John Knox is one of the most influential figures in Scottish history, widely known as the founder of the Scottish Reformation. A man of deep religious conviction and fearless courage, Knox played a crucial role in transforming Scotland from a Catholic country to a Protestant nation.
In a relentless campaign of fiery oratory, he sought to destroy what he felt was idolatry and to purify Scotland’s religion. He was a minister of the Christian gospel who advocated violent revolution as a means to an end: the reforming of religion in Scotland. His legacy has continued to shape the spiritual and political landscape of Scotland to this day.
The early life of John Knox
John Knox was born in Haddington, Scotland, in 1514, into a family of modest means. He received a basic education at the local school before attending the University of St. Andrews, where he studied philosophy and theology. After completing his studies, Knox entered the priesthood and was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1536. He served as a priest in various parishes in Scotland for the next ten years, during which time he began to question the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church.
Gradual conversion to Protestantism
Knox’s conversion to Protestantism was a gradual process. He was deeply influenced by the writings of the Protestant reformer, William Tyndale, and the Scottish preacher, George Wishart. His career as a Reformer began when he joined Wishart as a bodyguard. Shortly afterward, Wishart was burned as a heretic by one of the haughtiest and most vicious archbishops who ever lived: Cardinal David Beaton. This led to an uprising in Scotland against the murderers of George Wishart, including Cardinal Beaton, and then the rebels took the Cardinal’s castle.
These young soldiers then compelled Knox to become their chaplain, where he began to preach from the book of Daniel. He struck two themes, which would become basic to all of his preaching. First was that we’re justified by faith alone and the second was that we must flee idolatry. These were the passions of Knox’s heart.
Knox always saw himself as primarily a preacher, though he did some writing. He was a thunderer and an amazing and powerful preacher. He spoke about his calling from God:
I consider myself rather called of my God to instruct the ignorant, comfort the sorrowful, confirm the weak, and rebuke the proud by the tongue and lively voice in these corrupt days, rather than compose books for ages to come.
John Knox
Imprisoned in France as a galley slave
Soon after he began preaching at the castle, the French captured Knox as part of a punitive action for the murder of the Cardinal Beaton. And for the next nineteen month, he was imprisoned as a galley slave on a French vessel.
An interlude in England
When he was released from being a galley slave, Knox preached for a time in Berwick, England, near the Scottish border, to try to encourage further infiltration of Scotland. It was from here that Knox established his preaching reputation.
But when King Edward VI died and Bloody Mary came to the throne in England, Knox fled from England because it was no longer safe for him.
Exile in Europe
For a time, Knox ministered to Scottish exiles in Frankfort in Germany, and then he ended up in Geneva for a time.
While in Geneva, Knox became friends with the reformer John Calvin, who had a profound influence on his thinking. Knox said, “Since the days of the apostles, there has never been a purer Christian community than what I find in Geneva.” Knox learned a great deal while he was in Geneva. He was very impressed by Calvin’s reform, but his heart continued to burn for Scotland.
Knox also wrote his most famous work, “The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women,” in which he argued that women should not hold positions of authority in government or the church. The book was controversial and offended Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was a Protestant but also a woman. So, when Knox asked the Queen for permission to travel through England on his way back to Scotland, she refused his request.
Return to Scotland and the Scottish Reformation
The reformation takes hold
In 1559, Knox returned to Scotland, where the reform movement had gained momentum during his absence. He played a leading role in the Scottish Reformation, which established Protestantism as the dominant religion in Scotland.
When he arrived, Scotland seemed ready for the preaching of the gospel. There was great response to the preaching by not only the common people but also amongst the Lairds, the minor nobility. The minor nobility were increasingly tired of French influence and authority. So, they turned to Knox and the new faith that was being preached.
That same year, the Lairds and Scottish Parliament adopted the Confession of Faith, a statement of Protestant doctrine that Knox had helped to write. Parliament stated that the pope had no jurisdiction in Scotland and forbade the mass. And to replace the Catholic order, Knox and his followers composed the Book of Discipline, which set forth a modified church government. It also provided for comprehensive public education, including universities.
This transition from Catholicism to Protestantism posed a great problem. All of a sudden a great number of preachers were needed for the whole kingdom and there was a shortage. So, Knox urged the Lairds to look around for talented young men and send them to be educated to become ministers.
