Israel: The Capstone of Justification; Part 1
We are now on the last leg of Paul’s vast study regarding justification. Paul wrote the book of Romans for the purpose of teaching the full-orbed gospel. It is a significant study for understanding the ends and outs of living a godly life and how it works. It is the what, why, and how of spiritual living. It does not concern poetic writings for meditation, it is not a narrative, it concerns knowledge and wisdom. It concerns doctrine. It concerns systematic theology. It arms the Christian with knowledge.
Paul started with the study of anthropology and its relationship to the gospel, now he ends in Romans10:10-11:36 with the capstone of justification: Israel’s role and relationship to justification. In a moment of sanity, John MacArthur once said that “if you get Israel right, you get the Bible right,” and that is absolutely right. It would be doubtful that he still holds to that position as he is now solidly in the Reformed camp, his usual confusion notwithstanding. The big three of the Reformation, Augustine, Luther, and Calvin despised the Jews.
The Abrahamic Covenant is “The Promise” that justifies both Jew and Gentile. Both Jew and Gentile look for the new heavens and new earth that is the final consummation of The Promise. ALL the nations will be blessed through the father of our faith, Abraham. God made it clear in that covenant that He would bless those who bless Abraham, and curse those who curse him. The Reformers cursed the Jews in no uncertain terms. If for no other reason, the Reformers should be rejected out of hand for that reason alone.
The long anti-Semitic tradition propagated by the Reformation must be necessarily exposed and adjusted by the book of Romans. The apostle Paul sternly warned against the very prejudice that we see against the Jews in the contemporary church. Paul explains the central role that Israel plays in justification while warning that wrong attitudes towards Israel can result in being cut off from justification itself. A bitter root concerning Israel is indicative of a serious spiritual problem.
The Romans, as well as most Gentiles integrated into the church, had an inferiority complex because the early church was a Jewish church. “Salvation is of the Jews” were the very words of Jesus Himself. Initially, He only came to the lost sheep of Israel. In much of the book of Romans Paul strives to reassure the Romans that they have inherited all of the blessings of the kingdom possessed by the Jews. But with that reassurance comes a stern warning: do not turn this into boasting against the Jews. Let’s begin to observe what Paul states in the verses following:
Romans 10:10 – For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Apparently, Paul is writing about a principle found throughout the Old Testament and not a particular chapter and verse which didn’t divide the Bible at that time. Several, very similar texts appear in the book of Isaiah. Paul wants to show the Roman Gentiles that their inclusion was planned from the beginning. The authority of Scripture in making this point, as well as all of Paul’s other points are obviously assumed. “All” who call on the Lord will be saved and the riches of the Lord will be bestowed upon them. I think “riches” refers to the will language we have discussed previously.
Let’s not stray too far from the point at hand: Paul wants to give the Roman Gentiles assurance that they are legitimate members of the kingdom by showing them via the authority of Scripture that this was God’s plan from the beginning. Paul then continues with the following:
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.
Paul states a principle before he moves on to make his point. This should inspire us in regard to the authority of God’s word. Nobody can believe on Christ without hearing the gospel, and faith comes by hearing the word of God. If we don’t preach the word, people will not get saved. If God has used you to save someone, it wasn’t through silence, a song, prayer only, or anything else other than the “word of Christ” That’s why the Potter’s House is not a “Christ-centered ministry,” it’s a Bible-centered ministry and that suits Christ just fine. We aren’t spiritual elitists who seek deep knowledge of Christ’s “personhood.” Rather, we are ones who observe all that He commands in His word. The Scriptures give the lost faith when they hear it, comforts God’s children, and equips us for every good work. It gives us all we need for life and godliness.
And Paul is about to share a very important truth in his letter to the Romans. Christ, the chief cornerstone, being rejected by national Israel and thus paving the way for Gentile inclusion is a constant theme throughout the Old Testament. What happened when Christ came the first time and the birth of the church should have been plainly foreseen in the Old Testament Scriptures. This is the point that Paul will now make:
Romans 10:18 – But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” 20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” 21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Honestly, it’s a little difficult to figure Paul’s usage of Psalm 19:4 to answer his first question. By the way, only in recent history was it discovered that our solar system orbits in space as stated by Psalm 19:6. Looking at the text in context may lend some understanding:
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
The point may be that in the same way that God’s glory is not hidden in all the earth because of creation, nether is the truth of His word. God makes sure the truth of His law reaches to the ends of the earth in every generation. I do not think that Paul is putting forth the idea that creation preaches the gospel in a way that can save people by general revelation alone. But more specific is Paul’s citation of Moses who taught Israel in no uncertain terms that God would save the Gentiles for the purpose of making Israel angry/jealous. Israel disobeyed God’s commands to not follow the ways of Egypt or Canaan. Yet, though Israel followed their ways they still possessed an attitude of entitlement as God’s chosen people. So God hardened their hearts against Christ, the stumbling block of Zion, and saved “those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
Romans 9:32….They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”
Romans chapter eleven, verse one, and following, are not in need of any explanation. There is a reason the Gentiles should be confident that they are included because it is a result of Israel stumbling over Christ, and this was foreseen from the beginning, but….
