Who We Are

Welcome!

If you’re here, you might be wondering, “What is Calvary Church?” Let us tell you a little about ourselves. Calvary Church is a congregation in Middletown, Pennsylvania, and is part of a larger denomination called the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. We hope to meet you soon!

The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) is part of a rich tradition of Christianity known as “Reformed.” For specifics about the OPC in particular, you can go here: High Points of Calvinism. For now, you could think of it simply by breaking up the word Reformed into its two syllables: Re+formed. Only something that has already been formed can be re-formed when it is out of sorts. God formed the world and everything in it by His Word of creation, so after sin entered the world, God re-formed a people by that same Word, calling them out of hiding, confronting their disobedience, and back to Himself through a Savior. Because of our sinfulness, God’s people have oftentimes had to be “re-formed” back from whence they have wandered. We can see this in the Old and New Testaments, as well as the continued history of the church in which the “Reformed” faith developed.

Old Testament

We believe that after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, failing to receive God’s blessing of life through perfect obedience (we call this the Covenant of Works), Yahweh began to call a particular people out of sin and misery and unto Himself through a Covenant of Grace founded on the Promise of a coming Savior (Gen 3:15). This Covenant people is traced throughout the Old Testament through people like Seth and Noah, and established with Abraham. From there, God worked through Israel as a particular nation through the administration of the Law of Moses (Exodus 19-31), the kingly covenant with David (2 Samuel 7), and through the offices of priests, prophets, and kings. Nevertheless, the people belonged to God, as it was the duty of the priest to “set God’s name upon them” through blessing (Numbers 6:22-27). Throughout the Old Testament, Israel is, at times, more faithful and, at other times, less faithful. It was the job of kings to lead Israel in God’s law, it was the job of priests to intercede for Israel’s sin and lead them in worship, and it was the job of prophets to preach God’s covenant and call the people back to God when they wandered. When the people were called back, we might call those periods times of reforming the people back to the way God had formed them. At every point and in every period, God remains faithful to His covenant, not because of His people’s merit, but graciously and for His own name’s sake! Isn’t God so full of love and mercy!

New Testament

When the fullness of time came, God sent His Son Jesus, born not by the will of man, or the will of the flesh, but of God (John 1:13). The reason the Father sent His Son is singular—out of love, and desire to give life to a world dead in sin (John 3:16; Romans 8:19)! The Son of God voluntarily humbled Himself—not by ceasing to be fully God, but by taking to Himself a true human nature (Philippians 2:1-5). Like Adam at creation, Jesus’ human nature was without sin. Like Adam, Jesus represented all humanity in his anointed office of mediator (Romans 5, 1 Timothy 2:5)—this is why we call him “Christ,” which means “Anointed One” or “Messiah.” The Son came Born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law that they might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). His name was called Jesus, “Savior,” and in Him, God was reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). He accomplished this redemption by fully keeping the Word of His Father and then offering Himself up to death as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, once and for all (Hebrews 7:25-27). From this point forward, that Covenant of Grace was proclaimed no longer in the form of an earthly kingdom, but the kingdom of God, forming a new creation—people for Himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation, to be filled with His Holy Spirit—to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile. We call this gathering the church from the Greek word ekklesia, which literally means “called out.” Thus, it is not a replacement of Old Testament Israel, but a fulfillment, a joining together into Christ those who were once hostile to God and at odds with one another, now bearing the name of one God, in union with Christ. This is displayed in the Sacrament of baptism, into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At some times, the church has been found faithful; at other times, less faithful. Nevertheless, as God formed the church in Christ and upon His own promise of grace, He remains faithful to complete His Word, for His own name’s sake. Isn’t God so good!

Reformed Tradition

Historically speaking, the Reformed tradition developed out of an event known as the Protestant Reformation (1517AD).  This “Reformation” began with a monk named Martin Luther and developed as a protest movement against certain traditions that had found a home in the Church. As Luther studied and searched the Scriptures in his own search for assurance of peace with God, he was horrified not only by widespread corruption in the church, but also by finding that some doctrines being upheld by the Pope were at odds with the Scriptures (the God-breathed Word in written form). Thus, Luther’s 95 Theses became a well-known document seeking to confront and correct these errors. When the Pope refused to correct these errors, the church fractured in large part over the question: “What must I do to be saved?” “Must I, with the help of grace, add my own merit to arrive at salvation (Isaiah 64:6)?” Or, “Am I so dead in my sins that I must be saved by grace alone from start to finish (Ephesians 2:1-10)?” Furthermore, how can I know the answer? Is authority found in the Scripture+Church tradition or in Scripture alone? For these answers, nothing new was sought but a return to the apostolic faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

