A Historical Example of Semper Reformanda: "The Church Reformed, and Always Reforming According to the Word of God"
"If every generation has the disciplines of active reformation, reformation can continue indefinitely." ~Geoffrey Botkin, The Doctrine of Semper Reformanda (presented in July 2009 at the Boston Reformation 500 Celebration)
A forgotten yet important theme of the Protestant Reformation is this: Ecclesia Reformata Semper Reformanda Secundum Verbum Dei, which means, "The Church Reformed, and Always Reforming According to the Word of God."
One small yet memorable group of Christians in history serves as an example for us as we seek to restore and apply this rallying cry to our own theology and lifestyles in the Twenty-First Century.
John Robinson pastored an English "Separatist" congregation in the early Seventeenth Century. Standing as theological heirs to such Reformers as Wycliffe in the Fourteenth Century and Calvin in the Sixteenth Century, these families sought religious liberty by migrating from Scrooby, England to Holland, eventually settling in Leyden in 1609. For various reasons a number of these "Pilgrims," as they became known, chose to migrate to the New World in 1620 and would settle in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
As the Pilgrims were departing Leyden for the New World, John Robinson made some farewell remarks that included the following words:
For my part, I cannot sufficiently bewail the condition of the Reformed churches, who are come to a period in religion, and will go no farther. The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go any farther than what Luther saw, and the Calvinists, you see, stick fast where they were left by that great man of God, who yet saw not all things. This is a misery much to be lamented; for though they were burning and shining lights in their time, yet they penetrated not into the whole counsel of God, but were they now living, would be as willing to embrace further light as that which they first received. I beseech you to remember, it is an article of your church covenant, that you be ... ready to receive whatever truth shall be made known to you from the written word of God. Remember that and every other article of your sacred covenant. ... I charge you before God and His blessed angels to follow me no farther than I have followed Christ ... for I am very confident that the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth out of His Holy Word.Mr. Botkin cited this statement and pointed out that Pastor Robinson saw disaster and surrender unfolding because the Reformed churches in that day were unwilling to continually apply Semper Reformanda in their theology and orthopraxy. Just as Pastor Robinson charged his flock to readily embrace reform in his day,* Mr. Botkin challenged Christians in the 21st Century to practice the essential disciplines of a reformer so that reformation can continue for the next 500 years and beyond. I highly recommend his convicting, encouraging presentation to learn more about the important doctrine of Semper Reformanda.
Mr. Botkin also quoted the following statements reflecting radically antagonistic views of human authority, the church, and reformation:
- “When, by a definitive act he proclaims a doctrine of faith and morals ... his definitions, of themselves ... are justly styled irreformable.” ~Vatican II on the infallibility of the Roman Pontiff
- "We deny that we who shepherd the flock of Christ—whether as fathers or as pastors—have adequately and vigilantly scrutinized the beliefs and practices of the modern church as well as our own role in it." ~NCFIC Confession, Article XV
We should be grateful that God, in His providence, has raised up reformers and pilgrims in centuries past and now in our generation. As we contemplate a special upcoming Reformation Day on October 31 and then Thanksgiving Day less than a month later, let us remember the Pilgrims as examples of applying Semper Reformanda. And may we restore and renew a multigenerational victorious vision of active reformation, continuing through the ages until Christ's Kingdom has conquered all its foes.
*Lord willing, I will write another blog post soon regarding Bradford's encouragement in Of Plymouth Plantation for future generations to remember the courageous sacrifices and undying faith of their Pilgrim fathers and mothers.
posted by C.S. Hayden @ 12:55 PM
10 Comments:
It is all too easy to invoke the name of dead hero in support of your cause, but what John Robinson said concerning Luther and Calvin in his farewell remarks -- that they would be willing to embrace further light (Robinson's light) -- is simply not true. There was no shortage of men of Robinson's ilk in Luther's day, and he rebuked them sternly. The same was abundantly true for Calvin. They would not go where Robinson wanted to go precisely because they saw such innovations as an obfuscation of the Gospel.
I once heard John MacArthur, in a debate with R.C. Sproul on baptism, maintain that Luther started a good work, but he didn't take the Reformation far enough. In other words, he did not apply his doctrine of grace alone/faith alone consistently enough or extensively enough to sufficiently reform the ecclesiastical practices of his day and time. So MacAruthur's concept of Semper Reformanda involved an ongoing progression into more and more truth. This is not true Semper Reformanda. In fact, as MacArthur amply illustrates, such a notion of Semper Reformanda almost always leads the Church into sin -- in his case the sin of relinquishing Christian baptism in exchange for an ordinance.
