Reformed: ri-farmed', a, to be corrected; Restored to a good or proper state; having turned from unlawful ways to obey the law; as a reformed criminal; to restore from a bad state, to a previous good state; a rearrangement which brings about a better order of things; (cap) restoring biblical precepts, as pertaining to Protestant Churches, esp. those retaining the principles of belief in the total sovereignty of God, Predestination, supreme authority of scripture over men, and the doctrines of Grace alone, through faith. 

The terms Reformed or Reformation (as it is used in Christianity), are historical terms that has it's roots in the early 1500's. It comes from a period of time when the Church underwent a return to faithful doctrines which had become corrupt under a system of authorities of men, orders, unethical regulations, ostentatious ceremonies, and unbiblical traditions produced by ecumenical councils. The purpose of the reformation brethren was to bring the doctrines of the Church back into agreement (thus the word, Reformed) with the truths written in the law of Holy Canon. God's Word is the anchor and foundation of any true Church, and man's subjection to it is essential. Thus these faithful men of old were convinced that true and proper worship of God requires a strong rejection of every doctrine that is contrary to His divinely inspired Word. However, the Roman Church rejected this principle and held steadfastly to rule of Church hierarchy and traditions of men over both the scriptures, and the Church. Noted Theologian Martin Luther, who understood this error of usurping authority from God, took the stand that is often looked upon as the watershed of the Reformation. For all intents and purposes, he started the Historical Reformation movement in 1517 when he nailed his 95 thesis to the door of the Roman Church in Wittenberg.

While the Roman Catholic Church held that it's leaders defined scripture, the faithful Christians stood in protest of this (thus, they were called Protestant) exhorting all who would listen, that God's Word alone must be held above even rulers in the Church. For this clearly was the most basic and fundamental of Christian precepts. The truth was, God indeed is above all, and so His divinely inspired Word "must" likewise reign supreme over all.

When Luther came before the royal diet in the city of Worms on April 18, 1521, he spoke quite clearly and boldly of the necessity for the Reformation, and the position that the Holy canon held over men:

"Unless I am refuted and convicted by testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear arguments (since I believe neither the pope nor the councils alone, it being evident that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am conquered by the holy Scriptures quoted by me, and my conscience is bound in the Word of God: I cannot and will not recant any thing against the conscience."

Truth was as simple as the question, "What constitutes the supreme or ultimate authority?" Was it the Word of God (scripture) itself, or was it Church leaders and their tradition? It would seem to be a question for which the answer would be easy. But for the Church hierarchy and indoctrinated laity of the day, this simple question was obfuscated and complicated by necessity. For when men are determined to rule over God's Word, they take the obvious, and attempt to make it abstruse or ambiguous. Nevertheless, it is by the Spirit of God that the Reformation faithful could discern that the Church was not built upon shaky human traditions sanctioned by men in the laity, but upon the solid rock of the scriptures. What authority could be higher than God's very own Word? No clever words of nullification could obscure from the faithful the simple answer, which was none. For a simple question deserves a simple answer. God's Word alone is the ultimate authority for the Church today.

Reformation Theology in many ways was synonymous with "Biblical Theology." That is to say, most of the doctrines that the Reformed Church held were grounded solidly in the law of God. This is in contrast to the many unbiblical doctrines that have invaded the Church in modern times.

And while this theology is unwavering in it's teachings of the doctrines of Grace alone, it is nonetheless 'evangelical' Christianity, holding to the superiority of the preaching of the gospel message of salvation over Church ritual, penance, and ostentatious ceremony. It gives no provision for human merit, nor any atonement by man that would make God his debtor. Basic to Biblical faith is the doctrine of inerrancy of the Word of God, and ultimate authority of Scripture, rather than leaders, over the Church. It is self evident that following God entails following God's Word, rather than following the words of men. This theology is anchored in the belief that sinners are saved from death and given the gift of eternal Life through faith in the 'finished' work of Jesus Christ, where nothing else is required. His Life, Death, and Resurrection was sufficient to secure the salvation of man. No works by man can contribute to his salvation in any way. His good works are simply the evidence of God's working within him, not the reason for his salvation. These teachings of what the Holy Scriptures testified to were in direct opposition to the doctrines that the Roman Catholic Church was espousing. Thus began the division or schism from the Church of Rome by those who insisted on faithfulness to God rather than to men. This restoration of the lawfulness of God's people soon spread throughout Europe and spawned all of what is today's Protestant denominations. The movement or return to abiding by the laws of God and the faith of the Apostles of the Church, is now known simply as, "The Reformation!" Led by men like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, the faithful protested the abandonment of the lawful authority of scripture, and the errors that the Roman Church had fallen into. They began what is today commonly called, Protestantism. Whitefield, Edwards, Spurgeon, Machen, and nearly all the great Christians that followed, all carried the banner of Reformation Christianity in their allegiance to "Biblical Theology."

