In the early 1500s, most people in England lived their entire lives without reading a single verse of Scripture in a language they understood. The Bible existed only in Latin, and access to it was tightly controlled. If you couldn’t read Latin (and almost no ordinary man, woman or teenager could), you relied entirely on others to explain what God had said. Faith was filtered through someone else’s interpretation.
William Tyndale believed people deserved more than secondhand truth. He believed every person should be able to hear the Word of God in their own language, in words that made sense to them, whether they were scholars in a university or young people working in the fields. The Gospel he knew was not meant to be hidden behind a language barrier.
But translating the Bible into English was not just discouraged; it was illegal and dangerous. Those who attempted it faced the very real possibility of imprisonment, exile or execution. Tyndale understood the cost and moved forward anyway.
In 1524, he left England and began a life of covert movement throughout Europe. He translated the New Testament directly from the original Greek because he wanted to give people the most accurate and faithful text possible. His translation was clear, readable and drawn from the original Greek and Hebrew texts. It was not the polished language of the elite, but everyday English for people who longed to understand God’s Word for themselves.
His work spread quickly, carried into England by merchants and hidden among shipments of cloth. As Tyndale continued his translation of the Old Testament, he remained committed to the same principle: Scripture should be understood, not obscured. Truth should be heard, not filtered. Access to God’s Word should be open, not controlled.
But the clarity he worked for came with a price. In 1535, he was betrayed, arrested and imprisoned. After more than a year in captivity, he was condemned for translating the Bible into English. And on Oct. 6, 1536, he was executed by strangulation and then burned. His final prayer was simple and profound: “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
History shows the sovereignty of God in what happened next.
Within three years, under the same king Tyndale prayed for, an English translation of the Bible was authorized, printed and distributed throughout the nation. That translation drew heavily from Tyndale’s work. Scholars estimate that more than 80 percent of the King James Version’s New Testament reflects Tyndale’s wording, cadence and clarity. His commitment to faithful communication helped shape English-speaking Christianity for centuries.
Tyndale’s story reminds us that clarity in ministry is not superficial. It is not an aesthetic preference or a communication technique. It is an act of stewardship.
When truth is communicated clearly, people grow. When it is clouded by jargon, assumptions or noise, they disconnect. Tyndale didn’t give his life so that Scripture could be more complicated. He gave his life so that people could understand what God has said, because what God communicates should be heard plainly.
At Radiant, we help ministries carry that same heart into every part of their communication. Clarity is not about being trendy or clever. It is about faithfully presenting the message God has entrusted to you, in a way that removes barriers rather than creating them, and trusting that He will use it far beyond what we can see.
Because clarity is not just good communication, clarity is obedience. And God uses our obedience far beyond what we can see.
