We Should Have Learned

We should have learned from the Word of God:

 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.  And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Much in the sacred Writ has warned and prepared the body of Christ about the departure from truth by those professing Christ.  For three years Paul edified the body at Ephesus and warned them of the coming wolves. Those that would make followers of themselves rather than Christ. Unlike the Apostle and the godly men of old, we have ignored such a warning. We have toned it down and treated it as something only for the first century. We've allowed people to make us fear sounding the alarm and combating false teaching with the truth because they call us "alarmists," "reductionists," "fundamentalists," "divisive," "old-fashioned" "mean- spirited" e.t.c. but we should have learned from the Word of God. It's easy for people to sit back and think it an over-reaction and an exaggeration. But when you see it happen in your own (small) community when you see lives in turmoil and friendships ruined or in jeopardy over false teaching it is no small matter. We should have learned and indeed we are learning. Perhaps we will take the word of God far more seriously than many present it.

We should have learned from god fearing men of old. From Athanasius against Arius to Augustine against Pelagius to Luther against Rome. More recently we should have learned from Martyn Lloyd Jones against Ecumenism. His bold stand against mixing truth with grave error. He saw the danger on the horizon and not only warned of it but took a Christ honoring stand against it. His reasoning:

There is no real fellowship and unity in a group of people where some believe in the 'wrath of god against sin' and that it has already been 'revealed from heaven' (Romans 1:18), and others not only do not believe in the wrath of God at all, but say that it is almost blasphemous to teach such a thing, and that they cannot believe in a God who is capable of wrath. Fellowship exists only among those who believe, as the result of the operation of the Holy Spirit, these essential truths concerning man's lost estate-that we are all 'by nature the children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3)- and the action of god in Christ Jesus for our salvation and restoration. There is no fellowship between people who believe that and those who believe something else, which they may call a gospel but which  as, Paul tells the Galatians, 'is not a gospel' (Galatians 1:6-7).

There is an irreducible minimum , without which the term "Christian" is meaningless, and without subscribing to which man is not a Christian...There is to be no discussion about "the foundation". If men do not accept that , they are not brethren and we can have no dialogue with them.

Those who question and query, let alone deny the great cardinal truths that have been accepted through the centuries, do not belong to the church, and to regard them as brethren is to betray the truth.*

We should have learned and I pray that, we do and, are learning. As Lloyd Jones told John Stott of their disagreement and how others perceived it as a clash of personalities, "They cannot distinguish between principles and personalities."*

"Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you" (Gal. 2:4-5).

Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

*The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ac 20:24–32). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
*Murray, Iain. The Fight of Faith. Illinois: Banner of Truth, 2009. Print. P.428-429
*Ibid. P. 768

We Should Have Listened

We should have listened to the warnings in the Word of God: "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim. 4:1-5).


We should have listened to the godly men of Christ that took that warning seriously and preached the Word and fought against the abandonment of the Gospel. The men that gave the creeds, confessions and catechisms. The under-shepherds that produced wholesome doctrine in the proclamation and defense of it. The men that warned of the impending departure from the truth. We should have listened:

The entire elements of this momentous question, therefore, are put in their due place, only when a true conception of SIN and of its infinite evil is adequately apprehended. The atonement is not a mere governmental display before creation, as if the principal end of punishment in the government of God were a mere spectacle to deter from sin. So long as men theorize as to God acting before a created public, only to impress and awe their minds, or seek an object apart from God Himself, they are yielding to a course of thought which only tends to subvert or deny His punitive justice. Such a principle may be called into play in human rule, but has no application in the divine government, where the only public worthy of regard is God Himself, and the harmony of His attributes. To hold with certain eminent writers, such as Michaelis, Seiler, and others, that the infliction of punishment, though not absolutely necessary, is yet fitted to serve an important end in deterring other rational beings from sin, is at once destitute of biblical authority, and puts the question on a false foundation. On this supposition, punishment is not an end in itself, but only a means to an end. On the contrary, as Scripture always puts it, God’s moral perfections demand satisfaction; justice links the sin and punishment together; and the recompense is uniformly proportioned to what is deserved. We find the statement adduced again and again, both in the Old Testament and in the New: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30). The meaning of that significant statement is, that punitive justice belongs essentially to God as a perfection of the divine nature; that it belongs to no other but to Himself, except in so far as He has been pleased to delegate it in certain special cases to the magistrate acting as His representative; and that in consequence of this divine perfection, wherever moral evil is committed, natural evil, or punishment corresponding to it, must ensue.

a. But here we are met by the latitudinarian tendencies of the age, which take exception to the necessity of the atonement, on the ground that we are to view God only as occupying the paternal relation to mankind. Not a few repudiate from this supposed vantage-ground, which seems to have a foothold in Scripture, all the representations otherwise given of God as a lawgiver and a judge. They will have it, that we are to conceive of God only as a source of goodness, or as a fountain of influences, but not as the sovereign Lord or moral Governor; that His dominion is only that of a Father; that the divine laws wholly differ from human laws sanctioned by threats and punishments; and that, when God does punish in any case, it is as a father, and not as a judge. By such representations, which are partly the speculations of a false philosophy, partly the afterthoughts of men writing in the interest of a tendency, the modern assailants of the necessity of the atonement would change laws into counsels, and punishments into corrections. They would sunder the link between sin and punishment, on which, as will appear in the sequel, all religion and all morals depend; for nothing could appear more detrimental to human welfare than the circulation of the doctrine that men are irresponsible to a judge.

The only thing that entitles this speculation to any weight is, that it professes to have a biblical sanction. Far be it from our thoughts to ignore the Fatherhood of God and the tender relation formed by grace between Him and His children; but when men come into this relationship, which henceforth exempts them from everything properly penal, that is the privilege of saints, not of natural men. It is a gift of grace, not a right of nature nor a universal boon; for all are by nature the children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). It cannot be affirmed that it belongs indiscriminately to all men, unless we obliterate the distinction between converted and unconverted men. But God’s Fatherhood does not exclude His relation as a lawgiver and a judge. We rather affirm,—without entering into a new question foreign to our undertaking,—that the former rests upon the latter.*

Oh, we should have listened! We should have learned! we have the Holy Writ. We have the Creeds. We have the Confessions. We have the Catechisms. We have the godly literature. We should have listened and learned!

"Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Ti 4:16).
Praise the Living God for his faithfulness!

