Semper Reformanda

It's a Latin phrase (of course). It was popularized by Karl Barth who supposedly got it from St. Augustine. Apparently it actually came from a book written in 1647. It means "always reforming," so it might seem odd that it came from a minister in the Reformed Church in the Netherlands. "I mean, aren't you already reformed?"

The Reformation is sometimes misunderstood because of our current use of the term "reform." When we use it we think of simply improving something or someone. To those in the Reformation they were more specific. They intended to re-form the Church to its original beliefs. They wanted to "reset to default," so to speak. They didn't want to improve it; they wanted to return it from whence it had strayed.

It seems like this has always been the case. From the beginning, there was a constant need to push back on straying. So Paul pushed back on Corinth's gross sin and on Galatia's legalism and on Colossae's gnosticism and so on. Jesus told the Ephesian church, "I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first." (Rev 2:4-5) Reformation. Not as much of "Improve" as a "Return." It was necessary before the close of the canon and it continues to be necessary today. But ... how?

Paul wrote,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Given the source of Scripture -- "breathed out by God" -- note the benefits of God's Word. There is teaching -- "This is the way." There is reproof -- "You've strayed from the way." There is correction -- "This is how to get back to the way." And there is training in righteousness -- "This is how you stay in the way." All the necessary components to learn what is God's truth, what constitutes error, how to correct error, and how to stay in God's truth are contained in God's Word. The Bible is God in our ears saying, "This is the way, walk in it." (Isa 30:21)

The world is constantly at odds with God and His people. That's not a complaint, nor is it a surprise. It is expected. As such, we need to constantly be aware that the natural tendency is to synchronize with the world -- to conform to the world -- and not with God's Word and we need to constantly fight that tendency. Paul warned, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall." (1 Cor 10:12) If you think, "I've got this; I won't slide," think again. It has always been the tendency to slide from good to bad, so we need to be semper reformanda -- always reforming back to God's version of good and bad, truth and lies. There is no improving on God's version. If we are not vigilant, both for ourselves and for our churches, like a poorly aligned vehicle if we take our hands off the wheel we'll drift. And that can have catastrophic consequences.