I think the better question should be, do I need to be a Christian to be reformed? That can be answered with an emphatic yes! But that is not our question. The question before us is, “Do I need to be reformed to be a Christian?” I think the best way to explore this is to first define what does it mean to be a Christian or how does one become a Christian then delve into what does it mean to be reformed and from there we can answer the question.
What does it mean to be a Christian?
It means coming from death to life (Ephesians 2:1). Paul wrote to a people that were once dead but are now alive. But what were they dead to? They were dead due to sin. In other ways they were spiritually dead. But, how did they become alive? Ephesians 2:4-5 says it was because of God’s mercy. Paul says, “But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved. Paul is saying we didn’t save ourselves. Dead people don’t have any inherent power to raise themselves. And, to make it all clear Paul doesn’t only tell us how we get saved, he also tells us how we do not get saved. In V8 he says… This (getting saved) is not your own doing. What is it then? He says “It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (2:8-9). To be saved then is to be a recipient of God’s saving grace. Salvation is a monergestic work of a Triune God from start to finish (Ephesians 1:3-14). Since man’s condition before salvation is dead, help can only be outside himself. Elsewhere Paul says “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Therefore, to be saved means to be a recipient of God’s work of regeneration not because of what we can do but on the basis of His mercy. This entails that the recipient will renounce his sin and put his trust and faith in Jesus’ finished work.
What does it mean to be reformed?
This is of course a loaded question. One major belief in Reformed Theology is that salvation is wholly and completely the work of God as the Lord calls, draws, regenerates, and brings about new life to a dead soul. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church that believes that salvation is dualistic, the reformers refuted that and emphatically articulated that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone. Belief in this truth makes one reformed, well reformed at least in their doctrine of salvation. This is what is called reformed soteriology. The understanding that God alone saves. Not God and baptism or God and works or God and your decision to come forward. To be reformed is to believe that God alone saves.
So, does one have to be reformed to be Christian?
If salvation is God’s work and it is dependent solely on His grace and not on one’s understanding of reformed soteriology, then the answer is NO. You can be truly saved without being reformed. You are not saved by believing in reformed soteriology but you are saved by believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ on your behalf. Paul said, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
So, does it matter if one embraces Reformed soteriology?
Now, that’s a different question from the one we started with. And, the answer is an emphatic yes. But, for that to make sense we may need to explain what is the opposite of Reformed soteriology? It is what theologians call Arminianism. One aspect of Arminian Theology would say salvation is God’s work and man’s effort. Arminianism focuses also on human action in redemption, and whether faith comes before or after regeneration. So, Arminianism tends to be a narrowly-focused soteriological concern. While salvation is monergestic, sanctification is dual work: God’s and man’s work (Philippians 2:12-13). If you are Arminian, the default is to think it all depends on you. Assurance of salvation may be lacking in some. And there may be a tendency to think if you did something for your salvation then you sure will have to do something to maintain your salvation. However, Reformed soteriology believes that God will see us till the end. The believer’s security is guaranteed.
But will that not promote sin? Now this is where Arminians tend to misunderstand reformed soteriology. If anything, reformed understanding of salvation promotes holiness and not licentiousness. If I have been given that which I did not deserve isn’t the appropriate response one of gratitude? Lack of that response means lack of understanding salvation in the first place.
Conclusion
You don’t need to be reformed to be a Christian. In order to be saved, you need to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also possible to be reformed and not be a Christian. But, comparing the two systems of understanding salvation, it is my contention that reformed soteriology is more consistent with the teaching of the Bible and it leads to a more solid assurance of salvation. Salvation in reformed understanding is from the beginning to end, and it is God’s doing (Philippians 1:6).