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"  (Mt 16:18). Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

*Smeaton, G. (2009). The doctrine of the atonement, As taught by Christ Himself (Second Edition) (30–32). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Thoughts On Islam: On Allah's Justice and Man's Sinfulness

Islam differs a great deal with Christianity on its nature of God and man. In Islam there is no doctrine of Original Sin, yet, the Qur'an teaches that all have sinned:

"If Allah were to punish men for their wrong-doing, He would not leave, on the (earth), a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: When their Term expires, they would not be able to delay (the punishment) for a single hour, just as they would not be able to anticipate it (for a single hour)."- Surah 16:61

We are even told that Muhammed sinned:

"Then have patience (O Muhammad). Lo! the promise of Allah is true. And ask forgiveness of thy sin, and hymn the praise of thy Lord at fall of night and in the early hours." Surah 40:55

Islam, even after affirming that all men have sinned, refuses to believe in any doctrine of original sin. This is due to the Qur'an's faulty version of what happened in the garden of Eden. According to Islam- Adam and Eve repented of their sin and God forgave them.

Why all men sin if there is no such thing as a corrupted- inherited nature (according to Islam) is a valid question for our Muslim friends. I do not think they can even argue consistently that it would be possible for a child to be raised in an environment which would lead to a life of non-sinfulness. On what basis do I make this argument? On the first Surah I gave. Unless Allah was unable to see that there would be a man who would raise a non-sinning child (I would then that say your god is no god at all).

All men sin because all men are born sinners. Islam cannot account for the sinfulness of man. Muslims shrug their shoulders and become behavioral psychologists who attribute sin to learned behavior. The word of God says different, and the reason it gives to us for men sinning is that they are by nature- sinners.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned"- Romans 5:12

When Adam fell, we all fell with him. As a result, we are enslaved to do that which is evil (against God's law). See, Christianity CAN give a coherent reason as to why men do evil, (it's in their nature) Islam cannot.

In Islam, there is a major problem in relation to man's sinfulness and God's holiness. If Allah is holy, and man is not, if Allah (being God) cannot have fellowship with sin, and man is sinful, then on what basis does Allah forgive anyone? Does Allah not punish sin? Does he turn his face away? If so, then Allah is not just. A just God must punish for sin.   

Here is the Qur'an on how men get saved:

"And those who scales are heavy (with good deeds)- it is they who are the successful. But those who whose scales are light- those are the ones who have 

 lost their souls, (being) in Hell, abiding eternally." - Surah 23:102-103

Therein lies salvation in Islam- on works. Ultimately, I think Islam needs to redefine what sin is, inorder to provide some hope to its many followers. If we get down to what sin is- there is no hope for anyone in Islam.

But, thank God for the grace in Jesus Christ. In Jesus, we can be forgiven of all our sins- past, present and future. This is done, by believing in Him who was crushed by the Father's wrath for sinners. So that when we believe in Him, The Father no longer sees us as dirty sinners condemned to abide in hell fire. He now sees us as perfectly righteous, because of Him who died for sinners.

"He then brought them out and asked, " Sirs, what must I do to be saved", and they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household"- Acts 16:30-31

In Christ, Awretchsaved

Propitiation Before Transformation

That Gospel of Christ is that powerful. It not only satisfies God's justice but it transforms lives, too. It turns sinners into saints, sons of disobedience into sons of God, children of wrath into children of promise and those dead in their trespasses and sins into those that walk worthy of their calling. There is no doubt that the Gospel transforms lives. That is precisely what Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Ga 2:20). Everyone agrees on that (I think).

There is a few ways we can go with the differences on what a transformed life looks like. It is not just a matter of becoming better or productive members of community. Nor is it chiefly about becoming better at social justice. Those, indeed, are involved but not the true essence of a life transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit through proclamation of the Gospel. The best way to explain what a converted life looks like is to go to Scripture. We find it spoken of in this manner:

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph 2:1–10).

In that text the problem of man is that he is "dead in his trespasses and sins." That is the way in which he lives. He is an enemy of God and "by nature children of wrath." That is man's greatest problem. A very simple way of stating it is that man is a sinner and God stands as Judge. What he needs is spiritual life. And this spiritual life is a gracious, sovereign act of God; because He is merciful He made sinners the objects of His love. He grants us all the blessings in Christ far too numerous to cover here. Let's not overlook two important words in this passage (and elsewhere), "saved" and "wrath" ("children of" v. 3). Here we find those two, for some, problematic words in the same text. This is important because to not have life means to be, by nature, a child of God's wrath. Thus, to have life means to have salvation by the Lord and from the Lord. The sinner needs to be justified before our Righteous God. That is the unrepentant's greatest need. Since it is only God that imparts life He brings it to fruition to whomever He imparts it. They will walk in the good works that He prepared them for (v.10). The Gospel transforms. But before it transforms, it saves.

It is when we start talking about the basis for our transformation, which is the death and resurrection of Christ,and its purpose that people seem to get squeamish and upset. They love to talk about "transformation" but reject propitiation. In the book Pierced for Our Transgressions by Steve Jeffrey, Michael Ovey and Andrew Sach, they write:

The doctrine of penal substutionary atonement states that God gave himself in the person of his son to suffer instead of us the death, punishment and curse due to fallen humanity as the penalty for sin...It is therefore unsurprising that many have been deeply troubled in recent years to hear dissenting voices raised against this teaching. We fear that Christ will be robbed of his glory, that believers will be robbed of their assurance and that preachers will be robbed of their confidence in the 'old, old story.' (p. 21)

They then go on to quote Spurgeon:

The gospel speaks through propitiation for sin, and if that be denied, it speaketh no more. Those who preach not the atonement exhibit dumb and dummy gospel; a mouth it hath, but speaketh not; they that make it are like unto their idol... Would you have me silence the doctrine of the blood sprinkling? Would anyone of you attempt so horrible a deed? Shall we be censured if we continually proclaim the heaven-sent message of the blood of Jesus? Shall we speak with bated breath because some affected person shudders at the sound of the word 'blood'? or some 'cultured' individual rebels at the old-fashioned thought of sacrifice? Nay, verily, we will sooner cut our tongue out than cease to speak of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.(p. 22)

 Then they identify where the dissensions come from:

Where did these dissenting voices come from? Many of them can be traced to the rise of liberal theology in the middle of the nineteenth century. Liberalism had little time fro the motifs of sacrifice, divine wrath and propitiation entailed in penal substitution. As Henri Blocher observes, 'Liberal Protestants...felt outraged at the doctrine and complained about a "blood" theology, in their eyes an ugly relic of primitive stages in man's religious evolution.' (p. 22)

This all sounds very familiar. How often do we hear about "transformation" without any propitiation. The good example of Jesus' life is sufficient for some but the satisfaction of God's justice in His wrath against people that violate His moral laws is scorned.

We say amen to Zacharius Ursinus who wrote:

God forgives our sins out of his pure mercy, and free love towards us; and on account of the intercession and satisfaction of Christ applied by faith. Intercession could not be made without satisfaction, because that would be to ask of God to yield somewhat of his justice. “Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” “The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” “For it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Christ; and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself.” “Ye are come to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things, than that of Abel.” “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.” (1 Pet. 3:18. 1 John 1:7. Col. 1:19, 20. Heb. 12:24. Eph. 1:7.)*

There must be satisfaction before there is a transformation, "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 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. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Ro 5:6–11).


Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

*Ursinus, Z., & Williard, G. W. (1888). The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism (307). Cincinnati, OH: Elm Street Printing Company.

"The Glory Of The Atonement"

Every once in a while I post two articles in one day. It usually stems from having much on my mind. I have been blessed to have been asked to contribute to this blog. Not only do I get to preach the Word of God to the flock of God but now I also get to share other thoughts that are on my mind. Those that are in the ministry and herald the Gospel of Christ know what I am talking about. It's like "fire in your bones." Once it's there you have to get it out. The atonement has been something that I love to dwell on and preach.

It irks some to focus so much time and energy on the Gospel. Many want to "move on" while others think that it "reduces" the Gospel to focus on the atonement of Christ. The fear is that doctrine and theology only lead to mere intellectualism. That God is not concerned about those "that have the right beliefs about Him." Yet it is the glory of God ,in the Gospel of Christ, that is my foundation for my daily walk in the faith. Knowing that I went form being at war with Him to having a place in His household, as His son, because of the work of Christ in both his law keeping life and substitutionary death and resurrection is my only hope and comfort. It is what brings me consolation when I sin (on a daily basis) against Him. It is the only hope of the Christless sinner. What other message can I give to the person under the condemnation of God? Nothing of eternal value. Nothing that will deliver them from His great wrath. Nothing that will deliver them their slavery to sin. Nothing that will bring them joy and life.

Only the atonement of Christ can save. If not for the Gospel of Christ we would all perish. Therefore: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith” (Ro 1:16–17) 


"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Ga 6:14)


Some further thoughts from godly men that taught the atonement of Christ and whose lives reflected their sound theology:

Reading the Scriptures and gaining insight through a dialogue with history still does not address application to the individual Christian life. Apprehending the truth is not always the same thing as internalizing it. To fail to internalize the atonement in one's own life, both behind and in front of the Sunday morning pulpit is to fail at a crucial point. If the atonement is rightly understood, it must have a practical and personal significance. Moreover, the atonement belongs in the evangelical pulpit, and if it is as valuable as we think it is, it must be preached in the church. We fundamentally agree that of the gospel. He would echo the words of Stephen Neill, who stated: "The death of Christ is the central point in history. i4 The doctrine of the atonement is like a pebble dropped into a theological pond-it makes ripples throughout the entire system. Historically, systematic theology has tended to understand the atonement as part of the priestly work of Christ. As our priest, Christ is our representative with God, and his special responsibility is to act on behalf of the people of God to bring them near to God. The atoning work of the great high priest is viewed from various angles in the New Testament. It may be viewed in terms of Christ's sacrifice-that he paid the penalty of death for us; or his propitiation-that he removed the wrath of God from us; or his reconciliation-that he overcame our separation from God; or his redemption-that he redeemed us from our bondage to sin. But the atonement also must be connected with its implications for soteriology. In the words of Leon Morris, "The crucifixion is rightly understood only when it is seen as God's great saving act.i5 Thus, in the panoramic view of the priestly work of Christ, not only is redemption accomplished for the people of God, but it also provides the only foundation for the application of redemption in terms of calling, regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification and glorification.* 

1. Conscience demands a satisfaction or atonement. To this necessity on the side of conscience there are various allusions by our Lord, and all of them full of significance. Thus, when He invites the weary and heavy laden, He plainly alludes to the state of an awakened conscience desiring a satisfaction or atonement which the individual is not able to offer (Matt. 11:28). The thirsty invited to come and drink are those who are in a similar condition (John 7:37). They who are described in the Sermon on the Mount as hungering and thirsting after righteousness are obviously those who feel the oppression of conscious guilt, and who pant for that immaculate “righteousness,” or atonement which alone can fill and satisfy the wants of human nature (Matt. 5:6). Our Lord’s words assume that such is the harmony between the voice of conscience and the claims of God, or, in other words, between man made in the image of God and the rights of Him whose image he bears, that nothing will satisfy conscience that does not satisfy the perfections and law of God. As God’s representative within, it is taken for granted that conscience will acquit only when God acquits, and possess peace only when God has spoken peace through the finished redemption. There is an inner or subjective necessity which must come to its rights. Thus conscience acknowledges that wherever sin is punishment ought to be suffered. We see in the old economy the intense longing of the heart after sacrifices, and a conviction of their insufficiency in the ceremonial law. Till the waters of reparation and punishment quench it, guilt burns in the human heart, nay, it would continue to burn in the human heart for ever if there were no sufficient atonement; so that they who would have pardon merely by God’s retreating from the demand of satisfaction would be followed, even if they had their wish, by the inward pursuer wherever they went. And as their holiness grew, they would still be haunted by a keener sense of guilt, remembering that they were the same person still, and that no reparation had been made. They would be disturbed by self-accusations, by shame, and a gnawing conscience, till they would long to have the faculty of memory destroyed. We read that they who went to heaven before the finished redemption rejoiced when Christ’s day came (John 8:56), and that in some sense, and doubtless in this subjective sense, they were made perfect by sharing with us in that which we enjoy (Heb. 11:40). Thus it appears from all history and experience, that conscience is so sensitive, that it will reject everything which may be offered to calm or heal it, till it finds repose and peace in the vicarious death of Christ; and no atonement will avail which is not infinite. Man discovered to himself, and aware of his wants, will fall into despair, if the growing sense of guilt is not stilled by the great redemption of the cross. It is true that mere conscience cannot of itself tell what is an adequate atonement; that it is but a dumb sense of want; and that it often tries false remedies and vain reliefs. The man is a prisoner under guilt, and knows it. God alone knows and provides the adequate atonement; and the unburdened conscience attests that it is adequate when it is found. But no one can persuade conscience that an atonement is unnecessary.*

"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Ti 1:8–10).


Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

*Charles E. Hill;Frank A. James III. The Glory of the Atonement: Biblical, Theological & Practical Perspectives (p.17- 18). Kindle Edition.

