The following is a discussion of some of the more prominent beliefs in the history of the Reformed tradition. Yet, as I see it, there is one problem in particular which faces such a discussion. Although the following topics that I have chosen are, in my opinion, the more prominent themes in our history as Reformed Christians, it is also important to note that there is not any sort of universal agreement or consensus among Reformed Christians concerning which beliefs in the Reformed tradition are more important or prominent than others. Therefore, though the following discussion will introduce you to some of the prominent beliefs in our tradition, by no means do I intend for this discussion to be exhaustive of all that is important in Reformed theology.

The Authority of Scripture
As a movement within the greater Protestant Reformation, the Reformed tradition shared the views of Luther and other prominent Reformers in that, for Christians, Scripture was to be the primary source of authority.

For Calvin, the metaphor of Scripture as a pair of spectacles was helpful in explaining why Christians should uphold its authority. According to Calvin, we as human beings see things blurry as we attempt to look at God and the world around us. We are "near-sighted" because we are too tainted by sin to see clearly. Therefore, we must rely on the Bible as we would on a pair of spectacles, something that enables us to see God, ourselves, and the world around us more clearly.

Calvin did believe that Scripture was the "inspired" Word of God, but he never fully elaborated on what the nature of this inspiration was. Calvin, like the other Reformers, was not trying to address the issue of whether or not the Bible was inerrant and infallible. Rather, he was simply attempting to maintain that Scripture was to be the primary source of authority for Christians. And for Calvin, Scripture gained its authority through the work of the Holy Spirit. Calvin did not believe that Scripture could be "heard" or understood except through the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of Christians. This is the theological reasoning behind why some Reformed communities have a Prayer of Illumination before Scripture is read during the worship service.

Although Calvin did not argue explicitly for a view of Scripture as infallible or inerrant, as Calvinism developed in later centuries, this view would gradually surface. The Westminster Confession of Faith of the 17th century made a big leap when it claimed that God is the author of Scripture.

This notion that God somehow wrote the Bible was not a Reformation idea in any explicit sense. By the 19th century, American Presbyterians were reacting to the effects of modern science and Darwinism, among other things, by arguing specifically for an inerrant view of Scripture (or at least an inerrancy of the original texts of Scripture). This was the official position of the Presbyterian Church going into the 20th century.

By the middle part of the 20th century, this view began to wane thanks to Karl Barth, a Reformed theologian in Switzerland, who had formulated a view of Scripture that would become tremendously influential both inside and outside of the Reformed tradition.

According to Barth, Scripture is authoritative not so much because of what it is, but because of what it does; and what it does, according to Barth, is that it witnesses to and points to God. Barth believed that Scripture was more of a fallible witness to an infallible God, for Barth feared a kind of Christianity in which the Bible was worshiped over and above God. As such, Christians should appeal to the cultural, historical, and literary background of the Bible in order to interpret Scripture faithfully and to hear God "speaking" to us here and now. This is the view that is still somewhat dominant among many contemporary, Reformed theologians.

What the Confessions say about the
authority of scripture:

The Westminster Confession (6.004-005)
The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.

We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverent esteem for the Holy Scripture; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God; yet, notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.

The Confession of 1967 (9.27; 9.29-30)
The one sufficient revelation of God is Jesus Christ, the Word of God incarnate, to whom the Holy Spirit bears unique and authoritative witness through the Holy Scriptures, which are received and obeyed as the word of God written. The Scriptures are not a witness among others, but the witness without parallel. The church has received the books of the Old and New Testaments as prophetic and apostolic testimony in which it hears the word of God and by which its faith and obedience are nourished and regulated.

The Bible is to be interpreted in the light of its witness to God's work of reconciliation in Christ. The Scriptures, given under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, are nevertheless the words of men, conditioned by the language, thought forms, and literary fashions of the places and times at which they were written. They reflect views of life, history, and the cosmos which were then current. The church, therefore, has an obligation to approach the Scriptures with literary and historical understanding. As God has spoken his word in diverse cultural situations, the church is confident that he will continue to speak through the Scriptures in a changing world and in every form of human culture.