We must embrace Semper Reformanda, not because there are new truths waiting to be discovered in God's Word, but because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is always being obscured. Sometimes it is obscured by a rejection of infant baptism. Sometimes it is obscured by a notion of Christian separatism. Sometimes it is obscured by an exclusive commitment to one particular translation of the Bible. Sometimes it is obscured by an emphasis on outreach and evangelism. Sometimes it is obscured by a vision of what might happen if Christians would only vote according to God's Word, or homeschool their children, or deploy the womb as an instrument of dominion. Whatever it may be, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is always being preempted by one thing or another -- even in the pulpits of churches (like mine) that claim to cling to all the solas of the Reformation. All of the solas of the Reformation point to Jesus on the cross for you and for me -- the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The churches and "ministries" of the Reformation do not. That is why the Reformation continues. That is why it must continue.
Eric, thanks for the comment.
I agree that Semper Reformanda essentially boils down to a proper understanding of the Gospel and solas and cannot be taken to mean that truth develops and evolves over time. But the doctrine can indeed be applied, for example, as the NCFIC Confession states: "We deny that we who shepherd the flock of Christ—whether as fathers or as pastors—have adequately and vigilantly scrutinized the beliefs and practices of the modern church as well as our own role in it" (XV). Is this the very essence and core of Semper Reformanda? Perhaps not, but it is certainly a good application of the principle.
Should we reform our ecclesiology when modern evolutionary humanistic ideology gains a foothold in our understanding concerning ministry practices? Of course! Is this because the truth about ecclesiology has developed or changed? No! Rather, we must scrutinize our beliefs and practices, prove all things according to the sufficient Word of God, and discern/repent of areas where we have been taken captive by worldly philosophy rather than taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (I Thess. 5:21, Gal. 6:4, II Tim. 3:16-17, Col. 2:8, II Cor. 10:5, etc.).
All the things you list can indeed obscure the Gospel when used as a means to gain merit before God or when exalted above the supremacy and focus on the cross of Christ. (Incidentally, so can their opposites all the more, e.g., when false professors of faith cite their baptism as infants to prove they are "saved," when indeed they have not darkened the door of a church in 20 years, they are living like perfect pagans, and most grievously of all they know nothing of the true Gospel of Christ that requires faith in His finished work alone for justification, proceeded naturally by good works as fruit of conversion).
Again, the essence of my blog post is that modern-day reformers desire the active disciplines of reformation to continually examine their beliefs, practices, and lifestyles. We must repent when we discern areas in which we have forsaken Scripture and been taken captive by pagan philosophy or traditions and doctrines of man. I am not trying to promote this above or contrary to the Gospel of Christ, but simply in accordance with His commandments, given with a statement of His divine authority as the absolute Sovereign over heaven and earth, to "teach all nations," baptize them, and teach "them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Mt. 28:18-20).
What are "the disciplines of active reformation"? The qualifier makes the statement esoteric, its meaning uncertain and dubious.
If I had to boil down my previous comment to an essential thought it would be this: Semper Reformanda does not seek to uncover all kinds of truth hidden in the Word of God. Semper Reformanda is particularly concerned with uncovering one singular truth -- the truth of the Suffering Servant, who, on the cross, redeemed the world from sin. There are other truths, some of which might even be found in the Word of God, but Semper Reformanda is not much concerned with any of these -- recognizing that even truths derived from God's Word have the potential move our eyes away from the object of our faith. That is not to say that we shouldn't love God's law, or that we shouldn't teach it in its fullness, or that it is somehow unimportant. The Reformation, strictly speaking, is concerned with one thing... the recovery of the Gospel, and so that is also the focus of Semper Reformanda.
Eric, you're right that that phrase "disciplines of active reformation" is not clear in itself, so I recommend Mr. Botkin's lecture to learn more about these ideas. I wanted to keep my blog post brief and to the point, highlighting Pastor Robinson's statement, so I didn't get into details. But maybe I will do that in a future comment or post.
Regarding your second paragraph, I agree that the central, core, essential theme of the Reformation was restoring a proper faith in the sufficiency of Christ's work on the cross in justifying us before God. We have peace with and access to God, not through our works (whether personally discipling children at home, letting God control the womb and receiving children as His blessing, following biblical principles for qualifications of civil magistrates, or any other admirable endeavor) or through indulgences or spending enough time in purgatory or confessing to a priest and receiving absolution, etc., etc. If anyone asserts that these things justify us and give us peace before God, rather than Christ's finished work on the cross and God's gracious gift of faith, let him be anathema!
Beyond this, of course, the various strands of Reformational thought developed outworkings for culture, pedagogy, marriage and family, historiography, ecclesiology, economics, politics, and so forth. Even though we cannot view these things as core -- we have to unite behind the central theme of the Reformation that you highlighted -- it is wise and necessary to develop our understanding of beliefs and practices in these other areas. Are we conforming our lives to Scripture deliberately, consciously, and actively -- not to gain peace with God, but simply as an outworking of the comprehensive faith He has so graciously given us? If you want to quibble with appropriating the term Semper Reformanda to these endeavors, that's fine -- even though I'll stick with the applications I articulated in this post. Again, I'm not asserting that these various issues are the central core of the Reformation, but it cannot escape our notice that the various brands of Reformers individually and corporately developed beliefs and practices in these important areas of life.