This movement famously produced 5 “Sola (Only)” statements that differentiated Protestant Christianity from Roman Catholicism. These are:

  • Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone as the authority for Christian faith, doctrine, and practice)
  • Soli Deo Gloria (Salvation is a work of God and for His own glory)
  • Sola Christus (Salvation is found only in the person and work of Jesus Christ)
  • Sola Gratia (Salvation is only by God’s grace)
  • Sola Fide (this gift can only be received by faith in Christ)

Yet, the Reformed faith did not reject church tradition. Instead, it returned to it and continues to build upon it! Because the Reformed faith grew up through Luther’s correctives, it judged that the Roman Catholic church was actually what was guilty of adding new things to and taking away others from the “Old, Old, Story” of Jesus and His love (Rev 22:18)! So, while Scripture is our authority, we are also Creedal and Confessional. Some are skeptical of tradition holding such a high place in church life due to the way it has been misused. It is true that sinful human beings can always be tempted to make too much of tradition at the expense of faithfully following Scripture. But at its best, being Reformed means “Standing alone on the Word of God” while remaining historically linked to the church in every age.

A generation later, Pastors like John Calvin, Martin Bucer, and Thomas Cranmer helped clarify and construct a fuller expression of the Christian faith for faith, life, and doctrine. Some key doctrines that were clarified during their ministries are commonly called “The 5 Points of Calvinism” and memorized under the acronym TULIP:

  1. Total Depravity: Mankind is completely dead in their trespasses and unable to do anything for their salvation apart from the gracious work of God’s Holy Spirit giving them a new heart and calling them to salvation in Jesus.
  2. Unconditional Election: This means salvation is an act of God and God alone, based only on His gracious desire to create a people for Himself, even though they sinned against Him and lived as His enemies. This is a mysterious doctrine, but we confess it as the Scriptures teach of God’s choosing a people “before the foundations of the earth.” It is not a doctrine Christians can use to discriminate for themselves who God might call, but one to bedrock the assurance of one who has heard His voice. Nor is this doctrine to deter evangelism, since God has determined the preaching of the gospel as the tool He uses to bring sinners to Himself. Instead, this doctrine grounds our confidence that there is nobody too far gone who cannot be saved by the preaching of Jesus!
  3. Limited Atonement: Because “Salvation is found in no one else [than Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven, given among mankind, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12), salvation is limited to those who, by faith, repent from their sins, and turn to the crucified and risen Savior for forgiveness and newness of life. For all who turn to Christ, full atonement is given, and His righteousness is applied unto them by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:21)! The Bible teaches a final judgment and that not all are saved. Thus, while “Today is the day of salvation,” the church calls out eagerly with the message of reconciliation but trembles, recognizing not all will be saved.
  4. Irresistible Grace: Because Salvation is God’s Work, by God’s power, God is not hindered even by the will of the most obstinate and rebellious sinner whom He desires to save. His grace is irresistible when it comes! In other words, Christ did not come to try to save but to actually save a people He has called by name.
  5. Perseverance of the Saints: Because Salvation is God’s Work, by God’s power, it is by God’s own faithfulness that the saints will endure to the end, holding fast to their confession. What a wonderful gospel, that our dependence never falls to our own weakness, but to Christ whose grace is sufficient, and power is perfected in that very weakness!

So we see that the church did not disappear at the end of the Book of Acts and simply reappear in the 16th century! The risen Christ never stopped working! As the body of Christ, the church is organically made up of believers throughout the ages (see Hebrews 11) in heaven and on earth (Revelation 4:10)! Thus, the lives and teachings of believers throughout church history remain a vibrant part of the Reformed Faith.

Furthermore, we benefit richly from God’s grace through Fathers and Mothers in the faith like Polycarp’s martyrdom (155 AD), the courageous testimony of women like Perpetua and Felicity in the face of death (202/203 AD), and the teachings of those like Athanasius of Alexandria’s teaching on Christ’s Incarnation (330 AD), John Chrysostom of Antioch (347-407 AD), the writings of Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), and the hymnody of Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179 AD), and so many more! What grace God demonstrates in the gifts He’s given to His children throughout the ages! Even through great corruption and error, Christ continued to build His Church, and His Spirit continued to guide that church into all truth (John 17:17).

As history progressed in the 16th and 17th centuries, Confessions and Catechisms were developed amongst the Reformed to give a positive statement on what we believe the Word of God teaches. When the Orthodox Presbyterian Church was formed in 1936, it adopted the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms (1646) as a constitutional document for its organization, along with its Form of Government (available here), and Directory for Public Worship (available here).

May God bless you!

– Rev Adam Wells (11/21/2024)