What does Reformed mean?
by James M. Odom
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this [antecedent is "faith"] is not your own doing; it [antecedent is "faith"] is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8, 9 ESV)
"What does it mean to be Reformed," many ask. In a nutshell, this verse from God's Word holds the answer: that regeneration precedes faith.
In this passage (and not as a "proof text," standing alone, but entirely consistent with, and in context with, all other Biblical teaching) faith is not one's own doing, faith is the gift of God, and faith is not a result of any actions one takes ("works").
To be saved means to acknowledge that one is not a good person, but rather has violated (repeatedly and willfully) the commands (i.e., the 10 commandments) of Him who made us; to repent; and to put one's entire trust (i.e., not just most, with a little reserved for one's own selfish desire, as the rich young ruler in Matthew 19) in Jesus Christ alone to have paid the just penalty that we all deserve for those violations.
In order to be saved, this passage also tells us that we must have faith, and that God must give that faith to us. God's act of giving us the faith to believe is summarized by the term "regeneration."
Why do we need to be regenerated? It is because the natural state of all of us is that of being "dead" (repeated consistently, and numerous times throughout Scripture). Dead people are incapable of taking any action whatsoever to rescue or help themselves. Therefore, none seeks after God, no, not one. So God revives us, by giving us faith, by which we can seek him.
Of course, there is more to Reformed Theology ultimately, as one who has fully accepted His salvation from the Hand of the Almighty Creator of the Universe, with absolutely no contribution of his own (i.e., not by good deeds; nor religious rites; nor even believing, for as this passage states, that is His work), will ultimately desire to study deeply and adhere to every teaching of God's Word, even the most challenging teachings and those which one doesn't personally like at first. Those who are only willing to surrender nearly all to God (i.e., those who wish to boast of their own hand in salvation, as the passage indicates) will not teach or ahere to God's most challenging teachings.
We must each decide if we really wish to boast at our own hand in choosing Him, or if instead we are more confident in His Almighty Hand to choose us, and live accordingly. This is what Covenant Home Curriculum is all about!
James M. Odom is President of Covenant Home Curriculum
