October 2017 New Horizons

The Reformation of Solus Christus

by Ryan M. McGraw

The gospel is not merely about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the gospel. Solus Christus means that salvation comes to sinners “through Christ alone.” Salvation, to be sure, involves professing those doctrines we hold to be true, but it also involves receiving in our hearts the divine-human person, in whom are all the benefits of redemption. Together with Scripture, grace, faith, and the glory of God, solus Christus is one of the so-called “five solas” of the Reformation. Reformed Christology, however, is generically catholic in that it drew from the classic Christian tradition. It is distinctively Reformed in relation to the application of the doctrine of Christ to believers. Drawing from both the common and the distinctive aspects of Reformed Christology is vitally important for preserving and promoting the gospel of Jesus Christ in its purity and power. Only in doing so will Reformed churches be able to promote the doctrine of living to God, through Christ, by the Spirit. There remains ... Read more

The Reformation of Civil Government

by David VanDrunen

Although Scripture does not provide any detailed public policy agenda for New Testament believers, it does teach a number of important things about civil government. Thus, Christian doctrine rightly includes teaching about governmental authority, as reflected in our Confession of Faith. The doctrine of civil government was not at the forefront of Reformation controversies in the sixteenth century, unlike matters of salvation, the sacraments, and the church. Nevertheless, the Reformers had deep theological and practical interest in the nature and responsibilities of civil government, as did many later Reformed Christians. Pre-Reformation Teaching The apostolic church lived under civil magistrates who did not confess Christ and sometimes persecuted people who did. Yet New Testament texts such as Romans 13:1–7 and 1 Peter 2:13–17 taught that God had ordained civil magistrates and that believers ought to honor and submit to them. Following the Roman emperor Constantine’s conversion to ... Read more

The Spirit of the Reformation

by David Noe and John Muether

As Protestants committed to proclaiming the whole counsel of God, we Orthodox Presbyterians have spent the last year reflecting on our Reformation heritage. A series of articles in New Horizons has sought to present to the church both the history of what Luther, Calvin, and others left to us and the abiding relevance of that inheritance. Most people in the OPC probably need little convincing that this history is interesting, with its cast of heroic characters and the many dramatic episodes. Not the least of these is Luther’s challenge to debate the sale of indulgences, which he issued five hundred years ago this month. But it is the question of relevance that likely requires more defense. Why should we not think that Protestantism has finally exhausted itself? Is the Reformation in fact over, as some claim, and is it time to put this behind us? Are the ordinary means of grace that the Reformers recovered sufficient to sustain us, and why does our small denomination, if we are faithful, remain so ... Read more