True Reformation

True reformation always results in a return to sound doctrine and a reorienting of our lives to God's truth as found in His Word. True reformation will necessarily then result in a separation from strange doctrines and those who preach and perpetuate them. Not only does truth unite those who receive it and believe it, it also divides those who receive it and believe it from those who don't. There is a move today in many quarters to produce a "new reformation" that will unite under what one does rather than what one believes. Rick Warren put it this way:

You know, 500 years ago, the first Reformation with Luther and then Calvin, was about beliefs. I think a new reformation is going to be about behavior. The first Reformation was about creeds; I think this one will be about deeds. I think the first one was about what the church believes; I think this one will be about what the church does.The first Reformation actually split Christianity into dozens and then hundreds of different segments. I think this one is actually going to bring them together. Now, you're never going to get Christians, of all their stripes and varieties, to agree on all of the different doctrinal disputes and things like that, but what I am seeing them agree on are the purposes of the church. And I find great uniformity in the fact that I see this happening all the time. Last week I spoke to 4,000 pastors at my church who came from over 100 denominations in over 50 countries. Now, that's wide spread.We had Catholic priests, we had Pentecostal ministers, we had Lutheran bishops,we had Anglican bishops, we had Baptist preachers. They're all there together and you know what? I'd never get them to agree on communion or baptism or a bunch of stuff like that, but I could get them to agree on what the church should be doing in the world. And the way I expressed it is that the Bible calls the church the body of Christ, and what's happened in the last 100 years is that the hands and the feet have been amputated and the church has just been a mouth, and primarily it's been known for what it's against. It's been known for what it's against. And I am working toward a second Reformation of the church which could create a Third Great Awakening in our nation or world...(source).

However, this wouldn't even come close to true reformation but will result in a counterfeit reformation with an ecumenical and ungodly alliance between believers and unbelievers (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-16). We don't need a new reformation, we need to get back to the old one!

The Pyromaniacs have a great post on the reformation entitled The Bedrock of the Reformation. Check it out!

Happy reformation day!