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” 9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”
This is interesting: Paul uses himself as proof that God hasn’t rejected Israel. This seems to be a pretty straightforward argument. Then he says God has not rejected His people that he “foreknew” or elected. Like in Romans nine, Paul refers once again to the remnant, and then we are reminded once again of election’s purpose:
“So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
Remember, as we study our Bibles we must keep this in mind as one of our building blocks of understanding: election is all about completely removing works from justification. And I believe this frees us to not worry about works in our Christian life. The key to a powerful Christian life is to not worry about obedience in sanctification having bearing on justification. We like to call this, “aggressive sanctification.” While having dinner with a Christian man in Columbus this week, the reality of the 10/90 rule was discussed. What’s that? That is the reality of 10% of the people in a given congregation doing 90% of the work. Not only is that a leadership issue, it’s a theology issue and is directly linked to the Protestant fusion of justification and sanctification.
Consider the line of thought starting in Romans 8:30 and ending with Romans 8:39—nothing can separate us from the love of God because our justification was settled before the foundation of the earth. Sanctification is not in that verse because that would involve us in some way with justification which would be disastrous. Election enables the mortal saint to love God without jeopardizing his/her salvation. Hence, NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. Know this: advocating election with the fusion of justification and sanctification is a theological oxymoron. It would seem evident that sanctification is absent from Romans 8:30 because it is not there.
Now, at this point, I am going to jump ahead a little bit to make a point:
Romans 11:28 – As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
I think we have another building block of understanding here. Paul makes a distinction between the gospel and election. Though the Jews are enemies of the gospel, they will be saved because of election. The calling of God is irrevocable. I also remind you of Paul’s reference to disobedience. We are not saved by obedience/works. Again, the words obedience and faith are used interchangeably. Obedience is merely the life of faith. Faith is invisible; obedience is merely the visible life of faith. In the passage we just read, it reads the same if you replace disobedience with unbelief and faith with obedience. They are the same because we are not saved by obedience or works, but yet, the words are used interchangeably. Again, this is because our faith is a living faith. Curiously, the Reformers taught that faith is a lifeless conduit to the Spirit realm. But the bigger point is: understanding that our faith is a living faith clears up a lot of confusion in regard to the relationship of faith/obedience in justification versus sanctification. That’s the point.
But in regard to your justification, God’s call is irrevocable. This leads to fearless, aggressive sanctification. Paul also makes the point that the Jews were allowed to be enemies of the gospel for the benefit of the Gentiles who like the Jews were once disobedient:
For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
So, both the Jews and the Gentiles were unbelieving so that he could have mercy on both. The Jews were chosen first, but when they rebelled, God reserved a remnant for Himself according to election and used the rebellion for the benefit of the Gentiles. This benefit is a set time called “the times of the Gentiles.” It has a specific beginning in time and a specific end. Apparently, election pertains primarily to the Jews and the gospel primarily to the Gentiles. The Jews were/are enemies of the gospel for the sake of the Gentiles, but beloved for the sake of election. Obviously, this merely scratches the surface of a vast wealth of knowledge thereof.
Now, next week, we are going to look at this deeper in regard to eschatology. We are going to look at how Bible prophecy is absolutely essential to understanding justification and how God fulfills The Promise. He chooses the Jews, appoints the time of the Gentiles as a response to their rebellion, and then fulfills The Promise to Abraham after the end of the times of the Gentiles. The Gentiles are an inclusion, not a replacement. Replacement Theology, also known as Supersessionism, is specifically what Paul is warning against in Romans 11:
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
Next week, we will look at this from the perspective of prophecy in part two. But in the following week, part 3, we will look at this from the standpoint of covenants. Note carefully: the rebellion of the Jews did not result in the New Covenant replacing the Old Covenant. The Covenants build on each other in order to consummate The Promise to Abraham to bless all nations through him. All the covenants belong to the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-16) and build on each other for the final consummation of The Promise. The rebellion does not replace any of the covenants with a new one; the rebellion is merely used by God to include the Gentiles in the Promise.
Inclusion, not replacement in regard to prophecy and covenants. Understanding the true relationship between election, the Jews, Gentiles, justification, sanctification, prophecy, and covenants has catastrophic ramifications for understanding God’s salvific plan for the ages.
Hence, our hefty endeavor will need much prayer and study moving forward into parts two and three.
Inclusion, not replacement regarding the church.
Progression of covenants, not replacement of the old with the new.
Romans 10:6-9; Righteousness, Faith, Life, and Law
Click on illustrations to enlarge.
