Let me start by answering that with as much clarity as possible. A Reformed Church is a church that believes in the absolute sovereignty of God, the Creator of all things, and exists to preach the excellencies of Jesus Christ to all who will listen.
We preach the grace of God poured out on sinful man!
Because the Bible is crystal clear on this subject, man is not elevated in any regard, God alone is good and all goodness flows FROM Him. The only thing that man is good at, apart from Christ, is sinning. (For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: Romans 7:18).
Historical
We are not a spin-off of the Southern Baptist Convention, nor are we a non denominational church, or a “new church with new ideas”. Our doctrine goes back to the Reformation of 1517 in Europe, and more importantly, firmly grounded in the teachings of the Old and New Testaments.
The Southern Baptist Convention was for many years, a stalwart in our country, but has eroded over the recent years into a jellyfish with regards to biblical backbone against a pagan culture. We pray that those who are believers inside those institutions would come out from among them.
Confessional
We do not look at the culture and decide how we are going to “do church.” Rather, we look at God’s word, and 2000 years of church history to navigate what we are to do as God’s people.
We have a church confession that we adhere to, the London Baptist Confession of 1689. This explains what we believe as a church on the “hard questions” that everyone has.
Scripture Alone
We are committed to biblical preaching. The opinion of the preacher or listener is not what is taught, but rather, the actual meaning of the text.
Grace Alone
This means that the salvation of any person, is completely of God and not of man in any way. Ephesians 2:8-10
Faith Alone
Faith is the gift of God, from God, only to those whom He has saved. It is offered to all men everywhere, but only those who have been saved possess the gift of God’s saving faith.
Christ Alone
Jesus Christ, the 2nd Member of the Trinity, came from heaven to the universe that He created and took on human flesh; He became a man. Did you catch that? GOD BECAME A MAN!
He became a man in order to live a perfect, sinless, life, in order to save His people from God’s wrath. He took their sin and then gave to them His perfect righteousness! Because of His death on the cross, dying for sins that He never committed on behalf of His people, God is able to allow them into His kingdom; not based on anything that they have done, but rather, what Christ has done for them. If you’ve heard the word, “GOSPEL,” that is what it means.
You are personally invited to come and worship the King of all kings with us.
Culture and Government
Reformed churches, by definition, will not waver against the culture OR the government with regards to obeying God’s word. Hence, the Protestant Reformation. We are to be peaceable, honor all men, and be submissive to government. (Note)…
1 Peter 2:17 “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”
The “king” here does not refer to Jesus Christ, it’s referring to the king of the country in which a Christian lives.
You might be thinking, “this is the USA, we have no king.”
Yes we do.
The king of the USA, the law that we as citizens of the USA must comply to is:
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE USA.
We are to, “Honour the king,” as 1st Peter tells us. If anyone, or anything tries to usurp the king of the USA, it is our duty as Christian’s to not allow it to happen. In order to Honour our king, we must know what he expects. Only by studying the Constitution can this be possible. Being a peacemaker does not mean to be a spineless jellyfish. Jesus flipped tables, remember?
We live in a day where there is a church on every corner and it’s hard to figure out what is right when so many “churches” contradict each other.
Let me address that in a very simple way-God’s word tells us 100% how we are to live. We are commanded to repent of our sin, believe on His Son, raise up godly families, walk in humility, and to be peacemakers.
All men everywhere are commanded to believe. Those that believe are commanded by God to be a part of a church that preaches the gospel in its fullness.
If you are looking for a church and are able to attend, we’d love to have you come and visit!
One thing is for certain,
This world gets crazier by the day and does not look like it will let up any time soon.
God’s word is the only comfort in times of turmoil, chaos, and uncertainty, and His promise to His people is that He will never forsake them.
The question is this: are you one of His people?
Here is a simple test you can take.
Do you delight in His word? Do you obey His commands? Do you hate your sin that you used to love? Do you believe in the only Savior God has given to mankind?
If so, you are a new creation!
Trust in Him.
Semper Reformanda (Always Reforming)
