What to do if you are being Held Hostage at a New Calvinist Church
Nobody wants to be humiliated publically in a Sunday morning church service in front of hundreds of people. Especially if it is a church where you have been a member for several years, and in many cases, the center of where the majority of your closest friends gather on a regular basis. Not to mention strangers who may be there visiting. Your employer may be a member there, and family members who still trust the leadership may be members there as well.
This is why you are staying put in a church you want to leave. After you informed the elders that you were leaving they placed you under “redemptive church discipline.” This is in-house counseling that deals with “longstanding patterns of sin.” What patterns of sin? Anything that the elders think is such—that’s what. You may have also done something very stupid: entered into formal counseling at said church and revealed intimate details about yourself. Ouch, that is now information that could become public during your excommunication day.
You are now officially a hostage. If you leave you will be excommunicated and humiliated publicly. You are probably in this position because you know something about the leadership that is damaging or you have challenged them doctrinally. You are also not one who is usually excluded from this process: those with power, influence, and money. Your resources are limited. You are in a very bad spot. Walking away could cost you your job, all the friends that you have, and at least some of your family. You are not alone. I contend that thousands of Christians are being held hostage at New Calvinist churches in this way. They are playing along until an opportunity provides itself for a way out. If it ever does.
Let me continue to emphasize that Christians need to wise up and prevent themselves from getting into these situations. If you are the type that is willing to look the other way on everything don’t worry about it, but if you have an inclination to care about the truth, you need to be discerning. Because you are on your own and other churches will not stand with you (if any do, it would be a first), don’t join any church. It’s not necessary. You can be faithful to an assembly and not be a member. If they won’t let you serve in certain areas because you are not a member, so be it. The Scriptures are (I think deliberately) ambiguous regarding formal church membership. Even though many New Calvinist churches think they have authority over you whether you are a member or not—not being a formal member affords some protection. Actually, a lot of protection. In our day, don’t join any church formally—just don’t do it.
And if you do, for crying out loud, do not sign a church covenant. I am going to say this as lovingly as I can: in our day, if you sign a church covenant you are just plain stupid. I love you, but you are stupid. Not only that, in most New Calvinist churches, you are not allowed to leave membership for “unbiblical reasons.” And I will give you three wild guesses as to who determines what is “unbiblical.” If you are a member of a New Calvinist church “in good standing” (i.e., you don’t ask questions) and want to leave for doctrinal reasons, do so carefully. This ministry has, and continues to counsel people who want to leave these churches with as little drama as possible and it’s not easy. If you are in a church that strongly emphasizes formal membership—flee and don’t look back.
Back to those who find themselves in the belly of the beast. You have bitten off the whole enchilada. You are a member. You signed a church covenant. Much of your life is invested in the church. They have counseling records on you, etc.
First, don’t attempt to plead your case biblically; you’re wasting your time, these people play by their own rules. I should repeat that: don’t attempt to plead your case biblically; you’re wasting your time, these people play by their own rules. Do keep detailed records. Communicate as much as you can by email and ask lots of questions. Tape-record all meetings (check laws in your state, but in all but a handful of states it is legal to record private conversations as long as one party (that would be you) is aware the conversation is being recorded) and ask lots of questions. Here’s why: In most states what they are doing is a criminal act. In most states it is against the law to control somebody’s free will of moral actions with threats of reputation loss or financial loss. In the milieu of the mess, get them on record saying they will do this if you do that. Get them on record saying that you are not free to take your family and leave. Get their response on record regarding your concerns that you will lose your job, your family, your reputation, etc. Get them on record stating that they have the authority to void your salvation. Here is how the law reads in Ohio:
2905.12 Coercion.
(A) No person, with purpose to coerce another into taking or refraining from action concerning which the other person has a legal freedom of choice, shall do any of the following:
(1) Threaten to commit any offense;
(2) Utter or threaten any calumny against any person;
(3) Expose or threaten to expose any matter tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, to damage any person’s personal or business repute, or to impair any person’s credit;
While gathering information, if at all possible, obtain an attorney that will work with you in the situation and contact the elders of said church when you leave post preference. Advise the church that you will be present with your attorney during the excommunication. In most cases the elders will back off and allow you to leave with your family quietly. I have seen this work quite well in lesser degrees of application.