I have been wrestling with this passage all week long through pondering and praying. Last week, we looked at Christ being the end of the law for righteousness, or for all practical purposes, justification. Then, we noticed that to further his points, Paul referred to his Old Testament commentaries. We wanted to read those commentaries along with Paul to better understand what he was teaching about righteousness/justification. Those two words mean the same thing for all practical purposes.
But reading the passages from Moses that Paul cites led to utter confusion. What Moses wrote seems to contradict Paul. Moses states that life comes through obedience to God’s law while Paul states that justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. As we have seen, a righteousness apart from the law. Here is what Paul states:
Roman 10:5 – For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
These are the two passages written by Moses that Paul is referring to:
Leviticus 18:1 – And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God. 5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.
Deuteronomy 30:11 – “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
The idea that is in vogue in our day is that Moses continually prodded the Israelites to try to live by the law so that they would be driven to despair and see their need for Christ. This is the popular interpretation of what Paul meant by the law being a schoolmaster that leads us to Christ. In fact, we supposedly still use the law in that way to perpetually live by faith alone in sanctification. The law shows us our sinfulness and continual need for Christ’s saving grace and forgiveness. “Life” is not really found in obedience; Moses was just saying that to show us our inability to obey the law perfectly and thus be justified by it. Be sure of it: this is 90% of what is being taught in the church today. That fact alone should make us suspicious for a great revival is NOT predicted for the latter days; the contrary is predicted in no uncertain terms.
This approach demands a nonsensical approach to a massive portion of Scripture. The concept of happiness, blessings, and life being found in obedience to God’s word dominates the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Let’s look at an example:
Ephesians 6:1 – Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
It might also be interesting to note King David’s final instructions to his son Solomon:
1Kings 2:2 – “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
So, what in the world is going on here? First, please hang on to this principle of Bible study: when you begin the study of any given passage, read it intently and look for what the passage is plainly stating, and pay particular attention to specific words. Do not underestimate the intended meaning of any given word by assuming its singular concept does not have vast implications.
Secondly, as Christians we must function on objective truth that we know definitively. Often, those truths will be building blocks that add to a more complete building of truth. And in my struggle to understand what Paul is trying to teach in this passage, we have a building block. The building block of truth that we can use to build more understanding is that faith and obedience are the exact same thing. No, I am not saying that obedience is a result of faith—I like the two sides of the same coin illustration. One side of the coin didn’t come before the other. You may see one side of the coin before you see the other, but one didn’t come before the other. They are the same. It might even be said that the inside of the coin is never seen as well. It might also be said that the coin has two sides that can’t be seen at the same time and an invisible aspect.
We tend to dichotomize faith and obedience; I doubt the Bible does that. Here is another building block: faith does have a result; it’s not obedience, but it is “life.” Faith and obedience are one, life is the result.
So, where can we back this up with Scripture? Well, first, let’s look at what Paul is pointing to in his Isaiah commentary, and then we will go back at some point to his Moses commentary. Paul reads it as follows:
Romans 10:15 – 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?”
Obey the gospel? Seems like a peculiar way to state it, until Paul rehearses what Isaiah says, “who has believed what he has heard from us?” We see that Paul has simply replaced believe with obey. This is not nearly the only place where Scripture does this:
John 3:35 – The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Obviously, the antithesis of faith is disobedience. In other passages, believing the gospel is replaced with obeying the gospel:
2 Thessalonians 1:8 – in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Peter 4:17 – For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Now, let’s go back to Moses. When Paul quotes Moses as saying, “if a person does them, he shall live by them,” that is simply a statement of fact. Before Christ came, people were born again by believing God. We know from Christ’s conversation with Nicodemus that the new birth was prior to the cross. Any kind of standard is not the point, believing God is the point. And remember, obedience is faith. So, saving faith is a heart inclined towards God. Reaching a standard isn’t the point; an inclination towards God is the point.
Abundant life is found in obedience, but that’s not where justification comes from. Justification comes from faith only, and then faith will always be looking for a way to please God. Reaching a standard has never been part of justification; therefore, perfection has never been required for salvation. A goal of perfection (desire for) will be the inclination of faith, but has never been a standard for justification. In Exodus 19, the Israelites agreed to the covenant before they knew the details—they simply agreed to follow God wherever it led them by faith. Faith makes us able to obey in a way pleasing to God because the word is in our hearts and in our mouths as a visible manifestation of faith. The invisible part of faith is belief in our hearts; the visible part of faith is what we do. What we do brings blessings, but not salvation. That’s why the principle of blessings and cursings is the same in the Old Testament and New Testament. That’s why King David’s exhortation and promise to Solomon is the same as Paul’s exhortation to children in the New Testament (EPH 6:1-3). Now, let’s read Moses in full context and see if we can observe these principles:
Deuteronomy 30:9 – The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, 10 when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish.
