By a Concerned Brother in Christ
In an age of rapid shifts in Reformed theology and church practice, many believers are asking: What does “Reformed” truly mean? Is it a call to continual adaptation to culture, or a humble return to the apostolic pattern laid down in Scripture? This reflection explores the biblical and historical heart of reformation—ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei—and why true Reformed faith means returning home to Christ’s unchanging design for His church, not chasing the latest winds of change (Ephesians 4:14).
It was around 2:00 a.m. this morning when I woke up, unable to return to sleep. In those quiet hours, as I often do, I turned to prayer and opened God’s Word. A question has been weighing heavily on my heart lately: Why do we see so much confusion around the word “Reformed,” and why does it sometimes seem to pull believers away from the clear foundations laid by Christ and His Apostles?
I am no pastor, no church leader, and certainly no scholar with special authority. I am simply a fellow believer who loves the Lord and cares deeply for His people—friends and brothers and sisters I see drifting, little by little, from the pattern Scripture gives us. This burden comes from love, not from any desire to win debates or appear wise. If I share these thoughts, it is only in the hope that they might encourage others to pause, search the Scriptures for themselves (Acts 17:11), and consider whether we are truly returning to the apostolic blueprint or quietly reshaping the church to fit the spirit of the age.
My own continued study of this issue began in earnest after a respectful exchange with a reverend I admire. When I raised concerns about certain modern shifts in Reformed circles—specifically the move toward women elders—he responded by defending his view of “always reforming.” He noted: “Reformed does not mean we are frozen in the 1600s.”
At first, I appreciated the point. He was right that the Reformation was a dynamic movement, not a static relic. The Reformers themselves weren’t bound to the cultural forms of their day; they courageously broke from centuries of tradition to recover the pure gospel. However, as I pondered his words, I realized we were standing on opposite sides of a deep divide. While he used the idea of “not being frozen” to justify moving forward into new cultural adaptations, I realized that true Reformation is always about moving back to the Apostolic source. The Reformers didn’t break tradition to be “modern”; they broke it to be “Biblical.”
Yet this very history sharpens the meaning of “Reformed.” The Reformers’ boldness was not rooted in innovation for its own sake but in a passionate return to the Scriptures—to the voice of the Lord as He gave instructions to the Apostles for faithfulness and order in His church. They cried, in essence, “Back to the sources!” (ad fontes), not forward into unchecked change. Today, faithful voices still echo that cry: not frozen in any century, but steadfastly unmoved by the pressures of our age, calling us to “wait, stop, look carefully” at God’s unchanging Word.
What Does “Reformed” Actually Mean?
The word “reformed” has become a source of real confusion in our day. Many sincere believers appeal to the old Reformed motto: Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda—“the church reformed, always reforming.” Historically, this phrase comes from the 17th-century Reformed tradition and was always completed with the crucial qualifier: secundum verbum Dei—according to the Word of God. The Reformers did not mean endless innovation or adaptation to culture. They meant continual repentance and return to the teaching of Scripture whenever the church had wandered.
To reform something is to bring it back to its original form and design. Think of a craftsman restoring a damaged piece of furniture: he does not turn it into an entirely new object; he carefully returns it to the maker’s original intent. In the same way, true reformation of the church means returning to the pattern established by Christ through His Apostles—the pattern closest to the Lord Himself (Ephesians 2:20; 2 Timothy 3:16–17).
The Danger of Slow Drift
Scripture warns us that deception rarely arrives with trumpets and banners. More often it comes disguised as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), appealing to good and noble desires—empathy, inclusion, cultural relevance. Yet when those desires begin to reshape clear biblical teaching, we are no longer reforming the church; we are deforming it.
We see this clearly in current debates over church leadership. Many who advocate change begin with genuine compassion, yet the result can be a departure from the creation order God established in the beginning (Genesis 2) and reaffirmed through the Apostle Paul (1 Timothy 2:11–14; 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9). These instructions are not mere 1st-century cultural preferences; they reflect God’s wise design for male headship in the home and in the church, a design rooted in creation itself and intended for the church in every age.
A Simple Distinction Worth Considering
- True Reformed faith seeks to make the church what Christ designed it to be—conformed to the apostolic pattern found in Scripture.
- What is sometimes called “Neo-Reformed” can quietly shift toward making the church what contemporary culture wants it to be—conformed instead to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2).
The Apostles handed down the “DNA” of the church not as a flexible suggestion but as a trustworthy deposit (2 Timothy 1:13–14). If we truly love the people sitting beside us in the pews, the kindest and most faithful thing we can offer them is the unchanging foundation of the original gospel and the original pattern—not a version softened or reshaped to ease modern discomfort.
An Invitation, Not a Verdict
Dear friend, I share this not to judge hearts—only God knows those fully—but to plead with us all (myself first) to return to the blueprint. Let us do so not out of rigidity or pride, but out of a sincere and pure devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3), so that His bride might be presented spotless and radiant when He returns (Ephesians 5:27).
May the Lord give each of us grace to stand firmly on the ancient paths, where the good way is, and there find rest for our souls (Jeremiah 6:16).
In Christ’s love, A fellow traveler
