John Calvin, in his commentary on the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke), writes this with respect to Mark 13:22/Matthew 24:24 ("False christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect."):
"This was added for the purpose of exciting alarm, that believers may be more careful to be on their guard; for when such unbounded freedom of action is allowed to false prophets, and when they are permitted to exert such powers of deceiving, those who are careless and inattentive would easily be entangled by their snares. Christ therefore exhorts and arouses his disciples to keep watch, and at the same time reminds them that there is no reason for being troubled at the strangeness of the sight, if they see many persons on every hand led away into error. While he excites them to solicitude, that Satan may not overtake them in a state of sloth, he gives them abundant ground of confidence on which they may calmly rely, when he promises that they will be safe under the defense and protection of God against all the snares of Satan. And thus, however frail and slippery the condition of the godly may be, yet here is a firm footing on which they may stand; for it is not possible for them to fall away from salvation, to whom the Son of God is a faithful guardian. For they have not sufficient energy to resist the attacks of Satan, unless in consequence of their being the sheep of Christ, which none can pluck out of his hand (John 10:28). It must therefore be observed, that the permanency of our salvation does not depend on us, but on the secret election of God; for though our salvation is kept through faith, as Peter tells us (1 Peter 1:5), yet we ought to ascend higher, and assure ourselves that we are in safety, because the Father hath given us to the Son, and the Son himself declares, that none who have been given to him shall perish (John 17:12)." Harmony of the Evangelists, Vol. 3, p. 141
P.S. I notice that in Mark 14:35 and Matthew 26:39 this same phrase in Greek for "if possible" (ei dunaton) appears in Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane: "My Father, IF POSSIBLE, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Here is another example of something that is impossible and will never come about from the perspective of God's sovereign will, yet that exerts real influence as warning or prayer.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
J. Edwards on Perseverance & Warnings
The following quotes come from a little known sermon by Jonathan Edwards, entitled "Persevering Faith." Unfortunately it is not published in the Works of Jonathan Edwards or any popular compilations of JE's sermons; it is only available in the Works published by Yale, which are quite expensive:
"[Perseverance] 'tis necessary to salvation as a necessary consequence and evidence of a title to salvation. There never is a title to salvation without it. Though it have not the righteousness by which a title to life is attained, yet none have that righteousness that don't persevere; and that because although it is not proper to say that perseverance is necessary in order to justification, yet a persevering principle is necessary in order to justification...'Tis necessary that a man should believe in Christ, and cleave to Christ in a persevering way: a temporary faith don't justifiy. But in order to that, persons must have that faith that is of a persevering, everlasting sort. He must have that sort of seed that is an abiding seed. 'Tis not a vanishing but a durable faith that justifies."
"Perseverance is necessary to salvation, as 'tis a necessary prerequisite to the actual possession of eternal life. A way of persevering holiness is the way to glory, and the only way to it; and 'tis impossible that we should arrive at glory without going to it in a way of persevering holiness, as 'tis impossible that we should go from one town to another without passing the ground that is between one and the other. We read of the strait gate and the narrow way. 'Tis necessary that both should be passed, before we obtain a crown of glory. God hath set up that crown of glory at the end of a race; and therefore he that stops short of the end of the race and turns back, and so never comes to the end of the race, will never come to the crown. And so 'tis necessary for every Christian, that he should finish his course...Perseverance in holiness is a necessary prerequisite to glory."
"Those promises of eternal life to perseverance are for the comfort of the saints, for the more a person by experience finds that his goodness if of a persevering kind, the more evidence has he of his title to life."
"A hypocrite's faith is but a temporary faith."
"A godly man ordinarily lives a holy life, which implies not only negative, but positive religion." [my italics]
"Though it be promised that true saints shall be so influenced and assisted, as that they shall persevere; yet this is one MEANS by which God influences them, viz. counsels and warnings against falling away."
"[Perseverance] 'tis necessary to salvation as a necessary consequence and evidence of a title to salvation. There never is a title to salvation without it. Though it have not the righteousness by which a title to life is attained, yet none have that righteousness that don't persevere; and that because although it is not proper to say that perseverance is necessary in order to justification, yet a persevering principle is necessary in order to justification...'Tis necessary that a man should believe in Christ, and cleave to Christ in a persevering way: a temporary faith don't justifiy. But in order to that, persons must have that faith that is of a persevering, everlasting sort. He must have that sort of seed that is an abiding seed. 'Tis not a vanishing but a durable faith that justifies."
"Perseverance is necessary to salvation, as 'tis a necessary prerequisite to the actual possession of eternal life. A way of persevering holiness is the way to glory, and the only way to it; and 'tis impossible that we should arrive at glory without going to it in a way of persevering holiness, as 'tis impossible that we should go from one town to another without passing the ground that is between one and the other. We read of the strait gate and the narrow way. 'Tis necessary that both should be passed, before we obtain a crown of glory. God hath set up that crown of glory at the end of a race; and therefore he that stops short of the end of the race and turns back, and so never comes to the end of the race, will never come to the crown. And so 'tis necessary for every Christian, that he should finish his course...Perseverance in holiness is a necessary prerequisite to glory."
"Those promises of eternal life to perseverance are for the comfort of the saints, for the more a person by experience finds that his goodness if of a persevering kind, the more evidence has he of his title to life."
"A hypocrite's faith is but a temporary faith."
"A godly man ordinarily lives a holy life, which implies not only negative, but positive religion." [my italics]
"Though it be promised that true saints shall be so influenced and assisted, as that they shall persevere; yet this is one MEANS by which God influences them, viz. counsels and warnings against falling away."
