The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century was a movement of God to recover the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ that had been buried under centuries of human tradition. At the heart of the Reformation stood five great Latin phrases, the Five Solas, that summarize the biblical truth of salvation. The REAP Federation joyfully affirms all five:
The Bible alone is the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and life. We do not add to Scripture the traditions of men or the decrees of any church council as equal authorities. The Word of God is sufficient, inerrant, and infallible. As the Reformers cried out: 'What does Scripture say?' — so we too submit every doctrine, every practice, and every decision to the test of God's Word alone.
Salvation is entirely by the grace of God — unmerited, undeserved, and freely given. It is not earned by human effort, good works, religious ritual, or personal merit. Sinners are dead in trespasses (Ephesians 2:1), and only the sovereign, life-giving grace of God can raise them from spiritual death to newness of life. From beginning to end, salvation is a gift of grace.
Sinners are justified — declared righteous before a holy God — by faith alone, and not by works. This faith is not merely intellectual assent but a living, Spirit-given trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. We are not justified by faith plus works, by faith plus sacraments, or by faith plus human merit. Faith alone, receiving Christ alone, is the instrument of our justification.
Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). There is salvation in no one else (Acts 4:12). He alone — through His sinless life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection — has accomplished our redemption. No saint, priest, pope, or religious system can add to, substitute for, or supplement the perfect work of Christ. He is all-sufficient.
Often summarized by the acronym TULIP, the Doctrines of Grace represent a comprehensive, biblical understanding of God’s sovereign work in salvation. These doctrines were formally articulated at the Synod of Dort (1619) in response to the Arminian challenge, and they remain a faithful summary of what Scripture teaches about the salvation of sinners.
Every part of human nature — mind, will, heart, and affections — has been corrupted and tainted by sin. This does not mean that every person is as sinful as they could possibly be, but that sin has touched every aspect of who we are. No one seeks God, no one does good (Romans 3:10–12), and no one can come to Christ apart from the drawing of the Father (John 6:44). Human beings are spiritually dead and incapable of saving themselves.
Before the foundation of the world, God chose — elected — a specific people to be saved, not based on any foreseen faith, merit, or goodness in them, but solely according to His own sovereign, loving, and free purpose (Ephesians 1:4–5). Election is unconditional: it rests entirely in the will and grace of God, not in anything in fallen humanity.
Christ's atoning death was specifically and effectively designed to redeem His elect — those the Father gave to Him (John 17:9). This does not mean Christ's sacrifice was insufficient for the whole world, but that its saving purpose was particular and certain: He did not merely make salvation possible but actually accomplished the full redemption of His people, securing their forgiveness, justification, and glorification.
When God purposes to save a person, His grace does not merely invite but effectually and certainly brings that person to faith and repentance. The Holy Spirit regenerates the dead sinner (John 3:5–8), opens blind eyes, softens hard hearts, and draws the elect with cords of love. This grace is not compulsion, but it is sovereign — it achieves what God intends, without fail.
All whom God has elected, redeemed, and called will persevere to the end and be finally saved (John 10:27–29; Romans 8:38–39). True believers may stumble and fall into sin, but they will not fall away finally and completely. God, who began a good work in them, will complete it (Philippians 1:6). The security of the believer rests not in human strength but in the faithfulness of God.
The REAP Federation gladly affirms the great historic creeds of the Christian church, which have been confessed by believers across centuries and traditions as faithful summaries of the core truths of Scripture.
One of the oldest summaries of Christian faith, the Apostles' Creed arose from early baptismal confessions used in the church. It affirms belief in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord — who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, buried, descended to the dead, rose on the third day, ascended into heaven, and will come again to judge the living and the dead; and in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Formulated at the Council of Nicaea (AD 325) and refined at the Council of Constantinople (AD 381), the Nicene Creed was written to defend the full divinity of Jesus Christ against the Arian heresy, which denied that Christ was truly and fully God. It remains the most universally confessed statement of Christian orthodoxy, affirming the eternal divinity of the Son, His consubstantiality with the Father, and the deity and personhood of the Holy Spirit. It is used by Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and many Protestant churches to this day.
The Three Forms of Unity are a collection of three confessional documents that have historically defined the Reformed faith, particularly in the Dutch and continental Reformed tradition. The REAP Federation gladly subscribes to all three.
Written by Guido de Brès, a Reformed pastor in the Low Countries, the Belgic Confession was composed as a defence of Reformed Christianity against the charge of being revolutionary or sectarian. It consists of 37 articles covering the full range of Christian doctrine: the nature of God, Holy Scripture, creation, the fall, salvation, the church, and the last things. It emphasises the supreme authority of Scripture, salvation by grace alone, and the true marks of the church: the faithful preaching of the Word, the right administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of church discipline.
Commissioned by Elector Frederick III of the Palatinate and prepared by theologians Zacharias Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus, the Heidelberg Catechism is one of the most beloved confessional documents in the history of the church. Written in 129 questions and answers, it is structured around three themes: our misery (what sin has done to us), our deliverance (what God in Christ has done for us), and our gratitude (how we should respond to God's grace). Beginning with the famous first question — 'What is your only comfort in life and in death?' — it leads the reader to a warm, personal, and thorough understanding of the Christian faith.
The Canons of Dort were produced by the great international Synod of Dort, which met in the Netherlands from 1618 to 1619. The Synod was convened to address the Arminian challenge (the Remonstrance), which questioned the Reformed understanding of God's sovereignty in salvation. The Canons set forth a detailed, biblical defence of the Five Points of Calvinism (now known as the Doctrines of Grace), addressing divine election, the atonement of Christ, human depravity, God's effectual grace, and the perseverance of the saints.
Produced by the Westminster Assembly — a gathering of over 120 theologians and ministers convened by the English Parliament between 1643 and 1649 — the Westminster Confession of Faith is among the most thorough and precise statements of Reformed, Presbyterian doctrine ever produced. It covers every major area of Christian theology: the Scripture, God, creation, providence, the covenant of grace, Christ, salvation, the church, the sacraments, church government, the law of God, and the last things.
Alongside the Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism, the Westminster Standards remain the doctrinal foundation of Presbyterian churches around the world, including the REAP Federation. We commend these documents not as replacements for Scripture, but as faithful, time-tested guides to what Scripture teaches.
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