If you can’t afford an attorney, gather good information that violates the coercion laws in your state and then contact the local police. If the church follows through with the excommunication, file criminal charges against the elders.
For further questions regarding this issue, email us at mail@ttanc.com
paul
What Would Happen If These Guys Had Access to the Calvin Stake and Noose?
Pirate Christian Radio:
MARK DRISCOLL BRAGS ABOUT PILE OF BODIES BEHIND MARS HILL’S BUS
Dear Christians: Don’t You Get It? Calvinists Think You Are Going to Hell
Yes, the gospel that SBC dimwits think they can colabor with denies the new birth in no uncertain terms. This isn’t rocket science: if the gospel that is good for the goose is also good for the gander; this assumes that no change takes place inside of the believer. And in case you haven’t read the papers lately that’s exactly what Christians are acting like.”
I think I have taken my last trip to SBC Today .com and SBC Voices .com. I have been referred over there a number of times to observe truth tone deafness on steroids. A heretic is running our flagship seminary, but the big news is that Tim Tebow cancelled his speaking engagement at FBCD. The big hero this time in the ongoing drama of SBC folklore (in our own pitiful minds) is Dr. Jeffress, who like all other SBC notables has never called out another leader for the same scandalous filth that is going on in most denominations. He will call out homosexuals, but the rape cover-ups in the SBC are a taboo subject. We call out the sins of the world, but to call out our own sin is “gossip.” All of these guys just really make me want to puke. Because they are sorry excuses for leadership—we are a joke in the eyes of the world and rightfully so.
Other articles posit the supposed strength of Calvinists and non-Calvinists working together in the SBC. So, the likes of David Platt will gladly play along while believing that synergistic sanctification is a false gospel and works salvation. This is a simple thing, Jerry Vines needs to call Al Mohler on the phone and ask him if synergistic sanctification is works salvation. I think the answer would surprise him if Mohler has a rare moment of truth telling. Of course, if Vines decides to do something about it, he then has to explain how he missed this all along and focused on symptoms rather than the issue of Calvin’s false gospel. I have been a lay pastor since 1986, and I missed it. Why? Because I was clueless, that’s why. More studied than a lot of Christians, I had a very poor understanding of justification, sanctification, and covenants, and still have a lot to learn. What’s so hard about that? Just admit it! What’s the big deal?
All of this conversation in the SBC about getting along with Calvinists could just as well include the Jehovah Witnesses or the Moonies. There is no difference; a false gospel is a false gospel and a cult is a cult. Calvinism was the epitome of a cult in Calvin’s Geneva and still is. You could slip a playing card in-between Calvin’s Geneva and Jonestown save the fact that Jonestown wanted to go out with a bang. But more to the point let’s talk about Calvin’s false gospel—the gospel that SBC yesomites say we should work together with.
In today’s church words don’t mean things because if they did we would have to do something about it. And we are mostly business as usual loving spiritual slugs. That’s what we need more than anything in the church today: leaders who take words seriously and will act accordingly. They will be easy to spot. When the sun is out during the day they will be walking around rather than sunning themselves on flat rocks like the majority. So, let’s talk about words.
“We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day.” Really? Does this raise any red flags? No. It is so, so indicative of how mindless Christians are in our day. “Wow, that sounds pretty cool. More fish anybody?” Come now, let’s be honest; do we really believe that we have been appointed stewards of God’s life-giving word? Is that how we function? A name that has come up in this ministry a lot this week is Miles McKee. He states a lot of things on his Facebook page that brings hearty kudos from many because their eyes immediately gravitate to the word, “gospel” in the sentence. “Oh there it is! The word gospel! Amen brother!” But let’s look at his statements more closely. Here is the subline of his Facebook page:
Preaching Christ crucified to the saved and lost alike. The goal is to pack this web site with rich gospel goodies.
Yes, and that is exactly what Christian children in adult bodies seek in our day, “rich gospel goodies.” Yum, yum, yum. We can’t take the word of God and help people in real trouble; we are too busy feeding on our gospel goodies. Note the picture below—that’s us. It is also how the world sees us, and rightfully so.
