The following article is part of a series of articles that will traverse church history to examine the preaching of great preachers.

---

As the foremost pre-Reformer of his day, John Wycliffe (c.1330-1382) was a man, literally, ahead of his time. Living in the thirteenth century, Wycliffe preceded the Reformation by over one hundred years. He is best known as a Bible translator, the first man to translate the Word of God into the English language. Though the Bible was rendered from the Latin Vulgate, Wycliffe prepared the way for the work that followed. Wycliffe was a forerunner for men such as William Tyndale (c.1494-1536), who translated the Bible into English from the original languages.

In his day, Wycliffe was a titanic figure, the leading intellectual in all of England. Some estimate he was the most brilliant mind in all of Europe at the time. An Oxford graduate, he served as its leading professor, where his mastery of the classroom positioned him to represent the King of England in negotiations on the European continent. At the same time, Wycliffe was the most powerful preacher in England. Possessed with a rare combination of cognitive brilliance and a deep commitment to the Scripture, this immensely gifted figure was raised up by God to sound the trumpet of truth.

What marked Wycliffe’s distinctive preaching? What set him apart from other preachers in his day? The following are some marks of his public pulpit ministry.

A BIBLE PREACHER

For Wycliffe, all preaching must begin with the Bible. He was strongly convinced that the sole authority in the church, as well as in the world, must be the Word of God. He believed in what the Reformers would later establish as sola Scriptura, a Latin phrase meaning “Scripture alone.” This meant that Wycliffe held to the exclusive authority of the written Word of God over all church traditions, ecclesiastical councils, and papal renderings. Only the Bible has the right to bind the conscience and rule the work of God.

Wycliffe stated, “Holy Scripture is the preeminent authority for every Christian, and the rule of faith.”[1] This commitment to Scripture undergirded all his preaching. Referring to the Bible he helped to translate, Wycliffe exclaimed. “O marvelous power of the Divine Seed, which overpowers strong warriors, softens hard hearts, and renews, and makes alive, men brutalized by sin and departed infinitely far from God.”[2]

A HOLY PREACHER

Wycliffe believed that the application of Scripture must begin with the preacher himself. He stated, “The first condition of the pastor is to cleanse his own spring [inner person] so that it may not infect the word of God.”[3] By this, he emphasized that the preaching of the Word would not be contaminated by an unholy life. He added, “The life of a good pastor is of necessity a mirror to be imitated by his flock.”[4] In other words, the preacher must model the message that he brings to his people.

Wycliffe repeatedly stressed the importance of the preacher’s own personal holiness, writing: “A preacher should live holy, in prayer, in desires and thought, and godly conversation and honest living, having God’s commandments.”[5] He continued, “Let his deeds be so righteous that no man may be able with cause to find fault with them, and so open his acts that he may be a true book to all sinful and wicked men to serve God. For the example of a good life stirs men more than true preaching with only the naked word.”[6]

A GOSPEL PREACHER

As Wycliffe preached the word, he believed that his chief responsibility was to proclaim the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Concerning the apostles, he stated, “Christ bade them go and preach the gospel freely to all manner of men. And woe be to them that forsake this.”[7] He clearly understood that no person can be brought into a right relationship with God except through this gospel message that must be preached.

Wycliffe wrote, “Since the church was obligated to preach the gospel by the Lord’s command… It still remains the principal duty of the shepherd.”[8] He insisted that preachers evangelize the lost with expositions of Scripture: “The proclamation of the gospel is the most important pastoral duty.” He pronounced, “He is more ready to receive sinful men to grace, that they would truly leave their sins, than they are to ask for mercy.”[9] He urged his listeners, “Cry heartily to God for grace and power to leave all sin.”[10]

A DOCTRINAL PREACHER

Preaching the Bible, Wycliffe was aware of the need for doctrinal precision. He wrote, “It is essential that every Christian learn the faith of the church. Otherwise, he would not be a person of faith, and faith is the highest theology of all.”[11] He understood that sound doctrine is the foundation for every believer’s life. Without it, no one can stand strong in the midst of this world. He further wrote, “It is absolutely essential that every person be a theologian, having first set his own affections in proper order.”[12] This knowledge must begin with any central understanding of the doctrines of God, Christ, and salvation.

As Wycliffe preached, he stressed, “The goal of theology rests in the clear vision of the Trinity.”[13] Wycliffe believed that every Christian must understand his eternal security in the saving work of the Godhead. He wrote: “This grace, which is called the grace of predestination, with the charity of final perseverance, cannot by any means fail.”[14] Using the biblical metaphor of shepherding, Wycliffe stated, “The sheep cannot be ravished from Christ: what he has ordained to bliss must be blessed.”[15] He taught that no true believer will ever fall from grace.

A PLAIN PREACHER

Though Wycliffe was possessed with a towering intellect, he nevertheless understood the necessity of preaching in a straightforward manner that was clearly understood. Historian John Carrick notes: “Wycliffe’s position was a clear, distinct, and firm one, namely, that the plain and simple preaching of the gospel was the best means of reaching the hearts and consciences of men and women.”[16] Another expert in Wycliffe’s preaching, Stephen Lahey writes, “His style was to avoid referring to church fathers, Franciscan ideals, or other topics not immediate to his exegesis, which earned him the nickname ‘clear and plain doctor.’”[17] Wycliffe’s lucid delivery in the pulpit would be the hallmark of his preaching ministry.

