State of the Church: The Celtic Revival (10)
Now he changed his sense, while continuing to criticise evil men: “You have strayed from the way and caused many to stumble in the law and invalidated the covenant with Levi, says the Lord of hosts. Therefore I have disgraced and humiliated you among all peoples, for you have not kept my ways and have been partial in the law.”
– Gildas, The Ruin of Britain
“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’”
– Deuteronomy 4.5, 6
The Old Testament as a mirror
Gildas continued to hold up the Old Testament to the pastors and shepherds of the people of Britain, here quoting from Malachi. Why had the Church in Britain become an object of disgrace and humiliation? Why did rulers ignore the counsel of the Church? Why were the people drifting away? Because, as Gildas pointed out through Malachi, the shepherds of God’s people in Britain had strayed from the way of truth; they used the Law of God selectively, mainly to advance their interests; and they ran roughshod over God’s covenant.
No wonder the people were stumbling in their way and falling into all manner of sin.
Gildas may also have had Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 4 in mind as he wrote this passage. There, God promised to honor His people in the eyes of the nations, who would wonder at their wisdom and understanding and acknowledge that they were a wise people. Obedience to the Law of God brings forth wisdom in the form of love for God and neighbors. This is the purpose of God’s Law, which is holy and righteous and good (Rom. 7.12).
But the churches in Britain had set the Law of God aside, and the nation was falling into ruin. Gildas, following the Word of God in Scripture, laid the blame at the feet of the pastors in the various churches of that sad land.
What to do?
The people of Britain in Gildas’ day were largely helpless to change their situation. They were mostly poor and illiterate, and they did not have the Bible in their own language. They could pray, of course, and doubtless many of them did. But the situation called for people throughout the land to stand up and say, “This is what the Word of the Lord says,” and that was not going to happen.
Gildas was a lone voice in his generation, but he should be a great encouragement to us. We can examine his survey of the Old Testament’s condemnation of the shepherds of Israel and see if it applies to us and our churches. We can turn to the Word and heed God’s call to repentance and obedience. We can encourage one another with God’s Word, affirm our preachers when they lead us in the paths of righteousness, and give ourselves to be equipped for ministry, that we might help our church grow into the Body of Christ.
What we must not do is sit on our hands, waiting for some contemporary Gildas to arise and scold us and our shepherds into seeking the Lord for revival, renewal, and awakening. We have the Word and Spirit of God. We can read and learn and obey God’s Law so that the love of Jesus becomes bright and lively in our midst. We can insist that our shepherds feed us on the Law of God and all the solid food of Scripture, and we can correct any misguided thinking on our own parts that leads us to believe the Gospel is all about us rather than about Christ and His Kingdom.
We must face the fact that our beloved nation is sliding into ruin, with no reliable moral compass to show us the way out. We, the people of God and followers of Jesus Christ, have allowed this condition to occur on our watch (Ezek. 33); God will hold us responsible, to be sure. But with God, it’s never too late to seek mercy and grace to help in our time of need.
Let us do so, and let us turn with all our heart to the wisdom and understanding of God’s Law and all His Word, to equip and empower us to lead our nation back to the wisdom and understanding of God, until we can say “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?” (Deut. 4.7, 8).
For Reflection
1. How do you expect God to use you this day to further His wisdom and understanding?
2. What gifts has God given you for building His Church? How are you using them?
Psalm 48.1-3
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
Great is God, now greatly praise Him in the city of the LORD!
Holy she, His lovely mountain, great and glorious by His Word!
God her King is great within her, He, her Stronghold ever sure!
He, her Stronghold ever sure!
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Church” we consider the vision of Church presented in Scripture. Our Read Moore podcast is working through our book, The Kingdom Turn. The focus of our Scriptorium daily study is on “Matthew: The Coming of the Kingdom.” Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
