As you may have noticed, the name of my blog is "Always Reforming." That may confuse some of you, considering that I often express opinions that good Reformed folks would never espouse, but I am Reformed and do appreciate that heritage. I have blogged in the past about my apprehension at using that term, why I continue to use it, and what I believe truly makes someone Reformed, so I don't want to rehash those things today. What I want to do is to take note of the significant anniversary that is coming up at the end of the month and to give a few thoughts on the enduring importance of the Reformation.
This Halloween, which Reformed people know as Reformation Day, will mark the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Church at Wittenberg (I will ignore the irony of Reformed guys, who widely express a dislike for man-made religious holidays, geeking out about this milestone). This anniversary is an important event and a good opportunity to reflect upon God's handiwork. One of Western Christianity's greatest crimes is failing to appreciate her spiritual heritage, so we should take every opportunity to learn about and remember Church history. It's important to remember, however, that when we commemorate such a seminal event in Reformed history, we are not simply honoring our spiritual forefathers and the sacrifices that they made on behalf of truth; we are honoring the work of God in purifying His Church. We are acknowledging and praising God for what His Spirit accomplished in and through the Reformers.
The greatest commemoration of the Reformation is, of course, sustaining the movement. We properly honor the Reformers when we maintain their emphases and follow the faith handed down to us through subsequent generations. I think many conservative Reformed Christians would wholeheartedly grant those last two sentences an "Amen!" (well, not openly, but they would inside--that's a little too charismatic). They read the writings of the Reformers and hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith. They name their kids "Calvin" and celebrate Reformation Day. That is all good and well, but that is not enough. It is important to maintain the doctrinal standards of the Reformation, but that is only half of what it means to honor the tradition of the Reformers. We must also imitate their attitudes if we would claim to be their spiritual heirs. It is not enough to recapitulate their dogma; we must reflect their spirit.
What was the spirit of the Reformation? I'm sure there are many answers to that question, but one stands out above all the rest: faithfulness to the Word of God. The Reformers refused to bind their consciences by the traditions of men unless those traditions aligned with the Word of God. Furthermore, they refused to believe that the authority of the Word rested upon the authority of the Church. Finally, they refused to accept that the Roman Catholic Church, corrupt and astray, was the only authoritative interpreter of the Word. Every man, they believed, should have access to the Word of God and should study it personally. All the doctrinal emphases of the Reformation flow from this foundational principle: God's Word over the traditions of men.
It is on just this point that I worry some of my Reformed brethren have abandoned the Reformers. They follow the doctrines of the Reformation, but not the spirit. Now, one of those doctrines is Sola Scriptura, so, of course, they do follow that spirit theoretically. In practice, however, Reformed traditions have been known to become just as binding as Roman Catholic "Tradition" ever was. Interpreting the Bible in a way that supports your traditions (we call that eisegesis) doesn't make you any more Scriptural than the Roman Catholics with their papal infallibility and "ecumenical" councils. At least they're honest when they admit that Church Tradition is the ultimate basis for many of their positions. We Reformed folks would never knowingly base our views on tradition, but I've seen it done time and time again. Too many times beliefs are based on logical deductions, known as "good and necessary consequence," which basically means exegetical mazes that you can only traverse successfully if you already accept the final destination. When we accept the word of Reformed teachers even when it doesn't align with Scripture, we have abandoned the Reformation.
Remember, the Reformers were not monolithic. They were united, not by a dogmatic statement of ultimate truth, but by adherence to the ultimate standard of ascertaining that truth--the Word of God. The Reformers were not perfect. They did not arrive at all truth. No era of the Church can say that their grasp of God's Word is complete and should be immortalized for all time as the authoritative interpretation of God's Word. Our understanding of the Word of God should continue to grow, both as individuals and as the Church of Jesus Christ. New heresies require new clarifications. New social issues require new applications of the Word to specific situations. We must maintain the faith that has been handed down to us, but we must make sure that we are not replacing one set of traditions with another.
