State of the Church: The Celtic Revival (13)
What harsh fate then is rushing upon these men, who not only fail to do what they ought to do, and do not turn aside from what is forbidden, but even shun, as if it were a savage snake, the reading of the Word of God when it is in the slightest degree brought to their attention…It is quite clear, then, that anyone who calls you priests knowingly and from his heart is no excellent Christian.
– Gildas, The Ruin of Britain
According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
– 1 Corinthians 3.10, 11
No building
Having raked the priests of his day over the coals of prophecy, Gildas turned to the New Testament. He searched the writings of the apostles to expose the unfaithful, self-seeking ways of the priests of Britain. They had been called to shepherd the flocks of God, but, like the false shepherds of Israel, they were not doing so. They were appointed to the ministry of the Word of God but treated the Word with contempt. They were supposed to be building the temple of the Lord by equipping the people of God to grow in grace and serve others in love. They weren’t doing this, either.
Whatever “building” of a Church existed in Britain was but a hollow shell. There were indeed many buildings scattered throughout the land that went by the name of church, but they were no more churches than their priests were shepherds. No excellent Christian would credit those shepherds with faithfulness in ministry or their churches as true buildings of the Lord.
Gildas did not apologize for pouring on the condemnation of Britain’s priests, page after page. After all, the wellbeing of the nation was at stake. It was not the ruin of the priesthood that Gildas lamented but the ruin of the nation because of the failure of the shepherds of Britain’s churches. He warned them that a harsh fate was rushing upon them in the form of the judgment of God.
Godlessness
Perhaps nothing Gildas had written so far was more condemnatory than the fact that he applied Paul’s words in Romans 1.18-32 to the priests of Britain. This passage, Gildas wrote, “may appear to be addressed to the heathen; but observe how readily it may be applied to the priests and peoples of this age.” The priests were ingrates. They turned away from the knowledge of God. They took up vain idols of various sorts. They embraced all manner of immoral and ungodly practices. And they left their flocks to drift from the true faith because of their inept and self-seeking ways.
We might consider Gildas’ report to be uncharitable. Surely things weren’t as bad, and surely the priests of Britain weren’t as wicked as he portrayed them?
But what motive would Gildas have had other than to expose the truth of their situation? Why weren’t the churches in Britain flourishing like the Christian communities in Ireland? Why weren’t the priests of Britain more like the great saints of the Irish Church, men of plain and true living, rooted in fruitful disciplines, who worked with and for the people they served? Gildas knew what was going on in Ireland, and he longed to see the Spirit of God moving in a similar way among his own people.
But he also knew that the first step toward revival is repentance, and men would not likely repent of their sins if those sins—that godlessness—were not presented before them.
It was a courageous work for Gildas to confront the priests of Britain. We must be as courageous toward ourselves. Do we hunger for the Word and truth of God? Are we seeking to know Jesus and to love and serve Him? Do we denounce all known sin and work to overcome sin’s ruinous effects? Are we increasing in love for God and neighbor?
Let us not allow godlessness to fester in our soul, lest our prayers be hindered (Ps. 66.18) and we begin to fall into spiritual ruin and know a harsh fate from the Lord. God calls us to bring holiness to completion by fearing Him and obeying His Word (2 Cor. 7.1). This we can do, if we will seek the Lord daily and encourage one another to love and good works. God’s Spirit is ready to revive us, as soon as we demonstrate—by repentance and obedience—a sincere desire to be revived.
For Reflection
1. What would it look like if churches today began to be revived?
2. What should your role be in seeing revival come to your church?
Psalm 25.1-3, 21, 22
Festal Song: Rise Up, O Men of God
I lift my soul to You; O LORD, in You I trust.
Let me not come to shame, nor let my foes o’er me exult.
All they who wait on You shall never come to shame.
Yet they to shame shall come who stand against Your holy Name.
Preserve me in Your way, redeem Your people, LORD!
We wait for You and refuge seek in Your own faithful Word.
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).
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Church” we consider the work of God’s people in ministries of grace. 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.
