“The ‘Gospel’ Coalition” Series, Part 15: How Does GS / Sonship Work?
Once you bring people to the point where they can wrap their brain around GS, inevitably, this question follows with an incredulous expression on their faces: “How does this supposedly work in real life?” I have developed a visible chart following this post that will hopefully aid in understanding
Remember, GS / Sonship is sanctification by salvation / justification, so, like salvation, you can only implement belief and repentance to effect sanctification. Therefore, under “Gospel Narrative,” you have the “Belief” and “Repentance” circles. If sanctification is by salvation, then the Bible only addresses justification. Hence, at the top of the chart we have the “Gospel Narrative” circle. The Bible, or gospel narrative, helps us with all of the other circles. In fact, in their view, the Bible could actually be organized according to these circles. Paul Tripp has a similar chart in “How People Change.” It’s just a different way to explain the same thing, except I go beyond his primary “change” thesis and implement some of the theology as well. In chapter 6, Tripp explains this GS “big picture” hermeneutic. He specifically states in chapter six that the whole Bible can be organized according to his chart, and more than once cautions his readers that the information is not “a set of directions, but an aerial view of daily life….” Many GS counselors now use such visual tools to avoid instructing counselees with “do’s and dont’s” and “lists.” The goal is to show the counselee where they are in the gospel narrative, and thereby illuminating the gospel to a brighter level in the mind of the counselee. Tripp claims that his model (a redemptive-historical model) is derived from the book of Jeremiah; but of course, that’s ridiculous.
We will examine the belief leg first and then move to the repentance leg in explaining how these two effect change. Supposedly. Reading the gospel narrative with, as John Piper says, “an eye toward the cross,” we begin to “treasure” (see Treasure circle) Christ and the gospel more and more which contributes to the endgame (the New Obedience circle). Note the Law Positive circle: all of the commands in the Bible are to be seen as what Christ fulfilled for us—a bunch of laws that we could never keep anyway; so instead of seeing them as laws to be obeyed, or instruction, we are to see them as a way to cultivate thankfulness for the works of Christ, “not anything we do.” Therefore, one of the pillars of faith concerning the gospel narrative is its documentation of all of the laws that Christ obeyed for us.
Repentance is the major component of GS. Almost everything is geared towards removing idols from the heart (anything we love more than Christ). As we remove idols from our heart through confession, the void is filled by Christ which results in New Obedience (HPC p.28). Therefore, all of life is geared toward a warfare with idols of the heart. All circumstances are seen as an opportunity to reveal heart idols through our responses (see Response to Circumstances circle). In “How people Change,” it’s the “Heat” circle on Tripp’s chart. Idols of the heart produce evil desires, i.e., anything we love more than Christ; so, an examination of the desires can reveal what the idol is that is causing the sin. This is done through asking ourselves questions that help determine what we loved / wanted / desired more than Christ (see Interpretive Questions circle). David Powlison and Paul Tripp refer to these as “X-ray questions” (HPC p. 163).
“Law Negative” has to do with using Scripture as law, and not gospel / Spirit. The Bible is used for the purpose of (as Michael Horton states it speaking of biblical imperatives): “….drive[ing] us to despair of self righteousness.” GS counselors will often do this, especially during redemptive church discipline. Supposedly, it reveals the folly of trying to obey the law / Scriptural imperatives. Paul Tripp calls such an effort on the part of the believer, “Christless activism.” So it also serves in revealing idols of self righteousness as well. The goal of Law Negative is to bring the counselee to the point where, as Bill Baldwin conveys it—the counselee says, “’I cannot keep it! Someone must do it for me!’”
