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REFORMED DOCTRINAL DISTINCTIVES
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With thankful hearts, we do praise God for using the men of the Protestant Reformation of the 1500's to awaken His Church once again to the truth of His Word. To be a part of the "Reformed" Tradition means to be Biblical and to stand squarely in the ancient tradition of a "True-to-the-Bible" Theology.
Sovereignty of God
God, who created all things, does also providentially uphold all things by His power and sovereignly governs over all His creation for the accomplishment of all His holy and eternal purposes, in history and in the lives of His people (Romans 8:28). To our Sovereign King who did conquer us and save us, we pledge our allegiance and Him alone do we serve and worship for in Him we do live and move and have our being.
Total Depravity of Sinful Man
All men are sinners as a result of Adam's disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Not only did the penalty of his sin fall upon all his descendants (Romans 3:23), but sin did invade all of our being so that there is no part of our being (heart, soul, mind or body) that is not affected by sin. Man is not a neutral being. Neither is he free to choose between life and death (Romans 5:12). He is a sinner and, as such, is dead already in his sins.
Redemptive Salvation
God, out of His great love for sinful men, did send His Son into the world to die a substitutionary death so that we might live. In His death, Jesus did pay the penalty for our disobedience and satisfy God's demand for justice. But Jesus did not die just to make salvation possible, but in fact to save! God does sovereignly apply the finished work of Jesus Christ to the life of the believer and effectively saves us from our sins.
Election
God, being sovereign, does determine all things. While the reasons for His choices and actions are often enshrouded in mystery, we do affirm that God does exercise His sovereign power in the choosing and saving of His people. Salvation, therefore, is not a matter of man's choice but of God's choosing (Ephesians 1:4) and is clearly the result of God's gracious and merciful nature.
Justification
The great question confronted in Scripture is, "How can a sinful man be declared right before a Holy God?" The Bible teaches us that we are declared "right" or "just" as we are united in faith to Jesus Christ. On the basis of His atoning work, God declares us to be "not guilty" of any wrong doing and in Christ we are perceived as blameless and holy.
Sanctification
Sanctification is the process whereby the believer is transformed into the holy character (likeness) of Jesus Christ; enabled to die to sin and self and empowered to live in obedience unto Christ. Our Sanctification is a gift of God wrought in the life of the believer by God's Spirit.
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