But anyway, as we get started, I just want you to think about why we study biographies. The biographies of people that have gone before us offer profound insights into their lives, obviously. And for those that are people of faith that walk the path of eternal life, we want to immerse ourselves into those accounts because I think we can discover details about the work of God in their lives. Their triumphs, their trials, they all serve, I think, as valuable guides in our own spiritual walk with the Lord. And, you know, you think of names like Arnobius of Syca or Ephraim the Syrian, Hilary of Poitiers, Venantius, Anselm. You think of more modern names like John Cotton, like Matthew Meade, John Broadus. They may be some, but maybe none of them sound familiar to you. But they were champions of faith. They were used mightily by God in the same way that more renowned Reformers like William Tyndale or John Wycliffe or John Knox. But these people, their dedication, their courage, it helped shape the church and even the world and left an indelible imprint on history. You think of women such as Lady Brilliana Harley and Anne Broadstreet and Agnes Beaumont. These were women who as well, they encouraged the beauty of holy living and practical wisdom for the home and for the church. And so when we consider the lives of these men and women and others in our own study, they're more than just pages of facts and dates. They are the pulsating heart of our Christian legacy and our spiritual heritage. And they give us an understanding of how God worked in molding the roots and growth of our faith. And so to study their lives of stalwarts like these, or as with our subject tonight, we're gaining insight into how they bravely confronted adversity and brought about godly transformation in the Spirit. And so their perseverance, their commitment to God's Word, the resiliency of their spirit, I think it can be a source of inspiration for us. And so diving deep into those histories allows us to comprehend another thing that I know is dear to your heart, Logan, so the development of theological thought to appreciate how conflicts and how controversies have played out and been resolved across centuries. But more importantly, the lives of departed saints, those serve as kind of a roadmap for our faith. They urge us to even critically examine what we believe. They encourage us to live out our faith more authentically in unity with the tradition of those who preceded us. And I think they act as a mirror to aid us to reflect on our own spiritual health. a beacon to illuminate our walk as we're trying to imitate Christ as they did. And so the relevance that they have, so if you're asking, well, why? The relevance extends, I think, beyond just understanding where they are placed in history, in terms of years distance from us, but they serve as a means of personal edification. For me, just personally, this is one of the reasons why biographies are one of the primary things I read. I'd say probably if there's two or three theological books in a year that I'll read, there's probably five or six biographies I'll read at the same time. But as a personal project, I've spent the last few years considering the life of someone that I share ancestral roots with in Sweden. And Olof Persson, he's also known in history by his Latin name Olaus Petri, but he's little known or discussed in Reformation history textbooks, but he truly was a heroic churchman and he was the first, and really still to this day, the foremost reformer in Sweden. There's a Swedish historian, J.A. Eklund, he writes some very admiring words just as we begin here. He says, a person is not only the greatest figure and most richly endowed character in the renaissance of the Swedish church, his equal is not to be found in the Reformation history of all the northern churches. And he's speaking of Scandinavia. He must be ranked next to the very greatest in the new era, especially from the fact that Master Olav did not appear with pomp and loud acclaim. He was not a person of glowing zeal. He let the cause speak for himself. But if we listen closely, we'll perceive a noble tone and lofty beauty in his simple, manly thoughts and words. So let's walk through his life. That's why we're here tonight. So, in the oldest of Sweden's community, the town of Orbro, he was born January 6, 1493 to his parents, Olavi and Kristina, and his father was a blacksmith. And something that's interesting about that is the echoes of his impressions growing up that you find in his writings, even 30, 40 years later, show up when he talks about to preach the Word of God, he says, is the trait of the preacher, even as smithery is the trait of the smith. And just as he cannot rightly be called a smith who doesn't attend to his smithing, neither can he be called a preacher who does not preach. Now, there's not a lot known about the early years in his life for Olaf or his brother Laurentius, but they received schooling both in a Carmelite monastery and in the city school there at Orobro. And although, excuse me, although he reveals very little again about this time in his life, it's clear later on as you walk through even to his 20s and his 30s, that there was something about him that's very thirsty and yearned for something he'd failed to discover spiritually in his schooling to this point. And so after receiving a master's degree in Germany at Rostock, in 1510 to 1511 he goes to Leipzig in 1514 and then from there he goes to Wittenberg in 1516 and he gets a second master's degree the following spring. And of course Wittenberg Germany that was a city it wasn't very great very renowned at the time it is today But at that time, it was just a little town with narrow streets, crooked streets, houses with straw on the roofs. Really, it was best known for being a town that was built on a white sand hill. But the attraction for Olaf was the fact that Dr. Martin Luther taught theology at the university, and his reputation preceded him as a very skillful interpreter of the scriptures. And so this young Swedish disciple, he comes to Wittenberg to satisfy that yearning for