Israel: The Capstone of Justification; Part 3
“And this is by design. Confused people are easy to control.”
It’s nice to know who you are and what you believe. Like most Christians, until recently, I didn’t have a grip on what it really means to be a Christian. I will admit that I functioned on what I was told by others, and even though I was a diligent student of God’s word, I read it through the prism of what I was told.
The result? I really didn’t understand how justification and sanctification works in the Christian life. I didn’t understand covenants. I didn’t understand biblical prophecy. I didn’t understand law. It took a climatic event in my life to send me on a journey of freedom; my desire to know the Bible in a relevant way was destined to clash with the formal church.
And look, don’t give me a load on this issue. Part of our ministry is struggling to find ways to help Christians understand core foundational truths of the Bible. Confusion about covenants, Israel, prophecy, and soteriology abound. Discussions with Christians on basic doctrines are adorned with blank stares. They have no idea what you are even talking about. By design, Christians function on the Cliff Notes of orthodoxy. And this is by design. Confused people are easy to control.
Our Sunday night fellowship was primarily fellowship around fun activities. I was amazed at how much fun people were having as I compiled the booklets for this third lesson to be studied at home. It is the conclusion of our study on justification from the book of Romans, and concludes with the capstone of chapters 9-11: Israel.
With permission, we have recopied John J. Parsons’ excellent work on Remnant Theology and incorporated it into our position here at the Potter’s House. It coincides with what we have seen for ourselves in the book of Romans. It is an excellent summation to our final series on justification.
I just find myself full of joy that we have made our own determination on this apart from the traditions of men. Truth is freeing. Don’t live a life based on some man’s interpretation of the Bible. Live the calling you have from God. You have to determine that calling yourself, only you will stand before the Lord, no one will stand there in your place if you are a Christian.
Not even Christ. He has ALREADY taken our place for justification. He has ALREADY stood in our place before God. “It is finished.” As Christians, we will stand before Him to give an account for the sum and substance of what we have done with the gifts He has given us. And listening to “important” men will be no excuse. You are a workman that need not be ashamed. Don’t stand ashamed before the Savior that died for you. You will be saved, “yet so, by fire.” Make the fire that will burn up the wood, hay, and stubble a small one.
As a pastor, it’s not my job to tell people what to do. I have NO authority over anybody who comes to the Potter’s House. We have been given the authority to tell people what God’s word states. We have been given authority to teach the full council of God. The authority is in God’s word, not the man. We have also been given the authority to baptize. Granted, to the extent that the full counsel of God is properly taught, congregants are more accountable to God. I sometimes wonder if that’s why people want to put themselves under the authority of the traditions of men. In many ways, it is sooooo much easier:
“Hey, we are just a bunch of wicked sinners. Stuff happens. Don’t worry, be happy. Que sera, sera.”
This is a journey, and we have so much more to learn. And as a pastor, being freed from my own opinion is a feeling I can’t even explain. To have the word of God as authority is such an awesome privilege that should be exercised to the fullest. And what a joy to work through these issues with those who only want their convictions to be those of the Lord, and not their own ideas.
Israel: The Capstone of Justification; Part 2
A Protestant tradition among its so-called elders is the incessant wrangling over philosophical knowledge. Past the Protestant golden rule of orthodoxy canned for the totally depraved unenlightened masses, the “humbleness” of not knowing anything for certain rules the day. This is a Protestant family tradition.
This abrogation of truth is rife in regard to the subject of Bible prophecy. The logical conclusion is that 25% of the Bible which comprises prophecy is composed by a capricious god who enjoys confusing his children by writing things they can’t understand.
But I suspect the real concern is that the saints, by and large, will obtain a solid understanding of justification through Bible prophecy. Wisdom and understanding does not lend itself to control. True wisdom and understanding places confidence in God and not the traditions of men. Justification, the covenants, and prophecy fit together in one unified explanation of truth. The truth sets people free.
Justification is the goal, the covenants are the application and building of the plan, and prophecy explains the final outcome. God’s people are to know the goal, the plan, and the outcome, and are to be sure of it. That surety comes from seeing how the goal of justification, covenants, and prophecy fit together perfectly. The messenger told Daniel that the prophecy was “sure”; blessings are promised for those who study the prophecy of Revelation; those who have the hope of prophesy’s consummation purify themselves; but yet, the expected outcome is mystery? Doesn’t make sense.