Thank you, Caleb for sparking this conversation. Thank you, Eric, for your passionate reply. I now offer my own to the discussion.
Christ is central. Christ is sovereign. Consequently, He is Lord over every aspect of the life of the believer and the unbeliever. As we submit to Him our will and our souls, so also do we commit to Him our lives and actions. We surrender to His salvation. We surrender to His commands. We seek to hear Him; we seek to obey Him. We seek to love Him, His people, and our neighbor, in heart, in word, in deed. In all these things, we are constantly submitting our minds to be renewed by His Word. We are overcoming evil with good. We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Because He is sovereign. Because He is central.
We certainly are always reforming our understanding of the centrality of Christ, not because He is changing, but because we are fallen. It is as a natural result of growing understanding that we are learning to lay more and more of our lives at the foot of His throne--submitting to His sovereignty over the womb, the home, the church, the civil government, and any and every other area of our lives, our faith, and our practice. Not because these things will bring us salvation, but because a proper understanding of the Gospel leads us to such a complete surrender--to learning and teaching not only what Christ did on the cross, but what He is continuing to do on His throne. Caleb cited it above; I refer us to it again: Matthew 28:18-20: “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”
What are we really debating?
Caleb,
Obviously I’m not going to give Doug Phillips $80 for the privilege of listening to Geoff Botkin. Nice try though! :)
Bradley,
You wrote, "Christ is central. Christ is sovereign." And you asked, "What are we really debating?" I think the debate (to whatever extent there may actually be one) is, at a foundational level, concerned with connection between those two statements. Christ is central and Christ is sovereign, but He is not central because He is sovereign. He is central because He was crucified. There is no stumbling block in a religion based on the notion that God is central because He is sovereign. That is a very simple, take-it-or-leave-it proposition. But Christians say that God is central because God suffered for the redemption of His creation, and that is nothing less than scandalous. In my opinion, saying Christ is central -- Christ is sovereign, is not wrong; it just misses the point.
Eric,
Based upon your last response, and upon your original post, it seems that the debate is really about the obfuscation or obscuring of the Gospel.
On that point, surely we must all agree that what truly obscures the Gospel is sin. If your point is that the Gospel is obscured when we place ideas and works above or in the place of God, then we must certainly agree--for that is the sin of idolatry.
However, it seems that you are arguing for even more than this. In your first post, you claim that the following things sometimes obscure the Gospel:
- Rejection of infant baptism
- Notion of Christian separatism
- Commitment to one particular translation of the Bible
- Emphasis on outreach and evangelism
- Vision of results of (a) voting according to God’s Word, (b) homeschooling our children, or (c) taking dominion by physical multiplication.
Without debating the merits of these individual ideas and actions, we must admit that all of these things may be done in an idolatrous, sinful manner, thereby obscuring the Gospel. We must also acknowledge that all things which are done out of love for God and in accordance with His Word do not obscure the Gospel, but point to it. For example, if God commands us to put a certain emphasis on outreach and evangelism, and we obey that command in love, then the Gospel is not obscured by this emphasis, rather, it is illuminated by it.
Therefore, if we were in agreement on all of these points, then it would seem that your position is not that these things obscure the Gospel, but rather that their sinful application obscures the Gospel, a point on which we should all be in agreement.
However, it may be that you are arguing that these specific ideas and actions (i.e. rejecting infant baptism, homeschooling, etc.) are themselves sinful. If this is the case, then we need to debate the merits of these ideas and actions, and not obfuscate the real issues by arguing about something on which we all agree.
What do you think?
Brad
Here is another post regarding semper reformanda.
I - DISCIPLE AND DISCIPLEMAKER
II - PARENT AND GUARDIAN
III - HISTORIAN AND HISTORY-MAKER
IV - SCIENTIST AND ARCHITECT
V - AMBASSADOR AND STATESMAN
VI - JURIST AND ELDER
VII - SCHOLAR AND PUBLISHER
"These disciplines are necessary to keep the momentum of reform moving in a sanctified direction. Without them reformation stops. Every Christian, even the very young, needs to think like a leader and develop these disciplines to the extent they can, as they grow in maturity. To fail to grow individually will spell defeat for the reformation."
-Geoff Botkin, "Semper Reformanda: The Next 500 Years" (lecture)
Calvin to Bullinger: "It is true brotherly communion when we acknowledge that the gifts of the spirit are so divided among us that no one believes he can do anything on his own."
LEGACY OF THE REFORMATION:
Bucer went beyond Luther
Zwingli an Farel went beyond Bucer
Calvin went beyond Farel
Beza and Knox went beyond Calvin
From: Geoff Botkin, "Semper Reformanda: The Next 500 Years" (lecture)
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