truth and understanding. And we find in a letter to Dr. J. Lange in 1517 that Luther states that he's preparing six or seven candidates for the master's degree, and one of those, presumably, was Olaf Persson, who was promoted to this candidacy in 1518. But the next three years was eventful, not just in the life of him, of Olaf, but in the history of the world. And you'll know as soon as this slide comes up. So John Tetzel comes to the region at this time. He's attempting to replenish Pope Leo X's coffers. He is peddling the indulgences just beyond in the Saxon border. And under the red cross of papal authority, he's claiming such outlandish things as though he's even saved more souls than Peter and Paul with all their preaching. You come to 1516, 1517, of course, Luther, he's preaching against the purchase of those indulgences. And that all kind of culminates with the 95 theses that appear on the church door, very unremarkably, by the way. And then in July 1518, you have Luther who's accused of heresy by Mario Perusco, and he's commanded to go to Rome in 60 days. We'll have force to bring you here if necessary. And then in the same month, the Pope declares, actually, these indulgences are authorized. They are recommended. But during these years, Luther, he's preaching, he's lecturing nonetheless. And so just a few years before this, at the request of the council, he begins a pastorship, an assistant pastorship. Luther's preaching four times on Sunday, he's preaching multiple times during the week, and during that preaching, when Olaf comes to Wittenberg, he becomes one of Luther's most faithful students. And so you get to the end of 1516, you get to 1517, Luther is lecturing on the epistle to the Galatians. And of course it's there that he arrived at his comprehension of the right relation between the law and the gospel. The powerful influence of those sermons, those writings, on Olaf Persson is undeniable. For instance, in Person's second article of a catechism that he wrote, you can see the influence of Luther. He gives this very biblical explanation. He says, This is quoting him. Neither does it lend power to fulfill that which is commanded, but the sermon which deals with faith carries with it grace and mercy. It tells us that God is willing to help us do that which the commandments require of us. And even though all be not so fulfilled as it ought, yet he will forgive our shortcomings for the sake of his Son, Jesus Christ, and of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And then this quote that I throw up on the screen here, through the expounding of the commandments, we learn of the wrath of God. Through the preaching on faith, we are taught of his grace and mercy. And so Olaf is diligently learning, studying under Luther. And under the grace of God, he's receiving just clear exposition of the scriptures, the proclamation of the gospel and spirit and truth. And if you've studied anything or read anything from Luther, you know that he was adamant about the foundation of his instruction is not human wisdom. It must be the word of God. It is so written. That so often was his mantra. in which he submitted his faith, his doctrine to the test of scripture, and it wasn't just at Worms when he's appearing before his opponents, it's in the classroom, it's in the closet of prayer. And so as a professor of theology, Luther is very careful in how he's dealing with some of the Romish teaching, the Romish doctrine in that day, and his students are following. And so when he's called upon to explain his position relative to, let's say, Roman tradition, the papal claim that the Pope is infallible, He had no more faithful disciple and follower than Olaf. And in one writing that Olaf has called, On God's Word and Man's Decrees, he says, God's Word is the Word of God, as found in holy writ, which comprises all that man needs to know in order to be saved. And to Olaf, the Scriptures, they are the divine truth, the fountain of divine truth for the Christian life. For the Word of God is the life of the believer, and the Word of God is the food of the soul. So during that school year, 1516, Luther is also giving exegetical lectures in Romans, and he comes to Romans 1.17, and of course we know Romans 1.17, "...the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, but the just shall live by faith." And Luther finds this particular pearl of great price in those words. And to him, this begins to reveal clearly the assurance that God, in His mercy and for the sake of Christ, forgives us of our sins, imputes to us the righteousness of Christ, owns us as His children, when with repentant hearts we believe in Him. And so all of this, in these lectures, that God is working at the same time in Olaf, this Swedish student, a faith that is strong, that's constant, and proof of that, again, is found in so many of his writings. There's even one where Olaf is, he writes, and within the book, it's like this internal exchange he's having within the book with what Luther's preaching in Romans, And so in this later work, Olaf is engaging with what Luther was preaching, a long title, I won't give you the whole title, but the work is such a clear and concise presentation of the concept of faith. And I just want to give you, he has 57 Theses or sentences in here. I just want to give you three to give you a taste for what what's contained in here He says where so ever holy writ so scripture demands faith there it means not in vain idle faith But a faith which is active through love He says elsewhere where so ever holy writ again scripture demands good works it means such works as proceed from a pure heart not the works of a hypocrite and The whole life elsewhere, the whole life of man must be a constant offering of praise and thanks to God for his benefits. Grace and mercy, praise and glory be unto him forever. Amen. And so this young reformer, he's being taught firsthand. And you think of going through Ephesians and hearing Luther's preaching on Ephesians 6 and the armor of God. Olaf, throughout his life, as we'll see tonight, he remains such a champion of the truth, strong in