Why are we called ‘Free Reformed’ church of Rockingham.
Free
The term “Free” comes from Galatians 5:1:
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yolk of slavery”
It describes our desire to be free from human hierarchy, free from the slavery of sin, free from the dominion of the devil; and therefore, now free for the service of the LORD. We honour the position of the local church as the only ecclesiastical assembly which has received authority from Christ, and which answers to Christ alone.
Reformed
The word “Reformed” indicates that our churches bear the stamp of the Reformation that took place in the sixteenth century. That Reformation was an extensive movement in Europe to reform the existing church, with reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli.
The Reformation was a reaction against the power of tradition in the church and strongly promoted the validity of the Bible as God’s Word for our complete personal, church and social life.
The Bible text, “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4) became a focal point among those following the Reformation
What do we beleive?
We accept everything that is written in the Bible to be the Word of God and this results in the following three characteristics:
The Bible is accepted as the only rule of conduct for everyday life.
There is great reverence for the reliability of the Bible.
Great care is taken for a good explanation of the Bible where every personal thought and feeling must be compared with and submitted to the original text.