The Reformation that began in 16th-century Europe brought to the forefront of the church’s consciousness, among other important things, the gracious gift of justification purchased for us by Christ on the cross, received by faith. Now, if we had to designate a “second Reformation,” I would easily give that title to the charismatic movement. Though not officially titled as such (probably for good reasons),1 it is the only historical movement that can compare to the Protestant Reformation in scope and impact with a key doctrinal focus. For our purposes here, then, we can view it loosely as a second Reformation and proceed to conjecture what a third Reformation might look like.
If the theological concerns of the first Reformation can be represented in the cross and if the Spirit is the central feature of our proposed second Reformation, then what would be the theological priority of the third? I would suggest the return of Jesus, or, to use a more formal and general term, eschatology. The historical lack of emphasis given to the second coming and its relative position to the cross and the Spirit as theologically subsequent make it, in my opinion, an excellent candidate. Furthermore, I believe that any proper discussion of eschatology requires an appropriate treatment of Israel, also a historically neglected topic. If we are to follow in the spirit of the Reformation's commitment to the authority and centrality of the word of God, then what better biblical subject to recover than Israel, for nothing else holds such prominence in the Bible relative to the little attention that has been given to it. Thus if we were to have a third movement comparable to the Reformation and the charismatic movement, I would envision it to entail a renewal and restoration of eschatology in the mind and practice of the church, and with that also a restoration of the centrality of Israel in not only eschatological vision but also redemptive history as a whole.
Finally, since we formulated a working model that integrates the cross and the Spirit, we should consider how the return of Jesus might be incorporated as well. Throughout the Scriptures repentance is framed in light of future judgment. For example, Paul declares, “God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:30-31, CSB). Likewise, the cross secures eschatological salvation: “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Rom 5:9-10). Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is understood as a “guarantee,” “seal,” and “firstfruits” of our future inheritance (Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5; Rom 8:23). The Spirit is also described as the one “by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30). Thus eschatology actually rounds out our model. Rather than an additional emphasis that further divides our focus, the second coming is another point at which the cross and the Spirit can find unity as both look forward to and prepare for it.
1 The charismatic movement is actually a legitimate outworking of the Protestant Reformation, in particular the holiness tradition. It follows the Reformation's principle of continuously self-reflecting and adapting in accordance with the word of God and thus represents an additional phase in that ongoing process. Moreover, the unique circumstances surrounding the Protestant Reformation contributed to its name—it was a major reform movement in contention with the Catholic Church. In contrast, as a renewal movement within Protestantism the charismatic movement can hardly be considered a reformation of the Protestant tradition.