Romans 5:7-9

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

What is Reformed Theology?

Restricting one's self to the internet alone as a resource, it is actually quite difficult to find a concise definition of Reformed Theology.  It is not hard to find definitions of it that are either, partial in their scope (like the 5 points of Calvinism or "the doctrines of grace"), or voluminous (like the entire Westminster Confession of Faith. When referring to "Reformed" theology, one could also be expressing the tenets of Covenant Theology, of which Reformed Theology is actually a function, because there are those who are Covenant Theologians but who would not consider themselves "Reformed".

Perhaps one of the most helpful ways to define Reformed Theology  is also its broadest description; Reformed theology is the theology (arguably the theology presented in the Bible) regained by the 16th and 17th century Protestant Reformers.  But, by using this definition, all those who do not consider themselves "Reformed" also could not technically consider themselves "Protestant", but would more likely adopt a label such as, "non-Roman Catholic".

One also must observe that there is some debate within the "Reformed" community,as to what "Reformed" theology actually is and how it should be defined, though there are a set of fundamentals that one cannot deny and still be considered Reformed, for instance, the doctrines of grace, Covenant Theology, and a view of the sacraments as a means of grace rather than just a memorial.

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