God's word is spoken to his church today where the Scriptures are faithfully preached and attentively read in dependence on the illumination of the Holy Spirit and with readiness to receive their truth and direction.

The Distance between God and Humanity
The language used to describe God's character in classical Reformed theology often describes God’s transcendence, the God who is sovereign, almighty, holy, righteous, infinite, omnipotent, and majestic. God is our Judge who judges humanity justly. God is full of wisdom and goodness.

For Calvin, when we as human beings contemplate this God, we realize how sinful, ignorant, and vain we are. The gulf between the holy and majestic God and the sinful and ignorant world is so vast that, on our own, we cannot overcome it. We as human beings are simply in too lowly a state to be able to approach this God on our own -- we need a Mediator (Jesus Christ).

Contemporary theologians in the Reformed tradition have sought to avoid using adjectives about God which describe God in terms of brute force or power. Images of a "loving" God, of a God who works for justice, of a God who is both Father and Mother, are more common today. Still, under the influence of Karl Barth, many Reformed theologians have sought to maintain a belief in the incredible distance that exists between God and humanity. Thus, God is still described in transcendent terms by many Reformed theologians today.

What the Confessions say about the distance between God and man:

Scots Confession (3.01)
We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom alone we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom only we must worship, and in whom alone we put our trust. Who is eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible; one in substance and yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. By whom we confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by his inscrutable providence for such end as his eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice have appointed, and to the manifestation of his own glory.

The Westminster Confession (6.011)
1. There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty; most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long- suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withalh most just and terrible in his judgments; hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.

Sin vs. Grace
What flows out of the realization that we as human beings are unable to stand in the presence of our holy God is the juxtaposition of sin and grace. These two extremes actually summarize much of the heart of what we as Reformed Christians believe about who we are and who God is.

We as human beings are created in the image of God, and because we are God's creation, God demands of us that we live righteous lives in accordance with God's will. However, we are under the power of sin (and in the classical Reformed tradition, we are under this power because of the Fall of Adam and Eve and the result of Original Sin). As such, we are more inclined to do evil than to do the will of God. We do not trust in God as we should; rather, we trust in our own devices for our sustenance and survival.
Another way of saying this is that our human will is under the bondage of sin. All of our thoughts and actions are tainted by sin. Therefore, because we trust in ourselves more than in God, we all deserve God’s condemnation.

However, even though we are unable to satisfy God's righteous demands of us, and even though we all deserve God’s condemnation, God chooses to give us what we have not earned and do not deserve: mercy. Through Jesus Christ, God forgives us and gives us the promise of eternal life simply because God chooses to be gracious towards sinners like us.

In contemporary Reformed theology, the juxtaposition of sin and grace is still a major theme. Though contemporary theologians do not seek to explain the origins of sin like the 16th century Reformers, nevertheless, they affirm the same theological premise – that our thoughts and motives are tainted with self-interest, and that we live by grace alone.

What the Confessions say about sin
and grace:
The Second Helvetic Confession (5.037; 5.043-.044)
SIN. By sin we understand that innate corruption of man which has been derived or propagated in us all from our first parents, by which we, immersed in perverse desires and averse to all good, are inclined to all evil. Full of all wickedness, distrust, contempt and hatred of God, we are unable to do or even to think anything good of ourselves. Moreover, even as we grow older, so by wicked thoughts, words and deeds committed against God's law, we bring forth corrupt fruit worthy of an evil tree (Matt. 12:33 ff.). For this reason by our own deserts, being subject to the wrath of God, we are liable to just punishment, so that all of us would have been cast away by God if Christ, the Deliverer, had not brought us back.