the Lord, strong in the power of his might. But here, this is the beginning of him becoming a faithful, humble scholar who gloried in nothing except in Christ. And so again, the enduring marks of Luther are clearly seen on his development. He's lost faith in Rome. He's come to see the Bible as the only source of spiritual truth. His eyes are open to what's happened around him that's shaken the doctrine of the supremacy of the Pope. But really, above all that, Olaf was hearing of a righteousness God that is freely given to those who believe can't be earned by any number of or kind of good works and So this this manly Christian example fearless Christian example that that Luther's giving during these years Olafs being developed into a similar champion of faith equally fearless And so, as we move forward, November 1520, Olaf leaves Germany, he leaves his studies there, and he comes back home. He arrives in Strangnäs in Sweden, and he takes a teaching position in the cathedral school. And something that's interesting about him, I don't really talk about in our lecture, I put it on here, but In what happens next here, I note that he almost died of a shipwreck on his way back home. And then he gets home, and I'll talk about an encounter here. And then later on, he's threatened with death. He escapes death multiple times in his life. Providentially, it's amazing. So he survives a shipwreck coming home. He gets home. Within days, he accompanies the basically what would equate to the schoolmaster at the cathedral school. He accompanies him to go to Stockholm because the Danish king Christian II is being coronated. The Danes really were still in control in this kind of weird union of Finland and Norway and Denmark, and this only was going to last a couple more years, but Christian II's there, they go for the coronation to pay their respects, to do what you would do to submit fealty to him, and while they're there, all these friends of the crown, guests of the church, aristocracy, they're all invited to the castle, and Basically, he lures them in, he sends out invites, the Danish king invites even those who were fighting for independence, those who were separatists, those who were still loyal to, we want a Swedish king. He invites them all in and they lock all the doors and almost immediately there are these financial demands and heresy charges of all these Swedish aristocrats and they were promised amnesty when they came, but within three days in something that's known as the Stockholm bloodbath, nearly a hundred people were executed in the great marketplace, in the castle, in the town square, all over. And so Olaf is there, and the bishop that he went with was one of the ones killed. So Olaf is decrying this publicly, out loud, Probably not very smart. But someone overhears him expressing his horror and they drag him into this enclosure where they're keeping all these victims that are condemned to die just waiting to be killed. And if it wasn't for a German immigrant who said, well, no, he's a German citizen. Well, he wasn't a German citizen. He just remembers seeing him in Wittenberg. So he mistakenly identifies him, but still, in the providence of God, that German immigrant recognized him, protested, he's a citizen of Germany, they let him go. Well, after that excitement, Olaf continues his preparatory work, and another significant figure comes onto the scene. This is King Gustav Vasa I, And as a Swedish nobleman, he leads the war of liberation against King Christian soon after this massacre that just occurred. And within a number of years, he liberates the nation almost completely from Danish rule. And in 1523, he's elected as the new king. And he's the first king of independent Sweden. And so at Strangnäs, He learns from men such as Ola and a man by the name of Laurentius Andre that the Evangelical Reformation is alive and well here in Sweden. There are sermons being preached. There are men who are studying under Olaf, under Laurentius, and it was really Laurentius Andrei who assured personally to King Gustav, holy scripture, this is what Luther and Olaf person are appealing to. It doesn't contain one word about the power of a Pope or the power of bishops, but quite the contrary. They're to be servants of the church. but not to be these political chess masters as they so often appear to be. And the king is completely persuaded initially. And so for the next five years, he actually recruits Laurentius to serve as a chancellor in a very powerful political position to help him guide the transformation of this nation into a development of basically a new church. We're leaving Rome. And so we move from here to some of the first real significant writings of Olof Persson. So prior to 1526, what's interesting is that there are less than 10 publications in the Swedish language that have left the printing press. That soon changes in large part due to Pearson's work. And it begins first with, now this is a completed Bible, this is the Gustav Lasse Bible, and this is finished many years from now, this is 15 years later. But in 1526, Olaf Persson is starting a translation from the Greek of the New Testament. And so he has this anonymous publication of a couple of works in this New Testament, and he has this promise in some of these first writings of this New Testament that's coming. He's asking people that read these prayer books, these little devotional books he's writing while he's working on the New Testament, The Word of God is coming. It's coming. Be patient. It's coming. Pray for the Old Testament. That's going to come too. And so what I find really interesting is that Providentially, when Olaf Persson is in Wittenberg, at the same time, Philip Melanchthon is there as well. He's working alongside Dr. Luther, and he's the Greek scholar. And so Olaf Persson, when he's studying in Wittenberg, he's studying with Melanchthon as well. And this is incredibly instrumental because Pearson is going to translate the New Testament from the Greek. He's not going to translate it from the Latin, from the Vulgate. He's going to translate the Septuagint. He's going to translate it