What does it mean to be Reformed?

Hello, in this video I'm going to try to answer the question, what does it mean to be reformed?

I get this question a lot and I think the reason why so many people are asking is because it really is confusing.

There's not any one definition of what it means to be reformed. People use that term in different ways.

So in this video we're going to go over the different definitions of what it means to be reformed.

So I think the most basic definition or the loosest definition is to be

Protestant and to hold to the teachings that came out of the Protestant Reformation or at least the five solas of the

Reformation. So on the most basic level, and I would say very few people have this as their definition of what it means to be reformed, but some would say if you hold to scripture alone as your authority, grace alone, faith alone, and Christ alone to the glory of God alone, if you believe that you are reformed.

And because I know some people aren't going to believe me, or they would say that's not a definition. Well, here is a clip of Mike Winger, who is a pretty prominent

Christian YouTuber. He identifies himself as reformed, at least sort of, because he holds to the five solas.

Watch. I am reformed in many ways, and I get along so great with my

Calvinist brothers and sisters. We agree on so many things. You would find that most of the time, if I'm not talking about Calvinism, we're probably in agreement on stuff.

And I think it's an in -house discussion. We shouldn't argue and all that, but in so many ways I'm reformed. I believe in the solas.

I believe in, you know, especially sola scriptura, right? And I believe in grace alone, sola gratia.

So I believe in the solas, all five. I think they're extremely important. Okay. So I think a lot of people would probably reject that definition.

They would not consider Mike Winger reformed because Mike Winger is pretty well known in his rejection of the five points of Calvinism.

And this leads us to our second definition of what it means to be reformed, that you hold to Calvinist teachings.

I would say this is, in my opinion, the most common way people use the term.

So to be reformed in the eyes of many people, if not most, is that you hold to Calvinist teachings, in particular, the five points of Calvinism, which are total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints.

Or at least some people would say you have to hold to four out of five, and then you would get disagreement.

And you can probably already see why there's a lot of confusion because the average person, the average evangelical is not up to speed on their terminology.

So you have the five solas, you have the five points of Calvinism. They're obviously different things, but not everybody is aware of this.

So you can see where the confusion would set in. I'll just add this.

I think every evangelical I've ever met who is aware of the five solas of the

Reformation, I mean, I've never met an evangelical or a Bible believer who would reject the five solas.

Now, does that mean everyone is reformed? All evangelicals are reformed? No. So I think

I would have to reject that first definition. I just don't think it's accurate.

That's not the way the term is used, but the most common way, just to try to clarify, the second definition seems to be the most common that if you hold to the five points of Calvinism, you are considered reformed.

That's been my experience. So, you know, some people like John MacArthur, John MacArthur is one of the pastors out there that is considered to be maybe the most prominent

Reformed pastor in the United States today, or one of them, but John MacArthur, he does hold to the five points of Calvinism.

So a lot of people would say he's Reformed because of that, but then others would say he's not Reformed because, and this leads to our third definition, some people would say to be truly

Reformed, yes, you have to hold to Calvinist teachings, the five points, but you have to hold to a

Reformed confession of faith, like the Westminster confession or the London confession.

And because John MacArthur does not necessarily adhere to any one confession, some people would say

John MacArthur is not thoroughly Reformed. Okay. So that's the third definition.

Now let's go over them again. Definition number one, to be Reformed means you're

Protestant. You affirm the five solas. Personally, I reject that definition, but some people use it.

Mike Winger, for example. Definition number two, the most common definition, you adhere to the five points of Calvinism.

A more narrow definition is that you hold to the five points and a

Reformed confession, which would exclude John MacArthur from being Reformed.

Also, John MacArthur is dispensational in his theology. He does not hold to covenant theology.

So some people would say that a dispensationalist cannot be Reformed. Other people say, no, a dispensationalist can be

Reformed. Okay. So another thing that we should throw in, most

Reformed people are cessationists. This is something a person would say, if you're, if you're a continuationist, if you believe in speaking in tongues, you can't be

Reformed. Well, then you have John Piper who believes in tongue speaking and John Piper is considered

Reformed by most people. Okay. So I know I'm just adding to the confusion, but these are all things that people would say.

So the third definition, you have to be Calvinist, five points, and you have to hold to a

Reformed confession of faith. Let's get to the last definition of how people would consider or define what it means to be

Reformed is that you have to be an active member of a Reformed church.

So you have to, of course, believe in the solas of the Reformation. I think you have to do that to be a

Christian. That's just so basic, but yeah, they would say the most narrow definition of what it means to be

Reformed. You have to hold to the five points of Calvinism, a Reformed confession of faith, and be an active member of a

Reformed church. So a Presbyterian church, congregationalist or something in the

Reformed tradition. So those are the definitions that are out there.

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