If you've been around our church family for any length of time, you've probably heard the phrase "Reformed theology." Maybe you've quietly wondered what it means. Is it just a historical label? A denomination? A particular style of worship? The term can sound academic, even a little intimidating. But at its heart, Reformed theology is nothing more, and nothing less, than an honest attempt to bring every part of our faith and life under the authority of God's Word, all for the glory of God alone.
In this post, we'd like to unpack what Reformed theology is, where it came from, what it teaches, and why we’re convinced it still matters today, perhaps now more than ever.
A Little History First
Reformed theology takes its name from the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. When Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517, he lit a fire that spread right across Europe. It was a movement to recover the gospel from centuries of tradition and error that had buried it. The rallying cry of the Reformation became what we now call the "five solas":
Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone is the final authority for faith and practice.
Sola Fide. We are justified by faith alone, not by works.
Sola Gratia. Salvation is by grace alone, not human merit.
Solus Christus. Christ alone is the mediator between God and man.
Soli Deo Gloria. All glory belongs to God alone.
Luther's work took root in Germany, but another stream of reform grew up in Switzerland under Ulrich Zwingli and, most famously, John Calvin in Geneva. People began calling this branch of the Reformation "Reformed." It spread through France, the Netherlands, Scotland and England, and it was the Scottish and English believers, the Puritans and Presbyterians, who handed down our Presbyterian heritage.
That heritage found its finest expression in the Westminster Confession of Faith, completed in the 1640s, along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. These documents still serve as the doctrinal standards of our denomination today.
But here's what we always want to make clear: Reformed theology isn't really about Calvin, or Knox, or the Westminster Assembly. It's about the Bible. The Reformers dug up biblical truths that had been buried for centuries, and Reformed theology simply seeks to keep them unburied.
The Heart of It: God Is Sovereign
If there's one theme that holds all of Reformed theology together, it's the sovereignty of God. When a Reformed Christian looks at the world, they don't see a universe spinning out of control. Nor do they see a God sitting on the edge of His seat, hoping things work out. They see a God who "works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:11). The psalmist puts it plainly: "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases" (Psalm 115:3).
Now, that's not cold fatalism. It's the warmest comfort a Christian can have. The God who governs everything is the same God who has loved His people with an everlasting love. R.C. Sproul used to say there's no maverick molecule in the universe, and we love that. Every sparrow that falls, every ruler who rises, every trial that lands on your doorstep, all of it passes through the hands of a wise and good Father (Matthew 10:29-31).
TULIP: The Doctrines of Grace
Reformed theology is probably best known for its understanding of salvation, often summed up in five points. We call them the Doctrines of Grace. The well-known TULIP acronym came along later, but the doctrines themselves were formally affirmed at the Synod of Dort in 1618 and 1619. They're often misunderstood, so let's walk through them carefully.
1. Total Depravity. Sin has touched every part of who we are: our minds, our wills, our affections and our bodies. This doesn't mean people are as wicked as they could possibly be. It means no part of us escaped the Fall. Scripture tells us that no one naturally seeks God (Romans 3:10-12). We are spiritually dead, and dead men don't raise themselves.
2. Unconditional Election. Before the foundation of the world, God chose a people for Himself. Not because He looked down the corridor of time and saw something good in us. Not because of our faith or our potential. Purely because of His own gracious will (Ephesians 1:4-5; Romans 9:11-13). Some people bristle at this, but think about it for a moment: salvation was never owed to anyone. Election magnifies grace precisely because none of us deserves it.
3. Limited Atonement. "Particular redemption" may be the better name, because the point isn't that Christ's death was limited in its power. It's that His death actually accomplished something. Jesus didn't merely make salvation possible; He secured it. He tells us He lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:15). He saves His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
4. Irresistible Grace. When God sets His saving love on a sinner, that sinner becomes willing. God doesn't drag people into the kingdom kicking and screaming. He changes their hearts. He removes the heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). Remember Lazarus? He heard the voice of Christ and walked out of the tomb. That's what happens to every sinner God effectually calls.
5. Perseverance of the Saints. What God starts, God finishes. "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). Yes, believers can fall into sin, sometimes badly. But no true believer finally falls away, because we are kept by the power of God (1 Peter 1:5). Your salvation doesn't rest on your grip on Christ. It rests on His grip on you.
The doctrines are not abstract theology for the seminary classroom. They humble the proud, comfort the struggling and stir up genuine worship. When you grasp that your salvation was planned by the Father, purchased by the Son and applied by the Spirit, and that none of it depended on your merit, you can't boast. And you can't despair either.
Covenant Theology: How the Bible Fits Together
Another distinctive of the Reformed faith is the way it reads Scripture as one unified story, built around God's covenants. The Bible isn't a random collection of stories and sayings. It's the account of God's redemptive plan, unfolding through His covenant dealings with His people.
The Westminster Confession speaks of the covenant of works made with Adam, and the covenant of grace revealed after the Fall and fulfilled in Christ. God's dealings with Abraham, Moses, David and the church are all part of one unfolding plan, not two separate programs for two separate peoples. The New Testament church is the continuation of Israel, grafted into the same olive tree (Romans 11) and redeemed by the same gospel that was preached beforehand to Abraham (Galatians 3:8).
This covenantal outlook shapes much of our practice. It's why Presbyterians baptise the infants of believing parents, as the sign of the covenant, much like circumcision in the Old Testament (see Colossians 2:11-12 and Acts 2:39). It's also why our worship centres on the preached Word and the sacraments, the ordinary means God has appointed to nourish His people.
Reformed, and Always Being Reformed
The old Reformation motto was ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda: the church reformed, always being reformed according to the Word of God. I love that. Reformed theology isn't a museum piece we dust off once a year. It's a posture of humility before Scripture. It calls every generation of believers to test their traditions, their assumptions and their own hearts against the Bible.
So what does that look like in practice?
Reverent worship. We worship God the way He has prescribed, not according to our own innovations. He is holy. And frankly, we're not the ones being entertained. We're the ones bowing.
A commitment to preaching. Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). The pulpit, not the personality, is central to what we do on a Sunday.
The ordinary means of grace. God grows His church through the Word, the sacraments and prayer, not through gimmicks or the latest trends.
Every area of life. Because Christ is Lord of all, the Reformed faith shapes our work, our families and the way we engage the world around us. There's no sacred and secular divide.
Warm assurance. The very first question of the Shorter Catechism tells us that man's chief end is "to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever." Notice both parts. Doctrine is meant to fuel doxology. Head knowledge that never reaches the heart has missed the point.
Why Any of This Matters
Every so often someone asks us, "Why all this focus on old doctrines? Can't we just love Jesus?" My answer is that these doctrines are how we learn to love Jesus rightly. Think about it. A Christ who can't save unless we first give Him permission is no Saviour at all. A salvation that can be lost the moment we stumble is no good news at all. The Reformed faith gives us a God who is truly God, a Christ who truly finished the work, and a Spirit who truly raises the dead.
That's a gospel worth believing. It's worth preaching. And it's worth building a church on.
Want to know more?
Please join us at Malvern Presbyterian Church this Sunday at 10:30am for our church service and to chat with one of our pastors. We’re located at 161-163 Wattletree Road, Malvern (in the inner south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne).
