Why Reformed?

In a day when many churches are removing the distinctives of belief from their names, we are striving in the opposite direction, declaring openly what we believe for all to see. Doctrine is increasingly being marginalized in our post-modern culture. Anyone who speaks with clarity and forcefulness regarding truth is labeled as intolerant – as a matter of fact, the world seems to tolerate everyth ing except Christian certainty ! The church has been given the responsibility of proclaiming the truth of God’s Word! Our church hopes to be among those found by the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully holding to, proclaiming, and living out the glorious truths of the Scriptures! This is why our goal as a church is to be committed to Equipping the Saints for Ministry, Edifying the Body of Christ. (Eph 4:12). Our hope is to present a clear, precise, and accurate view of God so those who hear would be granted by God’s grace a love for Him! Our name communicates that in our preaching, teaching, and living we uphold the doctrines of the Reformation, merely as an encapsulation of the great doctrines of God’s Word!

The word “reformed” points back to the Protestant Reformation and the key doctrines that were championed in the 16th century when the Gospel was rediscovered after an almost wholesale loss of the truth. It was a period like that described in Isaiah 59:14 where the prophet explains, “truth has fallen in the streets.” Later in the Old Testament we read the words of the prophet Hosea 4:1 who states that, “there is no knowledge of God in the land” and in the same chapter he says, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” The Reformation marked what was a much-needed return to the Biblical teachings on matters concerning salvation and the Christian life. The Reformers desired to restore the knowledge of God to the land and refocus the church back to its source: the truth of God found in the Scriptures. The church has a responsibility as, “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) to not let it fall dead in the streets.

The key doctrines (teachings) of the reformation were boiled down to a few short sayings that acted as catchphrases which could be easily remembered and reproduced by the church. They are summed up in the Latin phrases we know now as the Five “Solas” of the Reformation:

This means “Scripture alone” and refers to the commitment to the Bible alone as the only trustworthy standard of what to believe and how to live. Every significant movement in church history was started by a return to the Bible and its absolute authority for matters of life and doctrine. The Reformers believed the Scriptures to be the very Words of God and upheld the truth found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” They rejected any human traditions or teachings that were not in agreement with the clear teachings of the Holy Scriptures.

This means "Grace alone" and refers to the fact that salvation is solely by God’s grace alone. Grace is used in the Bible to refer to the unmerited favor of God which He bestows on creatures whom are completely undeserving. The Reformers taught that it is only by God’s grace that an unbeliever can be saved. A person can do nothing to contribute to his or her salvation because salvation from beginning to end is purely a gift from God by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

This means "Faith alone" and refers to the great doctrine of justification by faith alone. Justification is a word that means to be declared righteous. The Reformers affirmed, based on scripture, that, “man is justified by faith alone apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:28). They taught that a man is made righteous before God by simple faith in God’s Son who died a substitutionary death for all those who would ever believe. “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). It is by the gift of faith that one is saved (Ephesians 2:8-9).

This means "Christ alone" and refers to the object of our faith who is Christ alone. Jesus has done the necessary work of salvation utterly and completely so that no merit on the part of man can add to His completed work. Our faith is only as good as its object and if we have something or someone other than Christ as the object of our faith we are destined to failure. This is why the Reformers championed the truth that we are justified by faith alone in Christ alone (John 14:6) and not by merit on account of works.

This means "to God alone be glory" and is the culmination of the Reformation teachings—all things are for the glory of God alone. God has arranged salvation in such a way that He is the only One worthy of praise and “so that no man may boast before God” (1 Corinthians 1:29). The Reformers understood that the reason for absolutely everything is the glory of God and in all things sought to glorify God. This is a doctrine found all over the Bible in texts that make it abundantly clear, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”