SEMPER REFORMANDA: A PLEA TO REFORMED CHRISTIANS IN THE WEST
This is a plea to the people of God who enjoy the freedom that flowed from the Protestant Reformation.
As we joyfully celebrate today the mighty acts of God performed nearly half a millennium ago, that we now call the Protestant Reformation, let us consider the following:
Semper Reformanda means Forever Reforming. To simply accept the term “Reformed” can be dangerous. To identify your theological heritage as “Reformed,” like I do, is O.K. as it pertains to doctrine and tradition, but may lead to a relaxed Christian life with potential vulnerability. I find it helpful to be in constant reform-ing mode because the objective standard to which the church reforms to (Scripture), remains as the lens through which all of life is viewed.
By living this way, Scripture is viewed as the origin of truth, justice, morals, meaning, and beauty. All of life is encompassed in a biblical world and life view. The day-to-day reformation, or personal reformation, involves meticulous examination of all that you have become since your conversion. This examination is introspective and personal, but can be shared with others. As is often the case with this type of examination, you discover things about yourself that when held to the objective standard of Special Revelation, those things are recognized as intruders. Simply put, personal reformation would mark the point in time that you begin to take action against the intruder, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is not enough to have the light of Scripture expose something in the dark corner of the attic of your heart and not do anything about it. That’s not personal reformation, that’s Malakosis. Personal reformation is spotting the intruder on Scripture’s radar and plotting a counter-attack against it. For instance, you may claim to be a Calvinist that proclaims the sovereignty of God throughout the land. Amen! But if you discover that certain aspects of your epistemic virtue, according to Scripture, is humanistic, and do nothing about it but rationalize and re-rationalize it instead of repenting, you prove to not be a Calvinist, only a religious humanist.
Religious humanism and natural theology is on the rise and needs to be refuted and denounced by all those who call themselves “Reformed!” We must band together, paedo’s, credo’s, covenanter’s, dispensationalists etc., and reclaim the official “starting point” for the Christian – SCRIPTURE ALONE! We must view the supremacy of Scripture over and above our own feelings, our own faith, our own experiences, and our own fallen intellects. By God’s grace, this will cause a mighty revival in today’s world and with our own eyes, in our lifetime, we may see the inevitable downfall of the Emerging Church movement, the New Perspective on Paul, the neo-Jesuit movement that has crept in unnoticed into Evangelical Universities, and all destructive heresies that lead to the eternal damnation of conscious torment in hell!
Take it serious Christians! Stop relaxing on the couch of Christianity and serve your Master! Let us reform now! Semper Reformanda was the underlying motivational theme of the Reformers. Dr. Morey said this past reformation Sunday: “You’re either part of the story or you’re only reading about it.” Which of the two are you? Let it begin now, with you. Ask the Lord in prayer to raise you up to be fit for service in His Kingdom! Ask Him in faith, without doubt, to enable you with His power to do His will.
Characteristics of a reformer include [1]:
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A strong sense of destiny
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A strong sense of inadequacy
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A profound sense of divine supply
Do you have them? Do you resist that strong and forceful call? The Reformation is now! The story is being written at this very moment. My name is Stephen Macasil and I am a Reformer. Who are you?
1. This was quoted from Dr. Robert Morey’s Reformation Sunday Sermon on 10/28/07. The mp3 will be available at http://www.faithdefenders.com/podcasts/october later today.
This article has been submitted to Tim Challies’ Reformation Day Symposium 2007. Tim has been part of the story for 1,460 consecutive days, see http://challies.com
8 Comments, Comment or Ping
Josh in AK
My name is Joshua Bennett and I am a Reformer!!
Awesome Stephen! This is so good, I was just teaching my older kids(I have 8 chillins) this evening, “If it’s not in this bible,we don’t believe it,don’t be ashamed or back down!”
And in argument with someone who professes the word but teaches false doctrine,”Show me in the Word!” It all stemmed from something that came up with them today.
Really, God’s work is amazing, I just sent a wrenching e-mail to my best friend who is caught up in “biblical profiteering”, and I had to show him where what he is proclaiming is not anywhere in the word.The whole name it and claim it crud.
It is tough, he and I just started a large business together.
Awesome Steve, this just finishes a long night of study with my kids, the last 2 of which just went to bed, I thank God for this forum and blog and the ministry He has given you all.
It is a huge encouragement and blessing to me.
Thank-you!
Oct 31st, 2007
Reformed Mama
Well done Stephen!Excellent writing! Was that not one THE best sermons ever, Sunday? And go Josh in AK…what a great dad!
Oct 31st, 2007
Stephen
Praise God from WHOM ALL blessings flow! Dr. Morey said this past Sunday, that revival and reformation has always happened from the bottom up. It starts with us, by and only by God’s sovereign grace!
What you are doing with your chillins is biblical reformation of the family. Since we are continually apostacizing, we must be continually reforming.
Scripture Alone…
Oct 31st, 2007
Stephen
Yes Reformed Mama! It sent a fire in my bones!!!
Josh, it looks like fire was also received in Alaska. Notify Al Gore, you have solved the mystery of global warming: God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth, King of King and Lord of Lords, the sovereign Ruler of all things, is reforming His church!
Oct 31st, 2007
Josh in AK
Well I have to say I was happily wrong about my friend! He fired a email back to me, and I saw I was misunderstanding him to say the least. Apology time from me.
So you can add Ft. Leavenworth to the Fire! It’s burning up!
Praise God! I pray He sweeps the land.
And a big WOOHOO! the new Faith Defenders website is done!
Nov 1st, 2007
Joseph D'Hippolito
A strong sense of destiny
A strong sense of inadequacy
A profound sense of divine supply
Well, Bob, if behavior is any indication, the latter two don’t apply to you. First, nobody with any “sense of inadequacy” can render the kind of arrogant, self-righteous, judgementalism that you frequently do. Second, if you had any sense of profound divine supply, you wouldn’t behave like such a bully. You truly would be regenerate spiritually, not a cheap knockoff that only looks and sounds the part, like the Pharisees and Saducees used to.
Guess you’re more suited for Rome, Constantinople or even Mecca than Wittenburg or Geneva.
Nov 1st, 2007
Stephen Macasil
To see what Joseph D’Hippolito is talking about, see the comments on the Mother Teresa post. It’s a prank being played on us by someone we know, but just can’t figure out yet who it is.
The real Joseph D’Hippolito is a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, USA TODAY, Frontline Magazine with David Horowitz, and more. Some prankster is using D’Hippolito’s name to sound like the biggest numbskull on earth. Read the Mother Teresa comments, and get ready to have quite a laugh! This guy’s a nut.
Nov 2nd, 2007
Josh in AK
The Truth is often judgemental. The Truth shows us our sins, or as Joel O would say, our “bad habits”, and brings us to repentance.
The sinner often sees the truth as arrogant and self-righteous, and in his own arrogance and self -righteousness he attacks the truth, not wanting to turn from what is truth in his own eyes, apart from the Word.
The apostle Paul must seem very arrogant to some, and what a bully he was, telling those poor church folks in Corinth they were sinning! Of course being an ex-Pharisee it was more than likely hard for him to turn from his old ways, and difficult for him to be sensitive and nice and not hurt anyone’s feeeeelings….
Nov 2nd, 2007
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