What Is

a Reformed

Church?

What Is

a Reformed

Church?

S t e p h e n E. S m a l l m a n

© 2oo3 by Stephen E. Smallman

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Smallman', Stephen, 1940—

What is a Reformed church? / Stephen E. Smallman.

p. cm. — (Basics of the Reformed faith)

ISBN 0 - 8 7 5 5 2 - 5 9 4 - 6 (pbk.)

1. Reformed Church. I. Title. II. Series.

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2003048617

What is a Reformed church?" As the pastor of

McLean Presbyterian Church in McLean, Virginia, I was fre-

quently asked this fundamental question during my almost

thirty years there. That's where I began writing a response.

And although I am currently serving in a different setting, and

almost in a different era than when I started this project, the

question is still important to answer.

The McLean congregation started as the Bible Presbyte-

rian Church of Washington, D.C. Through various denomina-

tional splits and mergers plus a move to the suburbs, it had

become a member of the Presbyterian Church in America

(PCA) by the time I left. But having the name "Presbyterian"

over the church door didn't mean only Presbyterians came.

We welcomed people with various spiritual backgrounds, as

well as no church background at all. During the years I taught

our Inquirers Class, I learned which issues people struggled

with in understanding and appreciating core Reformed doc-

trines and traditions. I often heard,

"Could you explain to me what you mean by 'Reformed'?"

(which is another way of asking, "What is a Reformed church?").

As I write I have in mind a composite of all the people

who have asked me this question. I also have not forgotten my

own struggles with some of these issues. I am very satisfied to

call myself "Reformed," and hope you come to that same place

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R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

(although agreement with all the particulars is not a require-

ment to join the church). But the value of any tradition is that

it provides a familiar starting point; it should never give us the

feeling that we have "arrived." I hope my words will be r e -

ceived in that spirit.

A note on my use of Scripture: I often quote only a por-

tion of a Bible passage to help in understanding a point. I do

this to maintain the flow of the discussion, not to eliminate

your need for more careful study. For that reason I include a

reference and encourage you to study the series of verses near

the one quoted—what is called the context. Using parts of

verses apart from their context can prove almost anything. I

have tried to use Scripture references carefully, but you need

to study them for yourselves. The most important habit or dis-

cipline you can establish, as a follower of Christ, is to be a stu-

dent of the Bible.

H I S T O R I C A L R O O T S

The most natural starting place in thinking about R e -

formed Christianity is the Protestant Reformation. That well-

known movement grew out of efforts of committed Christians

such as Martin Luther to reform the established church of

their day, the church we call the Roman Catholic Church.

Luther had no intention of starting a new church; he merely

joined his voice to the rising chorus calling for a correction of

blatant abuses. Luther's protest rang with authority, however,

based on his own deep searching for biblical truth. He came to

the unshakable conviction that, to be faithful to the Lord, the

Church must build on the absolute authority of Scripture. It

was Scripture he wielded in calling for reform. Luther's un-

compromising stance forced him to leave the Church of Rome

in 1 5 2 0 , and the new movement was under way.

6

H i s t o r i c a l Roots

Unfortunately, a division occurred after a few years b e -

tween the new churches associated with Luther (Lutherans)

and those reforming in Switzerland and other parts of Europe,

which were labeled "Reformed" churches. The eventual

leader of the Reformed churches was the Frenchman John

Calvin, the principle teacher for the church of Geneva.

Calvin's influence was so extraordinary that even today the

terms Reformed and Calvinist are nearly synonymous. He is

usually regarded as the great systematizer of the burst of new

insights that poured forth from the leaders and teachers of the

Reformation movement.

These insights were the basis for his classic study, Insti-

tutes of the Christian Religion. The Institutes began as a tract written in 1536 to the king of France, explaining that the

"new" religion embraced by many of his subjects was in real-

ity a return to religion drawn directly from the Holy Scripture.

The tract was revised and enlarged four more times as Calvin

came to a fuller understanding of truly biblical religion. The

final edition of 1559 is still studied today. Although he was one

of the greatest thinkers in history, Calvin never claimed to be

original. In fact, he went to great lengths to avoid being origi-

nal by testing his thoughts against biblical teaching and the

views of the great Christian teachers who preceded him.

What emerged from Calvin's writing and extensive Bible

teaching was the conviction that the Bible, when allowed to

speak for itself, was internally consistent and provided a per-

spective from which every question in life could be viewed.

