln seeking the salvation of their souls. There he taught the doctrine of reconciliation through faith in the precious sacrifice of Christ once offered on Calvary.
“If, being enemies, we have been reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much rather, having been reconciled, we shall be saved in the power of his life. And not only that, but we are making our boast in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom now we have received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-1110For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Romans 5:10‑11) JND).
On January 1st, 1519, on his 35th birthday, Zwingle moved to Zurich to take up the position of pastor and preacher of the cathedral church of Zurich. As a result of Zwingle’s preaching from the Word of God, many of the ceremonies of the Roman church were disregarded and fell into disuse. This naturally attracted the attention of the authorities, which in turn only served to arouse Zwingle’s zeal. With pamphlets broadcasted throughout the land in defense of those that preached the principles of the Reformation, the doctrines increased throughout the whole Swiss confederacy.
Zwingle was not alone in his efforts. There were also others of great ability engaged in the work of the reformation, among whom we find: John Oecolampadius, Leo Juda, Conrad Pellican, Wolfgang Capito, Caspar Hedio, Berthold Haller, Oswald Myconius, Joachim Vadian, and Thomas and Andrew Blaurer.
The Sacramentarian Controversy (1529 Ad)
While Luther was inclined to retain all that was not directly or expressly contrary to the scriptures, Zwingle regarded the Holy Scriptures as his supreme authority. In all public disputations, his Hebrew Bible and Greek New Testament were always before him. While Luther spent some time within the monastic system, Zwingle was spared that life by his father. As a result, Zwingle oversaw the removal of the images from the churches (not in a violent manner, but in a way wholly consistent with a Christian spirit), while Luther in contrast directly opposed the removal of images from the churches of Wittenberg.
On April 11th, 1525, Zwingle and his fellow laborers requested that the mass be abolished. As a result, the altars were replaced by communion tables in the churches. Unfortunately, this subject deeply divided the German reformers as led by Luther from the Swiss reformers. On this subject Luther was intransigent.
Luther did not believe that the Lord’s supper was a sacrifice, nor did he believe that the elements should be worshipped, but he never could free himself completely from the notion of transubstantiation. Rejecting that the bread and wine actually became the real body and blood of Jesus, he nevertheless held that it became the material body and blood of Christ. Though the emblems remained bread and wine, he claimed that the Lord’s body and blood were also present. This he referred to as consubstantiation. Zwingle, on the other hand, maintained that the words “This is My body” and “This is My blood” were figurative, just as the Lord had also said, “I am the door” (John 10:77Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7)) and “I am the true vine” (John 15:11I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. (John 15:1)), and that the institution was commemorative of His death for us.
“The Lord Jesus the [same] night in which He was betrayed took bread: and when He had given thanks, He brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also [He took] the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come” (1 Corinthians 11:22-2822What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. 23For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. 27Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (1 Corinthians 11:22‑28)).
In October 1529 a conference was held at Marburg to re-establish unity between the Swiss and German reformers. In attendance were Luther, Melancthon, Oecolampadius and Zwingle. Though Oecolampadius and Zwingle pleaded with the Germans, Luther refused to budge from his position. The position of the German party remained: “We hold the belief of Christ’s bodily presence in the Eucharist to be essential to salvation, and we cannot in conscience regard you as in the communion of the church.” Despite the tears of Zwingle, a tenderhearted man, the German party would not acknowledge the Swiss as brothers and members of Christ’s church.
The Augsburg Confession
In January 1530, the Emperor called a diet of the empire to be held at Augsburg in the following April, with the professed object being religious harmony between the reformers and the Church of Rome. In preparation, the reformers drew up a document now known as the Confession of Augsburg. While this document was to present the truth believed by all Protestants, it was written in such a manner as to cause the least possible offence. It was much against the plans of the papist that the confession should be read in public, and it was only after the firm persistence of the Protestant princes that the Emperor permitted the confession to be read, not in the town hall, but in the much smaller chapel of the Palatine Palace. On the 25th of June 1530, the confession was read in German, slowly, clearly, and distinctly. It took two hours to read the document, during which time profound attention was offered by those present. Those who had been influenced by the propaganda of the papists were surprised to hear how moderate the doctrines of the reformers were, while the more extreme called for the execution of the edict of Worms against the Lutherans by force of arms.
The Confession is broken up into of 28 articles. The first 21 present the Articles of Faith; the remaining seven address the abuses of the Church of Rome.
The Articles of Faith
1) The Trinity, 2) Original sin, 3) The Person and work of Christ, 4) Justification, 5) The Holy Spirit and the Word of God, 6) Works, their necessity and acceptance, 7) The church, 8) Unworthy members, 9) Baptism, 10) The Lord’s supper, 11) Confession, 12) Repentance, 13) Sacraments, 14) Ministering in the church, 15) Ceremonies, 16) Civil institutions, 17) Judgment and the future state, 18) Free will, 19) The causes of sin, 20) Faith and good works, and 21) Prayer and the invocation of saints.
Regarding sin (Article II) they condemned the Pelagians and others who deny that original depravity is sin, and who, to obscure the glory of Christ’s merit and benefits, argue that man can be justified before God by his own strength and reason.
Of justification (Article IV) they taught that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. (See Romans 3 and 4.)
They admonished (Article XV) also that human traditions instituted to propitiate God, to merit grace, and to make satisfaction for sins, are opposed to the Gospel and the doctrine of faith. Wherefore vows and traditions concerning meats and days, etc., instituted to merit grace and to make satisfaction for sins, are useless and contrary to the gospel.
The articles are not clear on all points. Luther’s position regarding the Lord’s supper stood, and Article X states: the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed to those who eat the Supper of the Lord; and they reject those that teach otherwise. (Zwingle offered an alternative to the confession, but it was not permitted to be read.) That which we know as the rapture of the saints was not recognized (1 Thess. 4:13-1813But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑18)). Instead, a general judgment at the consummation of the world is suggested: (Article XVII) at the Consummation of the World, Christ will appear for judgment and will raise up all the dead; He will give to the godly and elect eternal life and everlasting joys, but ungodly men and the devils He will condemn to be tormented without end.
The Abuses
The seven articles concerned with the abuses of the church were: 1) The Mass, 2) The communion in both kinds, 3) Auricular confession, 4) The distinction of meats and traditions, 5) The marriage of priests, 6) Monastic vows, 7) The Ecclesiastical power.