Thank you.
I see your faith states that you are reformed. What does that mean?
It means that I in general am in agreement with the Protestant teachings that came out of the Reformation. Those reformers were for the most part, associated with the RCC (Catholic) but had seen gross errors in many of their teachings and traditions that were not consistent with the Scripture. Rather than reform itself, the Catholic hierarchy kicked them out of that church, and they took the movement to the world.
It is from there that we get the five solas.
Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone is the standard of doctrinal teaching for Christianity.
Soli Deo Gloria: For the glory of God alone.
Solo Christo: Salvation is by Christ's work alone.
Sola Gratia: Salvation by grace alone.
Sola Fide: Justification is by faith alone.
Christianity largely holds to these in theory if not in practice. Where it has in places broken away from Reformed theology, is with the Doctrines of Grace. This is usually expressed in the acronym TULIP. However, reducing it to an acronym has had the unfortunate effect of people taking the acronym all by itself, and the words that the letters represent, as the only way of determining whether they "like it or not."
The words used in order to make the acronym are misleading, easily misunderstood, and the teachings within the acronym, are never explored to see if they are actually biblical or not. The idea of people getting to make up their own minds about whether or not they want to believe unto salvation, is so prevalent, and has been for a couple of centuries, and salvation actually taken out of the hands of God and placed instead into the hands of men, that people recoil at having to rethink the scriptures and possibly discover that they may have been wrong, even though that would not effect their salvation if they believe what needs to be believed. They never get that far into the study of the theology.
It has been said that a person must either dedicate themselves to a comprehensive study of what is contained in the TULIP of leave it alone entirely. I tend to agree. However, as for myself, having begun with the idea that I was saved because of the choice I made and the prayer I prayed; and having remained in that mindset for the first 23 years of my walk in Christ; twenty years into my exploring Reformed theology and checking it against Scripture and the theology of God and of Christ, according to Scripture; I have discovered that so much is missed as to the understanding of God, and of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, that was before behind the scenes to me. As well as everything else in the Bible, much of which I still am and will continue to, search out and find as treasure of higher value than silver and gold.
Where once my growth in knowing God had reached a plateau, and I was crying out to hear of Him and know Him, having no clue what I meant by that, He answered. One little book was put in my hand that introduced me to something I had never heard of. Calvinism (which is only slightly different than Reformed theology and those differences mainly dealing with eschatology. Both adhere to the doctrines of grace.) I discovered as time went on and I continued to learn and explore that the reason for the plateau and the unexplained yearning, was that my Christianity was man centered when Christianity in reality is God centered. Him down to us, o glorious, glorious mercy and grace! Not us up to Him, creatures in desperate need of our Father.