Once idols are identified and the desires that they produce (by the way, Scripture says sinful desires come from the flesh, not the heart), they can be repented of and replaced with a contrary desire produced by the gospel narrative. This whole process is called “deep repentance,” and replacing the sinful desire with a desire spawned by the gospel narrative is called the “reorientation of desires / heart.” By contemplating the gospel and partaking in deep repentance, we are strengthened to make two primary facilitators of change possible: new desires, and in some veins of GS, “yielding.” Many in the GS movement, like John Piper, believe that we are completely driven by desire. So, by changing the desires—you change the behavior. Of course, this is eerily similar to Freudian Depth Psychology. Others believe that the flesh and the Spirit are figurative realms, and at any moment we yield to one or the other. They also make a distinction between the Spirit and the law—the law brings death like the flesh realm, and the Spirit brings life. Of course, this is eerily similar to Gnosticism.
This all results in the filling of Christ, which results in “New Obedience,” which is always earmarked by experiencing obedience as a “mere natural flow” accompanied by joy.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
Paul,
Some excellent points are made above. These GS/ Sonship guys apparently don’t have a conscience. I’ve heard of selectively interpreting Scripture but they must put on blinders too. If, for example, given Duet 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” M. Horton would probably respond: “Keep commandments? A you kidding? People who keep commandments are the same ones who are not honest about their sin! Keeping commandments IS the unthinkable!”
Arkansas Bill
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Ya, I mean really, I’m I here right now? How does Horton get away with saying that the purpose of the law is to drive Christians to “despair of self righteousness.” Have we lost our minds? This guy is actually getting paid? paul
> —–Original Message—– >
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Paul,
Let’s just go back to the elementary teachings about righteousness.
Starting with reconciliation, in Romans, Paul reveals how “we gained access into this grace into which we now stand (5:2).” He quotes David (Ro 4:7; Ps 32) about the forgiveness of sins apart from works. Abraham “did not work” and was justified from past sins and also whoever else “does not work” but trusts God, is forgiven, justified, and credited with righteousness, all through faith in His blood.
Now Abraham, “the man of faith,” continued living by faith, not by sight. He by faith offered up Isaac. He went up on the mountain alone, with Isaac, before God. Most people would have thought killing was sin but he was “justified” by what he did because God told him to do it. So Abraham was considered righteous, by God, for what he did. Our father Abraham’s faith justified from sins and justified his deeds as well.
What this shows is that the blood does not stop justifying as faith continues in matters of obedience to God. In time we sin but “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from ALL unrighteousness (1JN 1:9).” But also note: And if we live by the truth, and “walk in the light, as he is in the light…the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from EVERY sin. 1Peter 1:22 says “you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth.” I take comfort in the blood cleansing and continuing to cleanse, in spite of my imperfect acts! I am also warned “do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous (1Jn 3:7).” In other words, justification and sanctification go along together as one spiritual operation (1Cor 6:11) and the righteous acts I do in Christ are accepted as actual righteousness before God and not just righteousness before men. Sanctification is justifying faith at work. Actual righteousness is derived from the faith counted for righteousness. Martin Luther said this: “we are always being justified, more and more, always by faith (Evangelical Dic. of Theology, Elwell 1984).”
The Old Testament forshadows the New Testament with EVERYTHING being sprinkled/cleansed with blood. In Rev. 19:8 the fine linen standing for “the righteous acts of the saints” is not a reference to righteousness performed before men polluted with sin and corruption. Righteous Able did not offer his sacrifice before men.
In conclusion, we ask the question that has a most important answer: When am I sinning, and when am I not? The answer is that without faith and no cleansing blood it is truly and properly sin. However, things done in Christ, in faith, are not sin. The saints are told to “stop sinning.” The faithless “never stop sinning.” For the bride of the bridgroom this is the gospel truth and good news: Our best works are not sin but accepted as righteous in the beloved. We are in fact, God’s “instruments of righteousness.” The Church is justified in what it is doing in connection with the Head! Faith in the blood makes the difference.
Arkansas Bill
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More on my previous comment about righteousness.
Here are two different views:
Sonship teaches that the “obedience that comes from faith (Ro 1:5)” is truly and properly sin. Therefore, we are justified BY FAITH ALONE!
