What Does it Mean to Be Reformed? (Part IV)

Over the past several months, Rob Sturdy, the Rector at Trinity Church, Myrtle Beach, has been writing an ongoing series of article examining what it means to be ‘reformed.’

Last week he published his 4th installment (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).  He writes:

In my last post I noted that there are many sources from which the Christian can learn about God.  The Christian can learn about God from his pastor, from friends, from thoughtful Christian writers, and of course from the Bible.  The Bible then is but one of many sources we can go to in order to learn about God.  What then differentiates the Bible from these sources?  In the last post I cited the Apostle Peter who writes that in the Bible we have something “more sure” than anywhere else.  He goes on to say that only in the Bible do men speak “from God” (2 Pet 1.19-21).  This is essentially what distinguishes the Bible from all other sources.

What are we then to make of those other sources?  The answer of the Reformed Christian is complex, however I will try and distill my answer to three easy headings.  In short, those extra-Biblical sources which speak about God are (1) helpful, (2) flawed, (3) need to be tested against Scripture.

Read the rest.