Like I said, these are building blocks and I am not sure how this all fits together, but let me add a third building block: Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. This doesn’t mean that there was previously righteousness in obedience to the law, but it means the following:
Galatians 3:17 – This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Granted, I am foggy on how all of this works in the first covenant, but the word that was in their heart and in their mouth is now replaced with Christ as the object of faith:
Romans 10:5 – For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based [“based” not in the manuscripts, added by ESV] on [*] the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based [Ibid] on [*in both cases could be “of” instead of “on”] faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
Perhaps the law was the object of their faith because it promised Christ, a will that was inaugurated by blood and executed upon the death of the testator (HEB 9:15-22), but the object of faith justifies, and obedience brings life. Obedience doesn’t justify per se, it is just the body life of faith. We are justified by faith alone, obedience merely shows forth the life of faith:
James 2: 14 – What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Also, we have a choice in sanctification to enhance life through obedience. The blessings are “in” the “doing” (James 1:25). We can apply biblical wisdom to our lives in order to have a life built on a rock (MATT 7:24-27), and experience life more abundantly (2PET 2-11). But remember, This is apart from justification by faith alone that has an invisible reality and a visible reality:
Romans 10:9 – because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
This can be best summed up by “The just shall live by faith” (HEB 10:38, HAB 2:4). “Just” is our position and imputed righteousness of God; the faith that we live by justified us, but the obedience of our faith lives in sanctification. These two, faith and obedience, cannot be separate for faith without works is dead.
In the final analysis, because national Israel rejected Christ, they sought righteousness in that which pointed to Christ instead of Christ Himself. By “Christ Himself” I mean faith in Christ’s death and resurrection as stated in the Scriptures, and submission to His Lordship commands that are also found in the Scriptures. In other words, faith in Christ and the obedient life that is also faith. Hence:
John 5:39 – You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
It would seem, at least in my mind, that this whole concept of obedience and faith being one lends understanding to a host of difficult passages.
ADDENDUM:
Three Constructs
1. Reformed
A. Perfect keeping of the law is the standard for righteousness.
B. We can’t keep the law perfectly.
C. Christ must keep the law for us via faith alone in sanctification to maintain just
standing.
2. Reformed New Covenant Theology
A. The law has been eliminated or abrogated by the New Covenant.
B. Life and godliness guided by single law of love as mediated by our consciences.
3. Biblicism
A. Our righteousness is apart from the law and by faith alone in Christ.
B. The law informs our obedient faith for sanctification.
Forgiveness, and How We are All Good Calvinists
I get plenty of grief from readers and family alike on my view of forgiveness. I contend that Christians are not obligated to grant forgiveness where reconciliation is not sought by the offender. We may cover an offence with love, but in some circumstances it is not permissible to do so if it endangers the lives of others. As discussed in this post, God-like forgiveness (including the covering with love) requires the forgetting of the sin; ie., it is not brought to anybody’s attention again. This may be ill-advised in certain circumstances and even immoral. If repentance is sought, the perpetrator is held accountable, but can be granted forgiveness while still suffering punishment from the justice system. If the perpetrator is repentant. And not granting forgiveness is not revenge, that belongs to the Lord and we are to love our enemies. If carte blanche forgiveness is the order of the day, we wouldn’t have any enemies.
The argument is: there are two kinds of forgiveness; divine and human. God’s forgiveness is different from ours because He is the only one that is sinless and has a right to “judge.” If we refuse to grant forgiveness, we are making ourselves God. Of course, the difficult real-life questions in regard to this are rarely answered, but most often, it is asserted that this carte blanche forgiveness should be extended to unbelievers as well.
Please note, the first reason this is good ol’ fashioned Calvinism is because we believers are STILL, “sinners.” The protestant fruit never falls far from the tree while some of the fruit denies the tree. Arminianism is little more than Calvinism without the election part. The soteriology is often identical, especially in the way it functions. In this case, we have to grant forgiveness to everybody because we are not like God who is sinless while we are still, “sinners” because we still sin. This is Calvinism to a “T” and embodies the essence of Calvinism: the fusion of justification and sanctification.
In this construct, an unbiblical dichotomy of divine/human forgiveness makes the fusion of justification and sanctification possible, and thereby circumventing the two different kinds of forgiveness according to the Bible. In other words, the biblical dichotomy is replaced with the ideas of men, primarily because Calvin made it a point to fuse justification and sanctification (CI 3.11.6). By the way, the major argument against Sonship Theology by conservative Calvinists in the Presbyterian Church is this very issue. The conservative Calvinists argue that Sonship fuses the two and makes justification the power source of sanctification. But that’s exactly what Calvin taught.
So, the biblical difference between forgiveness in sanctification and forgiveness for justification are confounded. Worse yet, this approach circumvents the gospel and adds to the problem of the church being populated by the unregenerate. A necessary periodic examination of a person’s dedication to the truth of God is glossed over with carte blanche forgiveness. This is not forgiveness and it is not love. To say that we are making ourselves God by not granting forgiveness among believers in sanctification is to say that forgiveness among family members is the same forgiveness that we received for salvation, and it is NOT. This was Calvin’s position to a “T.” The same forgiveness that saved us is the same forgiveness that we need in sanctification. Hence, to not forgive in the same way we were forgiven for salvation is to make ourselves God. The two are the same.
