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WHAT
DOES IT MEAN TO BE A “REFORMED" CHRISTIAN?
Theology
The Christian Reformed
Church is a denomination of about 970 churches in the United States and
Canada, with close to 290,000 members. Its head office is located in
Grand Rapids, Michigan. As part of the historic Christian
Church we subscribe to the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed,
and Athanasian Creed. As Reformed Christians, we also accept the
teachings of the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession,
and the Canons of Dort. These historical documents are summaries
of the truths which are taught in the Holy Scriptures. In
addition, the Christian Reformed Church in North America ascribes to the
Contemporary Testimony, a statement of faith in today's world.
Some theological and
Biblical themes that are important to us as Reformed Christians
are:
- The Scriptures: We
believe the bible was written by human beings inspired by the Holy
Spirit. We believe in the authority of the Old and New
Testaments as our only rule for life and faith. Therefore, as
Reformed Christians we focus on culturally relevant preaching,
exposing and explaining the scriptures, so as to convict,
admonish, and encourage believers in their daily lives and service.
- The Fallenness of Humanity:
Mankind is imperfect and has
broken relationship with God through our rebellion. We all
need to be reconciled to God, but because we are imperfect, we are
incapable of reconciliation by our works or intentions alone.
We need God to overcome our imperfection. If we are to become
holy, as he is holy, we need his help.
-
Holding a "High"
view of God: We
acknowledge and stress God's kingship. We affirm He is at the
center of creation and acknowledge His absolute sovereignty. We
desire to have a "high" view of God and His gracious
control of all things. Reformed Christians believe in
and rely upon the Sovereignty of God, his sovereign grace
for the salvation of believers and his daily guidance.
-
The cross of Jesus Christ:
Reformed Christians
believe that Jesus death on the cross and his resurrection from
the dead is the essential work of salvation on behalf of those who
will believe. We believe that Christians appropriate this
atoning work by grace through faith alone. It is our faith
in Jesus' work on the cross that sets us free from our sins and
makes us a "new creation" in Jesus Christ. Not
only did the work of Jesus on the cross overcome the effects of
sin in the lives of those who believe, but through Jesus' work on
the cross, God reconciled to himself, all things! The cross
of Jesus is for our personal salvation. It is also larger
than our personal salvation. Through Christ work on the
cross, all of creation will be renewed.
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The work and person of the Holy
Spirit: God's
sovereign grace is applied to the believer by the work of the Holy
Spirit. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God convicts us
of our brokenness, gives us faith in Jesus' work on the cross,
gives us the fruit of the Spirit for Christian character and
holiness, and empowers us with spiritual gifts to encourage and
build up other Christians and proclaim the good news of Jesus to
unbelievers. If Christians are ever to accomplish anything
of lasting and eternal value it must be empowered by the Holy
Spirit. Apart from Christ and his Spirit we can accomplish nothing
of eternal value.
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Salvation by Grace through Faith: Reformed
Christians believe that there is nothing that human beings can do
to "deserve" salvation from God's just punishment for
our sin. Our salvation comes to us by grace, God's unmerited
favor, through faith in Jesus' work on the cross.
- Sin, Salvation, Service
- A summary of mankind's
journey from our condition of brokenness, to salvation through faith in Jesus' work on
the cross, and our goal of offering our lives in service to God out of a heart
of gratitude.
-
Benevolence, love and social
justice: God
has been gracious to us through his forgiveness, mercy and provision.
He loved and protected us when we did not deserve it. In light of
his love toward us, we are called to extend similar love, mercy
and justice to those around us... even when they don't
deserve it.
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The priesthood of all believers:
Reformed Christians hold
that there is no one position in the church that is more
important or more "spiritual" than another. Every
believer has the authority and ability to come directly to God,
without the mediation of any other human being. Christ is our
great high priest.
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We are held by God:
Reformed Christians
understand that it was God who called us, convicts us, redeems
us, and empowers us. We also believe that God will be
faithful to hold us fast in our belief. Just as he initiated
a relationship with us, he will be faithful to hold on to us...
even when we fail to be faithful to him. Our salvation is
about his faithfulness, not ours!
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The Church: The
Church is more than a building. Reformed Christians believe that
the Church is the agent of the Kingdom of God in the world.
God brings his Kingdom through empowering his people for service
by the Holy Spirit. We believe that there is only one
Church, that is Jesus' Church. We see Sunrise is part of the
one universal (catholic with a small "c"...)
Church. The Church of Jesus Christ is bigger than any
denomination, defined by those choosen by God and filled with the
Holy Spirit, and it spans the centuries, as well as the oceans.
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Covenant Community: The
call of believers to live in the covenant with God is also a
call to live in community with fellow believers. If
believers are made one with God through Jesus, then we are also
made one with one another, thus called to love, forgive, and serve
one another. As members of God's covenant we have a
"vertical" relationship with God, but also a "horizonal"
relationship with other Christians.
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God's Kingdom: God
created all things, has redeemed all things through the work of
Jesus Christ, and through Christ, God proclaims his Lordship
over every square inch of creation. When Jesus came the
first time he established his kingdom. When Christ returns
again, he will consummate his Kingdom. We have a broad
understanding of kingdom life and service. We believe that all
areas of life come under the Lordship of Jesus. We believe
Christians are called to participate in the building of His
kingdom through the gifts and power of his Spirit actively
proclaiming Jesus' Lordship.
- A Reformed World and Life view:
Reformed Christians believe
that we have been given a cultural mandate by God. That means
we are to take Christ to our culture. Since God has reconciled
all things to himself through Christ's work on the cross, he is
thereby, redeeming our culture. God redeems culture by equipping and
empowering his servants to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ
over every sphere of influence in our culture (education,
agriculture, business, government, the environment, family,
medicine, legal system, the arts, entertainment, science and
technology). God is redeeming and making all things new.
He accomplishes this by inviting us to join him in what he is doing.
- Worshipping God: We
believe that God has called all people to worship him. Worship
happens on the Lord's Day (Sunday) but it is also intended to be a
daily way of life. Reformed Christians believe that "all
of life is religion." Thus, worship is not something that
only happens for one hour on Sunday, or only in a church sanctuary,
but rather everything we do, we should do to the glory of God.
Therefore, worship at Sunrise Church is not about a "polished
performance." Rather our corporate worship is intended to
be an expression of the diverse gifts God has give us and the
diverse cultures from whence he has called us. We believe that
worship should be both culturally relevant (contemporary) and
historically honoring (traditional). Most of all, we believe
that our worship to God should be focused on him, not upon ourselves
nor our preferences. Worship is about God, not us.
- Responsible Christian Freedom: Since
"all of life is religion," then we believe that how we
live our lives on a daily basis matters. Since God won us by
his grace, we chose to walk by grace and live in grace, not
according to the laws or rules of humans. Christians do not
have to try to be "holy." Christian ARE holy because
Christ's work on the cross made us so. Thus, we do not stress
"rules" in our covenant community. We do, however,
urge each Christian to live out the holiness that God has given to
them with responsible freedom. We are made holy, called to
glorify God, and empowered to be a witness to the world. Each
of us is called to wrestle with what that means and how best to
glorify God in the culture where he has placed us, responsibly
seeking the good of those around us.
History
The roots of our tradition
go back to the Protestant Reformation. The teachings of one of the
reformers, John Calvin, took hold in the Netherlands and became the
basis for the Reformed family of churches. Dutch immigrants to the
United States formed the Christian Reformed Church at The Pillar's
Church in Holland, Michigan in 1857.
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