[1]

 Ex-Franciscan monk, Francis Lambert, soon made strong connections with the likes of no less than Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, Philip Melanchthon, William Farel and Martin Bucer. He attended the famous Colloquy of Marburg, became one of two theological professors at the new University of Marburg where one of his students was Patrick Hamilton, the first martyr of the Scottish Reformation. Thus, Dr. Lambert was an essential part of the 16^th century Protestant Reformation, though he did not identify himself with one particular Reformer or denominational group.

 After spending twenty fruitless years cloistered in the Franciscan monastery at Avignon, having been promoted to the office of apostolic-preacher, instructing the neighboring villages in the fundamentals of the Catholic faith, he read Luther. This resulted in his escape from the monastery where he experienced, first-hand, the petty jealousies, hypocrisies and obscenities of ‘whitened sepulchers.’ Wandering in Zurich, he ultimately met and debated Zwingli. It was through this debate that Lambert became thoroughly convinced of the salvation truths held by the Protestants. Though he was to spend much time with Luther and Melanchthon in Germany, he favored Zwingli’s view of the Lord’s Supper as purely symbolic, a memorial and not a re-sacrifice.

 Of special note is the fact that Lambert was the first 16^th century Reformer to write a commentary of the Revelation, a virulent anti-papal work, published in1528.

LAMBERT’S THEOLOGY [2]

1.   The absolute authority of the Word of God alone. The Scriptures should be allowed to be published in the vernacular.

2.   Christ alone is the Head of the Church, the preeminent pontiff and high priest, who will never forsake His elect. The Bishop of Rome is not the high priest. Christ is the only Advocate and Mediator. The saints do not merit our worship or prayers.

3.   The Church is comprised of the predestined who were chosen from the beginning of the world and who will persevere until the end. These are the living temple of God.

4.   All true Christians are priests before God.

5.   The creation is the work of God whose end is His glory, and for whom His elected saints are partakers.

6.   There are two churches: the true and the false; the elect and reprobate; the invisible and visible; the Church of Christ and the Synagogue of Satan.

7.   The internal call of the Gospel to the predestined is the efficacious work of the Spirit. The external call does not regenerate.

8.   The Kingdom of Satan is characterized by deceit, injustice, perversity, errors, miseries and impieties.

9.   The Church of Christ recognizes only two sacraments, the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

10. Only professing believers should be baptized.

11. False prophets abound among three groups of clergy: (a) unregenerate hypocritical bishops appointed by man whose worldly ambitions showed them to be rapacious wolves; (b) unregenerate scholars and theologians; (c) Franciscans whose perverse lifestyle impugned the Gospel of Christ.

12. All men are fallen sinners.

13. By virtue of Christ’s merits and sinless sacrifice, the Father has elected certain men to sainthood, making them alone the objects of his grace and forgiveness.

14. The remainder of the human race are condemned to reprobation, never to experience the saving grace of God.

15. Acts of worship, such as the adoration of pictures and graven images, which do not conform to the tenets of Scripture, should be eliminated.

16. The Pope is that purple-covered beast of Rev. 17, who full of blasphemy, permits, under the very seat upon which he sits, his high officers to retain courtesans in a debauchery resembling Babylon.[3] Furthermore, the Pope is that son of perdition.

17. Abbots, canons, monks and priests comprise the army of Antichrist.

18. Worship that comes by way of tradition and not by command of Scripture is the work of Antichrist. Monasticism is not of God, its vows pernicious.

BACK TO PART ONE >> MAIN TITLE INDEX >> HOME