 *Smeaton, G. (2009). The doctrine of the atonement, As taught by Christ Himself (Second Edition) (26–27). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The Fear Of The Lord

There is no ambiguity that the thrice holy God commands all men to fear Him. Be it his redeemed people or the Christless. The creature is to fear the Creator. For the non-believer in Christ he must fear the judgment of God while the believer must always remember what Christ accomplished for him by His vicarious death and victorious resurrection. We speak today in terms of the Christian fearing God "reverentially." Rightly so, I believe. The believer must always remember that he is a sinner saved by grace. Even as a believer he still commits sins (praise the Lord of the imputed righteousness of Christ!) and he is ever being driven to that perfect life and cross of Christ. Yet, he understands that sin is affront to a perfectly holy God. Though he need not fear the condemnation of the Lord that Christ bore on Calvary, he must still stand in that same awe of the majestic holiness of the Lord. Charles Simeon states it this way:

[Never for a moment must we forget that we are sinners, deserving of God’s wrath and indignation. The circumstance of our having been forgiven by him, so far from removing all occasion for reverential fear, is rather a reason for the augmentation of it. We should “lothe ourselves the more because our God is pacified towards us;” for his very mercy shews how basely we have acted, in sinning against so good a God. If the glorified saints in heaven fall upon their faces before the throne, whilst yet they are singing praises to God and to the Lamb, much more should we on earth, who have yet so much corruption to mourn over, and so many evils to deplore. As for that kind of experience which some think to be warranted by their views of God’s faithfulness to his promises, and which others derive from a conceit of their own sinless perfection, (I mean, that confidence, on the one hand, which is divested of fear; and that familiarity, on the other hand, which is not tempered with contrition,) I cannot but regard it as most delusive and dangerous. It would be well, too, if some, who are not carried to these extremes of doctrinal error be not equally defective, through a captious abhorrence of all forms in external discipline and deportment. Many, from a zeal against what they are pleased to designate as Popish superstition, conduct themselves with sad irreverence in the worship of the Most High: and, if they feel not already a contempt for the Majesty of heaven, sure I am that they take the most effectual means to generate it in their hearts. Men, as sinners, should lie low in the dust before God: and though, as redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ, they are to put away slavish fear, they are never for a moment to divest themselves of that fear which is filial, but to “walk in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”]*

Even in such texts that speak of God's love for his people, He still demands that they fear Him. Even these texts that speak of social justice still demand the fear of the Lord, " “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?  Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven" (Dt 10:12–22). 


There is no such thing as Christianity without the fear of the Lord. What about 1 John 4:18: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love"? The context demands that this passage be understood with the believer having no fear of the judgment of God because of the work of Christ and his faith in Him. This is evident from the previous verses that mention Christ as Savior of the world (v.14) and the confession of Christ from believers (v. 15) then comes the belief we have in God's love us (v. 16 which is a reference to the death of His Son) which leads to the perfection of God's love in us that casts out out fear of His sovereign and righteous judgment (v. 17). This all leads to v.18. and for that I will defer to Robert Murray M'Cheyne:

“There is no fear in love.” “Perfect love casteth out fear.”

(1.) The love here spoken of is not our love to God, but His love to us; for it is called perfect love. All that is ours is imperfect. When we have done all, we must say, “We are unprofitable servants.” Sin mingles with all we think and do. It were no comfort to tell us, that if we would love God perfectly, it would cast out fear; for how can we work that love into our souls? It is the Father’s love to us that casteth out fear. He is the Perfect One. All his works are perfect. He can do nothing but what is perfect. His knowledge is perfect knowledge; his wrath is perfect wrath; his love is perfect love. It is this perfect love which casteth out fear. Just as the sunbeams cast out darkness wherever they fall, so does this love cast out fear.

(2.) But where does this love fall?—On Jesus Christ. Twice God spake from heaven, and said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God perfectly loves his own Son. He Sees infinite beauty in his person. God sees himself manifested. He is infinitely pleased with his finished work. The infinite heart of the infinite God flows out in love towards our Lord Jesus Christ. And there is no fear in the bosom of Christ. All his fears are past. Once He said, “While I suffer thy terrors I am distressed;” but now He is in perfect love, and perfect love casteth out fear. Hearken, trembling souls! Here you may find rest to your souls. You do not need to live another hour under your tormenting fears. Jesus Christ has borne the wrath of which you are afraid. He now stands a refuge for the oppressed—a refuge in the time of trouble. Look to Christ, and your fear will be cast out. Come to the feet of Christ, and you will find rest. Call upon the name of the Lord, and you will be delivered. You say you cannot look, nor come, nor cry, for you are helpless. Hear, then, and your soul shall live. Jesus is a Saviour to the helpless. Christ is not only a Saviour to those who are naked and empty, and have no goodness to recommend themselves, but He is a Saviour to those who are unable to give themselves to Him. You cannot be in too desperate a condition for Christ. As long as you remain unbelieving, you are under his perfect wrath—wrath without any mixture. The wrath of God will be as amazing as his love. It comes out of the same bosom. But the moment you look to Christ, you will come under his perfect love—love without any coldness—light without any shade—love without any cloud or mountain between. God’s love will cast out all your fears.*

And coming from a slightly different angle on the fear of the Lord J. Gresham Machen writes:

It is certainly an ignoble thing to be afraid of bonds and death at the hands of men; it is certainly an ignoble thing to fear those who use power to suppress the right. Even the fear of God might be degrading. It all depends upon what manner of Being you hold God to be. If you think that God is altogether such an one as yourself, your fear of Him will be a degrading thing. If you think of Him as a capricious tyrant, envious of the creatures He has made, you will never rise above the grovelling fears of Caliban. But it is very different when you stand in the presence of the source of all the moral order of the universe; it is very different when God comes walking in the garden and you are without excuse; it is very different when you think of that dread day when puny deceptions will fall off and you stand defenceless before the righteous judgment throne. It is very different when not the sins of other people but your sins are being judged. Can we really, my friends, come before the judgment seat of God and stand fearlessly upon our rights? Can we really repeat, with Henley, the well-known words: ‘Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul’, or this: ‘It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.’

Is this the way to overcome fear? Surely not! We can repeat such words only by the disguised cowardice of ignoring facts. As a matter of fact, our soul is not unconquerable; we are not masters of our fate or captains of our soul. Many a man has contemplated some foul deed at first with horror, and said, ‘Am I a dog that I should do this thing?’ And then has come the easy descent into the pit, the gradual weakening of the moral fibre, so that what seemed horrible yesterday seems excusable today; until at last, at some sad hour, with the memory of one’s horror of sin still in the mind, a man awakes to the realization that he is already wallowing in the mire. Such is the dreadful hardening that comes from sin. Even in this life we are not masters of our fate; we are of ourselves certainly not captains of our bodies, and we are of ourselves, I fear, not even captains of our souls.

It is pitiable cowardice to try to overcome fear by ignoring facts. We do not become masters of our fate by saying that we are. And such blatancy of pride, futile as it is, is not even noble in its futility. It would be noble to rebel against a capricious tyrant, but it is not noble to rebel against the moral law of God.