from the Greek. And that's exactly what he does. So 1526, he completes the translation out of the original Greek of the New Testament, and he published it anonymously. And what's also published is a foreword that's just so tender. It's so wonderful. It really gives the reasons why we need the Scripture in the Swedish language. And in the foreword, this is what we read. He says, poor, humble preachers who are little versed in Latin and unacquainted with the Scriptures, and likewise other people who are able to read, may here be given at least the plain text such as it was written by the evangelists and apostles." And so from this translation, the Word of God is made the actual possession of the Swedish people, who they're now able to read for themselves, the truths of God's Word really that have been obscured by superstition, by a false gospel, by deception. So from his first writings, we move to his polemic writings. Anyone know what polemics is? Polemics is? It's arguments against something. Yeah. So in the case of a writing, it would be a writing that's expressing a particularly Yeah, exactly. It's a forceful attack, critical attack of opinion that's controversial. We need to talk about this, you know. So 1521, Olof, Master Olof as he's now called, he once again comes back to Stregnaz. He spent quite a bit of time in Stockholm with the king helping him get established. So he's preaching the Christian faith, he's lecturing to candidates for the ministry, he's teaching young pastors portions of the New Testament, and among the hearers who are won over completely, because although we've mentioned Laurentius Andre, it really was the years that followed that he was fully convinced of what was being taught, what was being preached from Scripture. And so Laurentius Andre, he's now a bishop, as well as chancellor in Strengnus. And then you have Laurentius Petri, who is the younger brother of Olaf, who I think lives about 25 years further than, there's a little bit of debate on how long he lived, but he really finishes the work that Olaf starts. We'll talk about it a little bit later. But so the preaching of Olaf really begins to attract attention. And with it, the predictable charges of heresy that are easily thrown around at that time. And so remember, he's been convinced under Luther's tutelage that the church is subordinate to the word on which it was founded. And so to him, the popular expressions of faith in the Virgin Mary and in saints is false. It's the personal relationship between man and God. This is what his teacher Luther had so clearly taught, but now it's boldly uttered in the ministry of Olaf. It's a primary concern for him. And soon he begins to publicly criticize the Mass. And so he's insisting the prime purpose of the clergy is actually to preach. It's not to reenact a sacrifice. And it's important to understand that On this point, the whole of Rome's public worship hinges. So this is a dangerous point. This is the most dangerous point of departure for Protestants because it concerned the practices of every man and woman that in reality affect the very doctrine and nature of Rome, of her church. And so in his writings, Olaf is maintaining a bitter denunciation of these things, a condemnation of monastic life in general, which really just relates to monks and nuns and living isolated lives under very strict religious vows. But to him, he says the entire thing, he says, is a devil's business. It's a consequence of God letting the world be plagued with toads and grasshoppers. That sounds a little bit like Luther. But the scriptures know nothing, he says, of these organizations. In fact, the church really ought to prohibit them. Dr. Niels Ostgaard is dean of the seminary in Strengnass, and so he begins to vainly oppose Olaf, and he devises these eight points from Olaf's teaching, where he publishes alongside them his positions of why Olaf is preaching heresy. And to substantiate it, he's assisted by a vast number of quotations from favored church fathers and theologians. He has dozens of research assistants. And he sends out these charges to a man by the name of Bishop Hans Brisk in Linköping, who he hears of Olaf, that he dare quote even the Apostle Paul as an authority. And Brask is infamously known to exclaim, So this much is certain, that the preaching of Olaf was beginning to spread, and the veiled truths, previously veiled truths that are revealed in Scripture, were now being taught. So truths like man's approach to God, the supreme authority of scripture, the illegitimacy of the mass, in Olaf's mind, he stated more than once to fellow pastors that Christianity, in his mind, had in fact never truly been preached in Sweden because Romish abuses had so overshadowed the gospel in the region in the first place. In the words of one chronicler, T. A. Swart, he says, he simply read passages from the Old and New Testament for those, really any, who desired to hear them, among whom were, first and foremost, his brother, Laurentius Petri, and several, many other young men. And so though he taught certainly older, more experienced peers, he was very clear in his perception of what biblical teaching could accomplish. And so over the course of events that would follow, a lot of it points back to these early years, these resilient years, as the period in which the convictions, the beliefs of these Swedish preachers, Olaf the chief of them, they're all ripening into very principled, purposeful ministry. And so you come to a significant date. Looks familiar, right? Come to a significant date. This is December. In fact, it's Christmas. 