Thursday, August 9, 2007
John Calvin On Faith & Assurance
There is much controversy over whether John Calvin held that assurance is (in some sense) the essence of faith, or if he was closer to the later Westminster Confession, which argued against this view. Below are a series of excerpts from his sections on faith and assurance in The Institutes of the Christian Religion (which you should plan on reading if you haven't!); you decide where he comes down:
“Therefore our mind must be otherwise illumined and our heart strengthened, that the Word of God may obtain full faith among us. Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.2.7)
“…faith is a knowledge of the divine benevolence toward us and a sure persuasion of its truth.” (John Calvin, 3.2.12)
“Also, there are very many who so conceive of God’s mercy that they receive almost no consolation from it. They are constrained with miserable anxiety at the same time as they are in doubt whether he will be merciful to them because they confine that very kindness of which they seem utterly persuaded within too narrow limits. For among themselves they ponder that it is indeed great and abundant, shed upon many, available and ready for all; but that it is uncertain whether it will even come to them, or rather, whether they will come to it. This reasoning, when it stops in mid-course, is only half. Therefore, it does not so much strengthen the spirit in secure tranquility as trouble it with uneasy doubting. But there is a far different feeling of full assurance that in the Scriptures is always attributed to faith…there is no right faith except when we dare with tranquil hearts to stand in God’s sight. This boldness arises only out of a sure confidence in divine benevolence and salvation. This is so true that the word ‘faith’ is very often used for confidence. Here, indeed, is the chief hinge on which faith turns: that we do not regard the promises of mercy that God offers as true only outside ourselves, but not at all in us; rather that we make them ours by inwardly embracing them.” (John Calvin, 3.2.15-16)
“Briefly, he alone is truly a believer who, convinced by a firm conviction that God is a kindly and well-disposed Father toward him, promises himself all things on the basis of his generosity; who, relying upon the promises of divine benevolence toward him, lays hold on an undoubted expectation of salvation. As the apostle points out in these words: ‘If we hold our confidence and glorying in our hope, firm even to the end.’ [Heb. 3:7]. Thus, he considers that no one hopes well in the Lord except him who confidently glories in the inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom. No man is a believer, I say, except him who, leaning upon the assurance of his salvation, confidently triumphs over the devil and death…And everywhere he so teaches as to intimate that we cannot otherwise well comprehend the goodness of God unless we gather from it the fruit of great assurance.” (John Calvin, 3.2.16)
“Still, someone will say: ‘Believers experience something far different: In recognizing the grace of God toward themselves they are not only tried by disquiet, which often comes upon them, but they are repeatedly shaken by gravest terrors. For so violent are the temptations that trouble their minds as not to seem quite compatible with that certainty of faith.’ Accordingly, we shall have to solve this difficulty if we wish the above-stated doctrine to stand. Surely, while we teach that faith ought to be certain and assured, we cannot imagine any certainty that is not tinged with doubt, or any assurance that is not assailed by some anxiety. On the other hand, we say that believers are in perpetual conflict with their own unbelief. Far, indeed, are we from putting their consciences in any peaceful repose, undisturbed by any tumult at all. Yet, once again, we deny that, in whatever way they are afflicted, they fall away and depart from the certain assurance received from God’s mercy.” (John Calvin, 3.2.17)
“To sum up: When first even the least drop of faith is instilled in our minds, we begin to contemplate God’s face, peaceful and calm and gracious toward us.” (John Calvin, 3.2.19)
“…thence unbelief obtains weapons and devices to overthrow faith. Yet these are always directed to this objective: that, thinking God to be against us and hostile to us, we should not hope for any help from him, and should fear him as if he were our deadly enemy…And when any sort of temptation assails us—suggesting that God is our enemy because he is unfavorable toward us—faith, on the other hand, replies that while he afflicts us he is also merciful because his chastisement arises out of love rather than wrath…Thus the godly mind, however strange the ways in which it is vexed and troubled, finally surmounts all difficulties, and never allows itself to be deprived of assurance of divine mercy.” (John Calvin, 3.2.20-21)
“We seek a faith that distinguishes the children of God from the wicked, and believers from unbelievers. If someone believes that God both justly commands all that he commands and truly threatens, shall he therefore be called a believer? By no means! Therefore, there can be no firm condition of faith unless it rests upon God’s mercy.” (John Calvin, 3.2.30)
“Indeed, if we should have to judge from our works how the Lord feels toward us, for my part, I grant that we can in no way attain it by conjecture. But since faith ought to correspond to a simple and free promise, no place for doubting is left. For with what sort of confidence will we be armed, I pray, if we reason that God is favorable to us provided our purity of life so merit it?” (John Calvin, 3.2.38)
“Thus, they say that even though according to our present state of righteousness we can judge concerning our possession of the grace of God, the knowledge of final perseverance remains in suspense. A fine confidence of salvation is left to us, if by moral conjecture we judge that at the present moment we are in grace, but we know not what will become of us tomorrow!” (John Calvin, 3.2.40)
“Therefore our mind must be otherwise illumined and our heart strengthened, that the Word of God may obtain full faith among us. Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.2.7)
“…faith is a knowledge of the divine benevolence toward us and a sure persuasion of its truth.” (John Calvin, 3.2.12)
“Also, there are very many who so conceive of God’s mercy that they receive almost no consolation from it. They are constrained with miserable anxiety at the same time as they are in doubt whether he will be merciful to them because they confine that very kindness of which they seem utterly persuaded within too narrow limits. For among themselves they ponder that it is indeed great and abundant, shed upon many, available and ready for all; but that it is uncertain whether it will even come to them, or rather, whether they will come to it. This reasoning, when it stops in mid-course, is only half. Therefore, it does not so much strengthen the spirit in secure tranquility as trouble it with uneasy doubting. But there is a far different feeling of full assurance that in the Scriptures is always attributed to faith…there is no right faith except when we dare with tranquil hearts to stand in God’s sight. This boldness arises only out of a sure confidence in divine benevolence and salvation. This is so true that the word ‘faith’ is very often used for confidence. Here, indeed, is the chief hinge on which faith turns: that we do not regard the promises of mercy that God offers as true only outside ourselves, but not at all in us; rather that we make them ours by inwardly embracing them.” (John Calvin, 3.2.15-16)
“Briefly, he alone is truly a believer who, convinced by a firm conviction that God is a kindly and well-disposed Father toward him, promises himself all things on the basis of his generosity; who, relying upon the promises of divine benevolence toward him, lays hold on an undoubted expectation of salvation. As the apostle points out in these words: ‘If we hold our confidence and glorying in our hope, firm even to the end.’ [Heb. 3:7]. Thus, he considers that no one hopes well in the Lord except him who confidently glories in the inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom. No man is a believer, I say, except him who, leaning upon the assurance of his salvation, confidently triumphs over the devil and death…And everywhere he so teaches as to intimate that we cannot otherwise well comprehend the goodness of God unless we gather from it the fruit of great assurance.” (John Calvin, 3.2.16)