On the other hand, the Biblical view is that if “obedience that comes from faith” is not sin, then: “You see that a person is justified by what he does and NOT BY FAITH ALONE (Ja 2:24)”!
Note however, the agreement in both views is that God’s forgiveness of sins is always without works (Jesus paid it ALL), so in that regard we are JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ALONE!
But remember, even if our works of faith are made justifiable, with respect to God, there is never any true merit in the strict sense on the part of man. For “what has a man gotten that he has not received?” “Not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” “It is God who works in us to will and to act according to His good pleasure.” Through the adoption of Sonship, our merits are God’s gifts! It’s by grace we are saved, kept by Jesus Christ, and brought to eternal life!
Can anybody see how these different views would affect a person’s Christian world view? Do you see why GS/Sonship believes they are logically moving in the right direction? It’s false premises leading to a false conclusion.
Arkansas Bill
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The tradition of men holds that the phrase “THIS WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS” applies to FAITH ALONE. However, God does not judge by human standards. “THIS WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS” is applied to Phinehas’ zealous actions in upholding the honor of God (Ps 106:31; Num 25:11-15). Let God be true, let God be the judge, whatever He calls it, that’s what it is! Why throw everyone into confusion by focusing on imperfections, pollution, corruption, and so called sinfulness. Get on board with God’s word. Why even suggest contradictions. By the way, “was not Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she DID (Ja 2:25)?”
Arkansas Bill
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…and the parable of the two sons comes to mind. The bottom line with Jesus was who went to the vineyard and who didn’t. It’s interesting that the son who went to the vineyard to work didn’t necessarily have a great attitude about doing so.
> —–Original Message—– >
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Actions speak louder than words. People are father of their actions. They prove who we really are. Here are some questions: If we claim to know God but our actions deny him, what good is it? Can such faith save? If we say we have fellowship with God, yet walk in darkness, are we not liars and hypocrites? If Sonship means we are hypocrites, does that not mean our Father is the Devil? The apostle Paul says anyone who has united himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. If Christ (The Righteous One) is in us by Spirit and he does not promote sin (“Absolutely not!”), then what does he promote? If God hates lawbreakers and “the righteous life” is what he desires, can we perform it? John Westley said, “If you say ‘I can do nothing,’ then you know nothing of Christ!” Christ (our Righteousness) in you, our hope of glory. Kept by Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who disciplines those he loves so we will not be condemned with the world!
Now, “there is a spirit at work in those who do not believe.” However, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” The message of the cross is foolishness to those who do not believe, but to us the value and power is revealed by the Spirit. We are told to do things “with the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” “It is God who works in us to will and to act according to his good pleasure.” If faith and love are poured into our hearts by the Spirit, will it not produce? If “therefore love is the fulfillment of the law,” will I not be able to carry my brothers burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ? When I fall short, will Christ not make up for it? If I forgive others, will he not forgive me?
We have received the promise given to Abraham, the Spirit of Sonship. We call him “father Abraham.” We, like Issac, have been born by the power of the Spirit. Born of “imperishable seed.” The powers of predestination are in the seed. Make a tree good, and it will produce good fruit. Make a tree bad, and it will produce bad fruit. Can a fig tree bear olives? Do people pick grapes from thornbushes? Do they pick figs from thornbushes? Do dogs not return to vomit, pigs to wallowing? Can Ethiopians change their skin and leopards their spots? We are of the “Family of God,” “being transformed into his likeness” by the Spirit of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Here and now we should be maturing, but not perfect.
And by the way, even beyond the issue of doing right. Are not the saints called to suffer?
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you.”
“Contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.”
So the saints are in this dark world being persecuted and suffering. We testify and contend for THE TRUTH and His Name sake. We’re like sheep being slaughtered. What does God our Father think when he looks down from heaven and sees his children suffering? Does He think….filthy rags, imperfections, pollution, corruption, and sin? Cypher on that for a while!
Arkansas Bill
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