In this matter, which has always produced many conflicts in the Church, we teach that a threefold condition or state of man is to be considered. WHAT MAN WAS BEFORE THE FALL. There is the state in which man was in the beginning before the fall, namely, upright and free, so that he could both continue in goodness and decline to evil. However, he declined to evil, and has involved himself and the whole human race in sin and death, as has been said already. WHAT MAN WAS AFTER THE FALL. Then we are to consider what man was after the fall. To be sure, his reason was not taken from him, nor was he deprived of will, and he was not entirely changed into a stone or a tree. But they were so altered and weakened that they no longer can do what they could before the fall. For the understanding is darkened, and the will which was free has become an enslaved will. Now it serves sin, not unwillingly but willingly. And indeed, it is called a will, not an unwill(ing). (11)

MAN DOES EVIL BY HIS OWN FREE WILL. Therefore, in regard to evil or sin, man is not forced by God or by the devil but does evil by his own free will, and in this respect he has a most free will. But when we frequently see that the worst crimes and designs of men are prevented by God from reaching their purpose, this does not take away man's freedom in doing evil, but God by his own power prevents what man freely planned otherwise. Thus Joseph's brothers freely determined to get rid of him, but they were unable to do it because something else seemed good to the counsel of God.

The Westminster Confession (6.061-.062)
Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which is good and well-pleasing to God; but yet mutably, so that he might fall from it.

Man, by his Fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.

The Confession of 1967 (9.12-.14)
The reconciling act of God in Jesus Christ exposes the evil in men as sin in the sight of God. In sin men claim mastery of their own lives, turn against God and their fellow men, and become exploiters and despoilers of the world. They lose their humanity in futile striving and are left in rebellion, despair, and isolation.

Wise and virtuous men through the ages have sought the highest good in devotion to freedom, justice, peace, truth, and beauty. Yet all human virtue, when seen in the light of God's love in Jesus Christ, is found to be infected by self-interest and hostility. All men, good and bad alike, are in the wrong before God and helpless without his forgiveness. Thus all men fall under God's judgment. No one is more subject to that judgment than the man who assumes that he is guiltless before God or morally superior to others.

God's love never changes. Against all who oppose him, God expresses his love in wrath. In the same love God took on himself judgment and shameful death in Jesus Christ, to bring men to repentance and new life.

A Brief Statement of Faith (10.4, line 54)
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church.

Providence

In the classical Reformed tradition, this doctrine states that the same God who created this world continues to uphold it, to preserve it, and to rule over it. It is one way of claiming that the God we worship is a living God, who is at work here and now. Talk about God's providence in the classical Reformed tradition attempts to comfort the believer by assuring him/her that everything that happens, both good and evil, fits into God’s greater plan. Nothing in the world was beyond God’s control.

In contemporary Reformed theology, there is much less formal talk of God's providence. Many theologians today affirm the mystery of providence, and avoid making claims that evil, suffering, and injustice exist because God uses such things according to God's plan. What some theologians in our tradition affirm with providence in modern times is that, at the very least, this God is in control of human destiny and will have the final word in our lives despite the presence of sin, evil, injustice, and suffering.

What the Confessions say about providence:
The Heidelberg Catechism (4.001; 4.027-.028)
Q. 1. What is your only comfort, in life and in death?
A. That I belong--body and soul, in life and in death--not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Q. 27. What do you understand by the providence of God?
A. The almighty and ever-present power of God whereby he still upholds, as it were by his own hand, heaven and earth together with all creatures, and rules in such a way that leaves and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and unfruitful years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, and everything else, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.

Q. 28. What advantage comes from acknowledging God's creation and providence?
A. We learn that we are to be patient in adversity, grateful in the midst of blessing, and to trust our faithful God and Father for the future, assured that no creature shall separate us from his love, since all creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will they cannot even move.

Predestination
Like providence, predestination seeks to maintain God's sovereignty, the sense that God is in control of human destiny. Specifically, though, predestination is primarily interested in the issue of salvation. How do we, as human beings, receive salvation?