“Still, someone will say: ‘Believers experience something far different: In recognizing the grace of God toward themselves they are not only tried by disquiet, which often comes upon them, but they are repeatedly shaken by gravest terrors. For so violent are the temptations that trouble their minds as not to seem quite compatible with that certainty of faith.’ Accordingly, we shall have to solve this difficulty if we wish the above-stated doctrine to stand. Surely, while we teach that faith ought to be certain and assured, we cannot imagine any certainty that is not tinged with doubt, or any assurance that is not assailed by some anxiety. On the other hand, we say that believers are in perpetual conflict with their own unbelief. Far, indeed, are we from putting their consciences in any peaceful repose, undisturbed by any tumult at all. Yet, once again, we deny that, in whatever way they are afflicted, they fall away and depart from the certain assurance received from God’s mercy.” (John Calvin, 3.2.17)
“To sum up: When first even the least drop of faith is instilled in our minds, we begin to contemplate God’s face, peaceful and calm and gracious toward us.” (John Calvin, 3.2.19)
“…thence unbelief obtains weapons and devices to overthrow faith. Yet these are always directed to this objective: that, thinking God to be against us and hostile to us, we should not hope for any help from him, and should fear him as if he were our deadly enemy…And when any sort of temptation assails us—suggesting that God is our enemy because he is unfavorable toward us—faith, on the other hand, replies that while he afflicts us he is also merciful because his chastisement arises out of love rather than wrath…Thus the godly mind, however strange the ways in which it is vexed and troubled, finally surmounts all difficulties, and never allows itself to be deprived of assurance of divine mercy.” (John Calvin, 3.2.20-21)
“We seek a faith that distinguishes the children of God from the wicked, and believers from unbelievers. If someone believes that God both justly commands all that he commands and truly threatens, shall he therefore be called a believer? By no means! Therefore, there can be no firm condition of faith unless it rests upon God’s mercy.” (John Calvin, 3.2.30)
“Indeed, if we should have to judge from our works how the Lord feels toward us, for my part, I grant that we can in no way attain it by conjecture. But since faith ought to correspond to a simple and free promise, no place for doubting is left. For with what sort of confidence will we be armed, I pray, if we reason that God is favorable to us provided our purity of life so merit it?” (John Calvin, 3.2.38)
“Thus, they say that even though according to our present state of righteousness we can judge concerning our possession of the grace of God, the knowledge of final perseverance remains in suspense. A fine confidence of salvation is left to us, if by moral conjecture we judge that at the present moment we are in grace, but we know not what will become of us tomorrow!” (John Calvin, 3.2.40)
The Calvinist Definition of Assurance
“Assurance of faith is the conviction that one has been redeemed by Christ and will enjoy everlasting salvation.” (Joel Beeke, “The Fullness of Grace,” p. 107)
“By ‘Christian assurance,’ I refer to a Christian believer’s confidence that he or she is already in a right standing with God, and that this will issue in ultimate salvation.” (D.A. Carson, “Reflections on Assurance,” p. 384)
“Assurance of salvation is a God-given awareness that He has accepted the death of Christ on your behalf and forgiven you of your sins. It involves confidence that God loves you, that He has chosen you, and that you will go to heaven. Assurance includes a sense of freedom from the guilt of sin, relief from the fear of judgment, and joy in your relationship with God as your Father.” (Donald Whitney, How Can I Be Sure I’m A Christian?, p. 12)
“…the undoubted certainty that a person belongs to Christ, possesses his saving grace, and will ultimately enjoy everlasting salvation.” (Joel Beeke, Quest For Full Assurance, p. 5)
“By ‘Christian assurance,’ I refer to a Christian believer’s confidence that he or she is already in a right standing with God, and that this will issue in ultimate salvation.” (D.A. Carson, “Reflections on Assurance,” p. 384)
“Assurance of salvation is a God-given awareness that He has accepted the death of Christ on your behalf and forgiven you of your sins. It involves confidence that God loves you, that He has chosen you, and that you will go to heaven. Assurance includes a sense of freedom from the guilt of sin, relief from the fear of judgment, and joy in your relationship with God as your Father.” (Donald Whitney, How Can I Be Sure I’m A Christian?, p. 12)
“…the undoubted certainty that a person belongs to Christ, possesses his saving grace, and will ultimately enjoy everlasting salvation.” (Joel Beeke, Quest For Full Assurance, p. 5)
John Murray: The Distinction Between the "Basis of Salvation" and the "Basis of Assurance of Salvation"
"When we speak of the grounds of assurance, we are thinking of the ways in which a believer comes to entertain this assurance, not of the grounds on which his salvation rests. The grounds of salvation are as secure for the person who does not have full assurance as for the person who has."
(John Murray, "The Assurance of Faith," in Collected Writings of John Muray, Volume 2: Systematic Theology, p. 270).
(John Murray, "The Assurance of Faith," in Collected Writings of John Muray, Volume 2: Systematic Theology, p. 270).
Jonathan Edwards On What To Do When You Lack Assurance Of Salvation
“It is not God’s design that men should obtain assurance in any other way than by mortifying corruption, and increasing in grace, and obtaining the lively exercises of it. And although self-examination be a duty of great use and importance, and by no means to be neglected, yet it is not the principal means by which the saints do get satisfaction of their good estate. Assurance is not to be obtained so much by self-examination as by action. The Apostle Paul sought assurance chiefly this way, even by ‘forgetting the things that were behind, and reaching forth unto those things that were before, pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus; if by any means he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.’ And it was by this means chiefly that he obtained assurance: I Cor. 9:26, ‘I therefore so run, not as uncertainly.’ He obtained assurance of winning the prize, more by running than by considering. The swiftness of his pace did more towards his assurance of a conquest than the strictness of his examination.” (Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections, p. 123)
Westminster Confession on Assurance
I. Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God, and estate of salvation (which hope of theirs shall perish): yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love Him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before Him, may, in this life, be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed.
II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God, which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.
III. This infallible assurance does not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it: yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. And therefore it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance; so far is it from inclining men to looseness.
IV. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God's withdrawing the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him to walk in darkness and to have no light: yet are they never so utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.
(Chapter 18, “On Assurance of Grace & Salvation”)
II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God, which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.
III. This infallible assurance does not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it: yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. And therefore it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance; so far is it from inclining men to looseness.
IV. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God's withdrawing the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him to walk in darkness and to have no light: yet are they never so utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair.
(Chapter 18, “On Assurance of Grace & Salvation”)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Catholic Theology on Assurance
Here is a little help to get a head start on our future discussions on assurance of salvation. It is often either forgotten or unknown today that the doctrine of assurance was at the very heart of the divide between Protestants and Catholics during the Reformation. Here are two standard quotes from the Catholic viewpoint. The first comes from the Council of Trent, which was designed specifically to counter Luther and Calvin and the teaching of Protestants, and the second comes from a major Catholic theologian who was a contemporary of Calvin's. Both quotes accurately convey what is still Catholic teaching today.
