What Is The Reformed Faith?

How do I go to God?", someone asked the Scottish Presbyterian, Horatius Bonar. The parson answered, "It is with our sins that we go to God, for we have nothing else that we can truly call our own."

Much like Lutheranism, the Reformed tradition was forged out of the mighty storm known as the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin (1507-64) was a Frenchman who, through his own study of the Scriptures and reading the tracts of Luther and other older Reformers, became a convert to the "evangelical" faith. Like Luther, Calvin was anxious about the state of his soul. How does a sinner become acceptable to a pure and holy God who cannot tolerate sin and who has told us that He has prepared a place of eternal torment? "Just love the Lord," they told Calvin. "Love Him?" he asked. "How can you love a God who is always pointing His finger at you, just waiting for your foot to slip?" But then a marvelous discovery came to the French scholar, much the same way it came to Luther, and in no small measure through that great Reformer's writings. The Bible declares that Christians are justified by faith in Christ and not by anything they do. That revolutionized this timid, shy Frenchman and made him, reluctantly, a major influence on the Western world.

But what did Calvin teach that was so revolutionary in his day? Or Edwards or Whitefield in theirs? What made Charles Spurgeon such an amazing evangelist and launched the modern missionary movement, with William Carey, Hudson Taylor, David Livingstone, and John Patton? What caused the Great Awakening and the Evangelical Revival in Britain and Europe? And why do we think these ideas--which are no more than the ideas of the Bible itself, could cause another revolution or reformation in thought and life today? First, the basic beliefs.

Calvin wrote much on the beauty of the world as a "theater" in which God's attributes were displayed and highlighted. "As ever in my taskmaster's eye," wrote the famous Calvinistic poet, John Milton, expressing the sense of belonging to this world the Christian ought to feel. Of course, we are ultimately bound for eternity, but this life really does count.

That's why the Reformed tradition has always had a high doctrine of creation. If a cheap piece of pottery falls from the cupboard, it's no worry--just sweep it up and that's that. But what if the vase is a priceless antique in a museum, a master's signature edition and it is destroyed? Surely this would be a great tragedy. The difference doesn't lie in the quality of the material (both may have been clay pots), but in the greatness of the artist and the uniqueness of the work. So too, humans are not merely spirits caged in the prison-house of a body, but great works of art intended to have a certain enthusiasm and sense of dignity about being human.

Reformed theology has always emphasized the fact that everything has a reason--and that we have a reason. Nothing happens by chance, but is organized by the Great Director. And we are all "actors" on God's stage, as Shakespeare put it.

Far from making our own decisions and actions meaningless, it renders them truly significant. Who would ever say that the significance or freedom of Sir Laurence Olivier or Kathryn Hepburn is diminished by the existence of a script? Without a script, how could their acting have any meaning at all?

This means, too, that God did not create a separation between "secular" and "sacred," as many Christians today often do. Christians were meant to participate alongside non-Christians in every aspect of life. Reformed theology has no place for "Christian cruises" and "Christian media," "Christian books" and "Christian music." There is no "full-time Christian ministry" and "secular work," but vocations or callings for everyone. In creation, too, there is the gift of "common grace." "The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike," Jesus told the disciples.

Sometimes we tend to view sin mainly in terms of actions: doing this or not doing that. But sin, according to Scripture, is mainly a condition which produces actions . "We sin because we're sinners," as the saying goes. Reformed theology takes sin seriously and argues with St. Paul that believers "were dead in trespasses and sins" and that "the unbeliever doesn't understand the things of the Spirit of God; neither can he know them...."

Think of it: Spiritually dead ! Have you ever had a good conversation with a corpse? Just try it sometime. It's a bore! Similarly, we can expect no life from fallen men and women until God decides to dispense His grace. "No one understands, there is no one who does good, no one looks for God, no not even one," lamented the Apostle Paul. This, of course, does not mean that we simply sit around and wait for unbelievers to be regenerated before we tell them the Gospel. Rather, we expect the Gospel, together with the Spirit, to regenerate them through our message.

The Reformed, like other Protestants, take the Fall in the garden of Eden seriously. We actually inherit the moral corruption and the guilt of Adam. We enter the human race as God's enemies, guilty enough to be condemned even before our first actual act of disobedience. "In sin," the Psalmist confessed, "my mother conceived me." This means that it is impossible for us to lift a finger to cooperate with God in our own salvation. Free will, the idea that everybody has the ability to accept Christ, is unbiblical and the root of serious misunderstandings from the Reformed point of view.