Predestination has been a doctrine held by many prominent Christian thinkers in history, including Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin. However, Christian traditions who trace their roots to Calvin have often made predestination the center (or close to it) of their theology, even though Calvin himself did not.

Calvin is best known for formulating the doctrine of double predestination. According to this doctrine, God elects some people to receive eternal life, while God elects others to receive eternal damnation. God's election of human beings is totally dependent on God's free grace. God elects people entirely independent of what humans do.

To those whom God elects for salvation and eternal life, God, through the Holy Spirit, gives the gift of faith. Those who are not elected to eternal life are withheld that gift. In this way, it is entirely God's own initiative which causes some to receive salvation and others damnation. Even our faith does not cause God to save us -- rather, our faith is the result of being chosen (see discussion below of Faith and Good Works).

Double predestination has rightly been criticized in this century, but most critics are so focused on the extreme conclusions which Calvin draws, especially concerning damnation, that the source of this doctrine is overlooked. Calvin is simply trying to maintain God's sovereignty; he is trying to remind his audience that we, as human beings, can do absolutely nothing to earn justification or salvation -- rather, these are free gifts based solely on the grace of God. For Calvin, predestination is God's way of saying that we are to live by grace alone.

Few Reformed theologians talk about predestination today. When it is discussed, it is discussed in dramatically different terms. Instead of focusing on issues of salvation and damnation, predestination addresses issues of service for God and one another. In other words, what are we chosen for? Perhaps some are chosen for the sake of all, or some are chosen to have the gift of faith, while others are chosen to have the gifts of charity and compassion, etc., and these different gifts all are to be used to glorify God and to serve our fellow human being. Being chosen is no longer thought of as a privilege, but as a responsibility.

What the Confessions say about predestination:
The Second Helvetic Confession (5.052-.056)
GOD HAS ELECTED US OUT OF GRACE. From eternity God has freely, and of his mere grace, without any respect to men, predestinated or elected the saints whom he wills to save in Christ, according to the saying of the apostle, "God chose us in him before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4). And again: "Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 1:9 f.).

WE ARE ELECTED OR PREDESTINATED IN CHRIST. Therefore, although not on account of any merit of ours, God has elected us, not directly, but in Christ, and on account of Christ, in order that those who are now ingrafted into Christ by faith might also be elected. But those who were outside Christ were rejected, according to the word of the apostle, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (II Cor. 13:5).

WE ARE ELECTED FOR A DEFINITE PURPOSE. Finally, the saints are chosen in Christ by God for a definite purpose, which the apostle himself explains when he says, "He chose us in him for adoption that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption to be his sons through Jesus Christ that they should be to the praise of the glory of his grace" (Eph. 1:4 ff.).

WE ARE TO HAVE A GOOD HOPE FOR ALL. And although God knows who are his, and here and there mention is made of the small number of elect, yet we must hope well of all, and not rashly judge any man to be a reprobate. For Paul says to the Philippians, "I thank my God for you all" (now he speaks of the whole Church in Philippi), "because of your fellowship in the Gospel, being persuaded that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is also right that I have this opinion of you all" (Phil. 1:3 ff.).

WHETHER FEW ARE ELECT. And when the Lord was asked whether there were few that should be saved, he does not answer and tell them that few or many should be saved or damned, but rather he exhorts every man to "strive to enter by the narrow door" (Luke 13:24): as if he should say, It is not for you curiously to inquire about these matters, but rather to endeavor that you may enter into heaven by the straight way.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (6.014-.021)
1. God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.

2. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions; yet hath he not decreed anything because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass, upon such conditions.

3. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death.

4. These angels and men, thus predestinated and fore-ordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished.

5. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of his free grace and love alone, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving him thereunto; and all to the praise of his glorious grace.

6. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath he, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, fore-ordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore they who are elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.