Calvin's classic illustration speaks of the Scripture as eye-

glasses we put on to correct our vision, which is distorted by

sin. Through these eyeglasses we gain a proper understanding

about God and the world that he created. The underlying prin-

ciple, which unified everything the Bible taught, was what

Calvin called "the knowledge of God." That term is important

7

• R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

because, for Calvin, the Bible was more than a revelation about

God—that is, a book of theology—it was also God's revelation

of himself in order that we may come to know and serve him.

Calvin's influence on the emerging leaders of the Refor-

mation was enormous. For one thing, his ability to show that

the basis for everything he taught was in Scripture gave him

immediate credibility with all who had the same high regard for

the Bible's authority. Furthermore, because of its careful and

systematic development, Calvin's principles were teachable.

The doctrine emanating from Geneva had broad appeal, chal-

lenging scholars and peasants alike. During the prime years of

Calvin's ministry, a continuous stream of zealous and gifted

young leaders found their way to Geneva to escape hostility

against Protestants in their home countries. While in Geneva

they added knowledge to their zeal and eventually returned to

their homes as careful teachers of the Word, burdened to see

their countrymen come to genuine faith in Christ and be re-

formed into a true church. These churches took different

names—Presbyterians in Scotland and Ireland; Puritans in

England; the Reformed Church in Holland, Germany, Switzer-

land, Hungary, and Poland; and Huguenots in France. Despite

national and cultural differences they became an informal

"family" of churches knit together by common teaching.

John Knox, often called the "Father of Presbyterianism,"

is a specific example of Calvin's influence. Knox fled Scotland

and then England, arriving in Geneva in 1555. He served as

pastor of the English-speaking exiles while studying under

Calvin. In 1559 he returned to Scotland to lead in the refor-

mation of his nation's church. The Church of Scotland's the-

ological development is a vital link in our Reformed heritage.

Many Scots Presbyterians immigrated to the new

colonies across the Atlantic. A number of them had first set-

tled (often by force) in Northern Ireland and were therefore

8

S c r i p t u r e D

called Scotch-Irish. Upon arriving in America, these early

Presbyterian settlers (both Scots and Scotch-Irish) concen-

trated in the southern and middle colonies as well as the fron-

tier communities. By the time of the Revolutionary War,

Presbyterians were the largest denomination in the colonies

and for the most part were enthusiastic supporters of the

break from England. Presbyterians have played a substantial

role in the spiritual and political development of the United

States.

S C R I P T U R E

Six distinctive themes come to mind when I think of

what it means to be Reformed. Some themes are shared with

other families of churches, with differing degrees of empha-

sis, and all have been and still are important to those who take

t h e i r Reformed heritage seriously. The distinctives are:

Scripture, Divine Sovereignty, The Covenant, The Law of God,

The Church, and The Kingdom of God.

We must begin with submission to Scripture as the ab-

solute authority in all matters of faith and practice. This is

based on the conviction that the Bible is nothing less than God

revealing himself in a way that could be written down and pre -

served. This conviction, in turn, is based on Jesus' teaching

about the written Scripture and confirmed by numerous pas-

sages in both Old and New Testaments. While primarily a rev-

elation of God and his plan to bring salvation to the earth, the

Bible touches, at least in principle, on every area of life and

therefore serves as the prime source for building a proper

worldview and philosophy of life.

Growing out of their conviction that the content of

Scripture could be understood and studied, the Reformed

churches have been willing to state that content in creeds and

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D R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

confessions. Among the better known of these creeds are the

Heidelberg Catechism (1563—still used by several churches

with German and Dutch backgrounds) and the Westminster

Confession of Faith and Catechisms ( 1 6 4 6 ) . The latter is the

basic confession of the Presbyterian Church. The divine i n -

spiration of Scripture was not a disputed issue in the church

when the Westminster Confession (WCF) was written. Never-

theless the authors chose to make the confession's first chap-

ter "Of the Holy Scriptures." They correctly perceived that

unless God's people have an absolutely trustworthy source of

revelation, then there is no point in making claims of truth or

rightness for any doctrinal or moral teaching that follows. In

that perception they laid the foundation for the church of our

day to have a place to stand.

Today, in the first years of a new millennium, a multitude

of issues are challenging the church, to say nothing of the

chaos in our society as a whole. How shall we deal with matters

such as sexual orientation, feminism, racism, environmen-

talism, human cloning, and genetic experimentation? At the

root of these and other issues is the question, "Must we figure

out these things for ourselves or do we have a word from

God?" And we do! God has revealed his will in the Bible. Ig-

nore that fundamental truth and the church will flounder, as

is clearly happening to churches that deny the final authority

of Scripture.