"Just as He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His children....In Him we also have an inheritance, having been predestined according to the will of Him who works out everything in conformity with His own plan and purpose" (Eph.1:4-11).

Here, as in so many places, the Bible tells us that God had His eye on us long before we had ours on Him. "Herein is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us." I grew up with the illustration, "God has cast His vote for your soul; Satan cast his, but you must cast the deciding ballot." This, however, doesn't square with the Apostle Paul's remark that, "It does not depend on man's decision or effort, but upon God's mercy" (Rom.9:16). Election is not only a prominent doctrine in the Bible, but is of immeasurable comfort to those who are always anxious about whether they are doing enough to secure their salvation. Election teaches us, in Christ's own words, "You did not choose Me; I chose you and appointed you to bear fruit that would last" (Jn.15:16).

Reformed theology has also emphasized the fact that "God became flesh and lived among us" (Jn.1). I can remember in Sunday school singing, as a child, "Jacob's Ladder." We would make climbing motions while we sang it. But this is not sound theology, is it? For the ladder Jacob saw in His dream was not a ladder we were to climb up to God, but a ladder God climbed down to us. Do you notice a common theme here? God's doing all the work. He's the initiator, the One moving toward us while we are helpless.

The incarnation also teaches us that God took on our own nature, sanctifying it. While it was humbling for the Son of God to be subjected to the miseries of a fallen world, He was pleased to become a human being just like us.

Wait a second...Christ's life ? We hear about His death, but what did His life accomplish for us?

In Reformed theology (as in Lutheranism), we speak of Christ's active and passive obedience. His active obedience is His thirty years of perfect obedience to the Law of His Father. It wouldn't be enough, you see, for Christ to have died for our sins. The glass can't just be empty of guilt; it must be full of perfect righteousness, and we don't have it. Christ perfectly fulfilled the Law in our place. The "impossible dream" was finally realized by a human being--one of us, and He won the prize for us as though we were there with Him in every act of obedience.

His "victorious Christian life," therefore, replaces our own failings and we are saved because He lived for God, even though we do not.

Then there's the other part I mentioned--the passive obedience of Christ. We are saved not only by His life, but by His death; not only because He lived for the Lord, but because He surrendered all to the Lord even when that meant His own judgment in our place.

We all know what a substitute is. He stands in for someone else. Christ stood in for us and took the rap that was justly meant for us. Hanging on that cruel Roman scaffold, Jesus Christ was considered the greatest sinner who ever lived, carrying the sins of the world and enduring the outpouring of Divine wrath and hatred for those sins.

I used to live at Lake Tahoe, high in California's Sierra Mountains. First, there would be an ominous cover of dark clouds which could turn noon-time into evening in minutes. There was a storm and it would last for hours. The next day, I would step outside, blinded by the sun as it reflected off of the fresh snow and the skies would be painted in the deepest shade of blue on the spectrum.

In a similar way, the cross was the judgment of God on Christ as the believer's substitute. But the storm passed and the resurrection of Christ confirmed Him as the King of creation, the Lord of redemption. "He was crucified for our sins and was raised for our justification," according to the Scriptures.

It's important to remember, too, that all of this is historical. Jesus did not simply rise from the dead allegorically or as a myth which teaches us about new life. It was real space and time history, which hostile witnesses could not successfully refute.

The central doctrine of the Reformation was justification by grace alone through faith alone. We believe that by trusting in Christ alone for our salvation, we are declared righteous. All of Christ's perfect obedience is charged to our account and our sins are regarded as having been paid for at the cross.

Through faith, we are united to Christ and through that union we share everything in common with Christ Himself. Is He righteous? Then we're righteous! Is He holy? Then so are we! Of course, this does not mean that we share His divine attributes, but everything He accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection is ours.

Many other religious groups believe that somehow, somewhere, we have something to do with our own salvation. We make some contribution. For some, that may be as little as "making a decision" or "walking an aisle" or "saying a prayer"; for others, it may demand a great deal more. But in this view, God's grace is seen as a substance, something that is infused or implanted within the believer, to enable him or her to live a godly life. In this perspective, the Holy Spirit and his guidance is the gospel, rather than the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ as our righteousness before God.

