When I told Joel my title for this post, he responded, "You did more than just hang out with them; you were a Presbyterian!" Yes, we were members of a conservative Presbyterian church (PCA) for about seven years, but I never considered myself a full-fledged Presbyterian. Even though we are no longer part of a Reformed congregation, I still like to "hang out" with those of the Reformed tradition, Presbyterian, Baptist, or otherwise. I was recently pondering some of the ways I have benefited from their teaching and practices and came up with this list:
1. From Genesis to Revelation, God is revealing his eternal plan of redemption. The Bible is not primarily about Israel or the church, but about Jesus Christ. And since Jesus is the fulfillment of all Old Testament law and prophesy, the Old Testament must be studied and interpreted in light of the New Testament, not the reverse as many Christians interpret Scripture. As we read through the Old Testament, we must ask what the passage says about Christ and what he has done. Tim Keller recorded an excellent short video on this "fundamental question," which I used in a blog post about three years ago. Click here to view.
2. As we enter our places of worship, we should have the attitude that "we are crossing over from the profane to the holy," as R. C. Sproul says. Our hearts and minds should be prepared to worship the Lord our God, and our worship services should reflect that "crossing over" as well. Some begin this preparation on Saturday evening by setting aside time for Bible reading and reflection.
3. Liturgy isn't a dirty word. As long as the format allows for the work of the Holy Spirit, i.e. we are not bound by ritual, liturgy provides helpful transitions as we worship together, from the call to worship, to the readings of Scripture, to our prayers of confession of sin and assurance of God's grace and forgiveness, to our songs of praise, to the teaching of God's Word and our responses. The proper focus of the obedient heart creates God-honoring formality rather than dead formalism.
4. The Psalms really are for singing! What a treasure it is to have a "hymnal" authored by God himself! The psalter is included in the references to psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs found in Ephesians and Colossians. The Psalms speak to the broad range of human emotions as the psalmists poured out their hearts to the Lord.
5. Grape juice doesn't cut it. The sweetness of the juice doesn't properly portray the bitterness and anguish of the crucifixion, that Christ's blood was poured out as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. The perfect Lamb of God bore the "cup of wrath" of God on behalf of those who come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.
6. Creeds and confessions matter. In this age of watered-down Christianity, where most Christians cannot accurately state the message of the Gospel, I appreciate the importance Reformers place on studying (even memorizing) the confessions of the faith. We must know what we profess to believe! Also, studying the legacy of Reformed Christians provides a valuable source of encouragement and insight to our faith.
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