semper reformanda
A Latin phrase meaning “always being reformed,” which is a slogan used in the Reformed tradition of the Christian church. It is part of the larger phrase ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda secundum verbi Dei, which means “the church is reformed, and always being reformed according to the Word of God.” The phrase has been attributed to Jodocus van Lodenstein in 1674.
- From What Does Semper Reformanda Mean? by W. Robert Godfrey:
[W]hat did van Lodenstein mean by his famous phrase reformed and always reforming? Probably something like this: since we now have a church reformed in the externals of doctrine, worship, and government, let us always be working to ensure that our hearts and lives are being reformed by the Word and Spirit of God.
Learn more:
- Kevin DeYoung: Semper Reformanda
- A Craig Troxel: Always Reforming?
- Burk Parsons: The True Reformers
- Carl Trueman: What Semper Reformanda Is and Isn’t
Related terms:
Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above.
Clicking on the Theological Terms button will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.