Even among those committed to an evangelical position,

there is some dispute over Scripture. It concerns the inerrancy

of Scripture, or the belief that Scripture as originally written

down by the inspired authors is without error. Though we a c -

cept the Bible as our only authority for faith and practice,

some see no need to insist that every detail of the Bible is a c -

curate. Some also say that God inspired the thoughts, but the

actual words written down are not so important.

10

We must, of course, acknowledge the many gaps in our

understanding of the Bible. But that is a problem of our l i m -

ited knowledge, not the accuracy of the texts. Furthermore,

correctly interpreting the Bible's teachings is not a simple

task. But the starting place must be that "all Scripture is God-

breathed" and therefore completely trustworthy, "useful for

teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every

good work" (2 Tim. 3:16—17).

The Calvinist teaching about Scripture emphasizes that

the "witness of the Spirit," rather than rational proofs, estab-

lishes the authority of Scripture. This means we finally submit

to the Bible because the Holy Spirit within us bears witness to

it as a Spirit-given Book. No one can be argued into accepting

the Bible as God's Word (WCF 1 . 5 ) . But it is wrong to conclude

from that teaching that Calvin or the Reformed churches have

been indifferent about Scripture's accuracy itself. The Spirit

bears witness to a Book that has come from God whose very

essence is truth.

T H E S O V E R E I G N T Y O F G O D

The first essential fact of life, as clearly set forth in

Scripture, is the existence of God and his supremacy in all

things. The common term for this is the sovereignty of God. God

is not only sovereign by virtue of having created all things, but

because he continues to actively rule his creation—this is

called providence. God's sovereign rule extends to his most

unique creation, humans. The Bible never explains how hu-

mans are free and responsible for their choices and at the

same time bound to fulfill God's ultimate purposes. This is

one of life's great paradoxes: we make our own choices every

day and still have a sense that God's hand is over all things.

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• R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

In Providence

Consider such passages as Genesis 50:19—30 (review

Joseph's whole story in Gen. 37—50); Isaiah 45:5—25; 46:8—13;

Daniel 4; John 6:35—40; Acts 2:23; 3:17—18; 4:27—28.

But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the

place of God? You intended to harm me, but God i n -

tended it for g o o d . . . . (Gen. 50:19—20)

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is

none like me. . . . I say: My purpose will stand, and I

will do all that I p l e a s e . . . . What I have said, that will I

bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. (Isa.

4 6 : 9 - 1 1 )

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and who-

ever comes to me I will never drive away. (John 6:37)

This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose

and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked

men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But

God raised him from the d e a d . . . . (Acts 2:23)

Notice that side by side are human responsibility and di-

vine sovereignty. Reformed teaching has been willing to let

the Bible speak on this matter and not be embarrassed that it

leaves many questions unanswered. The doctrine that God is

sovereign and actively ruling his creation is at least affirmed

by all of the Christian church, but it has been particularly

identified with Reformed believers. Not surprisingly, those

who espouse humanism, built on the foundation of human

autonomy, have despised the idea that mankind is not au-

tonomous. In fact God laughs at the human race's efforts to

1 2

T h e S o v e r e i g n t y o f G o d D

rebel (Ps. 2), because even their arrogance and evil are used to

accomplish God's own purposes (Isa. 10:5—19). In their ef-

forts to escape facing the issue of their standing before God,

humanists have attacked the source of that teaching, begin-

ning with the Bible itself and moving on to its teachers, par-

ticularly Calvin, the Puritans, and others in the Reformed

tradition.

In Salvation

The aspect of God's sovereign purposes that elicits a

great deal of discussion is the teaching that God has chosen

those who will receive salvation. This is probably best sum-

marized in Jonah's words from the great fish's belly: "Salva-

tion comes from the LORD" (Jonah 3 : 9 ) . I f we are to be saved it

is because God came seeking us, not because we seek him. The

angel told Joseph to call his child Jesus "because he will save

his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:2,1). Later, Jesus himself

said, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost"

(Luke 19:10).

The biblical term for this is election. This is first intro-

duced in the Old Testament with the nation Israel's election to

be God's holy (set apart) people. His choice was not due to any

virtue within Israel, but strictly because of God's eternal pur-

poses and covenant (Deut. 7:6—11; Rom. 9).