That's why the Reformers said that it was not sufficient to say that it was all God's grace from beginning to end. That's a good start, of course, but the Bible requires a further safeguard to the gospel: Not only are we justified (declared righteous or just) before God by grace alone, but it is by grace through faith alone. In other words, we do not become righteous before God, in a process of Christian growth, as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit; rather, we are declared righteous before God in an instant, as the merit of the perfect life and atoning sacrifice of our Lord is imputed or credited to our account. This kind of righteousness was not something that we produced; nor was it even produced by God within us. For that is sanctification, and in this life, even the holiest among us make only a short beginning in that kind of righteousness. What we need is this "alien" or "foreign" righteousness; that is, a righteousness that belongs properly to someone else, but is given to us as though it really were our own. Besides the banking image of credit, the Bible uses the image of a white robe that covers our sinfulness and shame.

It was this robe that God used to cover Adam and Eve, when they realized that their fig leaves would not hide them from God's judgment. And it was this covering that was prefigured in the sacrifices, until John the Baptist declared, "Behold! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

If this were really believed in our churches today, there would be awakening and reformation. Every great movement in church history has found its impulse in a recovery of these truths. In a movement that claims to adhere to the Protestant Reformation heritage, evangelicalism bears hardly any resemblance to that great work of God. The emphasis, once again, is on what's going on inside, in one's heart, in one's spirit. Gone again in our day is that objective proclamation of Christ crucified for our sins and raised for our justification outside of us, two thousand years ago in a city in the Middle East. "Steps To Victorious Living" have replaced the preaching of Christ's victorious life and death for sinners who cannot keep up a charade and give God the righteousness his holiness demands.

But for those who, by faith alone, have received this gift of righteousness, there is a process of growth in holiness. Although it is never the foundation for acceptance before God (for it is always an imperfect holiness), sanctification is the process through which the Holy Spirit gradually conforms us to Christ's image. Chipping away at our sinful habits and deeply-rooted beliefs, the Spirit is the Divine Sculptor who seeks to bring glory to the Savior by making "busts" of him in every place of business, in every institution and home, in work and in leisure. While the believer continues to struggle with sin, to the extent that the person even questions whether he or she has really been born again, the Scriptures promise that the resurrection of Christ, when applied by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel, raises that person from spiritual death and attaches him or her to the Living Vine, Christ Jesus. Knowing that godliness is not something that one must achieve in order to be accepted by God and received or kept in his family, we can live for the first time as grateful and obedient sons and daughters, rather than slaves.

Because all of that is true, those who emphasize these truths, as the Reformers did, understand the Christian life to be something very different from what many Christians are used to. First, it is liberty within the bounds of God's law that forms the motivation. Fear of punishment and hope of rewards is not a motivation one will likely see intentionally articulated or followed by those who take these truths seriously. If, when I am engaged in "spiritual" activities, God smells my fear, will he not be offended rather than pleased? And if he smells my selfish lust for crowns and mansions, will he not sooner accuse me of sin than of good works?

For the Reformed believer, "grace is the essence of theology and gratitude is the essence of ethics," as the Dutch theologian G. C. Berkouwer put it. Instead of analyzing every motive, often paralyzing the exercise of good works for fear doing them "in the flesh," the believer is to serve God and neighbor simply because that is what a gracious and loving Father has commanded. It is not simply because he is all-powerful and may, therefore, command whatever he wants, but because he is all-compassionate and has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his own Son. Therefore, we belong to him--at the cost of his own blood, not to ourselves.

All of this means, too, that the Reformed believer can turn his attention from his own salvation to the salvation and welfare of others. There are so many out there who are lost and who need to hear this liberating message, the good news of freedom from sin's bondage and guilt. Furthermore, there are so many out there who are hurting, homeless, in pain or suffering, grieving, experiencing the ravages of sin--both as victims and perpetrators. That is where the Christian must be--out in the world, not stuck in a monastic community of super-spiritual zealots who want to polish each other's halo. To be sure, we need the fellowship of the saints and, more important even than that, the regular reception of Word and Sacrament, but all of this is for a life of service in the world, before the face of God.

As providence would have it, I am currently in the Book of Romans with the online Bible study that I am hosting. And, as the powers of random luck would have it I had sent out a little commentary last night on Romans 3:28. And, as Woody would have it, I will be archiving your post into the Sword starter kit on our Fortress of Solitude. And, tonight, when I get home, I might just pull a neat little ditty on the difference between Catholic & Reformed faith from the kit and adapt it to a folloup mail. After all, last night I titled my mail "Sola Fide - a Battle cry of Reformation."