GOSPEL GOODIES! Yum, Yum!
But note that we are supposed to be preaching Christ crucified to Christians. This doesn’t raise any red flags. Note that the same message preached to unbelievers is also fundamental to the message Christians still need to hear daily. Still no red flags. Particularly alarming should be the idea that Christ’s crucifixion is perpetual in the Christian life. That’s what Calvin believed. He believed the atonement is perpetual. He believed Christ’s death is continually reapplied to the Christian’s life by faith alone until we reach heaven. We are then judged according to whether or not we continually appropriated Christ’s death in our life by faith alone until that day. It’s keeping our salvation by staying at the foot of the cross. We are saved by faith alone, and at any given time that we are not living our Christian life by faith alone we lose our salvation (or they say we were not really saved to begin with). That’s why we preach the same gospel to the saved as well as the unsaved.
It would therefore seem that the new birth would have to be redefined, and you would be right about that. This doctrine necessitates the denial of the new birth. Hence, McKee also states the following:
Contrary to much of today’s evangelical preaching, we must state that the message of New Birth is not the gospel.
Regardless of the fact that Christ’s own gospel presentation to Nicodemus was, “You must be born again,” this doesn’t raise any red flags either. The mindlessness truly boggles the imagination. Graeme Goldsworthy, the foremost hermeneutical authority recognized by Calvinists in our day footnoted (with full agreement) an article written by Anglican Geoffrey Paxton entitled, “The False Gospel of the New Birth.” Yes, the gospel that SBC dimwits think they can colabor with denies the new birth in no uncertain terms. This isn’t rocket science: if the gospel that is good for the goose is also good for the gander; this assumes that no change takes place inside of the believer. And in case you haven’t read the papers lately that’s exactly what Christians are acting like.
Moreover, Calvinists think the evangelical new birth gospel is works salvation: “It would be better to die a heathen than to live a religious life and die without Christ” (McKee). And trust me, synergistic sanctification is the “religious life” being spoken of here.
The Calvinist gospel, the centrality of the objective gospel outside of us, is a perfect storm of deception that perfectly facilitates the confounding of salvific terms—I get that. But yet, I see a prevailing arrogance among Christians that since we are so smart, deception will always be evident to us. We are so good at doing Christianity we don’t need practice or diligent study. Our claim that faith is pure and simple is a cloak of arrogance that covers for our bankrupt spirituality and the brunt of jokes among the heathen. If there is a God, where is His representation upon the earth? “Well, we don’t attempt to be the gospel with our own works, we only preach the gospel.” And to that the heathen say,
“Amen.”
paul
The Potter’s House: Romans 8:14-39; Assurance and Aggressive Sanctification
Spiritually Healthy Christians Must Know That They Are Secure Slaves
This message will be the last in our commentary, The Gospel: Clarity in Confusing Times; Volume One. Volume one covers the first half of Romans. Starting in chapter nine the apostle Paul clarifies the truth about Israel in eschatology. In chapter twelve Paul begins to explain the life application of truth. He finishes Romans with that subject.
Our last message in the first volume covers Romans 8:14-39 which completes chapter eight. Paul states the following in verse 8:14-17;
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
It is absolutely critical that healthy, strong Christians know without a doubt that they are on their way to heaven. Eternal security is paramount to effective sanctification. I realize many Christians struggle with security, and the Bible seems to indicate that for whatever reason, some will suffer from chronic doubt. But in most cases doubt is the result of weak leadership and weak sanctification. I believe most Christians want to see things happening in their lives and the lives of others. I believe Christians long to see the power of God manifested. In fact, we are to work out our own salvation with trembling and fear (PHIL 2:12-13), and I believe that is a fear from seeing the power of God being worked out in our lives. It can be a fearful thing to realize that you are in the same rowboat with God. Sometimes we fantasize that God is doing some unbelievable work in our lives, but He actually wants to do more than we could ever imagine (EPH 1:18-20).