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The

LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on

the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured

possession. The LORD did not set his affection on you

and choose you because you were more numerous than

other peoples, for you were the fewest of all the peo-

ples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the

oath he swore to your forefathers.... (Deut. 7:6—8)

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R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

To be sure, God's election of Israel was to use them to

bless the whole world (Gen. 12:1—3), but the Bible is very clear

that God chose that nation over all the nations of the world. In

the New Testament teaching, God's elect people are no longer

a nation but the church of Jesus Christ. God predestined (a

word used to describe God's work of election) that multitudes

of every tribe and nation would come to trust in the Savior J e -

sus Christ, and become God's people (Rom. 8:29—3o; 11:1—6,

22—36; Eph. 1:3—14; 2:19—22; Col. 1:9—2:17; 1 Peter 1:1—2; 2 7 - 1 0 ) .

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus

Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with

every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in

him before the creation of the world to be holy and

blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be

adopted as bis sons through Jesus Christ, in accor-

dance with his pleasure and w i l l . . . . (Eph. 1:3—5)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy

nation, a people belonging to God, that you may de-

clare the praises of him who called you out of darkness

into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

But God has done more than ordain the grand design, to

be accomplished through his Son's work on the cross. He

comes in the person of the Holy Spirit to those whom he has

chosen to actually apply salvation to them personally. He

raises them from death to life (Eph. 2 : 1 - 5 ) . unites them spir-

itually to Christ (Eph. 2:6—7), enables them to reach out in

faith to Jesus Christ for salvation (Eph. 2:8—9), and gives them

a whole new life of purpose and service (Eph. 2:10). Each per-

son of the Holy Trinity has a role in our salvation.

1 4

T h e S o v e r e i g n t y o f G o d

To God's elect, strangers in the world . . . who have

been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God

the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,

for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his

blood . . . (1 Peter 1:1—2)

And that is what some of you were. But you were

washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the

name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our

God. (1 Cor. 6 : 1 1 )

This is the essence of the great theme of the Reforma-

tion, salvation by grace alone, through faith alone. No wonder we

love to sing,

Amazing grace—how sweet the sound,

that saved a wretch like me;

I once was lost, but now I'm found,

was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

and grace my fears relieved;

how precious did that grace appear,

the hour I first believed.

—John Newton

I realize that these seem to be paradoxical ideas, and r e -

quire some careful thought. That is why I have cited a number

of Scripture passages and encourage you to stop and read

them carefully. The issue should not be whether we like an

idea, but whether that idea is taught in Scripture. Knowing

that it is God who saves us is ultimately a great comfort. If you

are still coming to faith, you can know that God is more pow-

erful than even the hardest heart, and he can overcome your

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D R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

stubbornness. And if you are a believer, it means you are "in

Christ" and cradled in the almighty care of the eternal God of

grace. Those who are now united to Christ are to understand

that what has happened to them was planned by God before

the creation of the world—and if God be for us, who can be

against us! (See Rom. 8:28—39.)

Here I would like to add a personal word. In my own pil-

grimage as a new Christian trying to read and understand the

Bible, I kept coming across passages such as the ones cited

above. When I would ask what the words predestination. or elec-

tion meant, I would get cautious looks and explanations of

what they didn't mean, but never a straightforward and posi-

tive explanation. Being forced to think through the teaching

by myself, I began to find great joy and reassurance in the idea

that God was in complete control and that in my case, for i n -

stance, my experience of coming to know Christ was no acci-

dent. God loved me! The God of the Universe had taken a

personal interest in me and had brought me step by step to the

point where I desired to trust Christ and did so.

The practical result of this new awareness of predesti-

nation was that my mind began to move from thinking about

myself to thinking more about God. In my Christian life this

meant that instead of great anxiety and feelings of inade-

quacy about my performance as a Christian, I grew more and

more secure in my relationship with him—because it was a

relationship based on his love and grace, not on my works.

Not long after these personal discoveries I began the study

of systematic theology and church history, and learned that

my newfound convictions about the "doctrines of grace," as

they are called, were not unique to me. They were at the

heart of the theology of the great family of Reformed

churches. Since I was already spiritually a member of that

family, I became one officially by becoming a Presbyterian—

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T h e C o v e n a n t

and have been proclaiming these doctrines for all the years

of my ministry.