That is, if the stars manage to hold their current alignment. But, you might want to say a quick prayer for me cause about a week ago I added my pastoral staff to the distribution because I am currently lobbying for a church sponsored Bible study which I hope to lead and I wanted them to see what kinds of goodies I'll be bringing in my bag for the Arminian kiddies and I hope I'm not causing too much heartburn with all this Reformed talk, Spurgeon, Piper, Henry, Gill, Westminster Confession & Geneva notes stuff.... (I'm just working 'em up to Edward's tasty treats)

Woody.

For as the Apostle Paul declares, we are Justified by Saving Faith itself apart from Good Works.

Galatians 2:16 -- Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

I find it hard to believe that you don't know what is meant by "the works of the law" and that you confuse them with the good works flowing from a Christian working in cooperation with the grace of God.

This passage is not discussing "faith v works" as we Christians do, but is contrasting the Old and New Covenants.

If you misread this one verse, what are we to make of the rest of your writings?

"This passage is not discussing "faith v works" as we Christians do, but is contrasting the Old and New Covenants.

If you misread this one verse, what are we to make of the rest of your writings?"

Ah, but Dave - you are forgetting to read the scriptures through the prism of the Institutes of the Christian Religion written by one J. Calvin.

Don't you know that his writings trump all Apostles, Popes, Patriarchs, Councils, synods, saints, martyrs, liturgy and Tradition throughout the whole of Christian history?

Scripture is so simple if you remember that one small principle - sola Calvina.

For as the Apostle Paul declares, we are Justified by Saving Faith itself apart from Good Works. Galatians 2:16 -- Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. ~~ I find it hard to believe that you don't know what is meant by "the works of the law" and that you confuse them with the good works flowing from a Christian working in cooperation with the grace of God. This passage is not discussing "faith v works" as we Christians do, but is contrasting the Old and New Covenants. If you misread this one verse, what are we to make of the rest of your writings? SD

This passage is not discussing "faith v works" as we Christians do, but is contrasting the Old and New Covenants... Hmmm.

Are you saying that Actions in accordance with God's Law, in the Old Testament, were not Good Works?
Or are you saying that Actions in accordance with God's Law, in the New Testament, are not Good Works?
Please advise.

For me, a Catholic, I feel compelled to point out that my church, that is, the CHURCH of THE APOSTLES (the authors of TRADITION with the Holy Spirit's guidance -- you know keys, Peter), The Bride of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is where literally billions¹ have placed their trust as to having the right answers to the questions which we ask in order to lead us to Him.

The Church of the Apostles is found, or NOT found, amongst Presbyters who adhere to the teachings of the Apostles, or who do NOT -- regardless of who appointed them to their positions.

Are you saying that Actions in accordance with God's Law, in the Old Testament, were not Good Works?
Or are you saying that Actions in accordance with God's Law, in the New Testament, are not Good Works?
Please advise.

I am saying that Christians who perform actions that are meritorious (feeding the hungry, comforting the afflicted, etc.) are doing something entirely different than Jews following the Law given at Sinai.

When Christians discuss faith v works, it is not about following the Law at all.

We all agree that the Law did not provide righteousness. That is what Paul is saying in the passage you misunderstand. It has nothing to do with the need for Christians to do good things in order to make their faith real and not merely an empty confession.

I am saying that Christians who perform actions that are meritorious (feeding the hungry, comforting the afflicted, etc.) are doing something entirely different than Jews following the Law given at Sinai. When Christians discuss faith v works, it is not about following the Law at all. We all agree that the Law did not provide righteousness. That is what Paul is saying in the passage you misunderstand. It has nothing to do with the need for Christians to do good things in order to make their faith real and not merely an empty confession. SD

"When Christians discuss faith v works, it is not about following the Law at all." etc.

Really? So -- are you saying that when a Christian acts in accordance with the Law of God, that is not a Good Work? Or, are you saying that when a believing Old Testament Jew acted in accordance with the Law of God, that was not a Good Work?

Let's use some specific Laws for example, from the 613 laws of the Old Testament:

LAW 195: Give charity to the poor (Lev. 25:35, 36; Deut. 15:8).
LAW 200: Pay the worker his wages on time (Deut. 24:15).
LAW 203: Help must be given to load man or beast when necessary (Deut. 22:4).
LAW 206: It is required to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Lev. 19:18).
LAW 248: The persecuted are to be rescued even if it means killing the oppressor (Num. 27:8).

Which of the above Actions would NOT be a Good Work, for a Christian? Or...
Which of the above Actions would NOT be a good work for a believing Old Testament Jew?