“But, although it is necessary to believe that sins neither are remitted, nor ever were remitted save gratuitously by the mercy of God for Christ's sake; yet is it not to be said, that sins are forgiven, or have been forgiven, to any one who boasts of his confidence and certainty of the remission of his sins, and rests on that alone; seeing that it may exist, yea does in our day exist, amongst heretics and schismatics; and with great vehemence is this vain confidence, and one alien from all godliness, preached up in opposition to the Catholic Church. But neither is this to be asserted,-that they who are truly justified must needs, without any doubting whatever, settle within themselves that they are justified, and that no one is absolved from sins and justified, but he that believes for certain that he is absolved and justified; and that absolution and justification are effected by this faith alone: as though whoso has not this belief, doubts of the promises of God, and of the efficacy of the death and resurrection of Christ. For even as no pious person ought to doubt of the mercy of God, of the merit of Christ, and of the virtue and efficacy of the sacraments, even so each one, when he regards himself, and his own weakness and indisposition, may have fear and apprehension touching his own grace; seeing that no one can know with a certainty of faith, which cannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God.”
(Council of Trent, sixth session, §9, “Against the Vain Confidence of Heretics”)
“The principle heresy of Protestants is that saints may obtain to a certain assurance of their gracious and pardoned state before God.” (Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, 1542-1621)
“But, although it is necessary to believe that sins neither are remitted, nor ever were remitted save gratuitously by the mercy of God for Christ's sake; yet is it not to be said, that sins are forgiven, or have been forgiven, to any one who boasts of his confidence and certainty of the remission of his sins, and rests on that alone; seeing that it may exist, yea does in our day exist, amongst heretics and schismatics; and with great vehemence is this vain confidence, and one alien from all godliness, preached up in opposition to the Catholic Church. But neither is this to be asserted,-that they who are truly justified must needs, without any doubting whatever, settle within themselves that they are justified, and that no one is absolved from sins and justified, but he that believes for certain that he is absolved and justified; and that absolution and justification are effected by this faith alone: as though whoso has not this belief, doubts of the promises of God, and of the efficacy of the death and resurrection of Christ. For even as no pious person ought to doubt of the mercy of God, of the merit of Christ, and of the virtue and efficacy of the sacraments, even so each one, when he regards himself, and his own weakness and indisposition, may have fear and apprehension touching his own grace; seeing that no one can know with a certainty of faith, which cannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God.”
(Council of Trent, sixth session, §9, “Against the Vain Confidence of Heretics”)
“The principle heresy of Protestants is that saints may obtain to a certain assurance of their gracious and pardoned state before God.” (Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, 1542-1621)
Initial Questions and Issues on Assurance
The following come in no particular order. If you have Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology, chapter 40 (pp. 788-809) deals with the doctrines of the perseverance of the saints and the assurance of salvation.
1.) Is assurance of salvation normative or exceptional in the Christian life?
2.) What are the differences between Catholics, Arminians, and Calvinists on assurance? What are strong points of each, and weak? What main problems (practically, not biblically) do each run into?
3.) Is assurance part of the essence of faith, or something entirely distinct that can be absent while true saving faith is present? This has been a huge question in the Protestant tradition, and is worth wrestling over. Think of biblical arguments. What problems do you run into in each direction?
4.) How do handle the tension between "I write these things so that you might know that you have eternal life" and "only the one who endures to the end will be saved"? That is, if we must endure to the end to be saved and not fall away, how can we have assurance until we have actually done it?
5.) What is the definition of assurance of salvation? How would Arminians and Calvinists define it differently?
6.) What role does the reality of false professors (Matthew 7:21-23, 13:1-30), not only now but on the last day, play in the doctrine of assurance?
7.) How can I know I am not self-deceived and actually have saving faith?
8.) What degree or kind of certainty are we talking about in the doctrine of assurance?
9.) What is the basis or foundation of assurance of salvation? How does it relate to the basis or foundation of salvation? That is, it is important to recognize that asking how I come to know God savingly, and how I come to know that I know God savingly, are two distinct questions.
10.) What passages of Scripture are particularly important and central for constructing the doctrine of assurance?
1.) Is assurance of salvation normative or exceptional in the Christian life?
2.) What are the differences between Catholics, Arminians, and Calvinists on assurance? What are strong points of each, and weak? What main problems (practically, not biblically) do each run into?
3.) Is assurance part of the essence of faith, or something entirely distinct that can be absent while true saving faith is present? This has been a huge question in the Protestant tradition, and is worth wrestling over. Think of biblical arguments. What problems do you run into in each direction?
4.) How do handle the tension between "I write these things so that you might know that you have eternal life" and "only the one who endures to the end will be saved"? That is, if we must endure to the end to be saved and not fall away, how can we have assurance until we have actually done it?
5.) What is the definition of assurance of salvation? How would Arminians and Calvinists define it differently?
6.) What role does the reality of false professors (Matthew 7:21-23, 13:1-30), not only now but on the last day, play in the doctrine of assurance?
7.) How can I know I am not self-deceived and actually have saving faith?
8.) What degree or kind of certainty are we talking about in the doctrine of assurance?
9.) What is the basis or foundation of assurance of salvation? How does it relate to the basis or foundation of salvation? That is, it is important to recognize that asking how I come to know God savingly, and how I come to know that I know God savingly, are two distinct questions.
10.) What passages of Scripture are particularly important and central for constructing the doctrine of assurance?
Friday, July 20, 2007
Perseverance Is Promised: 1 Cor. 1:8-9
This is such a crucial reality for believers to understand as they cling to Jesus and follow him! I have mentioned this before, and we will come to it again, but it is not enough to say that God promises to save us not only now, but also forever, in the future--because that leaves a lot of time in between! And unless you hold to the loss of rewards view and think that apostasy from Jesus and falling away from faith doesn't mean anything (eternally) significant, then "once saved, always saved" just doesn't cut it. That's why it isn't the fifth point of TULIP--the "perseverance of the saints" is. Namely, all those chosen by God and who belong to His Son will infallibly be protected (through faith!) for a salvation ready to be revealed at the last time.
That's why it is essential to see that God promises not only that He has saved and will save on the last day all those who belong to Him, but also that He will sustain, guard, keep, protect and preserve them until the end so that they do not deny Jesus but stay faithful to him, thus receiving the prize and the inheritance. I have mentioned a number of passages earlier in the summer that I believe teach this (Philippians 1:6, I Thessalonians 5:23-24, Romans 5:9-10, Romans 8:28-39, Jude 24-25, etc.). But I have totally forgotten about I Corinthians 1:8-9. Listen to this promise--and realize it is given to a church that, on the surface, would appear to be the most "unspiritual", "unsanctified" group of Christians we know of in the NT! Which simply means that it is grounded in God's power and faithfulness, and not in our ability or performance or willpower.