It is a Theology that teaches that the salvation of man is by God alone, and for the Glory of God. The Reformation cry was that the Saviour of man was Christ alone (known by the Latin term Solo Christo), saved by God's Grace alone (Sola Gratia), through faith alone (Sola Fide), to the Glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria), and that Christianity must have as it's ultimate authority, God's Word alone (Sola Scriptura). This is the only way man can avoid being deceived by unrighteous Church teachers or leaders.

    1st John 4:1

• "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

In Biblical Theology, there are no holy fraternities or special appointed saints or orders. We take seriously the scriptures that teach that all believers are both Priests and Saints through Christ, and are bidden to full-time Christian service in our various callings. For saints are not Church appointed, they are God appointed. And saints work to strengthen and better the Church, not to artificially prop up man made traditions. For until we reach Glory, we dwell in a robe of flesh, and can never be satisfied with either ourselves, or the society in which we must toil "till He come." We don't compromise to lesson trials or persecution, we expect struggle and conflict in the pursuit of the things that God wants us to do (John 7:7, 16:33, 2nd Timothy 3:12). Yet we are also convinced that there is ultimate success of the Church, as God sees fit to give it. Not in man's definition of success, but as God's defines. For the Kingdom of God on earth is accomplished through evangelizing and faithful adherence of the Church to God's Word. The great commission Christ gave to the Church was to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, baptizing and teaching those who believe. And it was not a suggestion, but a command. Biblical theology must take these things into account in order to remain faithful.

In our day there are "many" Churches that call themselves Reformed, which in reality are Reformed Churches in name only. For any Church can slap the title "reformed" over its entrance. But the basic teachings of God-centered historical and Reformed Christianity, remains constant. They do not change with the shifting winds of time, or with the social, political or moral climate of a culture. They forever stand as strong as the solid rock of scripture upon which they are built. The following are the general guidelines of the doctrines of true Historical Reformed (Biblical) Christianity:

1. We accept without question that the 66 books of the Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, are the divinely inspired Words of God to man (Psalm 119:160).
2. We believe that the Bible in it's original manuscript, is infallible, and thus the ultimate authority for the Christian Church today (2nd Timothy 3:16).
3. We believe in one God, revealed in the three persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This God is Sovereign Creator and ruler of the universe (1st john 5:7; Isaiah 48:16) who upholds all by His power.
4. We believe in the personage of the spirit of Satan, and his present control over unregenerate man (Luke 22:3; Gal. 4:3).
5. We believe in the fall and lost estate of man, which places him under the curse of sin. He is a slave (in bondage) so that he cannot please God with his good works, unless he is regenerated unto righteousness by the Spirit of God (Jeremiah 17:9-10; Romans 3:10-18).
6. We believe in the necessity of regeneration, or being born from above a new creation in Christ. Every person who is justified before God, must be born from above (John 3:7).
7. We believe in God's irresistible Grace, that all whom God has chosen unto Salvation, and all for whom Jesus Christ died, will be drawn of God, by absolutely no merit of their own, and be saved through faith (John 6:44; Ephesians. 2:8).
8. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour (Acts 4:12), the God/Man who was crucified in our stead, that our sins might be forgiven. It is in our wearing His robe of Righteousness, that we are accounted to stand righteous (1st Peter 2:24) before God.
9. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, His miraculous virgin birth, and His fulfilling the prophesy of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:14; Isaiah 53;), Saviour of man.
10. We believe in the Sovereign right of God, in which:

    "..He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'what have You done?' " -Dan. 4:35