An examination of Christ’s instruction to Peter concerning the washing of the body versus the washing of feet in John 13 makes it clear that there is a difference between forgiveness in sanctification versus forgiveness for justification. In sanctification, it is forgiveness to restore fellowship among family members; in justification, it is forgiveness to become a member of God’s family and a right to the inheritance. If justification is the same thing as sanctification, touché, we in fact are making ourselves God by not granting forgiveness for all past, present, and future sins. But I contend that there is a difference.
Sanctification has different rules. First, it presumes new creaturehood and an expected response to confrontation when you have wronged a fellow believer. Christ states that certain behavior is expected among the redeemed because they are new creatures. Once shown the error of their way, the offender will repent, and the offended party will forgive. If that’s not the case, “Houston, we have a problem.” Carte blanche forgiveness sweeps that problem under the rug; that’s not love, and it’s not forgiveness. And in too many cases, the problem is sex abuse.
If the Matthew 18 process does not go well, the forgiveness that is needed is not family forgiveness, but may be the need for forgiveness unto salvation. We don’t know that for certain, but are to treat that person “like” that is the case. They are not acting like a new creature. Carte blanche forgiveness tells them plainly that they are a new creature no matter what they act like. They are granted the same forgiveness that we received for salvation because no distinction is made. And frankly, in that way we make ourselves God, by granting forgiveness unto salvation in sanctification—the same that we received. That’s the mantra: forgive them in the same way we were forgiven. Hence, regardless of what they do to us, and regardless of whether or not they repent, we are affirming their salvation by proxy. That’s not the gospel, that’s not love, and it’s not forgiveness.
And this fusion of justification and sanctification in regard to forgiveness is at the very core of many controversies in the church like the SGM pedophilia class-action lawsuit. This whole concept of “forgiving the way we were forgiven” is a phrase that the victims are all too familiar with.
paul
Our Justification Crisis, Perseverance, and Assurance: Part 2
Live Streamed every Sunday @ 7pm from freebereans.blogspot.com
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Last week we looked at the nature of the present-day justification crises. Tonight we will look at the relationship between justification, perseverance, and assurance of salvation. This is another topical subject related to the book of Romans that we are adding to our verse by verse study. I have interjected this study because of the rampant confusion related to perseverance and the Christian. Granted, there are verses in the Bible that seem to indicate that Christians have to persevere in their faith to obtain a “final justification.”
If there is anything about election that would endear detractors at all, it is the idea that our justification was determined before the creation of the world, and therefore, there is nothing we or anyone else can do in sanctification to mess that up. Once saved, always saved. Traditionally, Calvinists have been primarily associated with this election idea. The idea makes people uneasy, but at least you get assurance of salvation in the deal. Or do you?
In our endeavor to understand the paramount subject of justification, Calvinism and Reformed doctrine in general must be dealt with. Why? Because as the lazy-thinking church slumbered, Calvinists have established a doctrinal foundation. They own the history. They own the seminaries. They own the publishing companies. They own the debate. They are accepted out of hand as the ones who know. This is what they do—they attempt to create a reality that yields the results that they want. And in our day, they have nearly succeeded. If not for the internet, this would be a done deal.
Many assumptions prevail: total depravity only pertains to the unregenerate. Faith alone (sola fide) only pertains to justification. Christ alone (solus Christus) doesn’t literally mean “Christ alone” to the exclusion of the other Trinity members. Scripture alone (Sola scriptura): instruction for life and godliness, or a meta-narrative for gospel contemplationism? And now we find that election doesn’t really mean “election” per se. Now we find that election justifies you, if you are chosen, but you have to persevere in order to obtain “final justification.”
And this idea is split up into two authentic Calvinism camps. In one camp, the Christian must persevere in sanctification by faith alone with his/her primary nemesis being the temptation to “obey in our own efforts.” “Effort” is the essence of works salvation. Augustine and Calvin both taught that the Sabbath rest was sanctification specifically. Because salvation is a “golden chain” where justification starts, and progresses in the middle towards final justification, we must maintain our justification in the same way that it began at the beginning of the chain. By faith alone. This is the double imputation crowd. Christ’s passive obedience to the cross secured our justification, His active obedience to the law while He lived on earth is imputed to our sanctification as long as we live by faith alone in sanctification. To the contrary, biblical double imputation is the imputation of God the Father’s righteousness to us apart from the law by faith in Christ alone, and the imputation of our sin to Christ. The imputation of Christ’s perfect obedience to the law being imputed to our sanctification to finish justification is NOT righteousness apart from the law.