Let’s face it: people aren’t being saved, and the ones who are being saved stop changing after the honeymoon. We are all nice enough as compared to the world, but every week that we see each other we are the same nice people that we saw last week. In other words, we are boring and the world knows we are boring. Where there is life there is change. The world isn’t stupid; if we are not changing more than them we don’t have any life either. But all Christians are given the same power that raised Christ from the grave (Ibid). This is a matter of wise, aggressive sanctification that appropriates that power. Hence, God’s word teaches us all of the necessary facets of this diamond in the rough.
It starts with getting people signed up correctly. Life insurance salesmen are boring. People rarely like to meet with them. Canned gospel presentations that offer eternal life in exchange for a cheap prayer doesn’t seem quite right to intelligent heathens. Many heathens are more intelligent than we are; therefore, we should go to them with the mind of Christ. We need to tell them that if they believe on the atoning works of Christ alone, God will impute His righteousness to them and impute their sin to the penalty paid in full by Christ. Then, God will give them the gift of the Holy Spirit who will enslave their minds to the law. It’s a gift by faith alone, but it will result in their minds being enslaved to God’s law. If they don’t want to be enslaved to God’s law—God will not save them. They are choosing to remain a slave to sin and the fear that comes with it. Why? We learned in earlier studies in our Romans series that the works of the law are written on the hearts of every individual born into the world. Their consciences either accuse or excuse based on that law. That’s why mankind is not totally depraved. They have a conscience guided by God’s intuitive word. But as we also learned, they are enslaved to sin, under the law, and will be judged by the law. In fact, the law that they will be judged by provokes their sinful nature to sin. Salvation puts that man to death with Christ, imputes to him/her a righteousness apart from the law, frees him/her from any judgment of the law, and resurrects him/her to a new life that is enslaved to the law (ROM 7:25).
When I became a believer, a struggle that haunted me for years ensued. I knew I was saved whether I kept the law or not. I knew that I wasn’t saved by works. But yet, I was disturbed by the fact that obeying God’s law was so important to me. I feared this urgency came from the fact that I was functioning by works salvation. I feared that I was assenting mentally to grace by faith alone, but functioning by works salvation. I feared that I was only giving a tacit nod to grace by faith alone while actually living by works. Here is what I didn’t understand: that wasn’t the case at all; the fact is that my mind was (and still is) enslaved to the law. My obsession with obeying the law was due to being a new creature. My misunderstanding of this crippled my walk with God for years.
Then, when I did understand that, my concern turned to how “powerless” I was to obey. Where is all of this new creaturehood? Why do I sin so much? Why do I keep committing the same sins? This was due to the fact that I was unaware that the Bible has much to say about how we overcome sin. It is a hearty endeavor that includes many, many different subjects. I was trying to do the right thing the wrong way. Many Christians who don’t understand the aggressive nature of sanctification eventually give up and lose hope. Teaching and leading the saints in aggressive sanctification is the premiere failure of the pastorate in our day. If not antinomian, most Christians live by biblical generalities. Most cannot state specifically how the word of God has changed their life in the past month. Many cannot remember the last time that the word of God made a marked difference in their lives.
But part and parcel with aggressive sanctification is suffering; specifically, suffering for righteousness sake. Paul states that we cannot “fall” back into the old spirit running the show resulting in fear of judgment. The apostle John stated that fear has to do with judgment (1JN 4:18). Paul writes that we are heirs, and the Holy Spirit testifies with us (not to us) that we are the sons of God. And then Paul adds the following: “provided we suffer with Him.” What is this suffering? Apart from the joy and hope we have in salvation, Paul is referring to the suffering in our fight against sin in our flesh. This harkens back to Romans 7:21-25 specifically:
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
As in a previous study, we will take note of the word “wretched.” Note the reference below if you would:
g5005. ταλαιπωροσ talaiporos; from the base of 5007 and a derivative of the base of 3984; enduring trial, i. e. miserable:— wretched. AV (2)- wretched 2; enduring toils and troubles afflicted, wretched.
Paul is saying that we are afflicted as we endure in our battle against sin in our flesh. It’s an affliction. Though the old us is dead, somehow, sin still lives in our mortal flesh. It can no longer enslave us, but it can attack us in various and sundry ways as it still has access to our intellect and emotions. Its power is still significant, and it is tenacious to the point where it even wages war against the indwelling Holy Spirit (GAL 5:16). This is the suffering Paul is talking about.