    We believe that God, before the worlds were made, has Chosen those in Christ that they should be Holy and without blame. As scripture makes clear, "He will have mercy on whosoever He will have mercy, and whomever He will, He hardeneth." (Romans 9:18).
11. We believe in His realized redemptive death, and we understand the faithful truth that Christ did not die in vain for any man, thus He couldn't have died for every man or indiscriminately for all mankind. The wages of sin is death! He died for the sins of His People, those known only to God from before the world. They are those who were predetermined to be saved for His own purposes. His death was sufficient for His people, that every sin that went to the cross with Him, was atoned for, providing a "real" redemption of man from those sins (Matthew 20:28; John 10:15, 26; 17:9).
12. We believe that in Christ's Resurrection from the dead, we were raised with Him, and as He was raised without sin, so we are risen without spot or blemish, an eternal redemption. It is Finished! God succeeded in saving those for whom He died (Matt. 1:21). He Saved all His people from their sins.
13. We believe in Christ's Resurrection from the dead, His present exaltation at the right hand of the father, and that in due time He will come again and bring all of His saints with him, and so they will reign in Life and Glory evermore (Luke 24:1-8).
14. We all believe in the spiritual, indivisible (not invisible) Church, the Body of Christ that is bound together by the Holy Spirit. We believe that the "true" body consists only of those who are born from above, for whom Christ now makes intercession in Heaven. We believe in the visible return of Christ to this world for final judgment (Acts 17:31).
15. We believe in eternal security, where all for whom Christ died, washing away 'every' sin, cannot have that sin return wherein they could be lost again. We understand the belief in man's ability to "lose his salvation," is not only an unbiblical doctrine, but also an illogical and indefensible one. For it is self-evident that "if" all sins were washed away in Christ's blood, we cannot come into condemnation for any bad works, or lack of works (sins). Else all sins were not atoned for in the first place. In this God is revealed not as an idle bystander, but as an active Spirit in all of nature and the affairs of man, that He keeps His elect secure, and will not slumber (Psalms 121:3). Those who "truly" receive salvation from God are sealed (secured) by the holy Spirit and preserved in strength of His faith, that they will endure to the end (John 10:27-29; Eph. 1:13; 4:30; 2nd Cor. 1:22). Not by their own merit, but by the meritorious work of Christ.

     Virtually all Protestant Churches once held to most of these "fundamental truths" and were Reformed or Biblical Churches. This seems amazing, considering some of the unbiblical doctrines coming from many Protestant denominations today. It's hard to believe that they started out as faithful Reformers. But as more and more Churches began to remove the ancient landmarks which preserved the boundaries of our inheritance (Job 24:2; Hosea 5:10), more and more of the Church strayed from the fruitful path to liberal theologies, drifting farther away from these basic truths of scripture. In doing so, they have effectively separated [apostasia] themselves from the evangelical faith and scriptural authority that once characterized the Historical Protestant Church. Doctrines that were once axiomatic to the Church are today looked upon as archaic and even as socially unacceptable. We are living in a day in which practically every Church denomination is being attacked from within by the spirit of disobedience. And almost invariably the line of descent can be traced from Reformed Theology, to the many forms of Arminianism or "Free Will" doctrines. Teachings that basically allege that, we decide, not God. This theft of God's sovereignty by the modern Church is fed by the obstinate pride of man. Christians are routinely taught that God is an idle bystander, and that they must do all the 'work' in coming to Him. Lost in these doctrines is the knowledge that such beliefs are dishonoring to God. They suppose that our Lord is having a difficult time in His struggle with man. They suppose that He is doing His best to try and persuade us to be Christians, but without our help is unable to accomplish what has been His eternal and sovereign purpose from the very beginning. What God do they conjuring up that is dependent and impotent? Nothing could be further from the truth. God is not an idle observer of the "will of man," and He is not some impotent God who is wringing His hands in futility over the stubborn will of man.

Romans 9:15-16

• "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
• So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."

The history of decline in the Churches shows that they have deteriorated from these historic truths, into the social and humanistic gospels that cloud their true calling and mission. The Christ centered principles of the Reformation, and indeed of the Apostles, are imperative for a healthy and God glorifying Church. But sadly, these doctrines of God's sovereign Grace are quickly being abandoned. In today's politically correct society, keeping God's Word faithfully is both unfashionable and unpalatable in most circles. The term 'Reformed' is now generally applied only to those Churches that follow the Biblical doctrines of Predestination (Sovereignty of God), Irresistible Grace, and Salvation by faith alone. The doctrines that are sometimes (errantly) called Calvinism, but that are nothing more (or less) than the doctrines of Christ. For we don't follow Calvin, we are faithful followers of Christ! We don't follow Calvin's words, we follow the Word of God alone, and we quote it word for word. There should be no confusion between Christ's name (Christian) which we bear, and Calvin's.

