The Reformation was rife with slogans, pithy shorthand flags planted in the ground expressing Reformation distinctives. It argued, of course, that those distinctives were in fact not new, but a recovery of what had been lost over the course of centuries. Hence “post tenebras lux,” after darkness light. Thus the five solas.
But then there is the black sheep of the slogan family, semper reformanda, always reforming. There are disputes among scholars over whether this slogan belongs in the slogan pantheon. More important, there are disputes over what it actually means.
On the one hand, semper reformanda can be seen as an important guardrail against a prideful recalcitrance. None of us, all of us ought to acknowledge, have everything right. When it comes to reforming both our thoughts and deeds, we all have work to do. No resting on our laurels until we rest in peace. If that’s what we mean, I’m in favor.
Sadly, however, there have been many across the centuries who have rallied under the flag while firing cannon at the faith. Departing from the Bible always gets dressed up in semper reformanda. Ditching the ancient creeds is the same. Which raises the question, how do we escape Rome’s folly in insisting it has an infallible tradition, with theological liberalism’s folly in insisting nothing is settled dogma?
The answer, as is often is, is balance. We who affirm sola scriptura all agree that whatever the Bible teaches, that we must believe. We all deny, however, that the work of our church fathers is worthless. We value tradition. We submit to the ancient creeds. They are fallible, however. They do not have the same level of authority as the Bible.
To even consider whether, for instance, the Apostles’ Creed is in error, we would need a mountain of evidence. Recently the interwebs was abuzz over whether Latter Day Saints are Christians. Their denial of the trinity was brought up against them. Many retorted that the ecumenical creeds are not infallible. Which is true enough. But one man translating ancient golden plates behind a curtain is not a sufficient reason to overturn the creeds.
In like manner, but on a smaller scale, full preterists deny, among other things, the Apostles’ Creed’s affirmation that “He will return to judge the quick and the dead.” When confronted with this they often resort to claiming that we are elevating the creeds to the level of Scripture. No, we’re just not willing to jettison them for the sake of someone’s untethered speculations on 70 AD.
The church does grow and mature over time. It does so, just like its members, by always reforming according to the unchanging Word of God. Always reforming, rightly understood, is never moving away from God’s Word, but moving further into it. It, and it alone, is immovable, unchangeable, absolutely trustworthy. It is the standard of all standards.