In a general sense, this is what the apostle Paul is looking to do in the 9th, 10th and 11th chapters of Romans. Getting Israel right is getting justification right: “Salvation is of the Jews.” The framework of justification, covenants, and prophecy can be found in these three chapters. Let us begin in Romans 9:
Romans 9:1 – I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
This is stated in the present tense. To national Israel belongs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. We are going to focus on the covenants and the promises. Notice that both are in the plural and present tense. National Israel is still relevant and part of an overall redemptive plan. “Kinsmen” is the following word:
g4773. συγγενής syggenēs; from 4862 and 1085; a relative (by blood); by extension, a fellow countryman:— cousin, kin (- sfolk,- sman). AV (12)- kinsman 7, cousin 2, kinsfolk 2, kin 1; of the same kin, akin to, related by blood in a wider sense, of the same nation, a fellow countryman
“Israel” refers to the nation of Israel. Let’s establish that they were elected by God as a nation:
Because He loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, He brought you out of Egypt by His Presence and His great strength. — Deut. 4:37.
The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. — Deut. 7:7, 8.
After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. — Deut. 9:4-6.
Yet the Lord set His affection on your forefathers and loved them, and He chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. — Deut. 10:15.
“But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend. — Isa. 41:8.
But now, this is what the Lord says—He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.”
— Isa. 43:1.
“But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. This is what the Lord says—He who made you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.”—Isa. 44:1, 2.
“For the sake of Jacob My servant, of Israel My chosen, I call you by name and bestow on you a title of honor though you do not acknowledge Me.”— Isa. 45:4.
These are but a few, and it is also important to note that the promises to Abraham, our spiritual father, are part and parcel with the idea of his descendants being a nation:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”— Gen. 12:1-3.
Understanding justification and biblical prophecy is impossible if Israel ceases to be a nation. Israel is the factor that makes both add up to the only equation that makes sense. God’s salvific plan focuses on the saving of nations/races through his chosen nation, Israel. His elect King, Jesus Christ, will bring salvation to the nations through Israel:
“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My chosen One in whom I delight;
I will put My Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations.” —Isa. 42:1.
He says: “It is too small a thing for You to be My Servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
— Isa. 49:6
The whole idea of Christ being the elect (chosen) of God always puzzled me until I looked at it from the perspective of Christ being the elect King of Israel. He is the king of a nation that will bring salvation and justice to the nations. And God is particularly pleased with justice being displayed. This explains the “kingdom” language of the Bible. We should also remember that justice is important to God. Frankly, lack of emphasis in the church on justice is troubling to me. A zeal for what is simply right. One of God’s purposes of ruling the nations through Christ will be to put justice on display.
Israel as a chosen nation ruled by Christ to bring salvation to the nations is absolutely paramount to understanding justification and the Bible in general. Many leaders throughout church history have sought to separate Christians from this construct because when it gets right down to it, if you approach the Bible with this in mind, you don’t need them. Removing future Israel with Christ as its King throws understanding of the Scriptures into turmoil.
Even in the present age, being alienated from Christ is synonymous with being alienated from the “commonwealth” of Israel:
Ephesians 2:11 – Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
“Commonwealth” means the same thing in English….
g4174. πολιτεία politeia; from 4177 (“polity”); citizenship; concretely, a community:— commonwealth, freedom. AV (2)- freedom 1, commonwealth 1; the administration of civil affairs a state or commonwealth citizenship, the rights of a citizen.
….it is an independently sovereign state/community in the midst. Ephesians 2:11ff. is our first clue that the covenants and promises build on each other because they, for the most part, are always stated in the present tense; they all still serve a purpose in the restoral of national Israel. Paul states that the Gentiles in this present age were formally “alienated” from those things. You can’t be alienated from something that is no longer in existence or no longer valid or no longer serves a purpose. Now, let’s move on to Paul’s next point: The word of God has not failed because Israel rebelled;
Romans 9:6 – But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring….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—
Elect Israel has an elect within it, or the “remnant” that are the spiritual descendants of Abraham so that the election of Israel is by grace alone and not works (verse 11). But we want to also balance this out with Paul’s statement concerning the whole nation. A Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) is not part of Paul’s outlook on election. Paul desired salvation for every Jew and evangelized like it depended on him. I can only assume that in some way it does depend on us. Election, though critical to assurance and aggressive sanctification, does not equal fatalistic determinism. What we do in the here and now matter immensely and makes a difference. How God weaves that together with his election is an understanding that I have not yet arrived at.