T H E C O V E N A N T

A third distinctive of Reformed churches is their view of

the Bible as a whole. The Old and New Testaments reveal

God's unified plan, usually spoken of as the Covenant, or the

Covenant of Grace. The essence of the Covenant, as expressed

throughout the Bible, is God's statement to his people: I will be

your God and you will be my people. This is found, literally, from

Genesis to Revelation (Gen. 17:7—8; Jer. 3 1 : 3 3 ; 2, Cor. 6:16;

Rev. 2,1:3). This is not a request ("Would you like me to be your

God?") or a wish ("I would like to become your God."), but an

affirmation of what God will do because of his nature as the

God of mercy and grace. The development of the Covenant

moves systematically from Creation, to the Fall of mankind, to

Redemption (another word for salvation) when God acts to

restore what the first man and woman gave up when they

sinned. From the early chapters of Genesis the great redemp-

tive plan of God is unfolded in stages—first through a family

(Abraham), then through a nation (Moses and David), and fi-

nally completed in Jesus himself (through his death and res-

urrection) and offered to the world.

With this viewpoint, the Reformed church has always

stressed that the Old Testament is not simply a Jewish book,

full of interesting stories and prophecies of a future Jewish

kingdom. Rather, it is an earlier formulation of the same truth

found in the New Testament. Jesus did not start over. He sim-

ply brought to fulfillment what had already been established

under Abraham and Moses. Such key themes as salvation by

grace alone, the necessity of blood atonement, and the church

as a gathering of redeemed people (including their children)

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• R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

are all Old Testament concepts brought to FULFILLMENT in the

person and work of Christ. (The New Testament book of He-

brews is a study of this truth.) The privileges extended to God's

people under the "surpassing glory" of the new covenant (2 Cor.

3:7—18) were only shadows in the Old Testament.

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was en-

graved in letters on stone, came with g l o r y . . . will not

the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? . ..

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the

Lord is, there is freedom, (2 Cor. 3:7—8,17)

The remaining distinctives could be listed as sub-points

under this idea of the Covenant, since it is the key that pro-

vides a proper perspective for almost every biblical teaching.

T H E L A W OF G O D

The Reformed churches have always placed great stress

on the value of the Law for believer and unbeliever alike. What

is the Law? Law is what God reveals that we are to do for him.

The most essential elements of God's Law are embodied in the

Ten Commandments, and are usually spoken of as the moral

law to distinguish them from the civil and ceremonial laws. In

Scripture these commandments are identified as the "ten

words" (the Hebrew word translated commandment means lit-

erally word, as in Deut. 4:13: "He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments"). This suggests that we should r e -

gard the commandments as foundational principles rather

than just a list of ten rules. In teaching the Law, Reformed

Christians among others have further distilled the "ten" to

show that their essence is to love God with all our heart, mind,

and soul (Deut. 6:5), and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Lev.

1 8

T h e L a w of G o d

1 9 : 1 8 ) . These two Old Testament commands were cited t o -

gether by Jesus as the essence of the Law (Matt. 22:34—40) and

by Paul as the fulfillment of the Law (Rom. 13:8-1o). Therefore

Law and Love are not in opposition but are complementary.

Traditionally the Reformed church has taught three uses

of the Law:

The Law's First Use

The first use is for society in general. The moral law can

be viewed as God's revelation of the best way for mankind to

live. In this sense it does not change a person's spiritual con-

dition, but it is very useful in ordering human society and r e -

straining lawlessness. Political and social involvement of

Reformed Christians has grown out of an appreciation of this

first use of the Law and a desire to be helpful to all people in

building a just society.

The Old Testament includes extensive application of the

moral law to Israel's civic and social life. Great wisdom can be

gained by studying this law, but, except for the moral princi-

ples behind them, the civil laws are not to be applied to soci-

eties today (WCF 1 9 . 4 ) .

The Law's Second Use

The second use has to do with showing us our need of a

savior. Salvation is most commonly seen as a prize given to

those who are good enough. In truth, we can never be "good

enough," but we must become convinced of this. In the

process of awakening us to our need, the Lord uses the moral

law to show us how completely impossible it is to deserve sal-

vation. We can only repent and turn to Christ for mercy as he

is revealed in the Gospel. (In contrast to Law, Gospel is the

revelation of what God has done for us—the good news of

Christ's coming to bring salvation.) In Romans Paul develops

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R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

this second use of the Law (chaps. 1—3), then explains how

Christ did what we could not and would not do for ourselves

(chaps. 3—8). So the Law leads us to the Gospel.

