History is littered with many brave men and women who not only had a heart for the Lord, but were even willing to lay down their lives for His glory. One of these brave men was William Tyndale.
William Tyndale was a very significant figure in the Reformation. The Catholic Church was vehemently opposed to the translation of the Bible, especially for purposes of individual study. Woe betide those foolish peasants who should seek to know God's word.
But Tyndale, being so fluent in 8 languages that one would think any one of them was his native tongue, did study the Bible, and became more and more aware of the corruptions within the Catholic Church. This got him into an argument with a Catholic Bishop, who declared "better be without God's laws than the Pope's!" To this, Tyndale gave a glorious response that echoed through the rest of history: "I defy the Pope and all his laws! If God spareth my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that driveth the plough to know more of the scriptures than thou doth!"
No response could have been more Biblical. The Bible was never intended to be a restricted document, accessible by both law and language only to the elite of society. Every man, woman, and even child on this earth has the right to study God's word, and to withhold it is a crime against man, and against God.
The importance and perspicuity of scripture are especially well laid out in Psalm 119. So powerful is this Psalm that I do not think any Catholic can read and honestly affirm it. As Tyndale said he would cause the boy that drove the plough to know more of the scriptures than Bishop John Bell, Psalm 119 tells us that by studying the scriptures, we can have more insight than our teachers.
This should not be surprising. God is omniscient, infallible and holy. He knows everything, He makes no mistakes, He tells no lies. Of course what He speaks is going to give even the most foolish of men understanding. But what of men who are puffed up in their knowledge? What of men who draw near to God with their lips, but not with their hearts? Men so arrogant, they declare God's laws inferior to their own? Let us say with Tyndale "I defy the Pope and all his laws", and put our trust in God, who raises the dead.
William Tyndale's "crime" of publishing the Bible in English eventually got him killed. But when God comes back and raises the just and unjust alike, he will be among those who receive the free gift of eternal life, because he put his faith so strongly in God that he was willing to give up everything in hope of spreading His truths. If you own a Bible, you have a lot to thank Tyndale for. Honour him by honouring his God: Study the Bible Tyndale died for your right and ability to own.