Are we then forever subject to fear? Is there nought, for us sinners, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation? Jesus came to tell us No! He came to deliver us from fear. He did not do so by concealing facts; He painted no false picture of a complacent God who should make a compact with sin; He encouraged no flattering illusions about the power of man. Jesus did not leave the realm of divine justice as it was, and establish in opposition to it a realm of love. But He introduced unity into the world by His redeeming work. He died not to abolish but to satisfy divine justice and reconcile us to God. In the days of His flesh He pointed forward to that act; He invited the confidence of man by the promise of what was to come. In our days we look back to what has already been done; our joy is in salvation already attained; our boasting is in the Cross.

Even the Christian must fear God. But it is another kind of fear. It is a fear rather of what might have been than of what is; it is a fear of what would come were we not in Christ. Without such fear there can be no true love; for love of the Saviour is proportioned to one’s horror of that from which man has been saved. And how strong are the lives that are suffused with such a love! They are lives brave, not because the realities of life have been ignored, but because they have first been faced — lives that are founded upon the solid foundation of God’s grace. May such lives be ours!

Perfect love casteth out fear. But if it be our love which casteth out fear, our love is only a response to the loving act of God. ‘Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins’. There is the culmination and the transformation of fear. ‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men’, says Jesus, ‘him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.*

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Pr 1:7).


 "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God" (2 Co 7:1).

"And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God" 

(1 Pe 1:17–21). 

Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando


*Simeon, C. (1832-63). Horae Homileticae Vol. 2: Numbers to Joshua (323). London.

*McCheyne, R. M., & Bonar, A. A. (1894). Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne (367–368). Edinburgh; London: Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier.

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (1 Jn 4:18). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

J. Gresham Machen. The Fear of God. Found here

John 3:1-8 Breaking it Down, Pt. 2

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This was undoubtedly not the reply that Nicodemus had been expecting, but it is the one our Lord gave to Him, so we would do well to examine this reply of our Lord, for although it was directed to Nicodemus, it is a general statement – it remains true for all who would see the kingdom of God.

The word “see” is speaking of an action that depends on another action – for one to see the kingdom of God, they must be born again. “Born” speaks of that action of being brought forth in birth, and it is a passive action, as in she gave birth to a child. The child being born is not bringing itself into the world – it is the mother who brings the child forth from her womb; even so, we must be brought forth from that spiritual death that is true of all men by the Spirit of God – He does the bringing forth, or giving birth – and as when a child senses the first of the outside world, so those God gives the new birth to, by His Spirit, can see the kingdom of God at that time – Calvin has it that the words see and enter are synonymous – that is, they equal the same thing, the same result. One who is born again has entered into the kingdom of God, and so they can see it; one who sees the kingdom of God has been born again, and so they have entered into it.

This is not of ourselves – in fact, this is the very passage most often associated with the theological phrase, monergism, the Scriptural doctrine that God the Holy Spirit acts alone – mono = one – to regenerate the fallen human nature – ism = work, deed – into a nature that is after our Lord’s.

We have mentioned this as “born again” or “born from above.” This is because the word used can be translated both ways, and whether or not our Lord spoke to Nicodemus in the Hebrew language, this is the language He willed to write His New Testament in, so our understanding might be of Him, not speculation as to what language our Lord spoke at the time to Nicodemus. That regardless of what language our Lord spoke to Nicodemus in, the leader of the Jews did not understand Him, is evidenced by Nicodemus’ reply:

4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Thus, this leading teacher of the Jews, one who is the teacher of Israel, proves himself to not be of that very state the Lord is speaking to him about – if he had been, he would have understood, for it is pictured in the Old Testament Scriptures which he was familiar with, yet he did not understand the reference (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

Our Lord thought nothing of the honor of men (Matthew 22:16), and even His enemies came to know this – He thought of the Father’s will being done, that His praise and glory be manifest – that was the reason He came; that will be the reason He comes again – all else is secondary in the Son’s doing the Father’s will, for the glory of God is God’s highest priority; still, in this manifestation of His glory, He brings about the salvation of those He has chosen for such, to the praise of His glorious grace, or to the praise of the glory of His grace.

That God’s glory is comprised of more than His grace to the undeserving sinners who hate Him, are His enemies, as all mankind is, we have found in various parts of our studies, and will continue too (Exodus 34:6-7) – the God who has willed us to serve Him by making us His is not any one of those attributes we have studied about in our studies, but the sum, the culmination of all of them, and for His glory to be fully expressed to mankind, He has designed His plan for those creatures He created to show forth all of His glory, which He has done throughout the history He created – to us who are His, it seems amazing that this is not understood, when the various terrible judgments of His wrath are shown throughout the Scriptures, and having been carried out, provide a positive proof for those judgments yet to come; we must remember, however, that even in the professing church, there are many who do not believe the Scriptures, or believe them according to various traditions of men, who also do not understand that to be His child, through the adoption that is in Christ Jesus, is not only having been given the right to believe, but to suffer, for His sake (Philippians 1:29-30); thus, the gracious regeneration of a dead in sin nature is but one aspect of our God’s manifesting His glory, and we must keep that always in mind.

The redeemed mind will understand that there is no exercise of that creature to bring about their regeneration, even if it is an understanding fraught with error through the traditions of men – there is nothing in this passage that speaks of anything the creature does, and this is the seminal, or determining, text, when speaking of this experience and doctrine.

So, Nicodemus did not understand this simple phrase, nor will any who have not partaken of this work of God’s grace – He asked what is a very natural question, and emphasized it with the experience of entering again into one’s mother’s womb – as ridiculous as this sounds, recall how ridiculous our gospel sounds to those who are perishing – Nicodemus was grasping to bring into understanding that which cannot be understood by the natural man, and this is a proof of the natural man not understanding the things of the Spirit of God, and shows that these things are foolishness to such a natural, or carnal, understanding (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Do you think Nicodemus was surprised, and somewhat taken aback, by our Lord’s non-response to His greeting of Him as Master (for so the term Rabbi must be understood – a title only given to those with expertise in the Law of God, and so a term of respect – a master of the teaching and writings of God – given by men to men)? I surely do.

We should back up, here, and establish the meaning of the words “kingdom of God.”

Many think this refers to that kingdom for which we pray to come (Matthew 6:10), and this is a right, and proper way of looking at the kingdom of God, but it is an incomplete one, for while He was on this earth in His first advent, our Lord said, “…then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20). His meaning is unmistakable in this statement, since the word “has come” is a past tense – the kingdom of God was there among them, in His Person, in His Son, incarnate. When Jesus came into the world, He brought that which was not of the world with Him, and the apostle Paul defines that such is still in place among those who have experienced the new birth: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). So, what we learn from these two passages, and from other of that which we have studied, is that the kingdom of God consists of His presence yet being in this world through the body of Christ, the church, which is made up of all truly regenerated believers, and shows not only in the members, each and every one of them, but the way these members act towards one another, which of itself, is a testimony to the world that they are disciples of Christ – it shows in that which is of the light, which brings out the fact of that which is of the darkness, and if we do not live in such a manner – in such a way – that distinguishes us from the darkness we are to bring the character of our Lord of Glory and Light into and upon, then it is very doubtful our confession of faith in the Lord of all creation is, in fact, true, for He cannot live within us, in fellowship with our new nature, unless that which is of Him shows (Ephesians 5:6-21; 1 John 1:5-7).