No one is to misinterpret the fall of Israel because of the non-elect within Israel that rejected Christ the King—the stumbling block of Zion. They rejected the chief corner stone that was the end of the law and attempted to establish a righteousness of their own. I think the remnant are those who are the beginning of the so-called church age which is better called the “last days.” They will all go up in the rapture at the end of the “church age” which is interesting because apparently, in an astounding display of God’s grace, the stiff-necked variety of Jews will be saved during the tribulation period, or the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (JER 30:7):
Zechariah 12:1 – The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. 4 On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’
6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.
7 “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them. 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Him Whom They Have Pierced
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land shall mourn, each family[a] by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.
Notice what Paul states in Romans 11:5;
So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
“At this present time” refers to the present age, and they all go up in the rapture. The tribulation Jews are therefore another category, or so it would seem. Since God’s kingdom will not be reestablished on earth till the end of the tribulation period, I would assume that explains the term, “kingdom of heaven.” While God is grafting the Gentiles into Israel, the kingdom is in heaven until Christ returns and establishes the millennial kingdom on earth. At any rate, this is not “kingdom” in a spiritual since per se, this is a literal kingdom and spiritualizing the kingdom will not lend to understanding.
In Romans 11:1-10 Paul reiterates the remnant and those that are hardened, and then states the following starting in verse 11:
So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
This couldn’t be clearer. A full inclusion of Israel is yet future. What God wanted at Mt. Sinai will come to pass and will be established forever.
Romans 11:13 – Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
This is where Paul begins his tree illustration. What is this tree? I would say that it is the Abrahamic covenant or The Promise. God’s holiness is the root. The covenant is based on God’s holiness. But as an aside, is there a ministry to the Jews in our day? Yes, and the ministry is made clear in the above cited text. This should be the premise or foundation of any ministry for the Jews.
Romans 11:17 – But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
The covenant never changes because it is steadfast according to God’s election. The unbelief of some Jews results in God grafted in unnatural branches. The root is God’s holiness, the tree is the covenant, the natural branches are national Israel, the broken branches are those who were hardened, and the unnatural branches are the Gentiles. Paul warns the Gentiles at Rome to not posit the idea that the unnatural branches have replaced the natural branches. Of course, the Western church has broken that commandment with malice and all tenacity. Moreover, this approach will turn understanding of the Bible completely upside down. A proper understanding of the Jewish covenants is the paramount threat to Western clergy because if you have a proper understanding of God’s relationship to the Jews, you don’t need them to interpret the Bible for you.
Romans 9-11, especially chapter 11, is perhaps the most difficult in the Bible to preach on because there is nothing to study—it is what it is. However, it supplies a basic interpretive framework from which the rest of the Bible is interpreted. Salvation begins with the Jews and their King, and ends with the Jews and their King. The Reformed rejection of Israel’s election by the sultans of election displays the kind of confusion that transpires when you rebel against God’s revealed choices. The Reformers criticize the Jews for rejecting the Messiah while downplaying the remnant of Israel. Meanwhile, they arrogantly inform Christ that they accept Him, but not His chosen people. In chapter 11, Paul makes the eternal standing of those who posit such—ambiguous at best.
Furthermore, let us not depart this point without acknowledging the redeemed heart of the apostle Paul that is on display here. A redeemed heart loves the Jews, period. A redeemed heart, like Paul’s, wishes for the salvation of Israel. This stands in stark contrast to Reformed writings that go forth like vomit spewing from gluttonous stomachs.
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.” 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.
Clearly, we are in what the Bible calls the time of the Gentiles. Paul barely stops short of saying we owe our salvation to the Jews. We have benefited from them being enemies of the gospel, but they are still God’s elect, and that is irrevocable. They are “beloved for the sake of their forefathers” till “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.” All Gentiles are saved by being grafted into the covenant that starts with the Jewish forefathers and ends with the banishment of ungodliness from Jacob.
I will conclude with the illustration below. This sums it up in the least common denominator. The following should be kept in mind when you read your Bible.