1526 is what's pictured here. Don't you have better things to do at Christmas? But Dr. Peter Gale, he's the professor of theology in Uppsala, which is the northern university town, and he receives a really fascinating letter from King Gustav. And what it reads is, as you well know, so this is the king writing to Peter Gale, and really it's a circular letter. It goes out to all sorts of people. Olaf Persson receives it. All the Catholic bishops receive it. The king says, as you well know, a great, as you well know, a great division has arisen in regard to the doctrines. We have written to learned men throughout the kingdom, giving them certain questions concerning those points on which the controversy most hinges. That's a roundabout way of saying, can you guys figure this out? And he goes on, and requests to know their opinions as to what is most in according with the scriptures. So he asked for a reply before Christmas Eve. The person receives the same letter and he not only replies, but he says, I want to debate the issues with Dr. Peter Gale. He is the foremost authority as far as Rome is concerned in Sweden. And at first Peter Gale, that is beneath him, he refuses, he doesn't even respond to the request. And so Olaf goes by himself to the court, to the presence of the king, before the king, before the royal council, before Peter Gale and others. But as the proceedings ensue, and so Olaf is defending his points, Dr. Peter Gale breaks decorum and comes down to the floor to argue and enter the fray with Olaf. And I want you to notice a few things. So this is a very intentional painting and sometimes artists have some sort of artistic poetic license. They add things for different meanings and so forth. This is accurate. So Peter Gale marches down to the floor and he places a picture, I don't know how he had this, he places the picture of Martin Luther in front of an Olaf person to argue he's just like Luther. Luther's the one that we hate already. He's just like him. And I just found it fascinating. And I had a free coupon, so I just put it on a canvas and put it in my office. But anyway, so they have this back and forth that really doesn't accomplish anything, like many debates. But in 1527, so this is the, and again, this was Christmas morning. 1527, there is a publication from Olaf that's called A Reply to Twelve Questions. And in the preface you find that apparently, because there's no copies of it left today, but Peter Gale had replied separately to this circumstance, this occasion, in printed form. And so Olaf's writing, this reply to 12 questions, he's engaging with what Gale replied. And as you might imagine, the answers of both are just completely opposite of each other. And so what we find is person takes Gale's answers one by one, he places his original answers right here, Gale's argument here, and then he concludes each section with a rebuttal of what Gale just said. And I just want to give you a few of them. So the first question, reply to 12 questions, so Gale, Sorry, I'm chewing this cough drop. Gale argues the scriptures are too difficult to understand in themselves. The church, led by the Spirit, has to interpret them for the people. Which is really what the idea of having the Scriptures in the native language, that is really what it's founded upon. It's too difficult. We have to tell you what it means. Olaf replied that the Church's teachings are binding only insofar as they can be proven in Scripture. They have to be proven. And so regarding another one, question two, I think, function of the clergy. Gail kind of is evasive in how he answers it, but he refers to, well, there's power given to Peter to even absolve sins. That's, of course, passed down through the Pope. There's passages in Paul that talk about a variety of gifts. And so the clergy have ultimate power here. Olaf replies, the Pope and the bishops can't be greater than their master. And Christ and the apostles had really no worldly dominion to speak of. The true duty of the clergy is to preach. It's just as it, and this is where you find, just as it is the duty of the smith to forge. It's found in question 10 of those 12. This is the last one I'll give you. This involved continued revelation of the Spirit in the church. And Gale goes to, this is the most significant part of his portion that that person is relaying, but he goes to considerable pains to defend that revelation continues. And in fact, I found this really interesting. The argumentation he uses is still what's utilized today in 2024 by Rome to explain why the Pope seems to change his mind on things like same-sex marriage and the like. In Olaf's response, though, he's equally as forceful and detailed. He says in the Scriptures, sufficiently much is revealed for the salvation of the soul, wherefore no additional spiritual revelations were necessary or promised. And so Olaf argued, even beyond that, the sphere of the Bible, really any revelation that's beyond the sphere of Scripture is more likely to come from the deceiver than from God. And so this work, the reply to 12 questions, this is really still considered one of the most important Reformation treatises in Sweden. And in reality, it's really the first symbolical book of the Swedish Reformation. Again, this is more me personally speaking, but what I find noteworthy is that he doesn't borrow his answers from his tutor, from Luther, or from Wycliffe, or Huss, or any of those before him. He dutifully studied them. He drew out the scriptural quotations. He found references to early church fathers. He takes these raw materials, and he works them seamlessly together, and he fashions them in such a manner that it's clear The first and foremost need he's trying to serve is the church. And it's all the while he's kind of infusing his replies with personal seriousness, with earnestness at points. There's sarcasm. There's irony at times. There's even ridicule. But it's really a work of his own. But what's also so important is that this is really the first official in writing attack on the Roman Church to appear in print. One of the very first, certainly the first in Sweden. So while prestige and tradition are on the side of Peter Gale, It's really virility and a conviction of truth that's on the side of Olaf. And again, he couldn't have known the importance of the work. But it's in this work that really the evangelical forces of Sweden really find their first clear statement. This is the nature of the church. This is what will replace the old structure that's falling. And so you also find that Olaf defends his mentor in his writings. There's one in particular. He has a book called Reply