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight

by observing the law; rather, through the law we become

conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God,

apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law

and the Prophets [the Old Testament] testify. This righ-

teousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ

to all who believe [the G o s p e l ] . . . . (Rom. 3:2o—22)

Once we believe the Gospel, the Law continues to show

how much we need to find hope in Jesus alone. Our need of the

Gospel continues beyond our need at the place of conversion.

In fact, after becoming believers we will discover more than

we ever realized how far short we fall of God's holy standards.

Martin Luther spoke of our need to preach the Gospel to our-

selves every day. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus . . . " (Rom. 8:1).

Here's one application of the principle of Law leading to

Gospel: It has been my practice to lead the congregation in

reading the Ten Commandments as part of the preparation for

Communion. Again and again the Law brings us to repentance

and that leads us to affirm, by receiving the Lord's Supper, our

faith in Christ alone who came and died for us.

Let us love and sing and wonder,

let us praise the Savior's name!

He has hushed the law's loud thunder,

he has quenched Mt. Sinai's flame:

He has washed us with his blood,

he has brought us nigh to God.

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T h e C h u r c h D

Let us wonder, grace and justice

join and point to mercy's store;

When through grace, in Christ our trust is,

justice smiles and asks no more:

He who washed us with his blood

has secured our way to God.

—John Newton

The Law's Third Use

The third use is for the Christian. Once our hearts have been

changed by the work of the Holy Spirit, and there is a God-given

desire for obedience, the Law offers the believer an outline of the

new way of life that the Lord asks of his people. In many respects

the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5 - 7 ) is a restatement of the Law,

but with Jesus himself as the actual fulfillment of the "greater

righteousness" that he called for. We must keep in mind that the

Christian's fundamental goal is to love and follow Jesus. Obedi-

ence to the Law is invaluable in giving that practical meaning, but

our core passion must be to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Col.

3:1—5; Heb. 12:1—5). The Sermon on the Mount was given to those

who were already Jesus' disciples, just as the Ten Commandments

were given after God redeemed his people from Egypt. In Jere-

miah the Lord promised, "I will put my law in their minds and

write it on their hearts" (31:33). Under the new covenant (estab-

lished by Jesus), the Law would be written on the heart instead of

stone. But there is no suggestion that the Law would be removed.

Therefore this third use of the Law is not blind legalism but in-

stead it is recognition of the proper spirit of obedience.

T H E C H U R C H

The Reformed churches are distinct in their under-

standing that the church is found in the Old Testament as well

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D R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

as the New. This is what the unity of the Covenant means. "The

people of God" or the "elect people" or a "nation of priests"

are only a few of the terms used of God's church built on the

foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:19—22; 1 Pe-

ter 2:9—10). The gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost

began a new era for the church, but the foundations were al-

ready laid. Two areas in which the implications of this convic-

tion can be seen are church government and sacraments.

Government

The church is first of all an organism, a living Body whose

Head is Christ, energized by the Holy Spirit. It is in this fellow-

ship that believers serve and encourage one another to spiritual

maturity (Eph. 4:1—16), and it is from this fellowship that they

go into the world in Jesus' name (John 20:21; 1 Thess. 1:4—8).

But the church is also a visible assembly, an organization

(in Greek ecclesia, from which we get terms like ecclesiastical).

In the Old Testament this organization was led by elders, and

the New Testament church follows that pattern. New Testa-

ment congregations had several elders (Acts 20:17; Titus

1:5—9) chosen from among the members. The elders are

called overseers (or bishops) in other passages (Acts 20:28; Phil.

1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1—7).

As the Christian church developed, these concepts were

laid aside as the clergy gained more and more power. When

Calvin was reforming the church of Geneva, one of his great

interests was church government. He believed the church

should be ruled in a manner conforming to the biblical pat-

tern rather than bowing to expediency. He made a radical de-

parture from the prevailing pattern of his day by

reintroducing lay elders who helped to govern the church. He

called ministers teachers or pastors instead of priests. Later the titles ruling elder and teaching elder replaced lay elder and min-22

T h e C h u r c h

ister. Leadership by elders, or presbyterianism (from presbyter,

the Greek word for elder) has been the pattern followed by all

Reformed churches since then.

Calvin and the Reformed churches also placed great em-

phasis on the ministry of deacons (Acts 6:1—7; 1 Tim. 3:8—13). In the Reformed tradition deacons are those set apart to help extend mercy to the needy of the church and the larger commu-

nity. The entire congregation should be involved in ministries

of mercy, but it is the deacons who give leadership in this area.

