Reformed theology has recently become more visible and noticed, however, this teaching has always remained a solid part of the theological landscape.
Reformed theology has sometimes received a bad name because it was associated with “covenant theology” which would teach infant baptism and places an emphasis on the Law, while Reformed Theology places a strong emphasis upon the sovereignty of God and the reign of Christ and evangelism.
Reformed Theology stress the 5 solas..
The Five Solas
Summing up the heart of Protestant beliefs…
1. Sola Gratia (Grace alone): Salvation is the free gift from the Lord to man. It is something we cannot earn and that we do not deserve. It is a gift given to us through God’s grace and it in no way depends on any merit on our part.
Ephesians 2: 8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (KJV).
2. Sola Fide (Faith alone): Through the atoning sacrifice of Christ, God imputes righteousness to the Elect. It is a legal declaration by God. We are justified unto Him through faith alone. Justification is not sanctification. Sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit that results in a Christian’s growth in holiness. When we are saved, God imputes our sin to Christ and Christ’s holiness to us through the justifying work of Christ on the Cross; over time, through the work of the Holy Spirit, God imparts holiness to us as we grow in righteousness and develop the Fruits of the Spirit in our lives.
Galatians 3: 11: “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for the just shall live by faith.” (KJV).
3. Solus Christus (Christ alone): Christ is our Mediator before a Holy God. He is the only Mediator between God and man. Through His sacrifice on our behalf, our salvation is accomplished.
1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (KJV)
4. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone): Scripture alone is the only inerrant and infallible source of divine revelation; it is the only way we can know the mind of Christ. For the Christian, Scripture is the only and final authority for all matters of faith and practice. Sola Scriptura does not mean that the only truth is that which is contained in the Bible but that all truth must be seen through its lens and that Scripture Alone contains all that we need to know for salvation.
2 Timothy 3: 16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (KJV).
5. Soli Deo Gloria (To the glory of God alone): That salvation is to the glory of God alone is the natural outcome of belief in the other solas. Psalms 3: 8a, Salvation belongs to the LORD; Not only is salvation only by the Lord and to His glory alone, but every single aspect of a Christian’s life is to be lived to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10: 31, Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 5: 17-20, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, owe are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (ESV)
So… Reformed Theology is all about the Soverighty of God and the Total inability of mankind.
Here is what other great leaders say..
Dr. John MacArthur: “Our preferences and opinions do not determine which parts of the Bible we submit to, and which we ignore. Instead, those preferences and opinions must be subject to Scripture and its authority.”
R. C. Sproul: “We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.”
Charles Spurgeon: “I have heard it asserted most positively, that those high doctrines which we love and which we find in the Scriptures, are licentious ones. I do not know who has the hardihood to make that assertion, when they consider that the holiest of men have been believers in them. I ask the man who dares to say that Calvinism is a licentious religion, what he thinks of the character of Augustine, or Calvin, or Whitfield, who in successive ages were the great exponents of the system of grace; or what will he say of those Puritans, whose works are full of them? Had a man been an Arminian in those days, he would have been accounted the vilest heretic breathing; but now we are looked upon as the heretics, and they the orthodox.”