Paul's Passing Thoughts

Hi, Paul.

I read your post today called “The Time of Decision is Near: Are You With God or the Church?” I agree with what you had to say, but I’m having trouble understanding
one thing. What do you mean by “the false gospel of justification by faith”? I thought we are justified by faith in Christ (Rom 3:28, 5:1-2; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-10).
Blessings, Jane Doe

Jane,

“Justification by Faith” is the formal title of the Protestant gospel also known as
“Justification by Faith Alone.” Like all cults, church uses assumptions to deceive. Here
is how it works: specific, tailored language allows listeners to assume agreement during
gradual indoctrination. In other words, the assumptions of the listeners are used to
deceive them, and the official title of the Protestant gospel is a perfect example.
Curiously, many now favor the J by F designation while dropping the “alone” word and
actually, there is a reason for that as the former is a more accurate term.

Before we move on, let me mention another assumptive deception used by Protestantism, viz, “total depravity.” What is the assumption? That total depravity only pertains to the unregenerate. Nope, according to orthodoxy, “believers” remain totally depraved. However, parishioners are allowed to assume that while they are gradually indoctrinated to believe saints are also totally depraved which is a major lynchpin of the Protestant gospel.

This brings us to another form of assumptive deception; the assumption that specific terms really don’t mean what they mean. In the former, the missing words that would give a more technical understanding are assumed, but in this latter case, technical terms are not taken literally. This assumption is also used to gradually indoctrinate. Example?
Certainly, while it is assumed that total depravity only pertains to the unregenerate, the
missing information being “saints also,” but assumed that is not the case, we also hear,
“We are all just sinners saved by grace.” If parishioners would pay attention, this is an
accurate description of Justification by Faith, but it is assumed that it is not saying
what it is saying. What is the assumption? That saved people are not perfect, and should
therefore show compassion and mercy to the unregenerate because we also fall short of
God’s perfection in the present.

What is the term plainly saying per orthodoxy? That we [Christians and unbelievers] are
sinners [the biblical designation of the unregenerate] saved [the present perfect assumed
but really present perfect progressive intended] by grace [grace being a replacement word for “salvation”]. Hence, what is really being plainly stated here is that Christians
remain unregenerate and still need to be saved from “present sin” by going back to same
gospel that saved us for re-salvation.

Which brings us to another like assumptive term: “We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day.” What is the assumption? That this is a way to not forget the original gospel that saved us leading to a lack of gratitude for our original salvation. Nope, obviously, if we need the gospel every day, it means that we are still sinners who need daily forgiveness (salvation) for present sin, right? Therefore, after all, “We are all sinners saved [daily] by grace [salvation].”

Let me see, we have touched on TULIP, let’s look at one from the 5 Solas. “Christ alone.”
What is the assumption? That Christ alone for salvation doesn’t mean that the Father and
the Spirit were not equally important participants in salvation. Nope, Protestantism holds to the supremacy of Christ in all things including salvation. When it gets right down to the nitty gritty, orthodoxy teaches that the Father and the Spirit are shadowy
manifestations of Christ.

Now, let’s hone in our your question. Justification by Faith assumes that we are saved by
faith in Christ, which is true, but what are the assumptions in regard to this faith in
Christ? First, it is assumed that this faith invoked a onetime and complete transformation of the believer from being unregenerate to regenerate. Nope. In Protestantism, as we have discussed, the so-called believer remains unregenerate and must be a member of a local church to obtain continual re-salvation for “present” sin that “removes us from grace requiring daily forgiveness of sins which alone keeps us in the family of God” (John Calvin).

Also, it is assumed that faith in Christ alone is only for our justification, and then we
move on with the Christian life (sanctification), and that growth in Christian life is a
growing process, but justification is a finished work in the life of the believer. Again,
nope. Here is were the term, Justification by Faith, is outright deceptive; justification
by faith alone is not the only thing that saves you, but is ONLY “beginning
justification.” The progression of justification (really not a progression, but a keeping
of salvation), is the definition of sanctification according to orthodoxy. BOTH beginning
justification, and progressive justification (what Protestantism calls “sanctification”),
must be maintained by “faith alone.” Then, at a one, final judgement, everybody shows up to find out if they were faithful enough to church to get into heaven. This is called,
“final justification” and is another official Protestant soteriological term.

And though it wears you out, this is a yet another assumption; the assumption that “faith
alone” is merely believing something in your heart. Nope. When salvation is a process that you are living in the midst of, you must do something, even if it is nothing with
intentionality as a decision to not act which is doing something, being a decision, to
keep the salvation process moving in the right direction. And what is that? Their term,
not mine; let me repeat that, THEIR term, NOT mine…”The means of grace (salvation).”

And, what are those means of ongoing salvation because it’s stuff we do presently? Prayer, church membership, being faithful to church, viz, “being there every time the doors are open,” tithing, the Lord’s Table, sitting under “gospel preaching,” ect. Because
Justification by Faith is really progressive salvation, there must be work works, that do
not justify us, and “faith alone works” that are Protestant works that qualify to be by
faith alone, because according to orthodoxy, these are woks “done by the
Spirit”…”through us.”

A thought: If justification and sanctification are completely separate, one being a
finished work and the other being a growing in love in the Christian life, and they are,
we are free to obey God’s law aggressively to love God and others without fear of
condemnation. That’s true freedom in Christ.

This brings us to the Protestant doctrines of Double Imputation, Mortification and
Vivification, and the Vital Union. Double imputation calls for the continual works of
Christ’s perfect law-keeping to be imputed to our sanctification to keep us saved through
faithfulness to church and its “means of grace.” M and V teaches that our original baptism in the Spirit is repeated over and over again as we return to the same gospel that saved us for forgiveness of present sin. The Vital Union teaches that the benefits of Christ and His works are manifested in us as a result of practicing M and V, or a revisiting of salvation to keep ourselves saved. Remember, these are definitive stated church doctrines and most Protestant would be shocked to learn that this is really what the church believes as stated orthodoxy. However, it’s the way they function though they would deny it intellectually. How does this happen? Assumptive Indoctrination.

Now, I like the verses you cited and it has brought something to my attention that I was
formally unaware of; there are several versus that actually contain the term,
“justification by faith.” And, the fact that these versus add that this justification is
not by the law is absolutely perfect for our discussion here. I am sure Protestants are
just giddy that the official term for their gospel is biblical wording. BUT, the Protestant JBF gospel is NOT, I repeat, NOT apart from the law. Double Imputation calls
for justification to be defined by perfect law keeping. Hence, Christ not only came to die
for our sins, but came also to live a perfect life of law-keeping so that these works can
be continually imputed to our sanctification IF we are faithful to church. In fact, RC
Sproul has said that Christ became righteous through perfect law-keeping. This ministry
has stated often why Double Imputation is outright blasphemy. Among the many other
reasons, there is no law that can give life, it circumvents the use of the law for love in
the Christian life, and “The Promise” made to Abraham and Christ was based on faith alone 430 years before the law came. The real standard for justification is the new birth.

This is a great question and the making of a good post for this morning. Hope you don’t
mind, I will keep your real name private.

paul