Paul continues on this point and compares our oppression from sin to how creation is also oppressed by the curse of sin. Unbelievers do not experience this suffering. That’s Paul’s point in verses 15-17—this suffering is evidence of our salvation—this suffering should give us assurance and stoke an eager anticipation for the return of Christ. Creation also groans and eagerly anticipates the return of Christ as well. Having the firstfruits of the Sprit makes us groan for redemption:
Romans 8:18 – For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
We are in warfare together with the indwelling Holy Spirit against the sin of our flesh and the sin in the world. With the Holy Spirit, we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh (ROM 8:13). Look how Paul begins verse 26. He begins with “likewise.” Likewise what? Well, Paul just finished speaking of us groaning together with creation in our suffering because of sin. Likewise, the Holy Spirit groans also. In His great love for us, he helps us in many ways as we fight together. He intercedes for us by prayer in groaning that is too deep for words. Other Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit is also grieved by our failures in fighting the good fight against sin. Here is how Paul states it:
Romans 8:26 – Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
We are exhorted to grieve not the Holy Spirit who has sealed us until the day of redemption (EPH 4:30). In other words, the Holy Spirit is already suffering for our sanctification in ways that are beyond words—far be it from us to add to His suffering via spiritual laziness, indifference, or outright sin. Is it just me, or are these deep sanctification matters little talked about in our day? Do we experience warfare with our flesh and the world alongside the Holy Spirit? Are we putting to death the deeds of the flesh with the Spirit’s help daily? Are we changing? One thing is for certain, experiencing the aforementioned to any degree excludes doubt. Paul is sharing how this struggle with sin is actually experienced. To the contrary, this experience (it well vary in intensity among Christians) should not cause us to doubt, but should give us assurance. It is indicative of a gift that comes with salvation: love for the truth.
2Thessalonians 2:9 – The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Do you take pleasure in unrighteousness? If not, this should be one of many things that give you assurance. But even with that, learning to hate unrightousness may be one of the ways you need to change. Even you secretly desire certain sins, the Bible states that you can learn to hate them. Sanctification is a many-faceted issue but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Let me once more reiterate our major theme here: eternal security is crucial for healthy sanctification. Aggressiveness and hesitation are mismatched colaborers. Paul points out that those born of the Spirit should experience sanctification in a certain way because we are new creatures in the Holy Spirit. He also explains why we still struggle with sin. Now he moves on to other facts that should bolster our assurance:
Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 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.
I am not sure that Paul had this in mind when he penned these words, but past regret is also a poor motivator in sanctification. Susan and I often bemoan the fact that we have found each other late in life and have a pretty good marriage because of what we have learned over the years. Just think of what we could have done for the Lord and what our lives could have been if we had found each other earlier. But this isn’t exactly true. Note what Paul states once again:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Susan and I have a pretty focused life and know where we want to go with it, but the fact is, we get it because of the prior years and what we experienced. It probably took that many years because we have remembrance issues. Remembering what God has taught us in the past to be better in the future is a major, major theme in the Bible. We have enough of the old stubbornness in us to warrant many years of hammering for remembrance purposes. Nevertheless, God works all of life into His plan for us and the grand goal is guaranteed. Susan and I have deep convictions that drive us, but our past lives have a lot to do with that. We could have had longer years together for God’s glory, but what about quality? Those years should also translate into a call of duty. When God has gifted us with many years, it is our duty to take those years that God has worked for our good and apply what we have learned to what years we have left—God has always been at work, and He is always working for our good.