These "Doctrines of Grace" are those that most distinguish Reformed Churches from modern day Protestant congregations. These doctrines are orthodox, meaning they are non-liberal or conservative. And being so, these doctrines have fallen out of vogue with today's worldly denominations. But we believe in conservative doctrines as they relate to scripture and Christianity. This is not to be confused with conservative politics, as many professed Christians tend to do.

A quick check in your dictionary on that word will assure that you understand it accurately.

CONSERVATIVE: kon-ser'va-tive, a. the tending to preserve; inclined to faithfully preserve existing doctrines, institutions, cultures, things; being opposed to radical or arbitrary change; A advocate of caution or non-modification. One who conserves or has adversion to degradation; A preservative; --con-serv-a-tive-ly, adv, -- con-serv-a-tive-ness, n.

This is exactly what we do. We preserve existing doctrines faithfully. That's what the Reformers were seeking to do in turning away from the apostasy of the Roman Church. The "fact" is, all true Christians have a Spirit led tendency to preserve the Word of God faithfully, and 'keep' up the existing words of scripture. Their new nature is against rationalizing doctrines away with every new liberal idea or philosophy of society. The morals of society may change, and Protestant Church beliefs may change, but Biblical Theology does not change. And Biblical Christians 'keep' scripture faithfully, not because they are better than anyone else. But because as those who are Spirit filled, they have been given an inward aversion to changing or wresting it.

Titus 1:9

• "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers."

    Luke 8:15

• "But that on the Good Ground are they, which in a Honest and good heart, having heard the Word Keep it, and bring forth FRUIT with patience."

    1st John 2:4-5

• "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
• But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him."

In the true sense of "Biblical Theology," this is a doctrine of humility in humbling ourselves to the exaltation of God. This has been the objective of the true Church from the very beginning. Reformation Theology (in its faithful sense) is important because it recognizes God in His Proper position, and consequently, man in his. It Glorifies God, and portrays man 'honestly' exactly the way he is. Not the way that he thinks that he is. This is most often illustrated in the acronym TULIP.

  Total depravity:
      Man is in bondage (a Slave) to sin!
  Unconditional Election:
      Unmerited, totally unconditional Grace and favor of God!
  Limited atonement:
      Christ died for the sins of His People, not one in vain!
  Irresistable Grace:
      Whosoever God chooses, and justifies "will" be Saved!
  Perseverance of the Saints:
      Sealed or secured by the Spirit, eternal Salvation!

These truths of scripture cannot be compromised, and the need in today's Church for this return to the Biblical theology so characterized by the Reformation, is greater than ever. The preaching of the faithful gospel message honestly, regardless of man's reaction to it, has almost become as rare as moon rocks on earth. Preachers today teach gospels that tickle the ear, or that people will enjoy hearing. They preach gospels that cause the hearer to feel good about himself, instead of examining himself. Lost in these modern ideologies is the simplicity of sound doctrine. The Churches seem content to wade in the mire of worldliness and deception, rather than benefit from the unadulterated truth of Holy Canon.

Reformation Christianity was not someone's opinion about a needed change in doctrine, was an exhortation to "follow" the doctrines that were already written in scriptures, and have been the authority of the Church for centuries. We are building on the legacy of the faithful of the Historic Church that has preceded us. Their studies and conclusions are included in the great historic creeds and confessions that we effectively use to help steer us to the truths in scripture. We believe in the usefulness and effectiveness of these creeds, but we understand 'clearly' that they are subordinate to the Holy Bible. We never place our creeds or confessions above the scriptures, and we recognize they are man-produced documents that may need to be changed if it is shown that the bible teaches otherwise. The Reformed Church believes that the Holy Spirit has led, and enlightened the Church throughout its history. We believe that there has been mistakes made by those of the Church (no man is infallible), but the Church perseveres. We take seriously the commands to "Love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves." And we believe that the totality of man is to live for the glory of God in every possible way (Ecc. 12:13; 1st Cor. 10:31).

    Romans 11:36

• "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To whom be Glory forever. Amen!"

    ..We humbly pray that the Lord our God, who is Gracious above all, may give us all the wisdom to discern the truth, and the knowledge to understand His most Holy Word.

Amen!