Reformed people have traditionally formed a recognizable part of our society. You can even say that they have left an emphatic mark on Dutch identity. The Netherlands would never have been created without the Reformed. But nowadays Reformed people are often seen as an outdated phenomenon that will disappear on its own. According to many, that is a good thing. They regard Reformed people as dangerous and fundamentalist. But what do Reformed people actually believe?
Reformed
Nowadays there are all kinds of Reformed people, but in this article I am based on classical Reformed doctrine. This arose during the time of the Reformation, under the influence of Luther and especially Calvin. Reformed people are therefore also called Calvinists.
Bible
Reformed people base themselves on the Bible. This is the Word of God. Although the books of the Bible were written by all kinds of people, they were guided by the Holy Spirit. This is called inspiration . Reformed people base themselves on the entire Bible and only the Bible. Unlike Roman Catholics, Reformed people do not attribute decisive value to other scriptures or tradition.
Because others also base themselves on the Bible, but follow a different interpretation, Reformed people have recorded the decisive parts of their Bible interpretation in confessions. These are the Heidelberg Catechism, the Dutch Belief of Faith and the Canons of Dordt. Reformed people also accept the old confessions: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed. However, all these confessions have only a clarifying meaning. Only the Bible itself is decisive.
Most important points
The most important points from Reformed doctrine are the following:
- There is one God. This God is triune , for He consists of three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
- This God created the world and man perfect and without sin.
- In paradise, Adam and Eve chose sin. Since then, all creation has been burdened by sin. Man can no longer live perfectly, but is inclined to do wrong things due to original sin . Therefore, instead of eternal life, all people have deserved eternal death. Only perfect people are allowed to live forever.
- To save man, God sent His Son (Jesus Christ) to earth to bear the penalty for sin. Because he is both God and man, he was the only human who had the ability not to commit sin. Therefore, he could bear the punishment for all people. They can no longer do that themselves, because their sin only increases their guilt every day.
- Jesus was born of the virgin Mary (so he had no biological earthly father). He died on the cross (thus bearing the penalty) and rose again after three days (thus conquering death). He went back to heaven. From there he rules the world until he returns for the Last Judgment. Then believers will receive eternal life and unbelievers will receive eternal death.
- In order to receive eternal life, you as a person only have to believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and that He bore the punishment for your sins because you cannot do that yourself. There is no way you can earn eternal life. You only get it by grace .
- Faith itself also comes from grace. If it were up to man himself, no one would believe. That is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to earth after his ascension to put faith in people’s hearts.
- Since you receive eternal life only by grace, it does not matter how you live. But that doesn’t mean that believers can just live their lives. If the Holy Spirit gives you faith, He will also cause you to no longer want to sin. It cannot be otherwise, but a believer will produce fruits of faith ( good works ). Yet even a believer continues to commit sin again and again. It is, as it were, a battle between the old and the new person. Perfection only comes after this life.
- Not all people receive faith and eternal life. Only people God has chosen get it. Not because they are better than others.
- Those who do not receive faith will be lost forever. But that’s not God’s fault. It is their own sin for which they must bear the penalty.