What Is Reformed Theology? Understanding The Basics (2016 Edition)
by R.C. Sproul
One day a group of Muslim students approached me with interest. I was obviously (and intentionally wanted to be seen) reading my Bible at the canteen while waiting for Christian Fellowship to start. The spokesperson said to me that he doesn’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God. After I asked him why and patiently listening to his explanations, I replied, “In that case, I also don’t believe in this ‘Jesus.’ Let me tell you the real Jesus of Alkitab...” So I opened the Bible and planted the seed of the Gospel in their hearts [The rest of the story? Censored. This is Malaysia, remember?]. In the same way, when I heard some people said, “I think the Reformed Theology is wrong,” “This theology is divisive,” “The Reformed people don’t believe in the Holy Spirit...”, etc. and then asked them to explain it, I noticed that they have many misconceptions regarding the basics. I think many things in the world are unworthy to dig deeper or invest our time and energy, but I beseech you to consider learning more about Reformed Theology. At least the basics. And at least if you reject it or speak against it, you’re not doing it out of ignorance. In this book, the late Dr. R.C. Sproul (1939-2017) as if replying to the disagreements, “Let me tell you what Reformed Theology is...” So he opened the Scripture, The Westminster Confession of Faith, and the writings of the Reformers and planted the seed of the grace of God in our hearts.
One of the terms that many Christians are allergic to is THEOLOGY. They look the other way whenever they come across books or events with “theology” as its title. Let me deal with this first before I go through the book review. Theology simply means the study of God (Greek, theo means ‘god,’ and the suffix -logy means ‘the study of’). Informally, when we talking about God, discussing about God, having ideas about God, we engage in theology. Of course, some people are formally and academically called Theologians. But basically, we are all theologians either consciously or unconsciously, good ones or bad ones. I say, be a good one! Don’t fear the term anymore; embrace it. Now, let’s go to what is REFORMED THEOLOGY? R.C. Sproul wittily said, “Reformed Theology is a Theology.” By this, he means it is driven first and foremost by its understanding of the character of God, not just the study of religion. “When we engage in the quest to understand God, it is theology,” he continues, “When our quest is limited to understanding how people react to theology, it is religion.” The centrality and the supremacy of the triune God of the Scripture is the hinge of the Reformed theology. “For this reason, it is often called ‘God-centered’ theology,” said Joel R. Beeke, co-author of Reformed Systematic Theology. Although it is not utterly unique from the other branch of theological systems such as it is systematic (attempts to discern the coherent and unified teachings of the Scripture), catholic (refers to ‘universal’ truths of the Christian faith), and evangelical (part of the Protestant reformation) but has its own distinctiveness. In the two parts of this book, R.C. Sproul slowly made the distinctions:
Part 1: Foundations of the Reformed Theology
a) Centred on God
b) Based on God’s Word alone
c) Committed to Faith Alone
d) Devoted to Jesus Christ (The Prophet, Priest, and King)
e) Structured by Three Covenants
Part 2: Five Points of Reformed Theology
a) Humanity’s Radical Corruption
b) God’s Sovereign Choice
c) Christ’s Purposeful Atonement
d) The Spirit’s Effective Call
e) God’s Preservation of the Saints
When people think of Reformed Theology, the Five Points with the familiar acrostic TULIP always come to mind: T stands for Total Depravity, U stands for Unconditional Election, L stands for Limited Atonement, I stands for Irresistible Grace, and P stands for Perseverance of the Saints. But if you noticed the lists in Part 2, Sproul suggests another way of saying the same points with different wordings to avoid misleading. Of course, the acrostic TULIP is easy to remember. Still, it seems very forceful to insert the meanings that can lead to misunderstanding (like when Reformed is equating to Calvinism. It is a misleading term, in my opinion, because although John Calvin was a principal figure in the development of this theology, he was not the sole originator and contributor). So I really appreciate what Sproul did here. After reading this book, three thoughts came to mind: 1) I praise God for His providence. My group weekly Bible Study on the Book of Isaiah and the series of studies on the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, and the Epistle to the Romans that I create for LEGASI.tv have helped me tremendously understand the big picture of the Word of God. So when I read this book, I can connect to a large extend to what Sproul is writing here; 2) I found that there are thoughts that came to my mind when I read the Word of God but couldn’t put it into words are explained effortlessly by Sproul throughout the book. Just wow! and 3) I’m still reluctant to either calling myself a Reformed or not. There are more questions to discover and some interpretations that I’m still skeptical about. There are strengths and weaknesses in every form of a theological system. And, there is no Biblical mandate or obligation to make the decision (although it is helpful to know where one stands theologically). For sure, I’m more REFORMING than I was before reading this book. If it’s good, then Soli Deo Gloria!
Here are some helpful YouTube videos to help me comprehends this book further:
1) Teaching Series on What Is Reformed Theology? by R.C. Sproul at Ligonier Ministries [12 parts], CLICK HERE
2) Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism [4 hours 18 minutes documentary], CLICK HERE
3) Why I Think Calvinism Is Unbiblical by Mike Winger, CLICK HERE (Check out Dr. Leighton Flowers’s YouTube Channel Soteriology 101 too for more videos challenging Calvinism teachings. I encourage you to read and watch the other videos and debates by those who have opposing beliefs than you. This is a constructive way to learn and test your beliefs.)
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