What is a Reformed Church?

Have you heard the phrase, Reformed church before? Have you wondered what this phrase means, especially in regard to your own understanding of your church’s philosophy of worship?

This post will go through a brief background into the history of the Reformed Church, explain the defining characteristics of a church following the Reformed tradition, and make clear the importance of attending a church that follows the teachings of the Protestant Reformation.

A Brief History of the Reformed Church

Due to doctrinal differences, the Church over time became divided geographically by East and West. The former is known as Eastern Orthodoxy. The Western Church developed into what is known as the Roman Catholic Church.

Gradually, the Roman Catholic Church became more of a human institution, rather than a spiritual one, dominated by power and money.

Church offices were sold to the highest bidder and indulgences were sold to buy people out of purgatory. Furthermore, extra-biblical practices became apart of Church life, like priests forgiving sins, and additional sacraments.

Godly men saw that the Church was corrupted morally and theologically and wanted to return the Church to the Scriptures. By the 16^th century, true believers within the Church began to press for changes.

Theological Changes to the Church

In the 17^th century, Martin Luther and John Calvin intensified the call for change in the Church. In particular, the Doctrine of Justification by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone was a central focus to this change.

From the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”

These doctrinal changes split the Church into two factions: The Church of Rome and the Church of the Protestors, or the Protestant Church. This event is known as the Protestant Reformation.

This is the Reformed Church’s heritage.

The Essential Theology of Reformed Churches

The Protestant Reformation was a recovery of essential doctrines that had become hidden in decades of church corruption. It was a rediscovery of orthodox teachings and practices.

Different traditions within the Reformation defined their teaching and practices in their Confessional Statements. The most dominant is the Westminster Confession written by English Puritans in an attempt to reform the Church of England. It included the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

In Germany, a prince commissioned his court theologian and a theological professor to write a catechism for his subjects. The outcome was the Heidelberg Catechism.

There are other Reformed confessional statements, like the Savoy Declaration in the Congregational tradition, or the 39 Articles in the Anglican tradition.

These confessional statements defined what they believed as expressions of the Reformation.

A more compressed form of Reformed Theology is known as the Five Solas:

Grace Alone (Sola Gratia)
Christ Alone (Solus Christus)
Faith Alone (Sola Fide)
Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura)
To God Alone Be the Glory (Soli Deo Gloria)

These five declarations summarize the Protestant Reformation’s break with the Roman Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Church, like many contemporary Protestant Churches, holds to Grace, Christ, Faith, Scripture, and God and His Glory. However, they reject the adjective alone.

The contention of the Protestant Reformation was that if you vacate the adjective alone, then you radically change and re-define the meaning of the noun.

It is no longer Grace, Christ, Faith, Scripture, and God and His Glory alone.

In the Roman Catholic Church’s view, it is:

Grace plus (Grace plus human participation)
Christ plus (Christ plus church)
Faith plus (Faith plus works)
Scripture plus (Scripture plus tradition)
To God and His Glory plus (God and His Glory plus Human Glory)

The Protestant Reformers affirmed the importance of the adjective alone in protecting the truth of Scripture and the Gospel.

The Importance of Reformed Theology

The position of Reformed churches is that it represents the historic orthodox Christian faith. Therefore, the absence of Reformed theology in a church is a serious matter. The absence of historic orthodoxy betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of Grace, Christ, Faith, Scripture, and the Glory of God.

These misunderstandings redefine the Gospel and set in motion a generational decline of the Church and Theology.

What intensifies this issue is that the Reformed tradition is not static. The Church is always dealing with corruption and the forces of deception and persecution that seek to destroy the Church.

So, the Reformed Church is reformed, but always reforming (Ecclesia Reformata Semper Reformanda).

Why You Join A Church

The presence of the theology of the Protestant Reformation is essential.

In the Reformed tradition, there are three defining marks of a Church. Each must be present to constitute a true Church.

