Why the Reformation Was Needed—And Is Needed Still

J. Neil Daniels

Reformanda sed Semper Reformata: A Call to Continual Faithfulness

The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century was not merely a historical episode but a theological necessity, born out of a deep concern for the purity of the gospel, the authority of Scripture, and the integrity of the Church. Its necessity then—and its continuing necessity now—lies in the perennial danger of ecclesial drift, doctrinal distortion, and spiritual lethargy.

The Historical Necessity of the Reformation

By the late medieval period, the Western Church had become entangled in a web of doctrinal errors, sacramental abuses, and ecclesiastical corruption. The selling of indulgences, the marginalization of Scripture in the vernacular, the exaltation of papal authority, and a sacramental system devoid of evangelical clarity all served to obscure the gospel of justification by faith alone. The Reformers, led by figures such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Huldrych Zwingli, did not seek novelty but renewal—ad fontes, a return to the sources of Scripture and the apostolic witness.

Crucially, the Reformers were not innovators creating theological novelties. They stood firmly within the stream of the best patristic exegesis, drawing deeply from Augustine, Chrysostom, and other church fathers. Luther's understanding of justification by faith, Calvin's emphasis on divine sovereignty, and their shared commitment to biblical authority all found resonance in the writings of the early church. They sought not to overturn tradition but to purify it by returning to its most authentic expressions in Scripture and the patristic witness.

The Reformation was thus a protest not against the Church per se, but against its deviation from the truth of God's Word. The rallying cries of sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria were not innovations but recoveries of biblical Christianity and reaffirmations of truths the early church fathers had championed.

Reformanda sed semper reformata

The Latin phrase ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei—"the Church reformed, always being reformed according to the Word of God"—expresses a core conviction of Reformed ecclesiology. Although the precise phrase does not originate with the sixteenth-century Reformers, its theological thrust is thoroughly consistent with their outlook. The Church, having been reformed in doctrine and worship, must never assume that reformation is complete. Rather, she must remain ever vigilant, always examining herself in the light of Scripture, and always conforming her life and teaching to God's revealed truth.

Far from legitimizing endless innovation or theological relativism, semper reformanda anchors reform within the fixed norm of verbum Dei. It is a call to ongoing reformation, not in pursuit of novelty, but in repentance and renewed fidelity to the unchanging truth of God's Word as understood by the Reformers and the early church fathers before them.

The Contemporary Necessity of the Reformation

The need for reformation is not a relic of the sixteenth century. Today, we face challenges no less severe: biblical illiteracy, moral compromise, theological pluralism, pragmatic ecclesiology, and the rise of cultural accommodation within many sectors of the visible church. In some quarters, Rome's dogmas remain unchanged: the Mass is still seen as a propitiatory sacrifice, the Pope is still proclaimed to possess universal jurisdiction, and Marian dogmas have multiplied rather than diminished.

Moreover, Protestant churches themselves are not immune from declension. When the gospel is replaced by therapeutic moralism, when Scripture is subordinated to experience or culture, and when the Church's mission is redefined by sociopolitical agendas, the necessity of reformation becomes once again manifest. The patristic call to measure all things by the rule of Scripture—so powerfully recovered by the Reformers—must be renewed in each generation.

Conclusion: A Call to Vigilance and Faithfulness

The Reformation was not an end but a beginning. Its legacy is not merely confessional documents or ecclesiastical structures, but a summons to ongoing fidelity. To embrace Reformanda sed semper reformata is to recognize that every generation of the Church must be a reforming generation—confronting error, proclaiming truth, and submitting all things to the authority of Scripture.

In this sense, the Reformation is needed still. Not as a nostalgic ideal, but as a theological imperative: to keep the gospel central, the Scriptures supreme, and Christ preeminent in all things. Like the Reformers who looked back to the church fathers while looking forward to greater faithfulness, we too must stand in this great tradition that seeks not innovation but ever-deepening fidelity to apostolic truth as preserved in the sacred and God-breathed Scriptures.