Reformed Liturgical Society: Reformation Day and All Saint's Day

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Reformation Day and All Saint's Day

Speaking of the Church calendar, we are in the season where things get interesting. We have Reformation Day, All Saint's Day and soon after that Advent and Christmas. What are reformed people to do? Well, we automatically say that All Saint's Day is bad, but before we give in to that, it may be that there are some good things about it. It is good to remember those saints who have gone before us and set a good godly example for us. It is bad to pray to them, to ask them to pray for us, etc. We must also realize that the good works that they did in their earthly lives were due only to God in Christ. Hallelujah for this great provision! The Lord does mighty works in sinners!! We (reformed types) must not get too worked up about Reformation Day and elevate Luther and Calvin (and the rest of the bunch) more than they deserve. They did what they did by the Holy Spirit convicting them through the Word of God. We must never resort to "Catholic-bashing" in our rhetoric. Yes, we disagree, but we can still be friends. In the end, we must give God glory for all good things that occur on this planet. If anyone reads this and wants to discuss, feel free to leave a comment. I am not an expert nor do I claim to "be right". This is my current thinking on this issue.

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Theological Issues of the Reformation

The theology of the Reformers departed from the Roman Catholic Church primarily on the basis of three great principles:
Sole authority of Scripture,
Justification by faith alone, and
Priesthood of the believer.[2].
Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone) was one of the watchwords of the Reformation. This doctrine maintains that Scripture, as contained in the Bible, is the only authority for the Christian in matters of faith, life and conduct. The teachings and traditions of the church are to be completely subordinate to the Scriptures. Roman Catholicism, on the other hand, holds Scripture and Tradition to be of the same inspired Deposit of Faith.
Sola Fide (by faith alone) was the other watchword of the Reformation. This doctrine maintains that we are justified before God (and thus saved) by faith alone, not by anything we do, not by anything the church does for us, and not by faith plus anything else. It was also recognized by the early Reformers that Sola Fide is not rightly understood until it is seen as anchored in the broader principle of Sola Gratia, by grace alone. Hence the Reformers were calling the church back to the basic teaching of Scripture where the apostle Paul states that we are "saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God," Eph. 2:8.
The third great principle of the Reformation was the priesthood of all believers. The Scriptures teach that believers are a "holy priesthood," 1 Pet. 2:5. All believers are priests before God through our great high priest Jesus Christ. "There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus," 1 Tim. 2:5. As believers, we all have direct access to God through Christ, there is no necessity for an earthly mediator. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox concept of the priesthood was seen as having no warrant in Scripture, viewed as a perversion and mis-application of the Old Testament Aaronic or Levitical priesthood which was clearly fulfilled in Christ and done away with by the New Testament.
As a result of these principles, the Reformers rejected the authority of the Pope, the merit of good works, indulgences, the mediation of Mary and the Saints, all but the two sacraments instituted by Christ (Baptism and the Lord's Supper), the doctrine of transubstantiation, the mass as a sacrifice, purgatory, prayers for the dead, confessions to a priest, the use of Latin in the services, and all the paraphernalia that expressed these ideas.
Even though the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches fall within Orthodoxy as most would define it, much of their teaching beyond the basic tenets is regarded as erroneous by conservative Protestants. In fact, they would say much of it is clearly to be regarded as false teaching which has perverted the gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ. In general, evangelical Protestants see the Reformation as simply a call back to biblical Christianity. from http://www.theopedia.com/

Reformed Liturgical Society

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Reformation Day and All Saint's Day

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