Following Calvin's lead, the Reformed churches hold

that a visible church unity beyond the local congregation is

necessary. The church is more than a local body. For this rea-

son, Reformed churches reject the idea of independent con-

gregations. But they also do not believe churches should form

a hierarchy led by a pope or bishop. The church gathers re-

gionally (usually called presbytery) or all together (Synod or

General Assembly) to deal with matters affecting the whole

church, as the early church did in Acts 1 5 . They decide about

various matters after prayer and discussion among them-

selves, with the final authority being the Holy Spirit speaking

through the truth of Scripture.

It is important to note that the Reformed emphasis on

visible unity was applied to the true church of Jesus Christ.

This was a vital issue for the Reformers who wrestled with the

accusation that they were sinful (a sin called schism) for leav-

ing the Roman Catholic Church. Eventually they evolved three

"Marks of the Church" to discern between the true church and

the false church. These marks are: 1) the faithful preaching of

the Word, 3) proper administration of the sacraments, and 3)

the administration of church discipline. These may not be the

only marks of a true church, but they were important in help-

ing the church of that day to deal with true and false doctrine.

This is part of our Reformation heritage. And the radical

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R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

protest of separating from a church because of the over-

whelming presence of false teaching is an issue that many

wrestle with in our time.

Facing up to what it means for a church to deny its own

faith, and how to deal with false teachers and deceivers, is not a

new issue (Matt. 7:15—23; 2 Tim. 3:1—17; 2 Peter 2:1—12; 3:1—18).

This has been an issue from the beginning, and is still with us.

Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this,

be on your guard so that you may not be carried away

by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure

position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our

Lord and Savior Jesus C h r i s t . . . . (2 Peter 3:17—18)

We observe two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's

Supper. The Roman Catholic Church practices seven sacra-

ments; we believe Jesus established only these two. Each

sacrament echoes an Old Testament practice or observance.

In understanding the sacraments, Reformed churches

take a moderate position between two poles. One view holds

that God actually communicates grace through the sacrament

itself: the water of baptism washes away sin and the elements

of communion actually or spiritually become the blood and

flesh of Christ. The second view denies any grace to the sacra-

ments and thinks of them as memorials. But the Bible gives

them too exalted a place to do that (1 Cor. 10:16—17; Gal. 3:27).

Instead, in Reformed doctrine they are sacraments (some-

thing sacred) and are called means of grace, meaning that in a

spiritual but very real sense, the Lord blesses those who r e -

ceive them by faith. Just as the Bible and prayer are vehicles

through which God works in believers' lives to build them up

in faith, so also are the sacraments. And as the power and ef-

fectiveness of the Bible and prayer are entirely dependent

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T h e C h u r c h

upon the Holy Spirit's working, so also is the power and effec-

tiveness of the sacraments.

Baptism

In the Old Testament the rite of initiation into the com-

munity of God's people was circumcision. It was performed

once and marked the person as a member. A male born into

the community was circumcised as a child, while an "out-

sider" was circumcised upon joining, whatever his age. In the

New Testament, circumcision was replaced by baptism with

water (Col. 2 : 1 1 — 1 2 ) . It was an outward mark of initiation (for

both men and women) into the community of believers—a

sign and seal of God's covenant mercy, which he promised to

pass from generation to generation (Isa. 5 9 : 2 1 ) . Parents who

are already believers claim this mercy for their children by

bringing them to be baptized, and "outsiders" claim this

mercy for themselves when they profess faith and are bap -

tized. On the day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter appears to be

inviting parents to bring their children with them when they

repent and present themselves for baptism: "Repent and be

baptized, every one of y o u . . . . The promise is for you and your

children and for all who are far o f f . . . " (Acts 2:38—39).

Coming from a religious background that did not practice

baptism of children, I had trouble with this idea at first because

I was looking for a text that commanded it. However, once I re -

alized how the baptizing of believers' children was a fulfillment

of the Old Testament covenant principle (the whole family as

part of a covenant community), it was natural to expect that in

the New Testament whole families and households would be

baptized for the same reason. And that is just what Scripture

records (Acts 1 6 : 1 5 , 3 3 ; 1 Cor. 1:16). We frequently use the term

covenant children to remind ourselves of the privileges and re-

sponsibilities of including these children in the church.

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• R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

I should also add that Reformed churches have never

taught that one method of baptism alone is the way to baptize.

Most pastors either sprinkle the water (as a sign of the sprin-

kling of blood), or pour it over the head (a sign of the out-

pouring of the Holy Spirit). But many do not object to

immersion (a symbol of death and resurrection) when r e -

quested.

