As Reformed believers we should believe the final authority for our faith is the Bible--known as the Holy Scriptures,
the Word of God. As the Apostle Paul shares in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All
scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness.”
As Reformed believers we
should believe that God is three
in one--God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy
Spirit. These persons of the trinity are one in essence, essential in nature,
in purpose, and in agreement. In other words God is only one being, not three.
There is only one God! Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God,
the Lord is one.”
As Reformed believers we
should hold a Reformed perspective regarding the work of Jesus Christ, seeing it as the centered
of our understanding of the love and justice of God toward us. It is here we
experience his atoning work, see John 3:16 and Romans 3:25. Through his
death Christ died as a sacrifice for our sins. He died as a propitiation, to remove
from us the wrath of God. In his death he reconciled us with God and redeemed
us out of the bondage of sin.
As Reformed believers we
should believe we are saved by the
irresistible grace of God
through faith alone, not by what we think or do to earn God's favor, see
Ephesians 2: 1-10. Our good works don't earn our salvation, but are a way to
thank God for this free gift of salvation.
As Reformed believers we
should believe in the Reformed tradition of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. They
remind us of God's promises and help us to claim those promises as our own.
These sacraments are an outward sign of an inward act in the life of the
believer.
As Reformed believers we
should be confessional, which means we believe we have statements of
belief, called creeds and confessions. These statements help to guide our understanding
of faith and shape its practice.
As Reformed believers we
should see the church as "Reformed and always reforming," seeking to know the mind of
Christ as it strives to be faithful in a changing, complex, and often troubled
world. The church must also be communal. “Christianity means community through
Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than
this.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
As Reformed believers we should believe worship is corporate.
Worship is not a performance with the minister as actor or actress and the congregation
as the audience. While we must understand that there are a number of worship
styles, we must never forget God is the audience and the whole congregation is
involved in the service, in prayers, songs, and offerings.
As Reformed believers we must continue to move forward seeking to fulfill the call
that God has placed on his people through Jesus Christ our Lord.
RefRev
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