Confrontations with Mary, Queen of Scots
In 1561, the young Queen Mary came back to Scotland. It is commonly known that she and Knox were not the best of friends. Knox was anxious to push forward with the Protestant Reforms, while Mary was a hinderance to this as she was strictly Catholic and despised Knox’s actions that attacked her authority and her beliefs.
At the young age of nineteen, she was already the widowed Queen of France. She came back with an aim to restore Roman Catholicism in Scotland. Knowing it would not be easy, the Queen obtained permission from the authorities to celebrate the Mass in her private chapel. However, once she was allowed to do it, she began to travel and set up chapels wherever she went. Mary would bring in a priest, and would leave everything in place when she left.
By doing this, the Queen’s influence was growing, while Knox’s influence was declining. Moreover, as a young widowed Queen, she became desirable as a possible future bride to young, upcoming suitors.
The demise of Mary Queen of Scots
The Queen, however, made a huge mistake. Queen Elizabeth of England became concerned that Mary could make a legitimate claim to her throne, because there were some who saw Elizabeth as an illigitimate heir of King Edward. So, Elizabeth sent a thoroughly-worthless young man who had royal blood up to Mary’s court. She thought Mary would be tempted to marry this man to increase her claim on the throne, and then his worthlessnes would be revealed and her position would be weakened.
The plan worked like a charm. In February 1565, Lord Darnley, who had been living in England, went to Scotland with the permission of Queen Elizabeth. On July 29, 1565 Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley were married. Soon enough, the marriage began to unravel. Despite his careful education, he had no natural intelligence and lacked common sense. He was often drunk and sexually promiscuous, being openly homosexual. By September, Mary was pregnant, and she gave birth to her son, James. But Darnley’s relationship with the Queen continued to deteriorate.
Mary discussed the possibility of a divorce with her senior nobles, but divorce did not prove practicable without prejudicing James’ legitimacy. So, without consulting Mary, her nobles began to develop a plan to murder Darnley. The lodging where Darnley was staying was blown up, but he was found strangled in a nearby garden on February 10, 1567. So, nobody knows for sure who was responsible for the murder.
The Queen flees to England for safety and meets her end
Shortly thereafter, Queen Mary of Scots married Lord Bothwell, but relations quickly soured between Bothwell and his former peers, and the marriage proved to be deeply unpopular. Mary lost the support of the nobility and was first imprisoned in Scotland, at which time she abdicated her throne in favor of her one-year old son, James. After escaping, she fled to England, where she ended up in protective custody for about twenty years. She was eventually executed in 1587 when Queen Elizabeth discovered that Mary had been caught in correspondence with the King of Spain, plotting the Spanish Armada and the invasion of England.
The course of Scottish reformation following Mary’s ruin
When Mary abdicated the throne in 1567, Knox’s old friend James Stewart, earl of Moray, became regent. In him the Reformed Church would have found a powerful patron, but he was murdered and the country plunged into a struggle between the supporters of the queen and those of the regency. Knox was involved in the turmoil, but he suffered a paralytic stroke.
When the factions battled in 1571, the leaders on both sides insisted on the removal of Knox to safety in St. Andrews, from where he returned in 1572 to die. But, when the news of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of French Protestants reached Scotland, Knox dragged himself to his pulpit in St. Giles’s and drove home the lesson of that tragedy. He stood one last time in the pulpit of St. Giles to introduce his successor,James Lawson of Aberdeen . He also saw the Ambassador from France in the audience, and in his weakened state, he directly looked at him and told him to go home and tell his master that he is a murderer.
Knox’s Legacy and Impact
John Knox’s impact on Scotland was profound and far-reaching. He was a man of courage and conviction who played a crucial role in the Scottish Reformation. He helped to shape the spiritual and political identity of the Scottish people. Certainly his conviction that the Reformation was God’s cause and must triumph, a conviction he had a remarkable power of impressing upon other minds, was the rock upon which the Reformed Church in Scotland was built.
Knox’s influence extended beyond Scotland to England and other countries where Protestantism was taking hold. His ideas about the relationship between church and state and the role of women in society were controversial and continue to be debated to this day.
Several things equipped Knox to lead the Reformation there: his name was associated with the heroes of the recent past, his sufferings authenticated his commitment, his broad experience had prepared him for leadership, and his sense of call made him “fear the face of no man.” His famous interviews with Mary, Queen of Scots, as he wrote in his History of the Reformation in Scotland indicate his total commitment to the principles of Scripture.