So, this Reformation Day, we should celebrate what God has done for His people through the bravery and acumen of the Reformers. Remember, however, to commemorate both the doctrine and the spirit of this important movement. Imbibing doctrine blindly, even correct doctrine, does injustice to both the Reformation and to the men who started it.
This Halloween, which Reformed people know as Reformation Day, will mark the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Church at Wittenberg (I will ignore the irony of Reformed guys, who widely express a dislike for man-made religious holidays, geeking out about this milestone). This anniversary is an important event and a good opportunity to reflect upon God's handiwork. One of Western Christianity's greatest crimes is failing to appreciate her spiritual heritage, so we should take every opportunity to learn about and remember Church history. It's important to remember, however, that when we commemorate such a seminal event in Reformed history, we are not simply honoring our spiritual forefathers and the sacrifices that they made on behalf of truth; we are honoring the work of God in purifying His Church. We are acknowledging and praising God for what His Spirit accomplished in and through the Reformers.
The greatest commemoration of the Reformation is, of course, sustaining the movement. We properly honor the Reformers when we maintain their emphases and follow the faith handed down to us through subsequent generations. I think many conservative Reformed Christians would wholeheartedly grant those last two sentences an "Amen!" (well, not openly, but they would inside--that's a little too charismatic). They read the writings of the Reformers and hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith. They name their kids "Calvin" and celebrate Reformation Day. That is all good and well, but that is not enough. It is important to maintain the doctrinal standards of the Reformation, but that is only half of what it means to honor the tradition of the Reformers. We must also imitate their attitudes if we would claim to be their spiritual heirs. It is not enough to recapitulate their dogma; we must reflect their spirit.
What was the spirit of the Reformation? I'm sure there are many answers to that question, but one stands out above all the rest: faithfulness to the Word of God. The Reformers refused to bind their consciences by the traditions of men unless those traditions aligned with the Word of God. Furthermore, they refused to believe that the authority of the Word rested upon the authority of the Church. Finally, they refused to accept that the Roman Catholic Church, corrupt and astray, was the only authoritative interpreter of the Word. Every man, they believed, should have access to the Word of God and should study it personally. All the doctrinal emphases of the Reformation flow from this foundational principle: God's Word over the traditions of men.
It is on just this point that I worry some of my Reformed brethren have abandoned the Reformers. They follow the doctrines of the Reformation, but not the spirit. Now, one of those doctrines is Sola Scriptura, so, of course, they do follow that spirit theoretically. In practice, however, Reformed traditions have been known to become just as binding as Roman Catholic "Tradition" ever was. Interpreting the Bible in a way that supports your traditions (we call that eisegesis) doesn't make you any more Scriptural than the Roman Catholics with their papal infallibility and "ecumenical" councils. At least they're honest when they admit that Church Tradition is the ultimate basis for many of their positions. We Reformed folks would never knowingly base our views on tradition, but I've seen it done time and time again. Too many times beliefs are based on logical deductions, known as "good and necessary consequence," which basically means exegetical mazes that you can only traverse successfully if you already accept the final destination. When we accept the word of Reformed teachers even when it doesn't align with Scripture, we have abandoned the Reformation.
Remember, the Reformers were not monolithic. They were united, not by a dogmatic statement of ultimate truth, but by adherence to the ultimate standard of ascertaining that truth--the Word of God. The Reformers were not perfect. They did not arrive at all truth. No era of the Church can say that their grasp of God's Word is complete and should be immortalized for all time as the authoritative interpretation of God's Word. Our understanding of the Word of God should continue to grow, both as individuals and as the Church of Jesus Christ. New heresies require new clarifications. New social issues require new applications of the Word to specific situations. We must maintain the faith that has been handed down to us, but we must make sure that we are not replacing one set of traditions with another.
So, this Reformation Day, we should celebrate what God has done for His people through the bravery and acumen of the Reformers. Remember, however, to commemorate both the doctrine and the spirit of this important movement. Imbibing doctrine blindly, even correct doctrine, does injustice to both the Reformation and to the men who started it.
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