Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley – The Light That Will Not Go Out
- Sep 30, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 2
Jesus is the light of the world. His gospel shines through faithful witnesses, and it still calls people out of darkness into the light of life.
This article is adapted from a message preached on October 1, 2024. Watch the full sermon on YouTube.
“I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
The Lord Jesus had already spoken of being the bread of life and the water of life. Here He calls Himself the light of life. That is, He is the light in which God intended life would be lived. Without Him, life is darkness. With Him, life is light.
And that light has never been put out.
A candle lit at the stake
Among the memorials to Christian martyrs, there is something especially striking about standing at a place that marks the very spot where men gave their lives for Christ. In Oxford, on Broad Street, there is a simple cross in the roadway. People walk over it every day without knowing what happened there.
That spot marks the execution of two men, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, burned for their faith on October 16, 1555.
Latimer’s story is remarkable because of what he once was. Before his conversion, he was the sharp edge of the sword used against the gospel. With intelligence, learning, and eloquence, he opposed the truth and thought he was serving God. He believed salvation depended on belonging to his church. He fought the message of salvation by grace through faith as though it were a dangerous evil.
But God was about to arrest him by almighty love.
The lesser-known man God used
The man God used was not famous. His name was Thomas Bilney.
Bilney had obtained a Latin New Testament, first drawn to it by the elegance of the language. But then he read words that changed everything: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
Bilney came to understand that salvation is through Christ alone. All his efforts to earn God’s favour and merit heaven were failure. But through Christ, there was salvation.
Later, Bilney was in the crowd listening as Latimer denounced the gospel. Yet Bilney thought he saw sincerity in Latimer, and he approached him with a humble request. He asked if he might make a private confession.
Latimer assumed his own preaching had broken Bilney’s spirit. He imagined he would guide this “deluded” man away from the Reformation. But the one led that day was Latimer.
Bilney spoke of being empty and in the dark until the Word of God shone into his heart. He spoke of forgiveness through Christ. And Latimer found those words resonating inside him. For all his religion and effort, he knew he was not ready to meet God.
Later Latimer would say he learned more that day by that confession than by much reading and study for many years. It was not Bilney who received absolution. It was Latimer.
And sometime around the spring of 1524, Latimer simply trusted that if Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, then Christ Jesus came into the world to save Hugh Latimer.
That is how God works. A little-known believer leads a public figure to Christ. A quiet testimony becomes a turning point in history.
The witness of a changed life
From that point, Latimer’s life changed visibly. He spent time with Bilney visiting prisoners and the sick. He involved himself in people’s needs. His preaching became plain, frank, and direct, a new style for his day. The gospel was no longer shrouded in riddles. He spoke so ordinary people could understand.
Years of service followed. There were accusations of heresy, trials, and opposition. And Latimer knew what it could cost, because the man who had first spoken to him of Christ, Thomas Bilney, was later burned at the stake.
Still, Latimer continued, preaching Christ and the Word of God.
Why would anyone die like this?
When we hear of martyrs, the question comes quickly. Why would people choose faithfulness and death rather than compromise and live?
Why would anyone refuse an easy gesture, a small pinch of incense, a few words to satisfy the authorities, if that would save their life?
Because the martyrs were bearing witness.
They were not only dying for an idea. They were testifying to realities they knew to be true.
They bore witness to who Christ is
They bore witness to the Lord Jesus Christ as the true God, the only Saviour. They refused the worship of pagan gods as lies. They refused the worship of mere man, whether in the Roman emperor cult or in any form that replaced God with a creature.
They testified that Christ alone saves, and that His saving power is not shared by any other supposed god, church, sacrament, or person.
They bore witness to where they were going
They died with the certainty of heaven.
That is why a man could say the night before his execution that his breakfast would be sharp, but his supper would be sweet. He meant that the suffering would be brief, and the glory would be everlasting.
So the question presses in on every listener: Do you know where you are going? Not what your religion is. What your destination is.
You may not feel the speed at which life moves, but you are travelling through time toward eternity. If the Lord does not come first, every one of us will die. Do you know where you will be when you die?
They bore witness to why they were going
They did not die to earn heaven. They knew they were going to be with the Lord not because of their death, but because of His.
They knew they were saved because of the Saviour’s death on the cross. Not because they would shed their blood, but because He shed His blood.
They bore witness to what heaven is like
They knew heaven as rest, reunion, joy, and service to the Lord Jesus. The Lord Himself spoke repeatedly of joy in heaven. (Luke 15)
And when you come to die, the greatest question is not whether you will be remembered fondly by those left behind. The greatest question is whether you will be with the Lord.
They bore witness to coming judgment and a better world
They believed wrong would not triumph forever. They believed Christ is coming again, and that His reign will bring peace and justice.
The prophets looked forward to a day when war would be finished, when swords would become plowshares and spears would become pruning hooks. (Isaiah 2:4)
They were testifying: there is a King coming. There is a world coming that will be far better than this one.
The Light of the world Himself
All of this brings us back to the Lord Jesus’ words: “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)
The Bible describes those who are not saved as being in the dark. The darkness is not merely ignorance. It is spiritual blindness, stumbling without knowing what you are stumbling over.
But Christ is light. What the sun is to this world, the Son of God is to salvation. Without the sun, life could not long exist on this planet. Apart from Christ, there is no eternal life.
And that light is offered to you in truth.
The light of the Word
God has not left us to guess. He has given light in His Word. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
A lamp to my feet shows me where I stand. A light to my path shows me where I am going.
So the question becomes very personal: What are you depending on?
If you had to meet God and give Him a reason why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?
A believer has one answer. Not self-confidence. Not merit. Not church membership. Not personal decency. But Christ.
And this is the point the apostle Paul reached when he cried,
“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)
Notice it is not “what shall I do,” but “who shall deliver me.” When a person sees their need clearly, they stop looking for a method and start looking for a Saviour.
That is what Christ is: the Deliverer, the Saviour, the light of life.
Two warnings you must not ignore
Light can be taken away.
And you can be taken from the light.
Truth sometimes passes across our path through circumstances, through a conversation, through a gospel message, through a verse that grips the conscience. And the danger is to let it pass, to push it aside, to postpone.
Because life is moving. Death is real. Eternity is nearer than we think.
So if God is shining light into your heart tonight, do not dismiss it. Come to the light. The Lord Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
He can set you free from sin, from fear, and from uncertainty. He can give you the assurance of everlasting life.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”If you follow Him, you will not walk in darkness, but you will have the light of life.