7. The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice.

8. The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending the will of God revealed in his Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.

Faith and Good Works
Arising out of Calvin's understanding of predestination is the belief that our faith in Jesus Christ is a gift of the Holy Spirit (see above discussion on Predestination). Though we do need faith in order to be justified and "saved," this faith is not our own doing. God gives the faith that is needed to those whom God elects. In this way, God does not choose or elect people because of their faith; rather, their faith is the result of their election. Indeed, because God has chosen them for salvation, God gives them faith! Calvin wanted to insist that even our faith is nothing we can boast about before God, because it is not our own doing. Calvin did not want human beings claiming that they had earned their salvation, even through their faith.

This understanding of faith as a gift of the Holy Spirit has been prevalent throughout much of the history of the Reformed tradition, but today, especially in the U.S., the belief that faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit runs contrary to cherished American ideals concerning free will and freedom of choice. Yet, this belief does have some Scriptural support and should not be dismissed lightly.

But if faith is simply a gift, and if our election and salvation are also gifts from God that we cannot earn one way or another, then does this mean that humans can do whatever they want to in life? Are these free gifts incentives simply to disobey God and God's commandments?

For Calvin and much of the later Reformed tradition, faith and good works are two sides of the same coin. Accordingly, when a person is given the gift of faith and the effects of justification through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit also begins to renew the heart of that person, enabling him/her to lead a life more in obedience with what God commands. Such a person embarks on a life in which he/she grows more and more into the likeness of Christ.

Another way of stating this can be found in the Scots Confession: "The cause of good works...is not our free will, but the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, who dwells in our hearts by true faith" (3.13). Doing good works and living ethical lives will not justify one before God, but such deeds are a sign that one is already justified, that the Holy Spirit is at work in one's life.

Though some Reformed theologians, particularly in modern times, have hesitated to affirm that faith and good works are gifts of the Holy Spirit, even these theologians are careful not to make either of these things human accomplishments which earn our favor with God.

When it becomes specifically to doing good works, some Reformed theologians, past and present, emphasize that as we seek to do good works, we should do so as a sign of gratitude and thankfulness to what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. In other words, we do not do good works to earn God's love or to earn our salvation; rather, we do them to show God how thankful and grateful we for God's free gift of grace towards us. Living our lives in gratitude to God for what God has done for us through Jesus Christ is a sign that we do understand the significance of the gospel.

Another nuance in contemporary Reformed theology concerns how we understand the very notion of good works and ethical living. Whereas the classical Reformers described good works specifically by following the 10 Commandments, modern-day theologians stress the importance of living obediently by the teachings of Christ, especially those teachings which deal with how we are to minister to and stand in solidarity with those who are poor, oppressed, and marginalized in this world. "Good works," especially as they relate to social justice issues, are perhaps even more important today in Reformed theology than they have been historically, though there is still a general consensus among Reformed theologians that these good works do not justify us before God.

What do the Confessions say about faith
and good works?
The Scots Confession (3.13)
The cause of good works, we confess, is not our free will, but the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, who dwells in our hearts by true faith, brings forth such works as God has prepared for us to walk in. For we most boldly affirm that it is blasphemy to say that Christ abides in the hearts of those in whom is no spirit of sanctification. Therefore we do not hesitate to affirm that murderers, oppressors, cruel persecuters, adulterers, filthy persons, idolators, drunkards, thieves, and all workers of iniquity, have neither true faith nor anything of the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, so long as they obstinately continue in wickedness. For as soon as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, whom God's chosen children receive by true faith, takes possession of the heart of any man, so soon does he regenerate and renew him, so that he begins to hate what before he loved, and to love what he hated before. Thence comes that continual battle which is between the flesh and the Spirit in God's children, while the flesh and the natural man, being corrupt, lust for things pleasant and delightful to themselves, are envious in adversity and proud in prosperity, and every moment prone and ready to offend the majesty of God. But the Spirit of God, who bears witness to our spirit that we are the sons of God, makes us resist filthy pleasures and groan in God's presence for deliverance from this bondage of corruption, and finally to triumph over sin so that it does not reign in our mortal bodies. Other men do not share this conflict since they do not have God's Spirit, but they readily follow and obey sin and feel no regrets, since they act as the devil and their corrupt nature urge. But the sons of God fight against sin; sob and mourn when they find themselves tempted to do evil; and, if they fall, rise again with earnest and unfeigned repentance. They do these things, not by their own power, but by the power of the Lord Jesus, apart from whom they can do nothing.

