BEING REFORMED.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE REFORMED?

Our Church Name “Reformed” comes from our split in the 16^th Century from the Roman Catholic Church, which was instigated by Martin Luther, on the 31^st October 1517 at the Wittenberg Castle.   John Calvin and others also contributed to what became known as “The REFORMED faith”, and its teachings are grounded in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, which is the Word of God. To help us understand the teaching of Scripture, a number of statements have been formulated..

1. “Five Reformational Solas” [alones]

CHRIST ALONE:

John 3:16-17;  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Acts 4:12. “ Salvation is found in no else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

SCRIPTURE ALONE:

2 Timothy 3:15-17.  “And how from infancy you have known the Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

FAITH ALONE:

Rom 3:21-28; “ But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith .For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

See also Eph 2:8-9:

Hebrews 11:1  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” [definition of faith]

GRACE ALONE:

Ephesians 2:8-9; “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith –and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

GLORY TO GOD ALONE:

There are many passages in Scripture that call on all creation to give all glory to God alone.  See Exo 14:4ff; Psalm 8:1; 19:1; Psalm 24:7ff; Psalm 29:1ff; Psalm 57:1ff; Psa 73:25-28; 1 Cor 10:31; Rom 11:36; Rev 1:6; Rev 4:11 and many, many others.

T.U.L.I.P. also known as the five points of Calvinism

The Five Points of Calvinism, which were defined by the Synod of Dort, were so called because they were corrective statements to five unbiblical points in Arminian teaching. Arminius taught that the sovereign will of God to be limited by the will of His creatures. He taught that God’s decree of election proceeded from God’s prior knowledge of men’s free decision to repent and accept Christ, so that it is really man, and not God, who determines which persons shall receive eternal life.  This we believe is contrary to Scripture’s teaching. Hence TULIP was formulated.

T – TOTAL DEPRAVITY [in regards to choosing God to be saved] 

Jer 17:9   The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure.

Mat 15:19   For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Rom 3:10-18 “As it is written:  There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”

U – UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION

Eph 1:4,5 “Before the foundations of the world…adopted as sons and daughters”

Rom 5:8; “…While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”

Rom 5:10; “…when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son,”

Rom 8:30;  “And those he predestined he also called; those he called he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

L - LIMITED ATONEMENT

Acts 13:48; “…and all who were appointed for eternal life believed”

Rom 9:13;  “Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

Rom 9:15; “ I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion”

2 Cor 6:2; "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

John 17:20; “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…”

I – IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

John 6:37& 44; “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Gal 3:14; “ ... so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit”.

2 Pet 1:3,4; “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness ... granted to us his precious and very great promises ... may participate in the divine nature.

P – PRESERVATION OF THE SAINTS

John 10:28-29; “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Fathers hand.”

Rom 8:1; “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”,

Rom 8:31-39;  “If God is for us, who can be against us?…. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship… For I am convinced that neither death nor life,….nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.