to an Un-Christian Letter, or work, where he's defending a man by the name of Paulus Elie. He's charging heresy against Luther, again, in regard to faith versus good works as a means of salvation. The exposition is among the best passages in this book, and really in so many of his writings, and I want to give you the full quote here. not doubting, but that what He has promised us in Christ shall be given us, then God considers us, through this faith, righteous and upright so that we can stand in His presence. Along with this faith itself, a gift of God, there is diffused in the heart of man the Holy Spirit, which is a gift secured to man through Christ. The Spirit so transforms the heart, which previously was evil, that it begins to do good and to incline to that which is good. When thus the heart has become good through the Holy Spirit working in faith, then first man does deeds which are favorable to God, but not before. It is not strange," he's defending him here. It is not strange that Luther speaks so much about faith, for it is never without good deeds. And so, and again, lest we think that, well, he's just, he's got blind defense of his tutor, the same letter he's emphatically stating that even Luther has to be judged by the scriptures. He says, he is a fallible man like others of us, and he can go astray as well as we, but he advises us to hold to the scriptures. If we see that his words agree with scripture, we should follow him. Otherwise not. Well, in the last, not all of his anti-Romish writings survive today, but the last one that we know of, it was in 1528, and it was under, again, a very long title, concerning the word of God, the commandments, statutes of men, things spiritual, and the realm of the soul. Typical Puritan title. In the first part, he considers the metaphysical nature of the word, which is discussed in a manner that is really very unlike his usual style, but it's fascinating nonetheless. He's talking about the Trinity here. And in his own words, he's seeking to express this mystical conception of the revelation and the nature of God. That God's eternal and incomprehensible wisdom and counsel, in which his incomprehensible being is known to himself, is called his word, in which all his wisdom and purpose is contained, through which also he has created all things. Olaf, in this work, again, it's very unlike most of his writing, but he's talking about how to know God, and really to know God in any real sense, we have to know him through Christ. He even refers to Christ as the innermost thought of God. As human words express human thoughts, so the word reveals the mind and heart of God. When man receives the Word, receives its contents, he says, God himself, so we are united with God, not otherwise. And he says, and where the Father and Son are, there the Spirit is as well. And so to overcome the sin of Adam and Eve, and again, this is kind of just boiling down what he says here, the Word has come into the world to be planted in the heart of man so that the Word of the devil can be driven out. And so man's reception of the Word when it is preached is really itself an accomplishment of the Spirit of God. Nowhere else in his writings does he really kind of enter this metaphysical basis of faith, but This is because he has an opponent that's very deliberate in his opposition. And so Andreas Osiander is the opponent here in this exchange in what he's writing. And so again, there's a practical purpose for his speculation, for these thoughts that he's writing down. It's the foundation for an attack on what's foreign to the Word of God. Man's words, man's statutes. So Olaf demonstrated that God's Word sufficiently teaches what is necessary for the life of the soul, making man's many attempts to apply a gloss to it unnecessary. And furthermore, he says, as men expound on the Scriptures, if their teaching is true, it's going to accord with the Word. where the Word, not the teachers, is the authority. And if their teachings differ or they add to the Word, man isn't bound to accept their decrees. Olaf maintained, insofar as the rules of the authorities are proven by Scripture, and here he talks about creeds, he talks about confessions, then those rules still derive their force from their source, not the expounder. So the years of 1527, 1528, and really even just into January and February 1529, there's this frenzied production of really all his polemic works. These critical attacks against what are core beliefs for Rome. And so after these devotional writings in 1526, the New Testament translation, he gets drawn into these controversies. But after this period, really, polemics disappear from his writings. And he turns to the task of reconstruction, really, in the reforming church. And you see these fruitful works in liturgy and homiletics and history. But again, I think it's important to note that he didn't engage for his sake or for clout or for prestige. He didn't really even seek it out. But really, it's for the progress of the Reformation of Sweden. So we move to the liturgical writing. So among the most important writings, I think, were his work in the field of liturgy. And historically, really no one has such a direct influence in Swedish liturgy as he does. But really what his genius is, it's not the creation of new forms, new doctrines, but his emphasis on what's best, what's essential. What's best and what's essential. And so for Olaf, the need, above all else, is to instruct and construct. Let's instruct the people and then let's construct the form as we're doing so, simultaneously. And so primary in these changes that are happening Really, like most, you know, today even we think of the Mass and we're like it's, want nothing to do with it. Early on the Reformers were, let's take the Mass and let's change it. Let's change it because it's not right. So they wanted, so Olaf, his primary change was let's make the Mass a communion rather than a sacrifice. Again, this is kind of observing the suggestions of Luther, and this is very traditional with even Lutheran doctrine. But that was one of the primary aims. One of the other aims