Biblical Exposition. God uses the Scriptures to call and equip his people. The truth sanctifies us. Our faith is not a private self-defined affair. We meet God in his word. See 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 4:1-3.
The Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Table. Baptism is our public renunciation of our old way of life and identification with Christ and his resurrection power. The Lord’s Table is a spiritual communion with Christ at His Table, where we are reminded of the benefits of His covenant with us, and His provisions for us in our journey to heaven. We meet God in His sacraments. See Matthew 28:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 10:16.
Church Discipline. The Church is kept pure by the administration of Word and Sacraments. But it must also deal with sin. We do this individually by repentance and confession. Additionally, public breaches of Christian ethics must also be dealt with. The goal is always the restoration of fellowship in the Church. However, when God’s people disregard discipline they do so at grave peril, not the least of which is that the Church begins to look like the world. See Mathew 18:15-18

Within the Reformed tradition, the Church unites for public worship. In other words, Church is not about us–it is about Him. There is an audience of one. He comes to examine the heart and we seek his smiles, not our own. It is also the chief delight of the soul as we engage our sovereign Creator in the purpose for which he created us.

What Does Not Define A Church

Above we outlined the defining elements of a Church. Here are some elements that do not define a church:

Programs and Activities
Music
Size and architecture
Friends or Family
Etc.

These may be wonderful characteristics of a group. However, these characteristics do not define a church.

It is imperative for individuals to join a church, and not simply a group that is in the individual’s self-interest, but in contrast to the interests of God.

The Importance of a Church

The importance of Church is found everywhere in the Bible.

Here are three (of hundreds) verses that speak to the importance of the Church:

The first verse shows the importance of the eschatological age in which we live. “An hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshippers.” (John 4:19-24)

The second is the importance of our accountability to God and the fear of the Lord. “Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.“ (Hebrews 10:21-25)

Lastly, there is the importance of the apostolic tradition. “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

The Contemporary Protestant Church

Two of the most important reformers in the Reformed tradition are Martin Luther and John Calvin.

The first split of the Reformed Church occurred between these two men, most notably over the Sacrament of the Lord’s Table.

Luther believed that Christ was physically present in some form in the Lord’s Table, while Calvin held that Christ was present spiritually.

In the 17^th century, English Puritans came to America seeking religious freedom from persecution. In the nature of reformation, the Reformed Church saw a revival in the 18^th century in what is knows as the “First Great Awakening.” Dominant figures in this awakening were Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. They were Calvinists who represented and preached Reformed theology.

It is also noteworthy at this time, that John Wesley, who was opposed to the theology of the Protestant Reformation, started a movement that became the Methodist Church, which is not apart of the Reformed tradition.

In the 19^th Century, there is another revival, referred to as the “Second Great Awakening.” Once again, there were disagreements over Reformed theology during this revival, leading to the formation of many new churches and denominations.

In the 20^th Century, charismatic churches were formed that held to a second work of grace in the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

In other words, the Church in America is, and always will, struggle with the Reformed traditions.

Many contemporary Protestant Churches reject the theology of the Protestant Reformation and have discarded the adjective alone in the Five Solas.

In Conclusion: What is a Reformed Church?

The Protestant Reformation was a revival of theology and doctrine, caused by God and his use of men of God, who saw that the Church was corrupted both morally and theologically, and who wanted to return the Church to the Scriptures.

The essential theology of the Protestant Reformation is expressed in the Five Solas.

Grace Alone (Sola Gratia)
Christ Alone (Solus Christus)
Faith Alone (Sola Fide)
Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura)
To God Alone Be the Glory (Soli Deo Gloria)

The theology of the Reformation is essential to defining a church. In addition to the theology of the church, three characteristics are also necessary:

Biblical Exposition
The Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s table
Church Discipline

It is important for the individual to unite with a Reformed church because its teachings are true to the Word of God. “An hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshippers.” (John 4:19-24)

This brief historical view of Christian orthodoxy is also an important decision point in the life of the Christian. In other words, continuity with the Reformed tradition is essential.

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:1-4)