"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
Notice, lastly, that there are no "ifs" attached to this promise. That doesn't mean perseverance and faith and obedience aren't necessary to be saved--they are. But it does mean that the promise is not based on anything inherent in them. Instead, it is actually perseverance and faith that are based on the promise that God will see us through to the end.
That's why it is essential to see that God promises not only that He has saved and will save on the last day all those who belong to Him, but also that He will sustain, guard, keep, protect and preserve them until the end so that they do not deny Jesus but stay faithful to him, thus receiving the prize and the inheritance. I have mentioned a number of passages earlier in the summer that I believe teach this (Philippians 1:6, I Thessalonians 5:23-24, Romans 5:9-10, Romans 8:28-39, Jude 24-25, etc.). But I have totally forgotten about I Corinthians 1:8-9. Listen to this promise--and realize it is given to a church that, on the surface, would appear to be the most "unspiritual", "unsanctified" group of Christians we know of in the NT! Which simply means that it is grounded in God's power and faithfulness, and not in our ability or performance or willpower.
"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
Notice, lastly, that there are no "ifs" attached to this promise. That doesn't mean perseverance and faith and obedience aren't necessary to be saved--they are. But it does mean that the promise is not based on anything inherent in them. Instead, it is actually perseverance and faith that are based on the promise that God will see us through to the end.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
What Does 1 John 3:20 Mean?
This is a very familiar passage in a very famous letter:
"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."
What does the phrase in italics mean, in light of the surrounding context? It is not immediately obvious, and I have a feeling that many Christians assume a meaning that is not likely. What do you think it means?
"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."
What does the phrase in italics mean, in light of the surrounding context? It is not immediately obvious, and I have a feeling that many Christians assume a meaning that is not likely. What do you think it means?
Why Scot McKnight Is Not A Calvinist
Answer: The Warning Passages in Hebrews
http://www.jesuscreed.org/?p=1396#comments
This is an older post on Dr. McKnight's popular blog, JesusCreed, written shortly after that Christianity Today cover article on young Calvinists came out a few months ago. McKnight taught for many years at one of the leading evangelical seminaries in the world, Trinity, and now teaches at North Park University. I really like McKnight in many ways--he is very genuine, passionately committed to Christ and to the gospel, has maintained a high view of Scripture even at the top levels of critical scholarship, and is clearly a dear brother in Christ and transparently lives out the gospel better than many who call themselves Calvinists. He's a little too sympathetic to those who want to downplay historic biblical orthodoxy at times for my taste, but I consistently sense that he is willing to follow the Scriptures wherever they lead. In this post--which, if you have the time, I also encourage you to read through some of the comments (including some by Scot), in which The Race Set Before Us is mentioned a few times--it becomes clear that a main reason many reject Calvinism is because it seems to downplay seriously the force of the warnings and the reality of apostasy from the faith and the consequences professing believers will experience. This, in my mind, heightens the sense of responsibility we should have to be balanced in proclaiming both the promises and sovereign grace of God, and the warnings and the eternal judgment they actually (and not hypothetically) threaten on all who say "Lord, Lord" but do not do what He commands--without using either to cancel out or diminish the others. If you read through the comments, it also becomes crystal clear how crucial it is to have a basic grasp of "compatibilism." I'd love to hear your thoughts.
http://www.jesuscreed.org/?p=1396#comments
This is an older post on Dr. McKnight's popular blog, JesusCreed, written shortly after that Christianity Today cover article on young Calvinists came out a few months ago. McKnight taught for many years at one of the leading evangelical seminaries in the world, Trinity, and now teaches at North Park University. I really like McKnight in many ways--he is very genuine, passionately committed to Christ and to the gospel, has maintained a high view of Scripture even at the top levels of critical scholarship, and is clearly a dear brother in Christ and transparently lives out the gospel better than many who call themselves Calvinists. He's a little too sympathetic to those who want to downplay historic biblical orthodoxy at times for my taste, but I consistently sense that he is willing to follow the Scriptures wherever they lead. In this post--which, if you have the time, I also encourage you to read through some of the comments (including some by Scot), in which The Race Set Before Us is mentioned a few times--it becomes clear that a main reason many reject Calvinism is because it seems to downplay seriously the force of the warnings and the reality of apostasy from the faith and the consequences professing believers will experience. This, in my mind, heightens the sense of responsibility we should have to be balanced in proclaiming both the promises and sovereign grace of God, and the warnings and the eternal judgment they actually (and not hypothetically) threaten on all who say "Lord, Lord" but do not do what He commands--without using either to cancel out or diminish the others. If you read through the comments, it also becomes crystal clear how crucial it is to have a basic grasp of "compatibilism." I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Reflecting On Fallen Runners
My aim is for this to be a kind of brief summary post, listing the various reasons I do not believe that true, authentic believers who have been forgiven, justified and saved can ever fall way into destruction and be lost. And therefore, anyone who fails to endure and persevere--in faith--throughout the race which is set before us demonstrates by their falling away that they never were savingly called by God.
1.) I John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us."
2.) Matthew 7:21-23, where those who show up on the last day and say "Lord, Lord" (that is, they are professing Christians and not atheists or Muslims, etc.) and are rejected and condemned because they did not do the will of the Father, are told by Jesus that "I never knew you." Not just now, not just at a certain point when you fell away or lost your faith, but I NEVER knew you as my own.
3.) The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15). Read together in all three gospels in which it appears, this parable makes it clear that true faith which receives the word in a good heart both bears fruit and perseveres, while those who fall away either did not understand or had no root in themselves. While not explicit, the impression given is surely no that the other three soils got off to a good start and were genuine, but only later problems arose. Instead, from the very beginning the word did not take root to grow.
4.) The Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). Here those who confess Jesus with their lips and who claim to belong to Him are--as so often in Jesus' parables--divided up into two groups, the wheat and the weeds or tares. Explicitly, the weeds in the field (i.e. professing believers who are not genuine and who will not be saved on the last day) are said to be planted by the "enemy" (Satan), and not by the good sower. However, on the last day (see Matthew 7, Matthew 25, etc.) these two groups--which are so often difficult or even impossible to distinguish now--will be separated before the judgment seat of God. However, there is no hint here that those who will be shown to be weeds on the last day started off as wheat or changed their course or identity halfway through. The opposite, in fact, is the case: they were planted as weeds from the beginning. Moreover, it is also significant that Matthew places this parable immediately after the parable of the sower, thus showing that the three "bad" soils that hear the word but fall away were never, indeed, "good" soils but instead never belonged to Jesus.