Thus, the kingdom of God is indeed among the world, and is seen in such local fellowships of churches which are made up of His saints, and should, indeed, be carried along with each member into their daily living.

Next, we take up our Lord’s reply to Nicodemus’ question regarding the nature of the new birth.

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Many have supposed that “water” here refers to the obedient ordinance of baptism in water as a testimony to the truth of the confession of Jesus Christ as one’s Lord, having repented of their sins, is what is pictured – to this, we reply, such cannot be the case, for Jesus is speaking of a literal new birth, of which any element of it is done by the Holy Spirit alone. This is not to say that, if we have made the proper confession of our Lord as we should, baptism in water is not to be observed; indeed, it is commanded, and a part of the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20). However, that cannot be what is intended by our Lord here, for that would constitute a work on our part that is to proclaim the fact that Salvation is of the Lord, and of Him alone (Psalms 18:2; 27:1; 68:20; Isaiah 25:9; 62:11; Jeremiah 3:23), and that such salvation, according to our God’s election, begins in time and space for us when we are regenerated – that is to say, born again by the work of the Holy Spirit alone, without any aid upon our part, as we have already discussed from Ephesians, 2 Timothy and Titus.

The most crucial thing has just been discussed – that salvation is of the Lord – so we need to break down the parts of that which we are considering that has to do with that salvation.

If it were needful for Jesus our Lord to remind a person that natural birth preceded spiritual birth, it is likely He would have done so – the phrase, born of the water, however, though it has been held by some to mean exactly that, is out of place in a context of salvation, for when a person is born into this world, though a woman’s water break, from what, then, are they saved?

They are born a sinner – the election of God may be upon them, but until the time when He moves, of His Spirit, to make that election real by the work of the regeneration of the dead-in-sin human spirit, it is hardly salvific that such natural birth is being mentioned by our Lord as a necessary component to the work of the Holy Spirit here.

Most good commentators see the type mentioned in the Mosaic Law – the water of purification (Numbers 8:7-26), and along with the plain indication that regeneration is of the Spirit of God, by divine counsel within the triune God Himself, we see this type mentioned exactly this way of the New Covenant, which is spoken of by God in the Old Testament prophets in this manner:

Ezekiel 36:25-26:  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

That this is the water Jesus is speaking of – the water of purification, not as the Jewish rites in the previous chapter, but as consecration of those who would be His own, is echoed in a Scripture we have already looked at often in the New Testament, which, along with those we considered, makes the meaning of this water our Lord speaks of in this verse unmistakable:

Titus 3:4-5: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, in which we see the entirety of the triune God involved in this work, though the Spirit carries out the will of the Father and the Son in performing, as the third Person of the triune God, the work of regeneration, and that it is said that He was poured out on us richly is showing the means, that is, God the Spirit Himself, as the One who cleanses us and regenerates us, making us fit for use as God’s people.

Though it may be said (and has been) that all of salvation occurs in an instant, as to our present experience of eternal life – that is, a new life imparted in a dead spirit being made alive – there are divisions in this work of God, as to our experience of it. That one who is regenerated does begin to live the sanctified life to which they are prepared by each aspect of the death and resurrection of our Lord being applied to us, this is the beginning: the new birth, by which one sees and enters the kingdom of heaven. Seeing and entering the kingdom are synonymous – that is, they are the same, for to see the kingdom is to enter into it, to have passed from death to life. A further note on Titus 3:4-5: the word and is the beginning of a construction, in the original language, which connects the washing of regeneration with the renewal of the Holy Spirit – it is a logical connective; that is, it makes the entire phrase in reference to the work of the Holy Spirit, so to read it any other way would be against the sense of the language. This would also be true to the English in a good translation.

So, this is the meaning of born of water, and this meaning cannot be separated from and the Spirit, for both are part and parcel of His work of causing us to be born again. There is the separation of being cleansed by the Spirit as the means of cleansing to be vessels fit for the use of the Lord, with the regeneration of the spirit He brings about also to enable and empower us to exercise repentance of sin, faith, and so be saved – this is a partial description of what takes place in salvation – but to actually say that the cleansing and the rebirth are not of the Spirit is to deny the entire intent and meaning of this passage we are studying and meditating upon.

As with all things of the pattern set in the Old Testament, we know, from the further revelation of God in His New Testament, that they are often representative of heavenly things (Exodus 25:40; Hebrews 8:5). All the various types of the holiness of the temple and its sacrifices may be attributed to our Lord, while very often, the purity of those serving, and the various cleansing rituals, represent the preparation of the people of God – in this, we receive the benefit of that which our Lord accomplished, but we must be prepared to receive that benefit by being vessels made fit for God’s use – this is what happens when we are regenerated, and continues to happen as we are having the truth of His Scriptures applied to us by the Holy Spirit who was given to us, even as He prepared us to do such; thus, our Lord here expresses that preparation, which we see to be solely of God, and that of the third Person of the triune God.

The fullness of this work of God is stated firmly in the book of Hebrews 10:16-22, which references Jeremiah 31:33-34, and we would do well to notice the following passages in Hebrews 10, for they are of the sort that speaks to our mortification of these bodies, our meeting together in the Lord’s name on His Day, and our perseverance in the ways and Word of our Lord, to the edification of the body, and the proclaiming of the glory of the Lord.

The Heritage of Autosoterism

I have chosen to name this post The Heritage of Autosoterism because of exactly this fact:

The damage that has been done to the great doctrines of God, as He has placed them indelibly in His Scriptures, by holy men of old as directed and moved along by His Holy Spirit, showing His infinite perfection in all things, that those whom He wills may read of, and understand, that which He has been pleased to reveal of Himself, the nature of man, and how He alone has conquered that deathly self-reliance that places any of it's trust in other than Christ alone, for those so chosen, is, by our estimation, incalculable, in human terms.

Still, the damage is not complete, and this by those same perfecting graces inherent in His grace, and we have yet a remnant that realizes "Salvation is of the Lord," and of Him alone.

As He did not need any cooperation of the creatures in His creation of the world, and all that is in it; as the fetus in the womb holds no power over whether it will come into the world or not, so it is with the grace of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

The late B.B. Warfield states this in words which, while perhaps difficult for some to understand (but we do have dictionaries and encyclopedias, do we not?), are nonetheless well worth the read in this excerpt of his book The Plan of Salvation, which you may find online under his name on Wikipedia, in four links - one for each part; better still, I found the work on Monergism.com, and will include the link, for those who do not have this book and would like to read it - Part 2 is where the excerpt comes from in this post.