Dear Jane, I Don’t Know About NT Wright, But I do Know Phil Johnson is a Heretic
Paul,
What do you think about this video about NT Wright being called a heretic by Phil Johnson? Phil says Apostle Paul warns in Galatians about the heretic belief that denies imputed righteousness of Christ.
I think Phil is a puffed-up talking head, but curious on your take of this.
Jane.
Jane,
Thanks for this. Phil Johnson is a hardcore proponent of authentic Calvinist (AC) Reformed doctrine. It holds to the double imputation of Christ’s righteousness being imputed to our justification and sanctification. The Bible emphasizes that the righteousness of the Father was imputed to us APART from the law before the foundation of the world. For AC, it is important that it is specifically stated that it is Christ’s righteousness that was imputed to us because He is the only member of the Trinity that would have “kept the law” as a man. And that’s the crux of the heresy, it advocates a righteousness that is NOT APART from the law. It fuses WORKS with grace.
The cute little Calvinist end-around on that is the idea that it is alright that justification is based on perfect works because Jesus keeps the law in our stead. IF we live by the same faith-alone gospel that saved us, the perfect obedience (Christ’s righteousness) of Christ will be perpetually applied to our life and we will be found covered by the righteousness of Christ at the ONE final judgement where the law must be satisfied. The problem here is that a satisfaction of the law is in view, and that is completely antithetical to the point that the apostle Paul strives to make in the Scriptures about grace being apart from the foundation of works. WHO DOES THE WORKS IS NOT THE POINT–WORKS PERIOD IS THE POINT.
But in this false doctrine a practical problem arises. We have to keep our salvation by faith alone so that perfect works will be perpetually applied to our account in sanctification so that we can remain justified. Because of this fusion of justification and sanctification and the fusion of grace and works, our Christian life becomes focused on the ambiguous endeavor of living by faith alone apart from works. The standard for what saved us is now the same standard for our Christian life. “It is [NOT] finished.” If our justification was not finished at the cross, what was Jesus talking about? Plainly, justification is not finished, we have to maintain it by faith alone. This is merely works salvation by proxy; ie., our faith alone in sanctification is a rectifier that imputes works to grace.
Furthermore, it requires a complicated theological system that defines what IS A WORK in sanctification versus what IS NOT a work in sanctification. Critical to the AC construct therefore is the Redemptive Historical hermeneutic that rectifies biblical commands to a faith-alone construct. Simply put, it is a way to only EXPERIENCE obedience rather than to be the actual DOER of the law in sanctification lest it become, “the GROUND of our justification.” Hence, interpreting our Bible grammatically leads to works salvation because it necessarily implies “a leap from the imperative to obedience” rather than the imperative being rectified by the progressive imputation of Christ’s obedience.
It’s backdoor works salvation.
Moreover, it makes sanctification exactly what the Reformers themselves called it: “subjective.” That’s their words exactly, not mine. The power in our sanctification is subjective because we only experience obedience and do not participate in it. We are to meditate on the OBJECTIVE gospel and passively observe the SUBJECTIVE results by faith alone. Hence, “the subjective power of the objective gospel.” John Immel would say that this is all about control; it makes sanctification an ambiguous and fearful endeavor that beckons the saints to depend on God’s annointed to guide them through the tricky and treacherous waters of Christian living by faith alone. Of course, James addressed this very problem in his epistle.
And Immel is absolutely correct about the control issue. That’s why Phil Johnson advocates this doctrine: he is a despicable tyrant filled with lust for the need to control people. Like Calvin, he advocates this false doctrine so as the apostle Paul said, let them both be accursed.
paul
Charles Haddon Spurgeon: The Prince of Preachers?
“The problem is the fusing of law and grace, not election. People on both sides of that argument can fuse law and grace together and often do….Notice that who does the work is not the issue. Work period is the issue.”
Protestantism is the foundation of the American church. Our heroes of the faith are those who protested Rome but never left Rome. Augustine, Luther, and Calvin merely believed they could do Rome better. Luther and Calvin in particular were fed-up with the popes and gave birth to a resurgence of Plato’s moral tyranny. The popes were in the tyranny business for money and the fulfillment of sinful desires; the Reformers were in the tyranny business for the glory of God. Their mentor, Augustine, boldly proclaimed that the Bible was useless without Plato’s insight and proclaimed Plato a pre-Christian Christian.
