Baptist History, Heritage and Distinctives – Ulrich Zwingli – Good Heathen are Members of the Invisible Church – Invisible Universal Church – Protestant History Part TWO

THOMAS E KRESAL ADMIN · AUGUST 11, 2020

Baptist History, Heritage and Distinctives – Ulrich Zwingli – Good Heathen are Members of the Invisible Church – Invisible Universal Church – Protestant History Part TWO

The Reformed system of doctrine extends the domain of the invisible or true Church and the possibility of salvation beyond the boundaries of the visible Church, and holds that the Spirit of God is not bound to the ordinary means of grace, but may work and save “when, where, and how he pleases.” (Footnote: See Westminster Confession of Faith, ch.X,3)Zwingli first introduced both terms. He meant by the “visible” Church the community of all who bear the Christian name, by the ‘invisible’ Church the totality of true believers of all ages. And he included in the invisible Church all the pious heathen, and all infants dying in infancy, whether baptized or not. In this liberal view, however, he stood almost alone in his age and anticipated modern opinions. (Footnote: Bullinger probably agreed with the liberal view of his revered teacher and friend, as we may infer from the unqualified commendation of the last Confession of Zwingli, in which he most emphatically teaches the salvation of the pious heathen. Bullinger published it five years after Zwingli’s death, and said in the preface that in this book Zwingli surpassed himself.Tomorrow: What doth Calvin teachPresented by Thomas E. Kresal from: The History of the Christian Church by Philipp Schaff, Volume Eight, pg. 458-59.