Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct 1982

Contributor - Henry Van Essen

Title - Reformation: What Does It Mean to be Reformed?

Topic - Reformation

The Editorial Committee of Pioneer asked me to write a short article about Reformed doctrine and teaching in connection with Reformation Day. This has stirred up all kinds of questions, such as "How Reformed are we, as congregations, elders, or pastors?", and "Is it really important to be Reformed?", "Does it matter if we are not?", "Why are we spending tens of thousands of dollars to extend the Reformed Church in Canada?", "Are we so uniquely Reformed that we have to be a separate denomination?", and also "What does it mean to be Reformed?" This last one, it seems to me, will have to be answered before the others.

Confessing or Confessional?

In the late 1950's one minister of our Canadian congregations returned to the Netherlands because he wanted to be part of a confessing church, and the Reformed Church, according to him, was a confessional church. What do these words mean and what is the difference?

A confessing church is always actively engaged in studying the Scriptures and in drawing from them what she believes is the content of her faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord. W n the church's understanding of the changes, the content of her immediately affected. To be a c church, therefore, means to be process, always learning, always being re-formed, according to her understanding of the Scriptures.

A confessional church also draws the content of her faith from Scripture. But this content has been summed up in one or more confessions, statements of faith. Some may have been written by one or more persons, others by a whole synod. But all have been adopted by a whole denomination as their confessional standard. The Reformed Church in America has three such confessions: the Belgic Confession of Faith, written -by Guido de Bres in 1555; the Heidelberg Catechism, written by a few young pastors in 1563; and the Canons (= Rules) of Dordt, determined by the great international Synod of Dordrecht in 1618 - 19. Changes in the content of the Church's faith that go contrary to the confessional standards will thus mean the decision of the whole church. Thus a confessional church will be more weary of new ideas, less ready to change, and more inclined to hold to "the faith of our fathers".

Reformed Church Now Confessing

Until some years ago, the Reformed Church was a confessional church People becoming ministers of the Word of God in the RCA had to publicly sign a statement in which they declared, "sincerely and in good conscience before the Lord, that we believe the Gospel of the Grace of God in Christ Jesus as revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and as truly set forth in the Standards of the Reformed Church in America, and that we reject all errors which are contrary thereto". These ministers further declared that if they ever would "have any doubts as to this Gospel ... or as to the Standards of our faith, we will neither propose nor teach the same" until the Classis to which they belonged has tested their views and given them permission to do so. A consistory could also ask its minister for an explanation of the view he held on any article of these Standards.

Failure to abide by these promises would automatically lead to suspension from his office.

Thus, Scripture remained as the only inspired Word of God, but the understanding of it was not up to the individual pastor and/or consistory, but to the whole Classis; any changes in the content of the faith would be (very) slow in coming.

Today, the formula to be signed by ministers in the RCA reads quite differently: "I believe the Gospel of the grace in Jesus Christ as revealed in the Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments and as expressed in the Standards of the Reformed Church in America. I accept the Scriptures as the only rule of faith and life. I accept the Standards as historic and faithful witnesses to the Word of God." It says nothing about teaching anything contrary to the Standards. Thus, the door is now wide open for anyone who says that he believes the Gospel as revealed in the Scriptures, but that he disagrees with the Standards. Clearly, the Reformed Church is now a confessing church. Is that what it means to be Reformed? To be always open to change the content of our faith according to "new" insights of the day?

Our Churches in Canada

If that is so, our churches in Canada are truly Reformed, for we have just about every opinion among our members, elders and pastors: from a pastor who refuses to have his own children -baptized, to elders who uphold the free will of man and deny the election and sovereignty of God. There is much Arminian and holiness thinking among our people and pastors, especially among those in the charismatic camp. It is, in fact, true that every man and consistory does as is good in their own eyes. One example is the change-over in hymn books: it is usually not a change to hymns with a greater historically Reformed content, but rather the opposite.

Reformed Doctrine

In such a situation, it is rather difficult to speak about Reformed doctrine. For then we are talking about teaching which is distinct in some ways from Lutheran teaching, from Baptist teaching, from the teaching of John Wesley and Charles Finney, from much charismatic teaching. It is felt, in these days. that we should emphasize what binds us together as believers. We should, as one church extension pastor in another denomination put it, preach around the themes of love, openness, forgiveness and moral standards. In other words, we should lean over backwards to cover up the sharp edges of our Reformed faith, and seek to attract by being non-controversial. But if this is really what we believe we should be doing, then we should change our name from reformed to 'united' church (without any reflection on the United Church in Canada). For then it is not our teaching and conviction which holds us together, but something else (maybe our Dutch psycho-culture?).

It is, however, my conviction that the word 'Reformed' in our Church's name should stand for that which for centuries has been believed as fully Scriptural teaching. It is impossible to spell that out in one article such as this. But there is a quick overview, known as the five points of Calvinism, coming out of the controversy with the Arminians (= Remonstrants) at Dordt in 1618 - 19. The first letters of these five terms form the word TULIP.

T-U-L-I-P

1. Total Depravity: The Reformed faith confesses that man is totally sick, depraved and, therefore, is not basically good but affected for the worse by bad example, poor education, etc. Man is in the state of sin since conception and this affects his total life, including his physical life: he will die as a result. Death is not natural, but the wages of sin. It affects his attitude to the Lord God, by nature inclined to hate God and neighhour. Man himself desires to be master of his own destiny and the measure of all things. His own self-fulfilment comes before all else.

2. Unconditional Election: The Lord God from among the lost children of man, gathers unto Himself a church for his eternal. He chooses His children without any partiality, in complete sovereignty, not because of foreseen works or good behaviour, nor because of race, or social standing, but simply in His sovereign freedom.

3. Limited Atonement: The Lord Jesus Christ made reparation for the sins and offences of those who were given to him by the Father. That is to say, for those (to be) saved only. He did not die in general, hoping that some would believe and accept His offer of salvation, but not sure that any would. Rather, He died for those chosen by His Father.

4. Irresistible Grace: Man, in total emnity against the Lord God, dead in trespasses and sins, can only become alive when brought to life by the Lord God. For this purpose, the Lord God, through the Holy Spirit, approaches this dead man, this corpse, and even though man resists, being God's enemy, the Spirit brings this man back to life, and then makes that person heartily willing from now on to life for Him.

5. Perseverance of the Saints: By God's grace, those born from above will never be separated again from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nobody, says Jesus, will pluck them out of my hand.

Conclusion

These five points sum up the heart of the historic faith. They are inseparable. This is what is intended by the word ,Reformed" in our Church's name. It was never meant to be an umbrella under which people with various opinions would group together for fellowship. As our churches sort out the priorities of the appeals that come to us for dollars for building funds, growth funds and extension funds, they may be wise to first determine whether perhaps the strengthening of the Reformed conviction, which name we bear, should be by far the first priority. If not, we should consider changing our name. In any case, let us be true to whatever name we choose to bear. You know, thinking about this, might even start a mini-Reformation among us!

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