The Second Helvetic Confession (5.112-.123)
WHAT IS FAITH? Christian faith is not an opinion or human conviction, but a most firm trust and a clear and steadfast assent of the mind, and then a most certain apprehension of the truth of God presented in the Scriptures and in the Apostles' Creed, and thus also of God himself, the greatest good, and especially of God's promise and of Christ who is the fulfilment of all promises.

FAITH IS THE GIFT OF GOD. But this faith is a pure gift of God which God alone of his grace gives to his elect according to his measure when, to whom and to the degree he wills. And he does this by the Holy Spirit by means of the preaching of the Gospel and steadfast prayer.

THE INCREASE OF FAITH. This faith also has its increase, and unless it were given by God, the apostles would not have said: "Lord, increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). And all these things which up to this point we have said concerning faith, the apostles have taught before us. For Paul said: "For faith is the upostasiV or sure subsistence, of things hoped for, and the elegcoV, that is, the clear and certain apprehension" (Heb. 11:1). And again he says that all the promises of God are Yes through Christ and through Christ are Amen (II Cor. 1:20). And to the Philippians he said that it has been given to them to believe in Christ (Phil. 1:29). Again, God assigned to each the measure of faith (Rom. 12:3). Again: "Not all have faith" and, "Not all obey the Gospel" (II Thess. 3:2; Rom. 10:16). But Luke also bears witness, saying: "As many as were ordained to life believed" (Acts 13:48). Wherefore Paul also calls faith "the faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1), and again: "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Elsewhere he often commands men to pray for faith.

FAITH EFFICACIOUS AND ACTIVE. The same apostle calls faith efficacious and active through love (Gal. 5:6). It also quiets the conscience and opens a free access to God, so that we may draw near to him with confidence and may obtain from him what is useful and necessary. The same [faith] keeps us in the service we owe to God and our neighbor, strengthens our patience in adversity, fashions and makes a true confession, and in a word, brings forth good fruit of all kinds, and good works.

CONCERNING GOOD WORKS. For we teach that truly good works grow out of a living faith by the Holy Spirit and are done by the faithful according to the will or rule of God's Word. Now the apostle Peter says: "Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self- control," etc. (II Peter 1:5 ff.). But we have said above that the law of God, which is his will, prescribes for us the pattern of good works. And the apostle says: "This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from immorality . . . that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in business" (I Thess. 4:3 ff.).

WORKS OF HUMAN CHOICE. And indeed works and worship which we choose arbitrarily are not pleasing to God. These Paul calls qleeoqrhskeiaV (Col. 2:23--"self-devised worship"). Of such the Lord says in the Gospel: "In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men" (Matt. 15:9). Therefore, we disapprove of such works, and approve and urge those that are of God's will and commission.

THE END OF GOOD WORKS. These same works ought not to be done in order that we may earn eternal life by them, for, as the apostle says, eternal life is the gift of God. Nor are they to be done for ostentation which the Lord rejects in Matt., ch. 6, nor for gain which he also rejects in Matt., ch. 23, but for the glory of God, to adorn our calling, to show gratitude to God, and for the profit of the neighbor. For our Lord says again in the Gospel: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). And the apostle Paul says: "Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Eph. 4:1). Also: "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and to the Father through him" (Col. 3:17), and, "Let each of you look not to his own interests, but to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4), and, "Let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful" (Titus 3:14).