Now the other camp. They reject Reformed double imputation, but their view of election is also an initial justification that must be maintained by our perseverance. In this case, a general faithfulness to the New Covenant. Note the following comments I received on my blog from a knowledgeable Reformed teacher from this camp:
I think it is clear from Scripture that salvation (election, calling, justification, glorification) cannot be lost. But justification can be initially entered into via faith alone, but we must then remain faithful. This was the error of the Jews, they thought that because they had entered a right standing (justification) with God, they were good to go…. All who have been elected unto mercy will persevere unto salvation, but Scripture makes it clear that there will be some who enter into or begin a relationship with God (justification, a right standing), but who fall away, commit apostasy, are severed from Christ, do not bear fruit, soil their garments, are excommunicated, etc. Another way to say this is that they lose their justification.
Justification is necessary for salvation, but the initial possession of justification does not mean that one will be saved in the end. He must endure….Sure there is – the New Covenant. And our faithfulness to this law will certainly be judged. This is why Paul teaches a gospel of righteousness, self-control and judgment in Acts 25 (or 24?)…. Back to your first statement – there is a standard: it is called the New Covenant. We now have cleansing (forgiveness, justification) through faith in Christ, but just like the Jews, we must also maintain that righteousness by virtue of faithfulness to the moral law – which, by the way, has been the same since Adam and Eve. Furthermore, under the new covenant, it is the Church (the Body of Christ) that is the focus of this covenant. We are enslaved to God, we are bound to the law of the Spirit, the law of Christ, etc. We have all kinds of instruction in Scripture about how to keep the law of God and what to do when we break it.
The key is the covenant community, however. There is no justification outside of the visible, local church…. All who have been elected unto mercy will persevere unto salvation, but Scripture makes it clear that there will be some who enter into or begin a relationship with God (justification, a right standing), but who fall away, commit apostasy, are severed from Christ, do not bear fruit, soil their garments, are excommunicated, etc. Another way to say this is that they lose their justification.
Justification is necessary for salvation, but the initial possession of justification does not mean that one will be saved in the end. He must endure.
Here was one of my responses that I think is the crux of my contention:
The problem is a standard for faithfulness maintaining justification. Those who are justified are no longer under any standard/law that judges whether or not they are justified. The justified live BY the law as a pattern of life, but not FOR justification. We are justified “apart from the law” and it is impossible for us to sin in the eyes of justification because apart from the law, “sin lies dead.”
That’s the problem. There is no standard or way to judge faithfulness in regard to justification because we are no longer “under the law.”
This view by camp B is specifically called, mutable justification. So, these are the two authentic Calvinist camps: Reformed double imputation and mutable justification. Both of these ideas are referred to the reformed motto, already-but not yet. Here is yet another assumption, that this is a Reformed paradox. Not so, “already” is initial justification; “not yet” is perseverance. This is why Calvinism is predicated on lack of assurance. The following is an illustration from the Reformed book, The Race Set Before Us p. 40:
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Now, let me begin by saying that election must be completely reevaluated because most of the thinking in regard to it has come from Reformed orthodoxy. That makes election according to the Reformers extremely suspect, especially since it is not really election to begin with. And trust me, for six years, I have been dealing with the justification issue and its relationship to the law and have not had time to reevaluate the metaphysics of election, and I know, much to the consternation of many of PPT’s (blog) readers. But I want to begin our evaluation of justification’s relationship to perseverance and assurance by beginning with what we do know about election. We have addressed the reality of the present-day foundation that dominates the church; now let’s look at this biblically.
What do we know today, here at the Potter’s House, about election? First, we know its purpose. Its purpose is to completely remove works from justification:
Romans 9:11 – though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
This couldn’t be clearer: God’s purpose in election is to remove all of our works from justification and make it dependent on the “call.” By the way, though I haven’t revisited the metaphysical questions of election yet, I do reject, on the basis of Scripture, that the call equals fatalistic determinism. Now, I don’t know how that fact is going to play out when I revisit this, but to date, I know that much. This brings us to the second thing that we know about election. In the following text, election is referred to as the call:
Romans 8:30 – And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Stop right there. Here is where we drive a stake. If we can’t take this at face value, neither can we take John 3:16 at face value. The two things we know about election is that it has two purposes: one, to eliminate all works in justification; therefore, perseverance must be excluded from justification because perseverance has to be judged by a standard. To meet that standard is a work. Perseverance must be severed from justification completely. Secondly, election is for assurance of salvation. Election is the bedrock of our assurance. Paul makes this clear in the next verses immediately following:
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.
Now, how can glorification be spoken of in the past tense? Because it is a finished issue. It is guaranteed. In addition, the philosophers among us can probably be a help here, but I assume there is no beginning and end in eternity. This calling took place before creation. So does this mean there was never a time when we weren’t elected? That would be an interesting discussion for the philosophers among us. But sanctification is not in Romans 8:30 because sanctification has no connection to justification. Justification results in glorification. The two are inseparable because the calling guarantees glorification.
