Reformed Love

 “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” (Exodus 34:6 ESV)

I love Reformed theology because I believe in it and believe it displays God's glory and mercy. TULIP, each of these letters strengthens my belief in God's sovereignty. Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and the Perseverance of the saints make up all the essential doctrines of God that give us assurances.  

The beauty of Reformed theology reflects the beauty of God Himself, shining through like a blinding light. The doctrines of grace at the core of Reformed theology are the doctrines of love. My love for the Reformation is not greater than my love for God, but it is a love that stems from the revelation of our true God. The value of my love for God surpasses anything else, and it is this love that draws me to reformed soteriology that reveals the sovereignty of God.

I found the deep riches of these ideas through teachers like Jonathan Edwards and John Owens. Jonathan Edwards wrote, “The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows, but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean.”[1] Reformed theology is a revelation; the streams and headwaters lead us to the vast ocean that is God.

I will tell you why I believe this. Reformed theology is magnificent because it focuses on God's beauty, sovereignty, and centrality or glory. Reformed theology has a stranglehold on scripture and will not release it, so the ideas and doctrines of Reformed theology are milked from scripture, released like juice from a fresh orange drained of its health-giving, vitamin-filled juice that strengthens us like scripture reinforces our faith and love in God.

What is staggering is that these principles encompass what God is, but ultimately, God is the reality. There was nothing, no time, no space, no creation, nothing. Yet there was God; the reality we see was given to us by God, who existed before and will exist after everything that makes up our reality is gone. God told Moses in Exodus 3:14, “I am who I am.” Nothing made God; God was not created. The Trinity has existed in a stasis of sheer existence, pure reality. This thought alone is mind-blowing and could take a lifetime to come to complete terms with.

It is all about God's centeredness. Many get this wrong because they believe they are God-centered because God is man-centered. Many do not want to hear the truth. We are created to glorify God, and our satisfaction in God is His greatest glorification.

We know this idea is true because we can read it all through the Bible. Isaiah 41:9 “I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’;I have chosen you and have not rejected you.” God told Israel, I chose you, and you will worship me.

Many denominations have lost sight of humans' God-centered existence. Now, everything is God-centered because people are taught God is man-centered. The church is being led away, and seeing society's sheer arrogance is frightening.

Tomorrow, I will examine the second side of my love for the Reformation, delving deeper into the transformative power of scripture and the role of God in the Reformers' mission. I hope that in these two days, you will find a deep and enriching understanding of how the Reformers changed the world with their reliance on scripture and much help from God.

Grace and Peace!

[1] Jonathan Edwards, The Christian Pilgrim, Works of Jonathan Edwards, Carlisle, PA. 1974, 2:244.