A Reformed Evangelical Presbyterian Church

The Necessity of Reforming the Church

Pastor Wesley Grubb • September 1, 2022

Proper Worship and True Salvation

In 1544, one of the great founding fathers of the Reformed Faith wrote a letter to Emperor Charles V, king of the Holy Roman Empire, as he was holding a political conference with his subordinate princes from across the empire. The famous letter addressed to Charles, intended as a public statement before all the princes, is called The Necessity of Reforming the Church. The author is none other than John Calvin.


In this letter, Calvin summarizes the two most important areas in which the Catholic Church needed to be reformed according to the word of God. If you were writing such a letter, what would you say are the two most important, most crucial things that must be reformed? On what two things does the purity, faithfulness, and orthodoxy of the whole Christian religion depend? Calvin’s answer may surprise you. Here is what he says,


"If it be inquired, then, by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a standing existence amongst us, and maintains its truth, it will be found that the following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them all the other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity, namely, a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is duly worshiped; and, secondly, of the source from which salvation is to be obtained. When these are kept out of view, though we glory in the name of Christians, our profession is empty and vain."


Notice the language Calvin uses. He says the very existence and truth of Christianity itself depends on these two things, and within these two things everything else in Christianity is contained. In other words, if we endeavor to get these two, most necessary things right, we get the whole Christian faith right. What are those two things? What could be that important? Calvin says: proper worship and true salvation. These are the sum and substance of Christianity.


Notice also the order in which Calvin ranks these two things. He places worship ahead of salvation! Can you believe that? This means, according to Calvin, that salvation is in order to worship. God saves us, A.W. Tozer once said, for the purpose of “turning rebels into worshipers.” To Calvin’s mind, the whole Christian religion is first and foremost about the proper worship of God, the due honor of God, the glory of God. If we get God’s majesty wrong, or fail to acknowledge the absolute supremacy of his glory in all things, we will inevitably corrupt his pure worship. From the corruption of pure worship ensues the corruption of all else.


Is worship as important to you as it was to Calvin? Do you consider that the proper worship of God is the most vital element of Christianity? If God’s glory is the most important thing to God himself, then properly glorifying him in worship must be our highest aim. This is why the church needed a reformation, so that we could truly know God in his glory and majesty.



Grace and peace,



Pastor Wesley

The Pastor's Pen

By Wesley Grubb November 1, 2024
As I write this article, we are only a few days away from the 2024 presidential election. There are many people in our country who believe this is the most important election for the future of the United States. There is a sense across the political spectrum that the stakes have never been higher. This is a common feeling that many people begin to feel every four years. Every election feels more important than the last. I was reading the other day and came across this comment that really struck me. “The salvation of America and of the human race depends on the next election, if we believe the newspapers. But so it was last year, and so it was the year before, and our fathers believed the same thing forty years ago.” This comment captures the current anxiety of the upcoming election that many people in the news are feeling and fostering. We need salvation, and only one candidate can deliver. How many of you feel this way right now? This comment, cynical as it is, feels fresh and current. In reality, these words were written in October of 1848 by Ralph Waldo Emerson! That year the election was between Zachary Taylor and Lewis Cass. Remember how utterly crucial that election was? Me neither. But people at the time thought so. Has anything really changed? The 1848 election was 176 years ago. In 176 years from now, it will be 2200. What will those Americans think when they look back on the 2024 election? Chances are, Trump vs. Harris will seem to them what Taylor vs. Cass seems to us. I hear you scoffing, but they felt the same way in 1848 that you do today. This moment feels so big to us because we are in the middle of it. Time and distance give perspective though, and perspective gives a sense of proportion. Is this election important? It is. Are big things happening in our country? Definitely. But does “the salvation of America and of the human race depend on the next election”? No, certainly not. As Christians, we know where salvation comes from. We are the people of God, citizens of heaven, believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ, heirs of the coming kingdom. We do not look to politicians and the ways of this world to establish our own kingdoms. We should love our country, work and pray for its success, be informed, and vote. But never conflate your country with God’s kingdom, your party with God’s will, or your candidate with messianic hopes. When Jesus returns, he will establish his kingdom over all nations, including this one. When that happens, democracy is over. There is no democracy in a kingdom. No more voting, no more rights and freedoms as we enjoy them now. The conservative or liberal America that you are fighting for today will not exist in the kingdom. Jesus will rule this country with a rod of iron. His word will be law. His enemies will be subdued. Everyone will bend the knee. True salvation will finally come. Christians say they want this, but do we? Do we act like it? Do we live like it? For many Christians, the answer seems to be no. But what about you? Are you ready for a King?  Peace and grace, Pastor Wesley
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