was, as far as the church needs hymns, they need hymns in their own language. This was a passion of Luther for sure. And to Olaf's credit, he provided them with many such hymns. Some were translated from Latin. Some were translated from the Germans, who they were all writing hymns as well. Luther was writing hymns. But it's all in an effort. Some are his own composition, but all in an effort to lay the foundation for future and better work. And really, just kind of in reflection, That's an aspect of his life that is interesting because he really never pretended that his work was the final word. My work is the last word. He's always urging others to do better. When they've done so, I'll thank them for it. And so 1526, you have the first collection of Swedish hymns that make their appearance. There's no copy of that first edition, of course. I wish there was. But it's believed to have had part or all of the ten hymns that are found in a fragment in 1530. What we do have is a third edition, that's 1536, and here you find that he is staunchly defending the inclusion of not just psalms and hymns, but spiritual songs as well. saying they're instructive, they're edifying, they're expressing the prayer of the heart, justifying their use. Often he would take hymns that were written by the early church fathers. Let's include those. In that 1536, there's many hymns that are based on Psalms. A mighty fortress, that's a paraphrase of Psalm 46 is found in that as well. And so really the aims and methods of the Germans' Reformation, the Swedish Reformation, they're really similar here. And that they wanted to make available, in these earliest years, hymns. And for the Swedes, they were making available hymns, and Olaf was translating hymns, that these are ones that have already caught on, these are ones that are already, they've won a lasting place in the hearts of the German people. Let's use them too. Okay? Move to the theological writings. So the earliest writings of Olaf, a useful teaching. He demonstrates a clear understanding of the tenets that became the recurring doctrines of his teaching. And I think they showcase a remarkable consistency. And so the speculation that was so common during that time really has no part in his system of thought. And he wanted to be consistent, clear-minded, of what he was convinced was the truth. So passages of Scripture need to be interpreted in light of the whole. They can't be an isolated oracle. And its meaning needs to be understood in light of its historical setting. So the years after his polemic writings, when he's producing homiletical works, he's so constructive and so pastoral in these writings. Apostle is a collection of sermons. This is an example of that. And so he turns almost like a preacher to preachers in providing printed sermon literature. And there's no one that equaled him in his positivity and his clarity at that time. And his method, his message even, it shaped generations of sermons in the Swedish church. But one of the issues that he sought to address was that while the clergy, okay, so we've all been freed to preach. We have this newly translated New Testament as our source in our textbook. The reply often was, we don't know how to interpret the Word of God. And so in his preface to a 1530 collection, he states his purpose again to clergy and to laymen. He says, We hope we have in this postle, however simple it is, invalidated their excuse so that our parish preachers cannot say that they do not understand the text and thus should be known not what to preach. Here the meaning is expressed so simply that even if one read from the book to the people, it would not be without fruit. And that is so true in how he writes. It is so compassionate, so kind, so clear. And he tirelessly, like a schoolmaster, he's repeating the fundamentals to every Christian, but particularly these preachers. It's not the thunder and lightning that you think of with Luther, where often Luther's really expressing himself in his sermons. Olaf rarely appears in his sermons, but again, like children in a schoolhouse. I want you to see what's written on the board. I want you to learn what's on the board. These are just things that he never tired of preaching. I greatly underestimated our time, by the way. So we're coming to the end here. So in his legal writings, really, I'm just going to kind of breeze through this a little bit so we can get to the end. But this is more. how we got to the place where he's condemned to die. So Vassa is crowned king. Pearson is preaching a sermon at the coronation. He's using the opportunity to instruct the king, to instruct the people, here's your duties. Even in the processional as Vassa, this is a picture that depicts this event. As he's coming in, it was so regal, so grand, and even in his sermon, Olaf is somewhat chastising him. Those trappings are not to be objects of confidence in who you are, trust. These are confined to temporal things. He's direct in his admonition to the people. Obey your authorities in a lot of the ways that we've heard from Romans 13 recently. But what we find is he writes a sermon in 1539 that is very different from the writings of the previous 10 years. And what he does is, it's called A Sermon Against Terrible Oaths, and what he does is he decries the king, the nobles, the aristocrats, no one keeps their word, treaties mean nothing, broken contracts, this is why there's rebellion, this is why there's pride, this is why there's anger, this is why there's envy, these are the roots of rotten trees. Well, the king, who just so happens at this time, is increasingly becoming frustrated because Protestants and Catholics don't seem to be giving him the income that he expected. The things that he deemed superfluous, they should be turned over to the state. There's a series of ordinances, a series of resolutions that are passed called the Ordinantia, and basically this says, the king is the temporal head of the church, and the clergy are equals as laymen before the law. And so everyone reluctantly agrees to this, but in his writings, Olaf is saying, this is incredibly displeasing, this