Tyndale on Salvation

          William Tyndale (1492-1536) was a Christian scholar and leader of the
     Protestant Reformation in England.  He is best known for his translation of
     the Bible into English.

          He was also fluent in French, Greek, Hebrew, German, Italian, Latin, and
     Spanish.

          Tyndale was charged with heresy for daring to make the Bible available to
     the general public.  He was condemned to death and executed, and his body
     burned in 1536.


          William Tyndale understood that salvation was a free gift from God, given
     to those who, even though spiritually dead, were granted life from the Holy Spirit,
     not because of anything good in them, but because of God's grace, according to His
     purpose and will.


          Below are Tyndale's brief observations about salvation.
          I have added scripture passages which appear in parentheses.


                                                           **********


          "Now faith cometh not of our free will (John 1:12-13);  but it is the gift of God,
     given us by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), ere there be any will in our hearts to do the law
     of God (Romans 3:10-11).

          "And why God giveth it not every man, I can give no reckoning of His judgments
     (Romans 9:14-24).  But well I know, I never deserved it, nor prepared myself unto it;
     but ran another way clean contrary in my blindness, and sought not that way (Acts 9:
     1-9);  but He sought me, and found me out, and showed it to me (Luke 15:3-7), and
     therewith drew me to Him (John 6:44).

          "And I bow the knees of my heart unto God night and day, that He will show it all
     other men;  and I suffer all that I can, to be a servant to open their eyes (Ephesians 1:18).
     For well I know they cannot see of themselves, before God hath prevented them with
     His grace (Ezekiel 11:19-20)."
                                                                                     William Tyndale


                                                               **********


          "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right
     to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision,
     or a husband's will, but born of God."
                                                                                     John 1:12-13


          "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves,
     it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast."
                                                                                    Ephesians 2:8-9


          "As it is written:  'There is no one righteous, not eve one; there is no one who under-
     stands, no one who seeks God."
                                                                                    Romans 3:10-11


          "What the shall we say?  Is God unjust?  Not al all!  For He says to Moses,'I will
     have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have com-
     passion.'
          "It does not therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.  For
     the Scripture says to Pharaoh: 'I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might dis-
     play my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'  There-
     fore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy and He hardens whom He
     wants to harden.
          "One of you will say to me:  'Then why does God still blame us?  For who resists
     His will?'  But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?  Shall what is formed say to
     Him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'  Does not the potter have the
     right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some
     for common use?
          "What if God, choosing to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with
     great patience the objects of His wrath -- prepared for destruction?  What if He did
     this to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of His mercy, whom He pre-
     pared in advance for glory -- even us, whom He also called, not only from the Jews
     but also from the Gentiles?"
                                                                                       Romans 9:14-24


          "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's
     disciples.  He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues
     in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men
     or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  As he neared Damascus
     on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
          "He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you
     persecute me?'  'Who are you Lord?' Saul asked.  'I am Jesus, whom you are perse-
     cuting,' He replied.  'Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you
     must do.'
          The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did
     not see anyone.  Saul got up form the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could
     see nothing.  So they led him by the hand into Damascus.  For three days he was
     blind, and did not eat or drink anything."
                                                                                             Acts 9:1-9


          "Then Jesus told them this parable:
     'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.  Does he not leave
     the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And
     when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.  Then he calls
     his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost
     sheep.  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over
     one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to
     repent.' "
                                                                                        Luke 15:3-7


          "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will
     raise him up at the last day."
                                                                                        John 6:44


          "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may
     know the hope to which He has called you , the riches of His glorious inheritance in
     the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe."
                                                                                       Ephesians 1:18-19a


          "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove
     from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.  Then they will follow
     my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  They will be my people, and I will be
     their God."
                                                                                       Ezekiel 11:19-20