Presbyterianism
What is the Reformed Faith
Have you wondered what it means to be Reformed? The Reformed churches generally hold to those ideas held by Ulrich Zwingli and (especially) John Calvin. In contrast to the Episcopal Polity of electing a hierarchy of bishops (Greek: Episcopoi ) or holding a Congregational Polity to govern the church, Reformed churches usually elect elders (Greek: Presbyteroi ) to carry out this function. The elders work together as a group but are accountable to higher groups known as presbyteries, synods or 
assemblies. This form of government is called a Presbyterian Polity.
While most Presbyterians are part of the PCUSA, there is a growing trend among Presbyterians for returning to the confessional Reformed roots. The two largest independent groups include the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and the non-1906 merger Cumberland Presbyterians.
At the Westminster assembly, summaries of the Calvinist faith were prepared and expressed in the Westminster Standards – that is the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Catechisms. Public directions for worship were drafted in the Directory of Worship which was also a substitute for the Book of Common Prayer used by the Anglicans. The reforming of the church organization followed in the Form of Church Government. Published in 1548, the Westminster documents were intended to be authoritative in the regulation of the church across England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. It was no surprise that Scotland was the first to officially accept and approve them. An attempt was made in England and Ireland for their acceptance, however, they saw limited success as a result of the vocal dissent of the Congregationalists and due to the short-lived nature of the Commonwealth. With the return to the monarchy and episcopal leadership of the church in 1660, the Westminster documents became the sole possession of the Presbyterians.
We have learned a lot of the history of Reformed churches over the previous couple of days. Now we will take a look at one last group of the Reformed church traditions in the US…which is the Presbyterians. The Presbyterians continue the history of the Reformed tradition tracing their history to Switzerland and the ministry of Ulrich Zwingli. You may recall that we talked about Ulrich on Friday. Preeminence is still assigned to John Calvin and the church live that he established in 1530’s Geneva. Presbyterians represent the influence of Reformed traditions as expressed in the British Isles.
Continue reading about Distinctly Presbyterian, with a British accent
It is interesting to note that Luther was not the first to attack the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church. My reference books are in storage, but (if memory serves me correctly) he was about the 12th monk to make an attempt to correct the doctrinal errors in the Roman church. What I find interesting is the progression of Luther’s thought and how different the doctrines are of the Lutheran churches today (in practice at least).
TULIP (As A Comparison)
As Augustinians, Luther and Calvin generally were in agreement on the substance of the Five Points (remember the Five Points were formally adopted in 1618-19). Luther believed in Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints. However, Luther waffled between a unlimited atonement and Christ only dying for the elect. Luther also allowed for the possibility that some who had genuinely received grace might apostatize. It was Phillip Melanchthon that moved Lutheranism toward an Arminian-like doctrine of salvation. Melanchthon is considered the chief author of the Lutheran’s doctrinal confession, the Book of Concord. Recall, Arminian thought was that man is not totally deprived, election is conditioned on God’s foreknowledge of our acceptance of Christ, that Christ died for the purpose of saving all, saving grace is resistible, and that it is possible to be lost even after one is genuinely saved by grace. Both bodies rejected Arminianism, however Lutherans did so in a different way than the Reformed did (i.e. still accepting unconditional salvation, resistance of grace, and the ability to fall away from saving faith).
Law & Gospel
Lutherans believe the law is a curb, mirror, and rule. Lutherans do not believe the law is necessary in securing justification. Lutherans believe the Gospel is the centrality of doctrine. - Reformed believe that the Law is a means for securing justification, strengthening one’s personal assurance of being saved, being of the elect, and for coming into the possession of the benefits and blessings of the covenantal relationship with God. They believe that the Gospel reaffirms the law and shows its value. Reformed believe that the centrality of doctrine is the glory and sovereignty of God.
Continue reading about Luther vs. Reformed: Law & Order; Role of Women
Baptism
Lutherans believe that baptism regenerates the soul (the new birth) and imparts faith. Lutherans do not go so far as to say that one cannot be saved if not baptized. Lutherans do believe that baptism’s grace can be resisted and as such the baptized can be condemned. Unless grace is overtly resisted, Lutherans believe that the baptized are considered saved and often refer back to the individual being baptized in questions of whether one is saved.
Christ and Holy Communion
The fundamental difference comes down to the ubiquity of the body of Christ. Does Christ come down from heaven to us or are we raised up to Christ in heaven?
- Lutherans believe in Christ’s real physical prsence at the sacrament (called sacramental union) in which Christ is present in, with, and under the elements. They believe that the elements are actual means of God’s grace through which the Holy Spirit works. Furthermore, Lutherans believe that the body and blood of Christ are present at the Lord’s Table and are partaken by the believer and non-believer alike. For this reason, Lutherans practice "close(d) communion:, where only members of the church denomination are allowed to participate. Often, this belief is incorrectly referred to as "consubstatiation"