5.) The Promises of God: Passages such as Philippians 1:6; Romans 5:1-11; Romans 8:28-39; John 6:37-40, 44, 54; 10:27-30; I Thessalonians 5:24; II Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 10:39, etc. Simply put, these passages just cannot be understood within any framework that teaches that true believers who belong to God can fall away and perish. Thus, if Hymenaeus or Alexander or Demas or Judas were genuine believers who later fell away and forfeited their salvation, these promises cannot be trusted. We will always inevitably add the totally unwarranted "if" to them like John Wesley (See TRSBU, p. 22, also footnote 6)
6.) All true believers have the Spirit (Romans 8:9, etc.). And the Spirit is the downpayment and guarantee of our future inheritance, which is being kept for us and cannot be lost (see II Corinthians 1:22, 5:5, Ephesians 1:13-14, I Peter 1:3-5). God's preservation of them through faith will uphold them through all trials and keep them from stumbling.
7.) There are no "drop outs" in between the "already" and "not yet". Many passages teach this, such as Romans 5:9-10, Romans 8:28, Ephesians 2:4-8, Philippians 1:6, etc. Yet this is exactly what the loss of salvation view must hold to--that there really are people who experience the "already" of being forgiven, justified, saved, adopted, brought from death to life, and somehow become unforgiven, unjustified, unsaved, unadopted, and who regress back from life into death again. Yet there clearly are no passages in the NT which ever teach or even come close to inferring such a thing. Instead, present possession of the "already" of salvation always acts as a guarantee of future participation in the "not yet." We who have now received the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15) are waiting eagerly and confidently for our (future) adoption as sons (Romans 8:23).
8.) Denies the Assurance of Salvation: Of course, we have yet to discuss this topic and we are coming to it soon. But regardless of the difficulties that surround the doctrine of assurance, it seems radically clear that the NT writers not only think that it is possible for believers to have assurance of salvation, but even expect them to pursue it and experience it. I am writing these things that you might know that you have eternal life. However, if a true believer can lose their salvation by an act of their own will, then for all practical purposes there is no way I can ever really have any kind of assurance at all. For my will triumphs over God's grasp of me. My hold of Him takes priority over His hold on me. And therefore, I can only trust His promises as far as I can trust my own willpower and endurance. Which is not very far when life becomes hard and the power and desire of sin rears its ugly head. It is not a coincidence that the doctrine of assurance has never been a firm reality in Arminian theology.
9.) The Case of Judas' Apostasy: We saw last night the vast differences between Peter and Judas. Though both commit similar acts of treason and betrayal, and deny their Lord, Peter repents and is restored and Judas is not. We are given several insights into this in the NT. First, though Satan has asked permission to sift (plural!) YOU like wheat--the disciples, at least Peter and Judas--Jesus has prayed for (singular!) YOU, Peter, and when (not if) you get back up and start running again, turn and strengthen your brothers. Thus the intercession of Jesus is the difference between Peter and Judas. Second, the gospels make it clear all over (for instance, John 6:70-71) that Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas did not belong to him, but that Peter is in another class. Lastly, John 17:6-12 is crystal clear: "I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."
1.) I John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us."
2.) Matthew 7:21-23, where those who show up on the last day and say "Lord, Lord" (that is, they are professing Christians and not atheists or Muslims, etc.) and are rejected and condemned because they did not do the will of the Father, are told by Jesus that "I never knew you." Not just now, not just at a certain point when you fell away or lost your faith, but I NEVER knew you as my own.
3.) The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15). Read together in all three gospels in which it appears, this parable makes it clear that true faith which receives the word in a good heart both bears fruit and perseveres, while those who fall away either did not understand or had no root in themselves. While not explicit, the impression given is surely no that the other three soils got off to a good start and were genuine, but only later problems arose. Instead, from the very beginning the word did not take root to grow.
4.) The Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). Here those who confess Jesus with their lips and who claim to belong to Him are--as so often in Jesus' parables--divided up into two groups, the wheat and the weeds or tares. Explicitly, the weeds in the field (i.e. professing believers who are not genuine and who will not be saved on the last day) are said to be planted by the "enemy" (Satan), and not by the good sower. However, on the last day (see Matthew 7, Matthew 25, etc.) these two groups--which are so often difficult or even impossible to distinguish now--will be separated before the judgment seat of God. However, there is no hint here that those who will be shown to be weeds on the last day started off as wheat or changed their course or identity halfway through. The opposite, in fact, is the case: they were planted as weeds from the beginning. Moreover, it is also significant that Matthew places this parable immediately after the parable of the sower, thus showing that the three "bad" soils that hear the word but fall away were never, indeed, "good" soils but instead never belonged to Jesus.
5.) The Promises of God: Passages such as Philippians 1:6; Romans 5:1-11; Romans 8:28-39; John 6:37-40, 44, 54; 10:27-30; I Thessalonians 5:24; II Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 10:39, etc. Simply put, these passages just cannot be understood within any framework that teaches that true believers who belong to God can fall away and perish. Thus, if Hymenaeus or Alexander or Demas or Judas were genuine believers who later fell away and forfeited their salvation, these promises cannot be trusted. We will always inevitably add the totally unwarranted "if" to them like John Wesley (See TRSBU, p. 22, also footnote 6)
6.) All true believers have the Spirit (Romans 8:9, etc.). And the Spirit is the downpayment and guarantee of our future inheritance, which is being kept for us and cannot be lost (see II Corinthians 1:22, 5:5, Ephesians 1:13-14, I Peter 1:3-5). God's preservation of them through faith will uphold them through all trials and keep them from stumbling.
7.) There are no "drop outs" in between the "already" and "not yet". Many passages teach this, such as Romans 5:9-10, Romans 8:28, Ephesians 2:4-8, Philippians 1:6, etc. Yet this is exactly what the loss of salvation view must hold to--that there really are people who experience the "already" of being forgiven, justified, saved, adopted, brought from death to life, and somehow become unforgiven, unjustified, unsaved, unadopted, and who regress back from life into death again. Yet there clearly are no passages in the NT which ever teach or even come close to inferring such a thing. Instead, present possession of the "already" of salvation always acts as a guarantee of future participation in the "not yet." We who have now received the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15) are waiting eagerly and confidently for our (future) adoption as sons (Romans 8:23).
