| What it means to be reformed
No, someone who claims to be a 4-pointer is either really a 5-pointer who misunderstands the fifth point (definite atonement), or one who is no calvinist at all. There are theologians who could would probably fit into a 4.5 point calvinist cathegory like James Ussher and Charles Hodge, becauce while they maintain that the atonement was definite for the elects, they say that it also contains some universal benefits and proffers to both the elects and reprobates, and so in this sense Christ died "especially" for the elects, but not for them only. Like John Owen, I personally hold to a strictly limited atonement, without any bits of grace for the reprobates. I also deny that Christ died to purchase common grace for all men, unlike some Reformed theologian hold, since common grace is more properly called "providential goodness" and does not need atonement to be bestowed.
To be labelled as "reformed," one must hold to all the following:
-A reformed confession (may also include LBC 1689).
-The Regulative Principle (with some calvinistic hymns permitted with moderation).
-Sabbath-keeping.
-Covenant theology (those who hold to NCT or Dispensationalism are not truly reformed).
-Reformed soteriology (the 5-points etc).
-strict or moderate cessationism (those who believe that supernatural gifts of prophecy and tongue-speaking are still commonly around (like C. J. Mahaney) are not truly reformed.
According to this list, it is possible for a baptist to be "reformed," like Spurgeon and John Gill, but the large majority of calvinistic baptists would not necessarily qualify.
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Jean-David Jutras
URCNA
Alberta |