Now, verses 29 and 30 are paramount to our secure standing. They are also paramount to healthy sanctification. First and foremost, these verses teach us that Scripture is applicable. What’s that mean? It’s primarily for life application. The power is in the doing. If you doubt that, read James 1:25 and Mathew 7: 24-27. Doing leads to a blessed life built on a rock. But how can we be aggressive in doing without fear that we are somehow trying to earn our salvation? This is the importance of verses 29 and 30. There is nothing we can do to work towards our salvation because we were saved before creation. The glorification we groan for is also spoken of in the past tense. It’s like the contemporary maxim, “It’s as good as done.” Predestination is key to eternal security—it’s applicable to our security, but that’s where it stops, and indeed, that is the context of which Paul presents predestination—in the context of eternal security. We are not to draw logical conclusions from predestination in order to form a modus operandi for aggressive sanctification; it will hinder aggressive sanctification. Predestination is meant to fuel aggressive sanctification, not render it to various forms of determinism. The Scriptures are absolutely clear: healthy sanctification depends on our aggressive involvement. Predestination is clearly a paradox and a mystery that we will not understand until we reach heaven. It is the sole resident justification.
These verses emphasize the critical issue of keeping justification and sanctification completely separate. Justification is a finished Trinitarian work, and sanctification is a progressive Trinitarian work. The fact that Paul excludes our Christian walk from these verses is the foundation of our assurance. Our glorification was predetermined before creation. It is clear as well that we are to evangelize like it depends on us, and I think it does depend on us. I have seen this paradox at work in reality many times. We evangelize the way the apostle Paul evangelized. Clearly, he did so as though it depended on his zealous goal to do it right. Clearly, method matters. But yet, when one is saved, we quickly give God all the glory. Both are true. How will people be saved if nobody preaches the gospel?
Romans 10:14 – How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
That’s true before people get saved, Romans 8:29-30 are true after people get saved, but both are true. Read the Scriptures for yourselves—this is the mindset of every evangelist from Genesis to Revelation. And here is the great caution of our day: notice in the passage we just read that in verse 17 we have, “the word of Christ” (ESV). What we call the Received Text manuscripts have that as “the word of God.” We have to be careful because most translations of our day came out of the Reformation era which was heavily influenced by Gnostic ideas that resulted in a Christocentric hermeneutic. This aberration is but one of hundreds of examples. Why is that important? Because Gnostic ideas create gospels that fuse justification and sanctification together. In other words, sanctification finishes justification.
That’s a disaster because we are involved in sanctification. This makes sanctification a minefield because now the same justification that saved us sanctifies us and if we are not sanctified the same way we were justified—we don’t get glorification. Therefore, in the minds of the Reformers, we have to be sanctified by faith alone; i.e., the same way we were justified. Hence, they devised a complicated formula for what is not works in sanctification, and what is works in sanctification so that our workless sanctification can finish our justification by faith alone. Many of the Reformers believed that we are elected to get into the race for salvation, but we can be disqualified from the race by running unlawfully; i.e., running by law and not grace. Bottom line: you can lose your salvation. Be sure of this: the focus is therefore on making sure that we are running the race by faith alone and not matters of aggressive sanctification. This has always been the crux of anemic Western Christianity. Worse yet, because we are saved by the Bachman-Turner-Overdrive gospel (“we work hard at doing nothing all day”), Gnosticism is really the only thing left that can be applied because supposedly meditation is not a work.
This perpetual resalvation concept is common in many protestant denominations—the continual reapplication of the same things that saved us in order to get ourselves to heaven. Calvinism is a prime example, but there are many others such as the Freewill Baptist. Based on 1John 1:9: the same repentance that saved us also sanctifies us, and gets us safely to heaven. “If” we ask forgiveness for known sin—only then are we forgiven. You can slip a playing card between this and Calvinism’s deep repentance. However, this is debunked by Christ’s lesson in John 13. Christ taught there that we are “washed” (justification) and that repentance in sanctification is a washing of the feet. He stated that believers have already been washed. Justification is a finished work and nothing we can do in sanctification can affect that. Based on this very fact in verse 29 and 30, Paul states the following:
Romans 8:31 – What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our salvation is sealed. We are new creatures. This world cannot touch us. We have hope. Justification is a finished issue with us. We are to move from the cross and onward toward maturity in the Spirit’s wisdom and help. In volume 2, as kingdom citizens, we will learn how Israel should be thought of in the kingdom schema and application of God’s truth to our Christian living. This is an aggressive application to our Christian walk free from the fear that we will improperly use the law in a way that will void grace.
There can be no fear in that because our salvation is sealed and apart from the law.
6 comments