What is Reformed Theology? (R.C. Sproul)

In this introductory book, esteemed theologian R.C. Sproul provides "a shorthand introduction to the crystallized essence of Reformation theology." He covers the foundations and five points of reformed theology; a summary follows.

Foundations:

• Centered on God
• Based on God's Word alone
• Committed to faith alone
• Devoted to Jesus Christ
• Structured by three covenants

A few highlights on the above foundations:

Centered on God

"Perhaps no doctrine has greater bearing on all other doctrines than the doctrine of God. How we understand the nature and character of God himself influences how we understand the nature of man," Christ, salvation, ethics, "and a myriad of other theological considerations." To this end, "Reformed theology is first and foremost theocentric [God-centered] rather than anthropocentric [man-centered]."

"Because God is infinite in his being and eternal, and we are finite and bound by both space and time, our knowledge of him is never comprehensive. We enjoy an apprehensive knowledge of God but not a comprehensive knowledge." In addition, God "derives his beaing from nothing outside of himself. He is self-existent." "Our being, by contrast, is derived, dependent, and contingent."

Based on God's Word alone

Reformed theology adheres to sola Scriptura, "by Scripture alone," declaring "the idea that only the Bible has the authority to bind the consciences of believers." It recognizes other authorities, but sees them "as being derived from and subordinate to the authority of God."

Reformers argue "there are two kinds of divine revelation: general [or 'natural'; "God's revelation of himself in nature"] and special [the Bible]." They believe the original manuscripts of the Bible to be inerrant, and "though we do not possess the [originals] themselves, we can reconstruct them with remarkable accuracy."

Reformers' established rules of hermeneutics ("the process by which we seek to understand a message") "for interpreting the Bible." Chiefly, "we are to interpret Scripture by Scripture . . . we are to interpret the obscure in light of the clear, the implicit in light of the explicit, and the narrative in light of the didactic."

Committed to faith alone

Since we are all sinners, and God is holy, "on what basis or grounds does God ever declare anyone just?" "The Reformers insisted that [such] justification is by grace alone (sola gratia), by faith alone (sola fide), and through Christ alone (soli Christo)." The instrumental cause is faith (which is itself a gift). But remember "true faith is never alone. It always manisfests itself in works." But such works "contribute nothing of merit before God." Ultimately, "we are justified by faith int he works performed in our behalf by Christ."

Devoted to Jesus Christ

"Jesus is truly man and truly God. His two natures are not mixed, confused, separated, or divided." Christ has three offices: prophet, priest, and king. As prophet, He "represented God, speaking to the people on God's behalf, mediating his word to the people." As priest, he "represented the people, speaking to God [and offering sacrifices] on the people's behalf." As king, he represented "the rule of God over the people." Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of all three offices.

Structured by three covenants

"Reformed theology sees the primary structure of biblical revelation as that of covenant." There are three: 1) The covenant of redemption "involves the parties who work together to effect human redemption: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." 2) The covenant of works promises life to Adam and his posterity "upon condition of perfect and personal obedience." 3) The covenant of grace, where God freely offers to sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, granted through faith in Him.

Five Points:

• Total depravity ("Our natural inclination is to flee from God," and we are unable to incline ourselves to the things of God. We "suffer from corruption that pervades the whole person." "We are not sinners because we win; we sin because we are sinners.")
• Unconditional election ("the grounds of our election are not something foreseen by God in us but rather the good pleasure of his sovereign will.")
• Limited atonement ("Christ loved his church and gave himself for it . . . the ultimate aim of God's plan of redemption was to redeem his elect.")
• Irresistible grace ("regeneration precedes faith," which "is simply to say that this grace, which is so vital to our salvation, is sovereign.")
• Perserverance of the saints (God's "sovereign purpose to save his elect from the foundation of the world is not frustrated by our weakness.")

Though this makes the memorable acrostic "TULIP," some of the terms can lead to misunderstandings. "If we adjusted these phrases in the interest of accuracy, we would have something like this: radical corruption, sovereign election, definite atonement, effectual grace, and preservation of the saints."

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This is an excellent introduction to reformed theology. Sproul knows how to convey deep theological concepts with clarity. Recommended.

Rating: A