is incredibly unbiblical, this is incredibly unjustified. the displeasure of the king quickly turns, as quickly as he gained favor from the king at first, it quickly turns against him, because essentially what he is saying, they've declared independence from the pope, but we're going to be a state church under the jurisdiction of the king. And so Laurentius Andre is dismissed. He was a close friend, a close confidant of the king. He's dismissed. The goal, Ultimately, for the king, all this time has been subjection of the church to the state. If that means Protestant, Catholics, I don't care who it is. You all serve me. And so the position was clear. The church is two things. It's a teaching institution and it's a moral support for the state. And when you preach, you'd better enforce the authority, not undermine it. Now the thing that stood in his way is that he needed, we'll skip that, he needed some peons, he needed some subordinates that were pliable to his will, so he invites this mysterious character, Conrad von Pye, who has really no legal standing to be in any political position, but he hires him, he brings Georg Norman from Germany, and they centralize the powers of government, they exercise jurisdiction over the Swedish church, they appoint and discharge preachers on whim. And so the previous declaration that we're free from Rome, ultimately, it's just about removing the chokehold of power from the Pope, and really less about subjection to God and scripture. And so Gustav in 1539, December 8th, which is important, because there's a few weeks later, we have the event that's upcoming. Gustav brazenly calls himself the highest protector of the Holy Christian faith. throughout the whole realm. So he had his goal. He had power over the church. He had a new superintendent, new assistant. They're all going to accomplish this. And so the implications are preachers can't use their pulpits to undermine the fealty, whether it's subtly or openly. And any kind of appearance of criticism of the crown was nothing less than treason. Treason is an executable offense. So with the really obsessive plotting of Van Puy, what happens is that on Christmas Day, so again, ironically, Christmas Day, during the Christmas Day service, an arrest warrant is issued and Olaf Persson, again, once a personal friend of the king, and Laurentius Andre are arrested and let out of the Christmas service for treason. So they manipulated the king, and really in a fueled moment of rage of the king, and they drafted these charges, really a hodgepodge that they're just kind of interspersed with passages plucked from scripture. But some of these accusations are that, you know, the king has been patient with you all, he's had cause for a long time to imprison you, you promised that if the gospel was preached that all the people would be passive, there would be no rebellion. Of course, No one promised these things. The preaching has been inciting rebellion. We've had to deal with uprisings. There was even an accusation that someone, and it's possible but unlikely, that someone had confessed to Olaf of being part of a conspiracy against the king and he hadn't reported it. Well, Olaf, very briefly, it's not true. None of it's true. And Andrei, he even asked to receive these in writing so that he could write a defense. He was refused. The very next day, so that was New Year's Eve, the very next day of the trial, the charge of treason is ratified, there's a stack decked in the Royal Council, and they're sentenced to death. So you think this is the end. Well, the king really never expected things to go that far. He wanted to make an example out of them, didn't want to execute them. So their sentences actually ultimately were commuted from death to heavy fines. Now Andre, he lived in poverty the rest of his life. There were some aristocrats in Stockholm, they paid for Olaf Persson's fines. They allowed him to return to Stockholm, but his political career was over. Certainly, there was no consult with the king anymore. And really, there's no trace of him for about three years until you see some other writings. But something of a voluntary retirement on his part. Now thankfully, Von Pye He falls out of disgrace with the king. He dies in the castle after being imprisoned for 10 years. Olaf steps forth. He's nominated by the king, actually, to be pastor in Stockholm. He does that to his death in 1552. Somewhat unremarkably, he never regains his degree of influence. His zeal, however, didn't escape him. But really, he was a pastor, a preacher, till his death. And so just in conclusion, in a lot of ways, he was a figurehead of the Swedish Reformation. When there was so much disintegration, destruction, he saw the character of what the new church should be. And his writings were very fundamental because they were built on the Word of God, and even in the face of these extreme measures that the king issued against them. And there's so much more that could be said about that time. But this period really lacked the spiritual truth and the wisdom and the candor of a man like Olaf Persson in this region. And so he knew the power of destruction. He preferred the power of construction. And in a very real sense, he taught the Swedish people to read because the New Testament was one of the first published works. But in a real sense, he taught them the relationship of the Word of God for their lives. He set himself to the task of making the treasures of Scriptures available, liturgy, the song of the Christian church to his fellow countrymen, and he pointed out the things that need to be kept far more than the things that should be abolished, which I have appreciated. And so patiently, fearlessly, humbly, faithfully, he used every mode of expression that he had in his power to build up the true invisible realities of the faith. And I think for that, we can say to God be the glory forever and ever. I'm not trying to disclaimer this, but he's not a Wycliffe. He's not a Tyndale. He's one of many like him that, honestly, history has primarily forgotten. But we haven't tonight. And it's been a joy to talk about him.