Wycliffe stated concerning this straightforward manner of preaching, “Without doubt, this is the case with a plain and simple mode of address; this mode therefore ought to be chosen.”[18] This is why he translated the Bible into the English language, so that it could be clearly understood by the listeners. He instructed preachers, “By the authority of the law of God, men should speak her words as God’s law speaks, and strange not in speech from the understanding of the people, and always beware that the people understand well, and so use common speech in their own person.”[19]

A JUDGMENT PREACHER

Wycliffe believed that he must warn his hearers of the final day of judgment. He said, “They should preach the terror of everlasting punishment…This is a special medicine employed as an antidote against the errors of the sheep. It is meant to frighten them with the very opposite of consolation…Though hardened by their vices, they are led back to Christ by revealing the grievousness and everlasting duration of hell’s punishment when compared to a bit of fleeting happiness.”[20] Strong preaching of eternal hell was necessary, he believed, in order to awaken the sinner from his lost condition.

With final judgment in view, Wycliffe said, “It is essential to teach people that they must turn away from the broad path of sin that leads to hell.”[21] He was persuaded that it is the duty of every preacher to warn his listeners of the eternal destruction that awaits those who die in their sins. Without Christ, there is no salvation, but only the terrifying vengeance of God that awaits them.

A FORERUNNER OF REFORM

Through the preaching and pen of Wycliffe, the Protestant Reformation would eventually become reality. Under his influence, other preachers began to gather around him. This band of preachers were known as Lollards, who went out on foot throughout England, proclaiming the gospel. This kept the preaching of Wycliffe alive long after his death. Subsequently, it was his writings that brought the Czech pre-Reformer, Jan Hus (1369-1415), to faith in Christ. In turn, Hus inspired the German Reformer, Martin Luther (1483-1546) to stand strong for the truth in his day. If Luther was ‘the father of the Reformation,’ Wycliffe was its grandfather. This mighty work of God can be traced back to this powerful preacher in England––John Wycliffe.

[1] “Why Wycliffe Translated the Bible Into English”, Issue 3, Christian History Institute, accessed May 22, 2020, https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/archives-why-wycliffe-translated.

[2] Gotthard Victor Lechler and Peter Lorimer, John Wycliffe and His English Precursors (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1884), 178.

[3] John Wycliffe, “The Pastoral Office,” quoted in Matthew Spinka, ed., Advocates of Reform: From Wyclif to Erasmus, 48.

[4] Ibid.

[5] John Wycliffe, The Pastoral Office, quoted in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church: From the 1st to the 19th Century (N.p.: Delmarva Publications, 2013), n.p.

[6] Ibid.

[7] John Wycliffe quoted by Caleb Cangelosi, “The Mouth of the Morningstar: John Wycliffe’s Preaching and the Protestant Reformation,” Eamon Younis, February 18, 2019, accessed May 22, 2020, http://http://eamonyounis.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-mouth-of-morningstar-john-wycliffes.html. From Thomas Arnold, Select English Works of John Wyclif: Volume I (N.P.: Salzwasser-Verlag GmbH, 2020), 361.

[8] John Wycliffe, De Veritate, II: xxiv.

[9] John Wycliffe, “Expositio Decalogi” quoted in, John Wycliffe, “Tracts and Treatises of John de Wycliffe, D.D. with Selections and Translations from his Manuscripts, and Latin Works. Edited for The Wycliffe Society, with an Introductory Memoir, by the Rev. Robert Vaughan, D.D.” Online Library of Liberty, accessed May 22, 2020, https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/wyclife-tracts-and-treatises-of-john-de-wycliffe.

[10] John Wycliffe, “Expositio Decalogi” quoted in, John Wycliffe, “Tracts and Treatises of John de Wycliffe, D.D. with Selections and Translations from his Manuscripts, and Latin Works. Edited for The Wycliffe Society, with an Introductory Memoir, by the Rev. Robert Vaughan, D.D.” Online Library of Liberty, accessed May 22, 2020, https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/wyclife-tracts-and-treatises-of-john-de-wycliffe.

[11] John Wycliffe, On the Truth of Holy Scripture, translated by Ian Christopher Levy in John Wycliffe on the Truth of Holy Scripture (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2001), 300.

[12] John Wycliffe, On the Truth of Holy Scripture, translated by Ian Christopher Levy in John Wycliffe on the Truth of Holy Scripture (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2001), 200-201.

[13] John Wycliffe, On the Truth of Holy Scripture, translated by Ian Christopher Levy in John Wycliffe on the Truth of Holy Scripture (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2001), 278.

[14] Robert Vaughan, The Life and Opinions of John de Wycliffe (London: Blackburn and Pardon, 1845), vol. 2, 353.

[15] John Wycliffe, Sermon 173/35, quoted in English Wycliffite Sermons, vol. 4, ed. Pamela Gordon and Anne Hudson (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), 57.

[16] J.C. Carrick, Wycliffe and the Lollards (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908), 175.

[17] Stephen E. Lahey, John Wyclif (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), 149.

[18] Lechler and Lorimer, John Wycliffe and His English Precursors, 183.

[19] John Wycliffe, Select English Works of John Wyclif, v. 1 ( Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1869)

[20] John Wycliffe, On the Truth of Holy Scripture, translated by Ian Christopher Levy in John Wycliffe on the Truth of Holy Scripture (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2001), 297.

[21] John Wycliffe, On the Truth of Holy Scripture, translated by Ian Christopher Levy in John Wycliffe on the Truth of Holy Scripture (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2001), 297.

---

Steven Lawson serves as President of OnePassion Ministries, and as Lead Preacher of Trinity Bible Church in Dallas, Texas.