GOOD WORKS NOT REJECTED. Therefore, although we teach with the apostle that a man is justified by grace through faith in Christ and not through any good works, yet we do not think that good works are of little value and condemn them. We know that man was not created or regenerated through faith in order to be idle, but rather that without ceasing he should do those things which are good and useful. For in the Gospel the Lord says that a good tree brings forth good fruit (Matt. 12:33), and that he who abides in me bears much fruit (John 15:5). The apostle says: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10), and again: "Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:14). We therefore condemn all who despise good works and who babble that they are useless and that we do not need to pay attention to them.

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY GOOD WORKS. Nevertheless, as was said above, we do not think that we are saved by good works, and that they are so necessary for salvation that no one was ever saved without them. For we are saved by grace and the favor of Christ alone. Works necessarily proceed from faith. And salvation is improperly attributed to them, but is most properly ascribed to grace. The apostle's sentence is well known: "If it is by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. But if it is of works, then it is no longer grace, because otherwise work is no longer work" (Rom. 11:6).

GOOD WORKS PLEASE GOD. Now the works which we do by faith are pleasing to God and are approved by him. Because of faith in Christ, those who do good works which, moreover, are done from God's grace through the Holy Spirit, are pleasing to God. For St. Peter said: "In every nation any one who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:35). And Paul said: "We have not ceased to pray for you . . . that you may walk worthily of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work" (Col. 1:9 f.).

WE TEACH TRUE, NOT FALSE AND PHILOSOPHICAL VIRTUES. And so we diligently teach true, not false and philosophical virtues, truly good works, and the genuine service of a Christian. And as much as we can we diligently and zealously press them upon all men, while censuring the sloth and hypocrisy of all those who praise and profess the Gospel with their lips and dishonor it by their disgraceful lives. In this matter we place before them God's terrible threats and then his rich promises and generous rewards-- exhorting, consoling and rebuking.

GOD GIVES A REWARD FOR GOOD WORKS. For we teach that God gives a rich reward to those who do good works, according to that saying of the prophet: "Keep your voice from weeping, . . . for your work shall be rewarded" (Jer. 31:16; Isa., ch. 4). The Lord also said in the Gospel: "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Matt. 5:12), and, "Whoever gives to one of these my little ones a cup of cold water, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward" (ch. 10:42). However, we do not ascribe this reward, which the Lord gives, to the merit of the man who receives it, but to the goodness, generosity and truthfulness of God who promises and gives it, and who, although he owes nothing to anyone, nevertheless promises that he will give a reward to his faithful worshippers; meanwhile he also gives them that they may honor him. Moreover, in the works even of the saints there is much that is unworthy of God and very much that is imperfect. But because God receives into favor and embraces those who do works for Christ's sake, he grants to them the promised reward. For in other respects our righteousnesses are compared to a filthy wrap (Isa. 64:6). And the Lord says in the Gospel: "When you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty'" (Luke 17:10).

THERE ARE NO MERITS OF MEN. Therefore, although we teach that God rewards our good deeds, yet at the same time we teach, with Augustine, that God does not crown in us our merits but his gifts. Accordingly we say that whatever reward we receive is also grace, and is more grace than reward, because the good we do, we do more through God than through ourselves, and because Paul says: "What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" (I Cor. 4:7). And this is what the blessed martyr Cyprian concluded from this verse: We are not to glory in anything in us, since nothing is our own. We therefore condemn those who defend the merits of men in such a way that they invalidate the grace of God.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (6.087-.093)
1. Good works are only such as God hath commanded in his holy Word, and not such as, without the warrant thereof, are devised by men out of blind zeal, or upon any pretense of good intention.

2. These good works, done in obedience to God's commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith: and by them believers manifest their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto, that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life.

3. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ. And that they may be enabled thereunto, besides the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure; yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them.

4. They, who in their obedience, attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to supererogate and to do more than God requires, that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.

5. We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life, at the hand of God, because of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit, nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins; but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants: and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit; and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of God's judgment.

6. Yet notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him, not as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God's sight; but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.

7. Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others, yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God. And yet their neglect of them is more sinful, and displeasing unto God.

8. Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and in themselves praiseworthy and useful, and although the neglect of such things is sinful and displeasing unto God; yet, because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to his Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they come short of what God requires, and do not make any man meet to receive the grace of God.

The Confession of 1967 (9.43-.47)
In each time and place there are particular problems and crises through which God calls the church to act. The church, guided by the Spirit, humbled by its own complicity and instructed by all attainable knowledge, seeks to discern the will of God and learn how to obey in these concrete situations. The following are particularly urgent at the present time.

a. God has created the peoples of the earth to be one universal family. In his reconciling love he overcomes the barriers between brothers and breaks down every form of discrimination based on racial or ethnic difference, real or imaginary. The church is called to bring all men to receive and uphold one another as persons in all relationships of life: in employment, housing, education, leisure, marriage, family, church, and the exercise of political rights. Therefore the church labors for the abolition of all racial discrimination and ministers to those injured by it. Congregations, individuals, or groups of Christians who exclude, dominate, or patronize their fellow men, however subtly, resist the Spirit of God and bring contempt on the faith which they profess.

b. God's reconciliation in Jesus Christ is the ground of the peace, justice, and freedom among nations which all powers of government are called to serve and defend. The church, in its own life, is called to practice the forgiveness of enemies and to commend to the nations as practical politics the search for cooperation and peace. This search requires that the nations pursue fresh and responsible relations across every line of conflict, even at risk to national security, to reduce areas of strife and to broaden international understanding. Reconciliation among nations becomes peculiarly urgent as countries develop nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, diverting their manpower and resources from constructive uses and risking the annihilation of mankind. Although nations may serve God's purposes in history, the church which identifies the sovereignty of any one nation or any one way of life with the cause of God denies the Lordship of Christ and betrays its calling.

c. The reconciliation of man through Jesus Christ makes it plain that enslaving poverty in a world of abundance is an intolerable violation of God's good creation. Because Jesus identified himself with the needy and exploited, the cause of the world's poor is the cause of his disciples. The church cannot condone poverty, whether it is the product of unjust social structures, exploitation of the defenseless, lack of national resources, absence of technological understanding, or rapid expansion of populations. The church calls every man to use his abilities, his possessions, and the fruits of technology as gifts entrusted to him by God for the maintenance of his family and the advancement of the common welfare. It encourages those forces in human society that raise men's hopes for better conditions and provide them with opportunity for a decent living. A church that is indifferent to poverty, or evades responsibility in economic affairs, or is open to one social class only, or expects gratitude for its beneficence makes a mockery of reconciliation and offers no acceptable worship to God.

d. The relationship between man and woman exemplifies in a basic way God's ordering of the interpersonal life for which he created mankind. Anarchy in sexual relationships is a symptom of man's alienation from God, his neighbor, and himself. Man's perennial confusion about the meaning of sex has been aggravated in our day by the availability of new means of birth control and the treatment of infection, by the pressures of urbanization, by the exploitation of sexual symbols in mass communication, and by world overpopulation. The church, as the household of God, is called to lead men out of this alienation into the responsible freedom of the new life in Christ. Reconciled to God, each person has joy in and respect for his own humanity and that of other persons; a man and woman are enabled to marry, to commit themselves to a mutually shared life, and to respond to each other in sensitive and lifelong concern; parents receive the grace to care for children in love and to nurture their individuality. The church comes under the judgment of God and invites rejection by man when it fails to lead men and women into the full meaning of life together, or withholds the compassion of Christ from those caught in the moral confusion of our time.