To God alone be the Glory - Bill Hier

http://www.reformationtheology.com/2006/06/autosoterism.php  This is the excerpt only. The link to the full book follows.

  

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/warfield/warfield_plan.html

A Primary Purpose of Revelation

The history of Israel is a history of redemption and judgment; redemption in the Lord forgiving their sins of idolatry, oppression of the poor, evil judgments against their own people, and these very things because they said within themselves that they were free of the Lord, and would not be constrained by His righteous laws and worship of Him as the only true God.

What is the purpose of this revelation?

Is it not to show that, though God chooses a people, delivers them out of bondage again and again, that, left to their own natural inclinations, they will always turn from Him, without exception, until He, of His own accord, council, and mercy delivers them once again, finally, by the coming of the promised Messiah, and that, in spite of their fickleness?

The other day, I heard from one of our brethren that, at the church they go to, they hold to “the true Reformed doctrine,” and that is why they are saved.

The same church does not minister to the poor among the congregation, does not much care for the teaching and preaching which stresses mortification of the flesh (it means someone other than them), and considers themselves blessed by God because they have good jobs, bank accounts, have never been subjected to severe trials, and looks down on those who have been.

And this is a Reformed church!

No care for the poor, the orphans, the widows, the strangers in their midst – it is like they read an entirely different Bible than I do.

It seems we have our own false sheep, and they will not even listen to their own teachings, counting their blessings while their brethren among them suffer, and salving their consciences by making donations to areas like Japan and Haiti where disasters have hit, while the needs of and the ministry to the saints goes unheeded by uncaring charlatans, professing Christ with their lips, yet their hearts are extremely far from Him.

Can you say “Modern Day Pharisees?”

The Lord has something to say about these things:

Isaiah 58:6-7:  "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Romans 12:13:  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Jas 2:1-9: My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

These are but a brief cross section of what God has to say about the care for both the needy in the congregation; failure to do such showed either an apostate church or one approaching apostasy of the kind which was of the Pharisees in our Lord’s first advent (and I would say this is the primary interpretation and application of most passages as those quoted – the Lord expresses His hatred of such practice in a plethora of such passages throughout the Scriptures), as well as the needy in the neighborhood of the local church, and out from there.

This is something that non-Reformed folk have noticed when they have come to see what it is we believe and practice (orthodoxy and orthopraxy) among certain of our churches – they have seen an adherence to doctrine in some (thank God for this!), but the same lack of love the Ephesians were admonished for in our Lord’s Revelation (Revelations 2:4-5).

Then, there are those who hold their Canons, their Confessions, their Catechisms, their Creeds, as proof of their salvation, yet they feel no remorse of their ungodly, unworldly, behavior, no repentance of their sins, no humiliation that it is only by God’s will, and the perfection of His Son’s sacrifice, that they are even able to be included in the elect.

Their standards of faith, which Reformed history has always held to be exposition of Scripture without the inspiration of Scripture, has become the vehicle by which they oppress the poor and widows and orphans and strangers among them, and they congratulate themselves, after hearing a sermon of how wretched they are outside of Christ’s grace, with no resource in themselves for blessings, either temporal or eternal, of their temporal blessings, totally missing the messages they repeatedly ignore of how blind, naked and in need of being clothed in the righteousness of Christ and having their eyes anointed with the eye salve that will allow them to see their wretchedness outside of them.

I am all for Confessions, Creeds, Catechisms, and Canons – we are right now studying through the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, and will be going through a Catechism (being a group of believers where some are new to Reformed theology); once we have done so, we will continue to be Confessional and use the various means of grace that are based on the Scriptures – we will recite the Scriptures when doing so, however, and expound upon them, making certain that all know “blessed are the poor (bankrupt) in spirit, for theirs IS the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

May God grant His mercy to again show the repentance and mourning over our sin among all our Reformed brethren and churches, and the love by which the world knows we are the disciples of Christ (John 13:34-35). May He again grant His mercy, that we take care of our own, our neighbors, and those others who have need, that we may not experience His judgment.

To the glory of our God alone, and the building up of His children – Bill Hier

Christ And Paul "Reductionists?"

For many the idea of the Gospel to be primarily about deliverance from condemnation of God, because of the person and work of Jesus Christ, is to reduce the Gospel. They assert that "inner transformational living" is the Gospel, too. Thus, in not emphasizing this so called  "spiritual transformation" as the Gospel is to reduce it to being 'saved' and severely impair the Gospel. Read the blogs and listen to the sermons here (especially listen to the one titled "The Gospel According to Jesus" and tell me if I'm misunderstanding what is being taught). They over-react to the "easy-believism" that is so prevalent in America. The idea that one can simply pray a prayer, raise a hand, walk down an aisle to "accept Jesus" in their hearts and never be a disciple of Christ (no evidence of sanctification). I'm right along in a condemnation of that type of teaching. In fact this blog has written two articles on that here and here. The latter article is my favorite on the blog and I would emphasize that if their is no sanctification (at the risk of over simplifying: to be conformed into the likeness of Christ through holiness, godliness and righteousness) there was no justification. If you prefer non doctrinal form- no fruit, no root or if there is no godliness there was never any salvation.

Now the "inner transformation" message, found common among Dallas Willard and the Emergent crowd, has not solved the problem they decry. In fact the "transformational living" teaching is responsible for producing  just as many false converts as the "easy believism" that they are reacting to! Why? Because they confuse (a fuzzy view of) sanctification with (a fuzzy view of) justification or collapse them together and teach that salvation is about avoiding "hell on earth" and end up with a different Gospel. In short they teach that the (a distorted view) Christian life is the Gospel. Yet, in the Bible our "transformed" lives are never said to be the Gospel. Sanctification flows from justification. The two are not the same but nor can they be separated. You never have an un-sanctified person that is justified nor vice versa. So to teach that "be like Jesus" or to emphasize "inner transformation" in the proclamation of the Gospel is another way to teach a works based salvation. In reality the former is a result of the Gospel while the latter, if the same teaching as Dallas Willard's, is just unbiblical or at best sub-biblical.  It is to make the sinners salvation dependent on what he does along with what Christ has done. One can produce all the verses that teach about being conformed into the likeness of Christ as much as they wish. They only prove that the Gospel, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is that powerful. Not only to deliver from God's holy wrath but also to free us from the bondage to sin. Isn't that what Paul says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,  in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Ro 8:1–4)? To teach that the Gospel is "to trust in Jesus" is not the Gospel (to trust in Jesus is a response to the Gospel). Trust Jesus about what? "Everything" is not a biblical answer!