Knox’s influence can be seen in the Scottish Presbyterian Church, which still adheres to the principles he laid down. The Scottish Reformation also had an impact on Scottish culture, encouraging the use of the Scottish language and the development of Scottish literature. Knox’s legacy can also be seen in the Protestant work ethic, which has had a lasting impact on Western culture.
Reflections on the life of John Knox
Christians should strive to learn and embrace God’s calling for their lives
God expects His people to diligently apply their spiritual gifts within the unique context of their own circumstances to bring glory to God.
John Knox lived according to what he believed was God’s calling for him. He was concerned for the people of Scotland. Some of them needed instruction; some needed comfort; some needed strengthened; and some needed to be rebuked. He also knew that God not only gave him the ability to preach powerfully and effectively, He also gave him the ability to speak tenderly to them as well. While Knox could have written many more works for posterity than he did, he believed he could be more effective by using his gifts and bold personality to directly affect the people he cared about.
Courage, conviction, and faith can have a powerful impact on the world around us.
Jesus said, “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Properly placed fear gives us the courage to stand boldly for the truth in spite of the possible consequences we may face. For they are minor compared to the rich reward we will receive for our obedience to God.
It has been said that John Knox had fear of no one, regardless of who they were. This was proven to be the case in many ways, including his relationship with the Mary Queen of Scots. While she tried to influence Knox, he told her that he was called only to a public ministry.
Political resistance may be useful to cleanse a country from the sin of idolatry.
God may choose to permit the use of violence against established authorities to accomplish a greater purpose.
Knox railed against idolatry, which is a great offense to God. He believed the Catholic Mass promoted a false atonement, based on works. Therefore, he believed that anyone who trusted in the remission of sins by a vain work was committing idolatry. To Knox, then, to be a Catholic was to be an idolater.
So, Knox wanted to reform religion in Scotland. This would call for political change because the Catholic church was established by law and promoted by civil power. The Reformers like Luther, Calvin, and Zwingly, who believed in the authority of the magistrate, found that power in the temporal state. For example, Luther had his protector prince, Calvin had the city council, and the English Reformation had its Edward VI. But in Scotland, there was no civil authority that was sympathetic to Protestantism. Therefore, Knox believed the authority should be overthrown, and political power should be seized to bring down the Roman church.
Facing persecution with courage
The truth of the gospel is offensive to the natural man. It reveals the sinfulness of man and man’s inability and unwillingness to do anything about it. The only hope that man has is that God would make a way of reconciliation for sinners. And God did just that. By accepting Christ’s sacrifice, God built a bridge of reconcilation between sinful man and a holy God. This offer of sheer grace is extended to everyone who truly believes in the promise.
Prideful man refuses to believe this good news, because it is an affront to his self-image. So, to speak to the natural man about the gospel invites their resistance, and sometimes their persecution. Yet, God commands His people to do it. Those whose hearts have been regenerated will believe the good news and receive the forgiveness of sin. But those whose sinful hearts remain unchanged, will not believe. And since we don’t know who will believe, we should tell the gospel to all who will listen. So, let’s do so with faith and courage!
To hear the good news of God’s offer of forgiveness and eternal life to sinful man, click here. And visit my blog How to Begin Your Life Over Again to learn the reasons for our faith.
Source and related blogs
Sources
Diana Kleyn, Joel R. Beeke, Reformation Heroes: A Simple, Illustrated Overview of People Who Assisted in the Great Work of the Reformation. Reformation Heritage Books, Grand Rapids, MI. 2009. Chapter 16: John Knox.
J. Kenneth Curtis, J. Stephen Land, Randy Petersen. The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History (paperback ed. 1998). Fleming H. Revell (Baker Book House). Grand Rapids, MI. pp. 109-110.
#402: John Knox and Scots Reform. Retrieved from https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/knox
Christian History Timeline: John Knox and the Scottish Reformation-Journeying with John Knox. Retrieved from https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/timeline-journeying-with-john-knox/
John Knox: Did You Know? Retrieved from https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/john-knox-did-you-know
John Knox and the Scottish Reformation: Christian History Interview-Prophet Without Honor? Retrieved from https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/john-knox-prophet-without-honor
Knox’s Shocking Politics. Retrieved from christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/knoxs-shocking-politics
John Knox: Scottish Religious Leader. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Knox/Shaping-the-Reformed-Church
