October 31 has a special place on the unofficial Reformed ecclesiastical calendar. While the world around us is busy with Halloween, we remember how Luther’s actions on the night of October 31, 1517 proved to be a catalyst leading to the reformation of doctrine and organization of the church.

Cherished Phrase⤒🔗

Now a cherished phrase among the heirs of that Reformation is the phrase Semper Reformanda. The basic meaning is usually given as something like, “always reforming.” The phrase is meant to make clear that reformation is not just a one time event but it is something the church should always be busy with.

It is interesting to see how the phrase is actually used. Searching the last ten years of Clarion issues revealed how the phrase is used in quite contrasting ways. The phrase appears especially in connection with developments in the sister churches in The Netherlands. For some, Semper Reformanda seems to mean the church should make sure it stays with what was gained in the Reformation. Due to the inclination to deformation, the church thus must constantly be busy going back to its Reformed foundations. ¹ For others, Semper Reformanda is a motto to justify changing with the times. The idea is there that the church cannot stand still but must constantly reform itself so that the message God wishes to convey to the world through the church may sound loud and clear, in covenant circles and in the world at large. ² In another context, the phrase is used in a complementary way with reference to positive developments in another sister church. ³

The ready embrace of the phrase Semper Reformanda indicates that it is considered a self-evident truth. The frequency of this phrase and the way it is used to support a position easily gives the impression that it might be based on a particular Scripture reference or that perhaps it was used by men like Luther or Calvin, or some other leading figures in the Reformation of the sixteenth century as some application of a biblical principle. Yet, one will look in vain in the Scriptures to find any reference to this phrase. Furthermore, a search in the writings of the Reformers of the sixteenth century will prove to be a fruitless exercise.

Historic Basis←⤒🔗

One can see that the historic basis of this phrase is suspect when one compares the various versions going around. All who use the phrase acknowledge it is part of a longer sentence. One version is, “Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda est secundu Verbum Dei,” which is said to mean, “The reformed church is always being reformed according to the Word of God.”

Another version reads, “Ecclesia reformata quia semper reformanda est,” which is said to mean, “The church reformed because it must always be reforming.” A third version reads, “Ecclesia, quia reformata, semper Reformanda,” which is said to mean, “Because reformed, a church always in process of being reformed.” The simplest formulation is “Ecclesia reformata semper Reformanda,” which is said to mean “the church always being reformed.” The meanings therefore range from the church being passive in that it always is being reformed to a call to the church to be active in the process of reformation. The variety of versions, however, underlines the dubious background of this phrase. The matter could be resolved by a simple reference to where the words can be found, but such a reference does not exist.

While Semper Reformanda does not appear in the writing of the sixteenth century, one does come across it in connection with developments in the seventeenth century. In particular, it is linked to what is called the Dutch Second Reformation, also known as the “Further Reformation.” This movement has similarities to the English Puritanism of the seventeenth century. In the introduction to a series of books on figures of the Dutch Second Reformation it is stated that from “its teachers came the watchword of post-Reformation piety: Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda.” ⁴ Regrettably, however, no citation is provided as to where this exact phrase was used. In another book on the Dutch Second Reformation, the phrase is linked to the writings of Jacobus Koelman (1632-1695). Again, there is no quotation involving this phrase. Rather, he is said to have written “that we must be called Reforming, and not only Reformed, so that we must always be Reforming if we want to be Reformed and worthy of that name, because we are striving after it.”⁵ To understand what he meant by this, one needs to be aware that the aim of Koelman and others in his time was to let the Reformation permeate the lives not only of individuals but also of society. The Reformation of the sixteenth century had brought about a reform in the doctrine and government of the church, but that did not mean that it had penetrated the lives of the people. It has been estimated that only about ten percent of the population of The Netherlands was Reformed by conviction, while the rest had become Reformed by the simple fact that the local church and the ruler had become Reformed. The focus was thus on the reformation of daily life of the members. In all this, however, it has to be said that while Koelman’s words might remind one of the phrase semper reformanda, no concrete reference is given that either he or his contemporaries ever used the phrase. Furthermore, even if they did use that phrase, it was used in a different context as their concern was to improve the piety of the people, or, one could say, to bring the nominally Reformed to become Reformed by heartfelt conviction. Lacking any concrete reference, it is very well possible that the words semper reformanda are actually used by authors today to describe what they observed in the Dutch Second Reformation.

It appears that not until the nineteenth century is there verifiable use of the phrase semper reformanda. One author observed that the use of the phrase “signaled an attempt to move away from the received truth.”⁶ When one searches the Internet for use of this phrase, it is noteworthy how it is often used by those advocating changing with the times. It is interesting that this phrase is used by an organization like the World Alliance of Reformed Churches as a way to stir up its membership to face the new realities in the world. Further, on a website from the Reformed Church of America, the phrase is considered as proof of a “built in principle of self-criticism and change…” in the Reformed tradition. ⁷

Conclusion←⤒🔗

In light of all this, it appears that when it comes to the phrase semper reformanda, we are dealing more with a Reformed legend than with solid historical facts. If those who study the Dutch Second Reformation are right in that the phrase was the watchword for post-Reformation piety, then we need to do a rethinking of how we use that phrase. It has nothing to do with going back to the foundation, or redefining the foundation for a new time. It would point to a building of true Reformed piety on the foundation of Reformed doctrine. One thing is for sure, we would do well to cease using it as a self-evident truth, a slogan to give weight to our actions, whether that be to go back to what is seen as lost or to promote change. There is no historical basis for this phrase.

Even more significantly, there is no scriptural basis for it. In the end, the church is not built on slogans, no matter how profound they sound, even when they are in Latin. If we wish to prove our point, we should not do that by slogans but by careful use of the Word of God. The strength of the Reformation was that it wished to be guided only by the Scriptures, or, as the saying goes, sola Scriptura.