“Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei”—

“The church reformed, always being reformed according to the Word of God.”

This ancient-sounding phrase didn’t come from the 16th-century Reformers themselves, but it has become one of the most enduring expressions of the Reformed tradition. It captures a critical and humbling reality: even a theologically “reformed” church is always in need of further reformation—not according to cultural trends or human systems, but according to the Word of God.

The Origin of the Phrase

The phrase semper reformanda—”always reforming”—originated not with Luther or Calvin, but with Jodocus van Lodenstein, a 17th-century Dutch Reformed pastor associated with the Nadere Reformatie (“Further Reformation”) movement in the Netherlands. He saw that while the Reformation had recovered much biblical truth, the hearts and lives of God’s people were still in need of reform. His cry was not for doctrinal innovation but for personal and corporate sanctification rooted in Scripture.

Over the centuries, this phrase has been both treasured and misused. In some contexts, it has been distorted into a license for constant novelty or theological deconstruction. But rightly understood, semper reformanda calls us to a deeper, more faithful submission to Scripture. It urges us to return again and again to the Bible—to let God’s Word reform our hearts, our practices, and yes, even our theological systems.

Letting Scripture Reform Our Eschatology

This brings us to a present concern: eschatology—our doctrine of the last things. In many Christian circles today, particularly in the American context, dispensationalism has become the default (and often unknowingly adopted) framework for understanding prophecy, the end times, and Israel. It is presented as biblical, sometimes even as the only faithful way to read the Bible. But dispensationalism, as a system, is relatively recent, emerging in the 19th century through figures like John Nelson Darby and gaining popular traction through the Scofield Reference Bible and later popular media.

Here’s the danger: whenever we inherit a fully-formed system—whether dispensational, amillennial, postmillennial, or otherwise—we are tempted to fit the text of Scripture into our eschatology, rather than letting Scripture shape or challenge our views. We run the risk of reading the Bible through the lens of our system, instead of submitting our system to the scrutiny of the Bible.

This is not a problem unique to dispensationalism; it’s a human problem. But it becomes especially pressing when one system becomes dominant in popular teaching and church culture.

But the Reformed tradition calls us to be always reforming. This means we must constantly bring our presuppositions and systems back to Scripture (Acts 17:11), testing all things and holding fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” — 2 Timothy 3:16

“The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” — Psalm 119:160

If our theological system cannot bear that scrutiny, then it needs to be reformed. If it prevents us from hearing what Scripture clearly says, then it has become an idol.

Always Reforming Means Always Submitting

Semper reformanda reminds us that we must never hold our theological frameworks with greater authority than the text of Scripture itself. The moment we defend our views more fiercely than we test them, we’ve stopped reforming. The moment our eschatology becomes untouchable, we’ve replaced biblical authority with theological pride.

A Reformed posture is not merely about affirming the Five Solas or the Westminster Standards. It’s about a heart that is always willing to be corrected by God’s Word, even when it costs us—especially when it costs us our comfort, our systems, or our traditions.

Preaching the Whole Counsel of God

Semper reformanda also means that we do not gloss over or ignore uncomfortable passages of Scripture. We are not free to mute the voice of God when it challenges our categories or unsettles our traditions. As Paul said to the Ephesian elders:

“I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” — Acts 20:27

Faithfulness requires preaching and teaching all of Scripture—not just the passages that align neatly with our frameworks. This includes difficult prophetic texts, apocalyptic literature, and themes of judgment and restoration. It means searching out the eschatological implications of the text and understanding how the original audience would have understood it. This is difficult and convicting work that challenge our presuppositions. However, pastors are not called to protect the flock from discomfort; we are called to form them by truth, even when that truth provokes hard questions or opposition (2 Timothy 4:2–4).

Reforming Toward Christ

Eschatology is not a secondary matter—it shapes how we view redemption, history, mission, suffering, and hope. But our views must be shaped by what the Bible actually says, not what our charts or traditions assume. Semper reformanda, therefore, is not about discarding tradition, but about testing it. Traditions can bolster, but not determine. Theological traditions let us know the company we keep–and it is important that we pay attention to such things. But semper reformanda, at the heart, is about being reforming people—not just reformed in name.

Let us be committed to this: that our eschatology, like all our theology, stands under the judgment and light of Scripture. And where we find that we have built upon assumptions rather than exegesis, let us return—not to our comfort zones, but to the Word of God. For the church reformed is a church still reforming, under the gracious rule of Christ and the authority of His Word.

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” — John 17:17