8.) Denies the Assurance of Salvation: Of course, we have yet to discuss this topic and we are coming to it soon. But regardless of the difficulties that surround the doctrine of assurance, it seems radically clear that the NT writers not only think that it is possible for believers to have assurance of salvation, but even expect them to pursue it and experience it. I am writing these things that you might know that you have eternal life. However, if a true believer can lose their salvation by an act of their own will, then for all practical purposes there is no way I can ever really have any kind of assurance at all. For my will triumphs over God's grasp of me. My hold of Him takes priority over His hold on me. And therefore, I can only trust His promises as far as I can trust my own willpower and endurance. Which is not very far when life becomes hard and the power and desire of sin rears its ugly head. It is not a coincidence that the doctrine of assurance has never been a firm reality in Arminian theology.
9.) The Case of Judas' Apostasy: We saw last night the vast differences between Peter and Judas. Though both commit similar acts of treason and betrayal, and deny their Lord, Peter repents and is restored and Judas is not. We are given several insights into this in the NT. First, though Satan has asked permission to sift (plural!) YOU like wheat--the disciples, at least Peter and Judas--Jesus has prayed for (singular!) YOU, Peter, and when (not if) you get back up and start running again, turn and strengthen your brothers. Thus the intercession of Jesus is the difference between Peter and Judas. Second, the gospels make it clear all over (for instance, John 6:70-71) that Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas did not belong to him, but that Peter is in another class. Lastly, John 17:6-12 is crystal clear: "I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."
Warnings in the Apostolic Fathers
Last night in class I read the account of Polycarp's martydom and of his faithful endurance until the end, not denying Christ but rather confessing him even under persecution. This account comes from a group of writings that are known today as the "Apostolic Fathers." This refers to early Christian writers such as Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and Barnabas, who lived in the first several centuries after the close of the New Testament canon. They wrote several centuries before Augustine, and thus their writings are the earliest extant Christian writings we possess outside of the New Testament. For instance, most scholars date the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians to about 96 A.D.! I highly recommend taking the time to read through these valuable writings at some point, and seeing how the gospel and the Christian life and nature of the church was understood by the first generations of Christians. I've linked to the book Early Christian Writings below.
In reading through these letters recently, I have been struck at how the various writers make use of warnings to exhort and encourage and rebuke the believers they are writing to. I'll try to make note of some of these warnings here in the near future. For now, I'll just point out several things that all of the warnings I have seen in these writings have in common. First, they are all addressed to believers with no hint that the writer believes they may be fakes or that warnings imply that those being exhorted may not actually be genuinely saved. In fact, these early writers often make the explicit point that they are writing the warnings for themselves as well. Second, the warnings are radically future oriented. The crown of life and the prize of salvation and similar images are referenced often, and made conditional on perseverance and endurance in discipleship. Third, these writers conceive with crystal clarity that the prize at stake in enduring to the end is salvation, and what is threatened is final condemnation and judgment. There is simply no way a "loss of rewards" view can be read out of these letters. Eternal life is what is at stake. Here are a few quotes from the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians:
"Besides these men of saintly life [i.e. Old Testament examples, and Peter and Paul], there are many more of the elect who have undergone hardships and torments instigated by jealousy, and provide admirable object lessons for ourselves. There were women, hounded by jealousy...who endured fearful and diabolical tortures, yet in spite of their bodily frailty they finished the race of faith unshaken, and received their noble reward...Now, all this is not being written as a warning to you alone, my dear friends, but for a reminder to ourselves as well, because we too are in the same arena and have the same conflict before us."
"Lot, for his hospitality and his piety, was brought safely out of Sodom, when fire and brimstone were raining down in judgment on all the region about. Moreover, on that occasion the Lord made it plain that, while He never forsakes those who place their hopes in Him, He visits pains and penaltieson the rebellious; and as a sign of this, Lot's wife, who had accompanied him in his flight, but later changed her mind and fell out with him, was turned into a pillar of salt to this day. That was to let all men see how doubt and distrust of God's power to bring a judgment upon themselves, and become a warning of future generations."
"Take care then, my friends, lest, if we fail to conduct ourselves worthily of Him and to do what is good and acceptable to Him in amity together, all this beneficence of His should turn to our condemnation."
"Therefore, since there is nothing He does not see and hear, let us approach Him with awe, and have done with this hateful fondness for mischief-making, so that we may find shelter in His mercy from the judgment to come...Then let us strain every nerve to be found among those who wait in patience for Him, so that we too may earn a share of His promised gifts. And how is this to be done, my friends? Why, by fixing our minds trustfully on God; by finding out what is pleasing and acceptable to Him; by doing whatever agrees with His perfect will; by following the paths of truth. Wickedness and wrongdoing of every kind must be utterly renounced; all greed, quarreling, malice and fraud, scandals and backbiting, enmity towards God, glorification of self, presumption, conceit, and lack of hospitality; for men who do such things--and not only men who do them, but men who consent to them--are held in detestation by God."
"Then let us show ourselves obedient to His all-holy and glorious Name, so that we may escape the doom that was pronounced of old by wisdom upon the ungodly, and may dwell in trustful reliance on the most sacred Name of His majesty. Be counseled by us, and you will have nothing to regret. As surely as God lives, as Jesus Christ lives, and the Holy Spirit also (on whom are set the faith and hope of God's elect), so surely the man who keeps the divinely appointed decrees and statutes with humility and an unfailing consideration for others, and never looks back, will be enrolled in honor among the number of those who are saved through Jesus Christ, by whom is God glorified forever and ever, Amen. But if there are any who refuse to heed the declarations He has made through our lips, let them not doubt the gravity of the guilt and the peril in which they involve themselves. For our part we will take care to be innocent of any such offense; and we will entreat the Creator of all things with heartfelt prayer and supplication that the full sum of His elect, as it has been numbered throughout all the world, may ever be preserved intact through His beloved Son Jesus Christ, by whom He has called us out of darkenss to light, and from ignorance to the clear knowledge of the glory of His name."