Romans 11: 29 – For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
John 6:35 – Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Verses that seem to indicate a necessary perseverance by the believer to the obvious hindrance of assurance must be interpreted in light of Romans 8:30 and 9:11-13. These verses are definitive. Furthermore, 1John 5:13 states unequivocally that we can presently know that we have eternal life. If final justification awaits a confirmation in the future as a result of our perseverance, this is ambiguous at best. Though we are born again, our ultimate confidence, our sure confidence, is in God. Moreover, the New Covenant is a one-way covenant that does not depend on anything we do. We enjoy the benefits of the covenant as heirs, but all the riches of the inheritance are because of the testator, not our contribution to that covenant. The Old Covenant was the will; the New Covenant is the inheritance upon the death of the testator, Jesus Christ. The fullness of the inheritance will be realized at the new heavens and new earth.
There are many, many, conditional promises in the Bible, for example, EPH 6:1-3, but The Promise, the Abrahamic Covenant that is built by all the other covenants, is UNCONDITIONAL. God put Abraham in a deep sleep and consummated the covenant himself. The thief on the cross contributed nothing to his election. He only believed, and was assured by God Himself that he would be in heaven that day. Not because of anything he did, there was no perseverance to be had by him—he could only hang there with the hope he had been given by God’s promise.
So what is going on with all of the verses in the Bible that seem to indicate a requirement on our part to persevere in order to obtain a supposed “final justification”? You can consider Romans 8:30 and 9:11-13 point one, and the following point 2: perseverance is stated throughout Scripture as a characteristic of salvation, but not a condition. We are engaged in warfare, and the friends of God and the enemies of God are evident. During the tribulation period as now, the side you are on is manifest. We are not justified by anything we do, but we can be called justified by what we do. Our actions justify our justification. We have a good example of this in the book of James:
James 2:14 – What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
This isn’t that complicated. Saving faith justifies us, and is alive: therefore, works result that per se, justify us, or show that we are justified. Rahab wasn’t justified by what she did, her actions revealed the fact that she was justified. This is also the Bible’s way of making a strong statement about Christians acting like Christians. Stating that we are justified by what we do is using an obvious contradiction to get our attention: behavior is so intrinsically connected to the new birth that for all practical purposes you can say one is justified by what they do. This is the point James is making. And I think that point is made throughout Scripture:
Romans 2:13 – For the hearers of the law be not just with God, but the doers of the law shall be made just (Wycliffe Bible).
You can’t read the book of Romans and think for a second that Paul is talking about being justified by the law. The point is made here: obedience justifies the claim that we are justified. Likewise, those who are justified persevere as a characteristic of the justified; the perseverance does not make them justified. It’s our character resulting in practice, not our position. All such verses can be read in that way.
This is the third point concerning assurance: practice gives assurance. No text gives this more clarity than 2Peter 1:5-11:
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (KJV).
Obviously, Peter isn’t talking about solidifying our election through works; he is talking about making our election sure to ourselves through obedience. This is also the major theme of 1John. Verse ten strikes a contrast between it and verses eight and nine. We can forget that we have been purged from our sins and heaven can become a distant reality. Also note that there is a quality of entry into heaven (v.11). Some translations refer to a “rich” entry into heaven. Verse ten refers to falling into deep sin. This is a picture of someone who is unsure of their standing with God. We can’t work for our justification, but we can certainly work for our assurance. Peter calls for “diligence” in this regard. One of the elements he mentions that needs to be added to our faith is “patience.” This has the idea of “endurance” and “perseverance.” The three words are used interchangeably throughout Scripture. The reward for our perseverance is assurance—not salvation.
I would like to close with some charts. The following two are from last week and illustrate what we have discussed in general.
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The next one is from page 24 of False Reformation:
Justification is a one-time declaration. Salvation is a little different. At salvation we receive all of the blessings and power of heaven. As we appropriate that power through obedience in sanctification the reality and power of our salvation is experienced. This gives assurance, and shows others that we are justified. In that regard we are justified by our works.
Addendum:
We have discussed many reasons why we believe that Christians will not stand in a final judgment to determine final justification. We reject the idea that justification has a beginning, process, and end (aka, justification, “progressive sanctification” and final justification confirmed at a final judgment). We find that at the final judgment, books are opened and the “dead” are judged from the books according to what they have done (REV 20:11-14). Being “under the law,” we assume that they are judged according to the law. Everyone at this judgment has died. This is NOT so with the OTHER judgment that seems to be primarily a judgment for rewards.
