Can one be Reformed by Affirming the 5-Points?

It depends on who you ask.

I have friends who are Reformed who would say absolutely not. They see Baptist and Reformed/Calvinist as opposite in regard to belief systems. One has reminded me that the Reformed faith fought harder defending the issue of baptism than “TULIP” and that (to him) paedobaptism (covenant baptism) begins at the heart of the DoG upon which many of us Baptists claim to cling. Just as James Arminius rejected enough of Calvinism to no longer be a Calvinist, so have Baptist who rejected enough of Calvinism that by definition cannot be Reformed or Calvinists (Baptists can be Particular Baptists but not Reformed Baptists or Calvinists). On the other hand, if we (Baptists) are defining the terms, what we look at are the DoG as we define them (TULIP). We have a common acceptance of the mode of baptism and of believer’s baptism. To us, “Calvinism and Reformed” do not include what traditionally incorporated in those terms. We can argue that paedobaptism is not unique to Calvinism and that we are emphasizing what is merely a Calvinistic distinctiveness applied within other Baptist or other like-minded circles. In other words, within our circles the debate is TULIP and not Reformed faith as a whole.

The five points of Calvinism may be a codification of many Baptist’s doctrine, but it was never a codification of Reformed belief - it was a defense against the five Articles which focused on one aspect of Reformed belief. So…again…I guess it depends on who you are speaking with. Perhaps it is best to just say what you believe without quickly applying labels which may or may not be understood by a particular audience (or at least, know your audience).