What Is a Reformed Church?
Reformation in the Church
In the classical sense, Reformed churches are connected to a historic movement known as the Protestant Reformation. These churches recognized that there were corruptions in the doctrine and practice of the Roman Catholic Church that needed to be reformed. The Reformers, however, didn’t call for the Church to become something totally new and innovative. They called for the Church to return to the Scriptures, and to be shaped first and foremost by the Word of God.
Today there are a number of denominations that stand in continuity with the historic Reformed faith. These faithfully Reformed churches insist that Scripture alone is the highest and final authority for the church, and it teaches that salvation is through faith in Christ alone, by God’s grace alone, such that all the glory for our redemption belongs to God alone.
Really Reformed?
We want to be careful, though, that we don’t simply carry the word “Reformed” on our church sign as though it’s a brand name or a status symbol. In every generation, we need to humbly acknowledge that we’re in danger of walking away from what the Bible teaches. We probably won’t be particularly tempted to sell indulgences. Instead, our generation will be tested in different ways.
We need to ask ourselves – will we submit to God’s authority and truth when it doesn’t feel good? Or will we demand the right to judge God’s word according to the whims of our preferences? Will we try to declare ourselves to be righteous because of our theology, our piety, or our social activism? Or will we insist on finding forgiveness, wholeness, and everlasting righteousness through faith in Christ alone? Will our worship services be focused on the performance of human beings? Or will we set our attention on God’s Word and God’s glory?
Returning and Reforming
As a church, we want to keep returning to the Holy Scriptures. We want to keep seeking the divine truth that God himself has revealed from heaven. We dare not settle for a religious framework organized by human opinions and cultural whims. We want our worship and worldview to be organized by God himself. We continually need to be brought back to a vibrant apprehension of God, his gospel, and his glory.
There’s a rightness and beauty, then, in operating as a Reformed church. But it’s even more noble to also be a reforming church, allowing Scripture to continually guide our faith and lives.
