Reformed churches are those that trace their theological roots back to the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, now over 500 years ago. Though many churches have forgotten the connection, nearly all Protestant churches could trace their roots back to the Reformation, when Christian churches separated from the Roman Catholic Church and recovered the gospel as delivered by the apostles and the early church fathers. What the reformers discovered was not a new gospel, they returned to the scriptures alone and allowed the Word of God to define everything, and it was often at odds with the centuries of traditional practices and doctrine of the Roman church.

Recognizing that scripture alone is the only infallible source of truth, the reformers (including Luther, Calvin, Ursinus, Zwingli, Knox, and many others) tested all of the doctrine and traditions of the church against the whole of scripture. The earliest reformers, especially Luther, sought to reform the existing church to scripture, but the Roman Catholic Church was unwilling, and as a result, many Protestant churches emerged out of the Roman system and authority.

Over the next two hundred years, theologians from the Protestant churches continued the work of building churches and denominations on scripture alone, and produced confessions and catechisms that reflected the truths of scripture, gathered from the whole of it. These Reformed documents include the Thirty-nine Articles (1571), the Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), the Canons of Dort (1619), the Westminster Confession and Catechisms (1646), and the London Baptist Confession (1689). Though these Reformed confessions are not infallible and continue to be tested against scripture by every succeeding generation, we recognize the excellence of the work that their authors did, and insofar as they faithfully summarize the teaching of scripture, Reformed churches hold them to be true. Many denominations today, including Anglican, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Reformed, Methodist, and most Baptist churches can trace their theological roots back to these documents, though many churches have either forgotten them or hold to them only symbolically.

We are a Reformed church not just because our roots are in the Protestant Reformation, but because we are confessional—we and our denomination still hold tightly to one of the Reformed confessions. In our case, in the Presbyterian tradition, we have adopted the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms. Rather than inventing a new statement of faith, we are grateful to God’s providence and our many spiritual ancestors for what has proven to be a durable, precise, clear presentation of biblical truth.

Most Christians who are unfamiliar with confessional churches, if they would read the Westminster Standards, would find nothing that is novel or controversial—it is simply a clear summary statement of what they already believe. But with Reformed theology also often comes a depth and richness, a God-centeredness that people find unique, particularly in the context of American Christianity.

Reformed theology is often summarized in the “Five Solas” of the Reformation. It is much more than those assertions, but it is certainly not less. They are:

We hold that the only source of infallible truth is the Word of God as it has been given to us in the books of the Old and New Testaments. No traditions of the church are to be held on par with it or above it, and everything is to be tested against it. Creeds and confessions are good and useful and do contain real truth, but are to be tested.

We hold that a person is declared righteous only by the instrument of faith, and faith is a gift of God. Justification is not earned or obtained through other instruments, like performing rituals or sacraments, or any other work.

We hold that every part and every step of our being saved comes to us by the gracious working of God. Sin has so radically corrupted our human nature that no man does or can seek after God, without God first graciously coming to him and making him alive. Salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith.

We hold that no sinner will be declared righteous for any merit other than the finished work of Jesus Christ. He paid the punishment for the sins of the elect, and he lived the perfect life that we could not. It is on his works, his record in place of ours (not added to ours) that God will justify us. The good works that we do in this life after we are saved play no part in our justification, only Christ.

We hold that God is sovereign over every part of salvation, beginning to end, and because of that all salvation is to His glory. By the Spirit He made himself known in the scriptures, He sent is Son to fulfill the Law and pay the penalty to reconcile us to Him, He sent the Spirit to give us faith and apply Christ’s righteousness to us, and He continues to work through us by the Spirit. All of salvation, and all of our worship is for His glory, and not our own.