You say "When Christians discuss faith v works, it is not about following the Law at all" in order to escape the trap into which the Council of Trent has snared you, as regards Galatians 2:16. But I don't think you can sustain your argument -- I don't think it holds water.

Nonetheless, I'm giving you a chance to maintain your argument that "When Christians discuss faith v works, it is not about following the Law at all": I've listed 5 Laws of God above, from the Old Testament, as Test Case examples. You tell Me which of these Laws, it is not a Good Work for a Christian to practice.

Hmmm?

You seem not to be listening.

Arguing about specific actions is beside the point. The point is that the Law did not bring righteousness. That is what Paul says.

You misread this entirely to try to turn it into an anti-Roman polemic.

Is it a "good work" to refrain from pork products? Is it a "good work" to shun your wife during here menses? Is it a "good work" to sacrifice a turtledove upon your firstborn?

Christians follow the Spirit in doing good for their neighbors. Not the Law. It shouldn't take a Catholic to explain to you the difference between the Old and New Covenants. Really.

Christians following the Spirit and doing "good things" are to be rewarded and such good things are necessary for our faith to be real and for our salvation. It has nothing to do with Galatians and the verse you wrench out of context.

I'm beginning to believe you aren't pulling my leg.

You seem not to be listening. Arguing about specific actions is beside the point. The point is that the Law did not bring righteousness. That is what Paul says. You misread this entirely to try to turn it into an anti-Roman polemic.

The Old Testament Jews had Faith and Good Works.

Paul says that they were Justified by their Faith, and not by their Good Works.

'Nuff Said.

Is it a "good work" to refrain from pork products? Is it a "good work" to shun your wife during here menses? Is it a "good work" to sacrifice a turtledove upon your firstborn?

These were all Good Works to those whom they were given, for it is always a Good Work for a believer to practice the Law of God.

However, you'd have a hard time making the case that these Laws were ever given to Gentiles, or are still (after the Incarnation) binding on Jews.

However, when did "Love thy Neighbor" become irrelevant? It is a Good Work for Christians to practice this Law of God, is it not?

Christians follow the Spirit in doing good for their neighbors. Not the Law. It shouldn't take a Catholic to explain to you the difference between the Old and New Covenants. Really. Christians following the Spirit and doing "good things" are to be rewarded and such good things are necessary for our faith to be real and for our salvation. It has nothing to do with Galatians and the verse you wrench out of context. I'm beginning to believe you aren't pulling my leg. SD

When Christians do Good Works in the Spirit, they are practicing the Law of God: "Love thy Neighbor".
And when faithful Old Testament Jews practiced the Law of God in believing obedience to God, they were Following the Spirit.

Therefore, the Galatians passage is not wrenched out of context, for it has always been -- Old Testament and New -- a Good Work for the Faithful to practice the Law of God.

And, both Old Testament and New, it is their Faith which justifies, and NOT their Good Works. (Galatians 2:16)

OP, Challenging posts. I'm ill with the flu, trying to move into a new apartment, and trying to work all at the same time. Needless to say, I don't have the mental energy to formulate a reasonably intelligent response. However, I suspect that by Friday I'll be doing much better and will have a good response for you.

That's cool, take all the time you need. I myself will be travelling on business much of the day Friday; so I may have to take a day or so to answer your Friday response, in turn.

The Old Testament Jews had Faith and Good Works.

Paul says that they were Justified by their Faith, and not by their Good Works.

So you maintain that the phrase in this verse "works of the law" does not refer only to following the Old Covenant laws given at Sinai?

You consider when you "do good" to be "works of the law"?

So you maintain that the phrase in this verse "works of the law" does not refer only to following the Old Covenant laws given at Sinai? You consider when you "do good" to be "works of the law"? SD

Can a Work be Good, if it is not in accordance with the Law of God?

Whenever a Christian does a Good Work for his neighbor, he is practicing the Law of God: "LAW 206: It is required to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Lev. 19:18)."

And whenever a Christian practices the Laws of God -- to Give charity to the poor (Lev. 25:35, 36; Deut. 15:8), Pay the worker his wages on time (Deut. 24:15), Gives Help to load man or beast when necessary (Deut. 22:4), Rescues the Presecuted (Num. 27:8) -- he does Good Works.

Thus, we see again: the Old Testament Jews had both Faith and Good Works -- Works in accord with God's Law and by His Spirit; and...

Christians have both Faith and Good Works -- Works in accord with God's Law and by His Spirit; and...

Paul says that Justification is by the Faith, and not by the Good Works. (Galatians 2:16)

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