Plato’s philosophical principles and anthropomorphic presuppositions laid the foundation for every political and religious caste system in Western culture. Plato’s DNA is in every tyrant ever born in the West whether political or religious. His philosophy lives in both anemic form and viral, fleshing itself out in either philosophical capitulation or the zealot’s bloody axe. Only God knows the number buried in that landfill named, “The Traditions of Men.”
During the first advent, Christ spoke often of two concerns: the traditions of men and antinomianism. Anti-law of God is made possible to the degree that the authority of men usurp the authority of God’s word. Tradition is powerful and often relegates truth to a metaphysical anomaly. Such is the case with American religious heroes. Their stardom defies logic and truth. While Americans shake their heads in disbelief at documentary films that show Hitler pontificating to swooning masses, we celebrate the Pilgrim Puritans who hung Quakers and baptized women in waters of death. Tradition knows no limits in regard to hypocrisy and ignorance. Better to skim the Cliff Notes of tradition than to suffer a possible stroke by the exercise of thinking.
Calling Charles Haddon Spurgeon the “Prince of Preachers” is perhaps the grandiose example of illogical tradition. Spurgeon was a shameless Calvinistic hack. He once said,
There is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.
The most inconvenient thing ever for admirers of Spurgeon is the truth. He constantly disregarded the plain sense of Scripture, though eloquently. While comparing Augustine and Calvin to the apostle Paul in the same sermon (A Defense of Calvinism), any concern for Paul’s warning of being a proponent of a doctrine named after a man was totally disregarded by Surgeon in open defiance to the truth (1COR 3:1-9).
But the fundamental problem is the fact that Calvin taught a blatant false gospel. He believed that grace was not possible unless Christ fulfilled the law for us (CI 3.14.9-11). He believed that Christians are still “under law” which is the very definition of a lost person in the book of Romans and the premise for Calvin’s total depravity.
Hence, Christians remain under the law for justification and must live their Christian lives by faith alone in order to keep their salvation. If Christians live by faith alone in sanctification, the perfect obedience of Christ is perpetually imputed to us and we remain saved. Of course, this requires a complex doctrinal judgment in regard to what is works in sanctification and what is not a work in sanctification in order to live our Christian lives by faith alone resulting in the maintaining of our salvation. This is the very reason for the anemic sanctification that has plagued Protestantism for centuries. We either throw Law out the window completely, or live in fear regarding what is a work and what isn’t a work in our Christian lives lest we find ourselves in “works salvation.”
The problem is the fusing of law and grace. Not election. People on both sides of that argument can fuse law and grace together and often do. Unbelievers are “under law” while believers are “under grace.” We are justified APART from the law (ROM 3:21). Christ didn’t come to fulfill the law FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION; He came to die for our sins so that a righteousness APART from the law could be credited to our account. If Christ had to fulfill the law…. for our justification, law is still the BASIS for our justification and justification is then NOT OF GRACE. The basis of our justification is not law, we are rather UNDER GRACE. This is what the apostle Paul wrote:
Romans 11:6 – But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
Notice that who does the work is not the issue. Work period is the issue. The BASIS of grace is the issue here, and if the basis of grace is works it is no longer grace. If Christ had to keep the law for us to make grace possible, according to Paul, grace is no longer of grace. To the contrary, Paul states that Christ came so that he could fulfill the law through us in sanctification completely separate from justification:
Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Notice that a perfect keeping of the law is not required for us in sanctification to please God for justification. Why? Because the two are separate and there is no law in justification for the believer. The two are separate. We are saved apart from the law for justification and the law informs our sanctification (ROM 3:21, GAL 4:21). Calvinism propagates a grace based on works. Its consummation is an antinomianism where Christ must keep the law for us because we are unable to please God through the perfect fulfillment of it in our Christian lives—perfection as a goal not withstanding in sanctification, but not for justification. According to Calvinism, we have no faith that is alive; we are still dead in our trespasses and sins. It is of the variety that separates us from the fulfillment of the law in sanctification as well. Only Calvin was genius enough to devise a doctrine that combined the best of works salvation and antinomianism.
Only truth sanctifies (John 17:17). The idea that Spurgeon ever helped anyone with his preaching is an illusion grounded in the traditions of men.
paul
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.
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
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