What do you mean by Reformed?

We chose to put Reformed into the name of our church in recognition of where we, 

as Christians have come from, and to remind us the that task of reformation is always ongoing. 


To put it bluntly, if you are not Roman Catholic, you are reformed, since every denomination in Europe, England, and the Americas was birthed out of the reformation. 


What is the Reformation?  

Philip Schaff, a noted church historian, writes: “The Reformation of the sixteenth century is, next to the introduction of Christianity, the greatest event in history. It marks the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times. Starting from religion, it gave, directly or indirectly, a mighty impulse to every forward movement, and made Protestantism the chief propelling force in the history of modern civilization.” 


The Reformation was, at its heart, a recovery of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Under the rule of the Roman Catholics, the Bible had been made a closed book, being illegal to print or own in any language other that Latin, Hebrew or Greek. Because of this, spiritual ignorance ruled the minds of the people. The gospel was perverted by idol worship and tranditions, personal holiness was replaced with indulgences. 

Historian Stephen Nichols says of the reformers “They saw their efforts as rediscovery. They weren’t making something from scratch but were reviving what had become dead. They looked back to the Bible and to the apostolic era, as well as to early church fathers such as Augustine (354–430) for the mold by which they could shape the church and re-form it. 

The Reformers had a saying, 

‘Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda,’ meaning ‘the church reformed, always reforming.’” 

Sola Scriptura emphasizes the Bible alone as the source of authority for Christians. By saying, “Scripture alone,” the Reformers rejected both the divine authority of the Roman Catholic Pope and confidence in sacred tradition. Only the Bible was “inspired by God” (2 Peter 1:20-21) and “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Anything taught by the Pope or in tradition that contradicted the Bible was to be rejected. Sola scriptura also fueled the translation of the Bible into all common languages, including, German, French, and English. We hold that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, in its original autograph to be infallible, innerant and has to be the litmus test for everything in the life of the Church and every Christian. 

'Thus says the Lord' and nothing more. 

Sola fide emphasizes salvation as a free gift. The Roman Catholics emphasized the use of indulgences (donating money) to buy status  and preforgiveness for sin with God. Good works, including baptism, were seen as required for salvation. Sola fide states that salvation is a free gift to all who accept it by faith (John 3:16). Salvation is not based on any human effort or good deed, which includes deciding to follow Christ (Ephesians 2:9). 

Sola gratia: grace alone

Sola gratia emphasizes grace as the reason for our salvation. In other words, salvation comes from what God has done rather than what we do. Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Outside of the grace of God, it is impossible to be saved (John 6:44) since we are all dead in our tresspasses and sins. (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Solo Christo (sometimes listed as Solus Christus, “through Christ alone”) emphasizes Jesus as the only means to salvation (Acts 4:12). The Roman Catholics place church leaders such as priests in the role of intercessor between man and God. The reformers emphasized Jesus’ role as our  only “high priest” who intercedes on our behalf before the Father (Hebrews 4:15).  Jesus (the God man), is the  only One through whom anyone can attain access to God, not a human spiritual leader.