This post is not to talk about the history of the Reformation or the event that took place 500 years ago on this day; instead I want to talk from the spirit of it.
The Reformation is a huge deal in church history and anyone that doesn't care much about it is really missing out on Jesus' loving (and very active) guidance over his bride; and what happened on Oct 31 should absolutely be celebrated by every church, even if they don't adhere to the theology we call Reformed. However, some of the fruits the Reformation produces in us should be tossed away (consistently). Of course, the fruits don't exclusively come from the Reformation, rather our love for the Reformation creates the soil for it (or our annoyance, if you're from a "non-reformed" protestant congregation). If you're reformed you know what I'm talking about...we love Reformed theology and Martin Luther and Calvin and John Piper and Zwindli and Geneva and Predestination and Elders and so on...we loooove every thing about it. And if you're not, then you get annoyed by all of this.
No matter how sanctified and redeemed we as believers or a local church might be, we'll still take on that tribal spirit and look at this topic as two sports team going up against each other. We all have our team colors, our favorite players, Matt Chandler or Steven Furtick jerseys, we'll make fun of the other team, I mean we are clearly fans. We are very proud of who we follow. By the way, I am the worst, so if you want to replace all the "we" with "I" and look at this as a confession of sin then please feel free!
Whenever I think of this topic, and even how I call myself a Calvinist, I can't help but feel the Spirit pop this passage in my head:
1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The beginning part of 1 Corinthians, Paul is saying how thankful he is for what God has already done in this particular church regarding the grace they've received, gifting, speaking ability, knowledge, etc and that God will definitely guide them until the end. Then in vs. 9 he reassures them this salvation will happen, because it is God that is faithful (and it's good to note that as present-day followers all of us who are believers can rest, because as long as God is faithful then we know at least there's one of us in this covenant who won't be dropping the ball). He also adds a "how to" piece by saying, because we are in fellowship with Christ that is how he will be faithful. So from this 1st part of Corinthians there really isn't much that all of wouldn't say Amen to; we thankfully can go to God knowing he alone will faithfully make sure we all remain as his children and he does this through Christ's fellowship with us! Great stuff!
10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.
Okay, that's fair to say. Of course, there shouldn't be divisions, of course, we should be in the same mind and in the same judgement, of course there shouldn't be quarrels. Of course, we are human and this will happen, but we should strive towards unity, correct? We know that there will be disagreements and arguments, but after we sleep on it we should be able to talk things over and either come to an agreement or at the very least, peaceably, agree to disagree. Something I personally am working on is to not be so stubborn in my philosophies and see the beauty in having different flavors of church, whether it's something I think of as cheesy or something I see as basic. I should be able to worship in the reality that this a different member of God's body and the leg just moves differently than the arm.
However, we know there are false teachers and truly awful ministries that are just trying to profit using the Kingdom; we can see these types always being called out in scriptures and we should do the same within our influence, which is what the Reformation accomplished. However, this passage does not focus on that.
12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
This is the fruit that we constantly have to toss out; I say the Reformation doesn't produce it, because this type of tribalism existed since the beginning, but we definitely mimic this Corinthian situation through our love for the Reformation. Paul, Apollos, Cephas..those names are all incredible workers of Christ..1 of them was with Jesus before anyone knew he was the Christ and the other was taken up to the 3rd heaven (wherever that is). So to say "I am of Paul or Peter" is not at all like saying "I am of Benny Hinn." These 3 men are pillars of the faith, everyone in today's age would say they follow Pauline teaching and no one would get mad at that, in fact, we attribute their teaching as God's own spoken word so if we say we follow these guys we're just saying we follow Christ. But that's not the same case here.
The Corinthian church wasn't having issues because one was saying I like Paul or I like Peter, they we're saying they were "of" them, as in their identity was found in each individual. The Corinthian church was becoming divided because one was saying they were "Calvinist" or the other was "Armenian."
This problem was a major issue for the early church then and it's still a major issue now. If you continue to read Corinthians, Paul brings this specific problem up again in ch 3. Divisions among the universal church is cancer and it becomes fatal at the local level in the visible church, because now we verbally attack each other in front of non-believers. Again, there are some ecumenical organizations that will only further destruction to the church, because of toxic theology, but when you have free-will Baptists and PCA churches against each other then that is just anti-kingdom.
The spirit of the Reformation was to help the church become more Christ-like and, in order, to continue that work we have to stop worshiping it as Christ's 2nd coming and recognize the work isn't done. We all have to continue fighting to reform the church, but not as Lutherans, Calvinists, Baptist, Methodists, or as seeker-driven non-denoms, but as "of Christ." And again, you can take this as my confession :)