Was Christ a "reductionist" when he said "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10)? Did the the Lord just reduce the Gospel to salvation? My fear is that some will want to redefine"save" and "lost." Just follow the the following parable ( the Parable of the Ten Minas) The Lord is very clear on what he means by "save" in v. 27- "But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me"(Lk 19:27). Try turning that descriptive word "slaughter" into "come to ruin." Doesn't quite work.The Lord is declaring that He came to save sinners from the judgment of God. This is the fulfillment of Is. 53! Where the Word says that He came, not to bring "inner transformation" but "Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities" (Is 53:10–11). That is a whole chapter on the purpose of the coming of Christ. It is about Christ's death for our salvation.  It is consistent with John 3:16-35, which is consistent with John 12:27: "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour." What was the focal point of Christ's message? The salvation of His sheep! The glory of God in the salvation of His elect is from Genesis to Revelation. Of course those that are justified will be conformed unto the image of Christ- "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified"(Ro 8:29–30). It is called the golden chain of redemption for a reason. You can't break that chain. But one should never confuse the effects of the Gospel with the Gospel itself. That is to turn the grace of God into legalism. No the Gospel is not just about forgiveness but it also includes imputation of the righteousness of Christ.

Was the Apostle Paul a reductionist? He says, inspired by the Holy Spirit, "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Co 15:1–4). The Gospel he preached is the one by which the Corinthians (all believers, too) were being saved. There's that word "saved" again? He answers the question in the immediate context and elsewhere, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied"(1 Co 15:16–19). There that word "perish" which means punishment. But isn't what the "inner transformationalists" are trying to avoid. Either they don't believe it or they fear men and neglect to preach the Gospel. Focus, if you will, on what Paul says is of first importance.  Those facts are the most important of Paul's message. How does he start listing them? With the death of Christ. Why does he say Christ died? "For our sins." I guess you have to label Paul a "reductionist" since he forgot to remind them of the "inner tranformation" as part of the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Lest their be some more confusion here's what Paul tells the Thessalonians: "For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come" (1 Th 1:8–10). The resurrection of Christ is mentioned alongside deliverance from His wrath. Isn't this consistent with- "But the words 'it was counted to him' were not written for his sake alone,  but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification" (Ro 4:23–25). The resurrection of Christ is a glorious truth! No resurrection, no justification! What the "spiritual transformationsists" wish to do is emphasize a passage like Romans 6:4 and emphasize an un-biblical view of sanctification as the Gospel itself. There is no denial that the Gospel produces sanctification but it also is our motivation for keeping the law which acts as a rule and guide for the believer. That is why Paul writes to believers in Rome and says, "So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Ro 1:14–16) 

Concerning the emphasizing of discipleship. There is no such thing as a disciple-less Christian. I think, though, there is a vast difference on what the Bible and historic Christianity teaches on discipleship from what "spiritual  transformationists" teach. The biblical call to discipleship is a call to repentance from sin and faith in Christ. These our the one born from above and are being conformed into the likeness of Christ.

If one wishes to emphasize Christian living are they willing to preach to their congregation "be killing sin, or sin will be killing you" as John Owen wrote about in his book The Mortification of Sin. Is one willing to make statements such as Spurgeon's, "Thousands are congratulating themselves, and even blessing God that they are devout worshipers, when at the same time they are living in an unregenerate Christless state, having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. He who presides over a system which aims at nothing higher than formalism is far more a servant of the devil than a minister of God." Both of these men are dead and in the presence of Christ and their lives were walked in a manner worthy of the Gospel ( Php. 1:27, Eph. 4:1); therefore they are worthy to be read. Will one preach the whole Word of God and say things offensive to sinners such as, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Co 6:9–11). Or is one too concerned about being liked while fearing such preaching will cause people to leave the church? And just who is being consistent in preaching on justification and sanctification? Let the people decide.

Label us "reductionsists" if you wish but it is we that have the Word of God, the creeds and confessions and the history of the saints on our side. I know, I know, deeds over creeds right? But has not that become a creed in itself? We take Paul's command seriously: "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers"(1 Ti 4:16). When asked "What must I do to be saved?" (there's that dreaded word "saved" again) we answer with Paul, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (acts 16:30-31). "Being like Jesus" will never save anyone but Christ will and the call to Him is to repent and believe in Him.

Since we believe in creeds that lead to deeds, let us examine the Heidelberg Catechism.

Question 12. Since, then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, is there no way by which we may escape that punishment, and be again received into favor?

 Answer. God will have his justice satisfied; and therefore we must make this satisfaction, either by ourselves, or by another.*

 Question 37. What dost thou understand by the words, “he suffered?”

 Answer. That he, all the time he lived on earth, but especially at the end of his life, sustained in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sins of all mankind that so by his passion, as the only propitiatory sacrifice, he might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation; and obtain for us the favor of God, righteousness, and eternal life.*

And since we also value sound theologians and church history we now examine the teaching of a 19th century theologian by the name of George Smeaton:

With this doctrine of sacrifice the Jewish mind was familiar. They all admitted the necessity of a sacrifice of atonement in order to avert punishment. This was the great idea for the full development of which the nation had been peculiarly separated from other people, and which was to be learned by them in order to be diffused over the earth. They acknowledged these atonements as the method of averting the threatened penalty, however much they perverted them from the Divine purpose for which they were appointed by extending their effects to MORAL TRESPASSES, instead of limiting them, as they should have done, to ceremonial defilement. They held the necessity of expiation; and our Lord, accordingly, in speaking to them, proceeds on this conceded truth. And hence His words take all this for granted, wherever He makes reference to His work. With a deeper reference than was commonly attached to the sacrifices, and sounding the depths which underlay them, He throughout assumed the indispensable necessity of an expiation. All His sayings contain this thought in their deeper relation. Thus, when we read of sin to be borne in a sacrificial sense (John 1:29); of a ransom to be paid for the purpose of liberating captives to Divine justice (Matt. 20:28); of the law, both moral and ceremonial, to be embodied in a sinless life and exhibited in a sacrificial death (Matt. 5:17); of the blood of the covenant which puts men on a new footing, and in a relation of pardon and acceptance, to be dissolved no more (Matt. 26:28);—all these allusions take for granted that an atonement is indispensably necessary, and that the Divine claims must be discharged in full.*

We've observed this teaching in the Word of God, the confessions and catechisms and throughout church history;since we hold dearly to Sola Scriptura, we return to the Word of God: "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 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. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Ro 5:6–11). Our justification is the basis for our sanctification. Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,

Fernando

Ursinus, Z., & Williard, G. W. (1888). The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism (77). Cincinnati, OH: Elm Street Printing Company.

 Ursinus, Z., & Williard, G. W. (1888). The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism (212). Cincinnati, OH: Elm Street Printing Company.

Smeaton, G. (2009). The doctrine of the atonement, As taught by Christ Himself (Second Edition) (25). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.