Communion

The other sacrament, communion (also called the Lord's

Supper), has its Old Testament counterpart in the Passover

meal. Unlike circumcision, Passover was to be repeated every

year as a celebration of the redemption that came through the

death of a lamb (Exod. 1 2 ) . It is no coincidence that it was the

time of Passover when Jesus, the Lamb of God, inaugurated a

similar meal to be repeated often. We are to do this not only to

remember his coming in the flesh (bread) and his sacrificial

death (wine), but also to have communion with him in a spir-

itual yet real way (1 Cor. 10:16—17; 11:23—34). The meal thus

serves as a constant means of spiritual renewal. Passover was

celebrated in the family. Under the new covenant the Lord's

Supper is celebrated by the church family, and those who have

been baptized and have publicly confessed Christ are welcome

to participate.

The communion service is the basis for a great deal of the

church's spiritual life. After examination by the elders, a can-

didate for membership is received as a "communicant" mem-

ber. The welcome to receive communion is an expression of

the elders' conviction that the member is a genuine believer.

Baptized children need to make such a confession of faith to

the elders before they take communion. Unfortunately there

are occasions when members seem to demonstrate that they

are not believers. Of course, no one can see into the heart, but

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T h e K i n g d o m of G o d when behavior is radically contrary to biblical teaching, the elders must seek to correct. This is called church discipline. If

members refuse the elders' discipline, the most severe

penalty a church can impose is excommunication. Communion

is withheld as a testimony to persons that they should not con-

sider themselves believers.

T H E K I N G D O M O F G O D

The Covenant of Grace is a promise that God himself will

come to earth to reverse sin's effects so that justice and righ-

teousness once more prevail on earth. The word for this

restoration is shalom, usually translated peace. The anticipa-tion of God's coming and the age of peace grows more intense

as the Old Testament unfolds, as prophets speak of a King and

his Kingdom (Isa. 9:1—7; 11:1—9). Clearly Jesus was that King

(.Christ is the Greek word for Messiah, which means "anointed one") and his coming established God's Kingdom on the earth

(Luke 2:10—14; 4 : 1 4 — 2 1 , 4 3 ) . We await the fullness of the Kingdom when Christ will come again in all of his power and glory.

• But in Christ's person and work the Kingdom has come, and

through the power of the Holy Spirit the Kingdom is coming as

the Gospel goes forth, churches are planted, more people

trust in Christ, and Christian people live as salt and light.

Reformed teachers speak of the Kingdom as "already and

not yet" to describe the day in which we now live. So as we

center our lives in Jesus, build up the Church, take the good

news of Jesus to others, minister to the needy, act as peace-

makers, and raise our children to follow Christ, we are follow-

ing a kingdom calling. A firm grasp of God's Kingdom

purposes and confidence in the triumph of Christ energized

many of the great revival and missions movements in church

history. This is a distinctly different emphasis than attempts

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D R e f o r m e d C h u r c h

to link the Kingdom of God to the efforts of earthly govern-

ments, or the idea that the Kingdom is a future Jewish king-

dom, as taught in the popular Left Behind novels.

To speak of the Kingdom is a constant reminder that

God's plan is greater than personal salvation, as wonderful as

that is. The coming of Christ meant "glory to God in the high-

est, and on earth peace . . . " (Luke 2 : 1 4 ) . Through Christ God

was pleased "to reconcile to himself all things, whether things

on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his

blood, shed on the cross" (Col. 1 : 2 0 ) . Therefore to be thor-

oughly Christian and biblical we must go beyond our personal

salvation in Christ to at least make beginnings in bringing

peace and reconciliation to this broken world. This is God's

world and we must not retreat from it. We pray, "Thy kingdom

come; thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6 : 1 0

K J V ) , but until the final day we also must be seeking first the

Kingdom and living out our prayer with our actions.

I hope what I have written about the Reformed church

gives you a desire to learn more, not simply from a perspective

of historical interest, but with a desire to emulate the best

things in our heritage. The Reformers themselves taught that

true reform is never finished—a Reformed church will be con-

tinually reforming (semper reformanda). Therefore if we are

true to our heritage, we will appreciate the wonderful founda-

tion given us, yet not live in the past. God is the same, his

Word is eternal truth, but our world is changing. We must be

open to new ways of speaking to the world about the God who

is our Rock. To him alone belongs the Glory!

I offer my heart to Thee, 0 Lord,

promptly and sincerely.

—John Calvin

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