We believe that Christians will not be judged by the law in a final judgment. It is very possible that our sins were once recorded in those books, but were blotted out when we gave our lives to Christ:
Isaiah 43:25 – I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
Many texts document the fact that God will not remember the sins of the redeemed (a few: HEB 8:12, 10:17, JER 31:34, Micah 7: 19 ISA 44:22, Acts 3:19, PS 103:12) . As the apostle Paul said, “love does not keep a record of wrong.” At one judgment, Christ states, “depart from me….I never knew you.” “Knew” probably refers to the fact that He never loved them as a kingdom heir. At the final judgment, there is obviously a record of sin. But of particular interest is the blotting out statements. Again, this probably refers to the idea that our sins were once recorded in those books, but were blotted out when we were saved. Similar language is used to refer to those who are blotted out from the book of life:
Psalm 69:28 – Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
A Scriptural study of the books is critical to understanding justification and the grace of God. How many of us have been taught this subject in-depth? Let me give you some framework as a result of some residual study I have done. There appears to be books where all of the sins of mankind are recorded, and the book of life in which all who are born into the world are recorded. A cursory observation seems to point to the idea that the saved are blotted out of the books that record sin, and not blotted out of the book of life. It is also possible that some are never recorded in the book of life even though they walk the earth at some point. The Lamb’s book of life may also be a separate book. Christ promised the saved would never be blotted out of the book of life (one among many: REV 3:5).
American Christians Are All Calvinists
“Calvin didn’t believe in election. The assumed absurdity of the statement testifies to the traditions of men that saturate the American church.”
There is no new thing under the sun. When Christ came and began His ministry with the proclamation of the kingdom gospel, Israel was steeped in the traditions of men. And Christ didn’t call it “legalism,” He called it antinomianism. Whether Arminian or Calvinist, both came from that same stock. They claim to be different, but both celebrate their parents as heroes of the faith: the Pilgrims. The unregenerate even get in on the act during the holiday season of Thanks Giving and Christmas.
But the Pilgrims were Puritans. And the Puritans were rabid Calvinists. They brought with them the first Bible to ever see American soil: the Geneva Bible which included Calvin’s play by play commentary. They came to start a theocracy modeled after Calvin’s Geneva, and succeeded. And what followed was the same heartless brutality they brought with them from Europe. The Pilgrims were merciless tyrants and were put out of business because they hung too many Quakers for disagreeing with them. Like Calvin and Luther, they were endowed with superstition and mysticism clothed in European orthodoxy.
The reverence of Puritans as spiritual giants and pioneers is grounded on pure myth. They were communistic, and lacked the rugged individualism that founded this nation. Regardless of the vast, unmolested resources they found when they arrived here, Indians had to teach them how to survive. The Puritans were not innovators, and invented little to overcome the environment they found themselves in. Their presuppositions concerning man and mystical approach to life did not serve them well. These same presuppositions run deep and wide in the American church.
But what about Calvinism versus Arminianism and the election issue? There is no disagreement there either. Calvin didn’t believe in election. The assumed absurdity of the statement testifies to the traditions of men that saturate the American church. Calvin believed that we are sanctified the same way we were saved, by faith and repentance alone. He also believed that this saving duo of faith and repentance were necessarily perpetual, and could only be received in the formal church institution. Luther believed this as well. You keep your salvation by being faithful to the local church, or “new covenant.” One must remain “faithful to the covenant” by seeking perpetual reconciliation in the church. So-called election is being elected to be in the covenant, but then you have to keep yourself in the covenant. You run the “race of faith” by “faith alone” in order to stay justified in sanctification.
God then sorts out who was able to do that at a single, last judgment. Hence, Augustine, a forefather of the Reformation, believed that eternal life wasn’t determined until the final judgment. I document these assertions in “False Reformation” and the mini-booklet “New Calvinism for Dummies” (tancpublishing.com). However, this may be helpful as well: https://paulspassingthoughts.com/2012/10/31/mutable-justification-not-shocking-just-reformed/
The fact that Reformed theology rejects election can also be seen in Supersessionism. This is the belief that though the nation of Israel was elected, they lost their election because they didn’t stay faithful to the covenant. So, once elected doesn’t necessarily mean always elected. Though Revelation makes it clear that God will dwell with man ON EARTH for eternity, the American emphasis is eternity in heaven. Why? Because God tabernacling with man on earth =’s Israel. That’s why. The very purpose of election cannot be denied as stated by Paul in Romans 9—anything at all that we do is separated from justification. Therefore, Calvinists deny the purpose of election.
Arminians are no different because they come from the same stock. They also deny election, and seek comfort in church membership. I can’t even tell you how many Southern Baptists that I have visited who trust in their church membership for salvation. To suggest they be removed from the church roles because they have not attended in several years is tantamount to removing them from the book of life. This is a common mentality in Baptist churches and I have witnessed it first hand on many occasions. Also throw in the obvious overemphasis on salvation in Arminian Baptist churches because like their Calvinist counterparts, the same gospel that saved you also sanctifies you.
Because of the traditions of men, we are all Calvinists. And we are so steeped in tradition that we don’t even know it. There is no new thing under the sun.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
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