All of these quotes come from pp. 23-47, in Early Christian Writings:
In reading through these letters recently, I have been struck at how the various writers make use of warnings to exhort and encourage and rebuke the believers they are writing to. I'll try to make note of some of these warnings here in the near future. For now, I'll just point out several things that all of the warnings I have seen in these writings have in common. First, they are all addressed to believers with no hint that the writer believes they may be fakes or that warnings imply that those being exhorted may not actually be genuinely saved. In fact, these early writers often make the explicit point that they are writing the warnings for themselves as well. Second, the warnings are radically future oriented. The crown of life and the prize of salvation and similar images are referenced often, and made conditional on perseverance and endurance in discipleship. Third, these writers conceive with crystal clarity that the prize at stake in enduring to the end is salvation, and what is threatened is final condemnation and judgment. There is simply no way a "loss of rewards" view can be read out of these letters. Eternal life is what is at stake. Here are a few quotes from the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians:
"Besides these men of saintly life [i.e. Old Testament examples, and Peter and Paul], there are many more of the elect who have undergone hardships and torments instigated by jealousy, and provide admirable object lessons for ourselves. There were women, hounded by jealousy...who endured fearful and diabolical tortures, yet in spite of their bodily frailty they finished the race of faith unshaken, and received their noble reward...Now, all this is not being written as a warning to you alone, my dear friends, but for a reminder to ourselves as well, because we too are in the same arena and have the same conflict before us."
"Lot, for his hospitality and his piety, was brought safely out of Sodom, when fire and brimstone were raining down in judgment on all the region about. Moreover, on that occasion the Lord made it plain that, while He never forsakes those who place their hopes in Him, He visits pains and penaltieson the rebellious; and as a sign of this, Lot's wife, who had accompanied him in his flight, but later changed her mind and fell out with him, was turned into a pillar of salt to this day. That was to let all men see how doubt and distrust of God's power to bring a judgment upon themselves, and become a warning of future generations."
"Take care then, my friends, lest, if we fail to conduct ourselves worthily of Him and to do what is good and acceptable to Him in amity together, all this beneficence of His should turn to our condemnation."
"Therefore, since there is nothing He does not see and hear, let us approach Him with awe, and have done with this hateful fondness for mischief-making, so that we may find shelter in His mercy from the judgment to come...Then let us strain every nerve to be found among those who wait in patience for Him, so that we too may earn a share of His promised gifts. And how is this to be done, my friends? Why, by fixing our minds trustfully on God; by finding out what is pleasing and acceptable to Him; by doing whatever agrees with His perfect will; by following the paths of truth. Wickedness and wrongdoing of every kind must be utterly renounced; all greed, quarreling, malice and fraud, scandals and backbiting, enmity towards God, glorification of self, presumption, conceit, and lack of hospitality; for men who do such things--and not only men who do them, but men who consent to them--are held in detestation by God."
"Then let us show ourselves obedient to His all-holy and glorious Name, so that we may escape the doom that was pronounced of old by wisdom upon the ungodly, and may dwell in trustful reliance on the most sacred Name of His majesty. Be counseled by us, and you will have nothing to regret. As surely as God lives, as Jesus Christ lives, and the Holy Spirit also (on whom are set the faith and hope of God's elect), so surely the man who keeps the divinely appointed decrees and statutes with humility and an unfailing consideration for others, and never looks back, will be enrolled in honor among the number of those who are saved through Jesus Christ, by whom is God glorified forever and ever, Amen. But if there are any who refuse to heed the declarations He has made through our lips, let them not doubt the gravity of the guilt and the peril in which they involve themselves. For our part we will take care to be innocent of any such offense; and we will entreat the Creator of all things with heartfelt prayer and supplication that the full sum of His elect, as it has been numbered throughout all the world, may ever be preserved intact through His beloved Son Jesus Christ, by whom He has called us out of darkenss to light, and from ignorance to the clear knowledge of the glory of His name."
All of these quotes come from pp. 23-47, in Early Christian Writings:
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Conference Videos for Upcoming Endurance DG Conference
Click on the link for regularly updated videos from the speakers who will be at this coming years Desiring God conference, "STAND: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints". The ones that are up already are really good--very tantalizing. I'm definitely looking forward to September 28th-30th.
http://www.desiringgod.org/Events/NationalConferences/Archives/2007/Podcast/
http://www.desiringgod.org/Events/NationalConferences/Archives/2007/Podcast/
Four Views on the Warning Passages in Hebrews
Here is the link to a new "Four Views" book on the warning passages in Hebrews. I know nothing about it, so I have no idea what views are presented (or left out) or of what quality the book is. Still, looks very worth reading.
http://www.amazon.com/Four-Views-Warning-Passages-Hebrews/dp/0825421322/ref=cm_lmf_tit_7_rsrsrs0/103-0130675-7819048
http://www.amazon.com/Four-Views-Warning-Passages-Hebrews/dp/0825421322/ref=cm_lmf_tit_7_rsrsrs0/103-0130675-7819048
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P.S. I just scrolled down to the bottom of the amazon.com page and there is a lengthy review of the book's contents. Tests of Genuineness, two Arminian/Loss of Salvation, and Loss of Rewards...but NO Means of Salvation defender! How can this be? Absolutely inexcusable, in light of the fact that The Race Set Before Us was published six years prior to this book!
Does Hebrews 12:17 Teach That Esau Could Not Repent?
We've touched briefly on this passage and alluded to it a few times in class, particularly its relationship to the statement earlier in Hebrews 6:4-8 about how it is impossible to restore Christians who apostatize back to repentance again. The question then becomes, does this entail that there are situations in which people have a genuine desire to repent, but are not allowed to (either by God or by the people of God)? This would be a scary situation, obviously, as many believers would become terrified that in spite of their desires to repent, that God will not accept it. This could easily lead to unhealthy spiritual paralyzation . Is this what Hebrews 12:17 is saying was the case with Esau?
I don't think so. Look at the context again: "See that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance (literally, "no place") to repent, though he sought it with tears." This last phrase is the crucial one. I have often (unconsciously) interpreted it in the past as saying that Esau could not repent, though he sought repentance with tears. I think many read it this way. However, notice that all the text says is that Esau sought "it" with tears (this is faithful to the Greek, which is likewise ambiguous). So understanding this text centers around identifying what "it" was that Esau sought in vain. The word "it" in Greek is feminine singular, and there are two feminine singular nouns earlier in the verse which "it" could be referring to. The first is, indeed, "repentance." However, the other possibility is "the blessing." This is a reference to his birthright (in v. 16) which Esau had previously sold. Notice that plugging this in for "it" would change radically the thrust of the last phrase: "For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought to gain back his birthright with tears."
This makes much more sense to me of the passage, for several reasons. First, the phrase "he found no place for repentance" doesn't sound like a description of something that was impossible for Esau to do, but rather describing that in spite of his pursuit to gain back his birthright in tears, he nonetheless did not do so in repentance; his heart was hardened and he was not repentant in spirit--that is, he found "no place" for repentance in his pursuit to reacquire what he really wanted. That is, there was no God-centered sorrow over sin and over having transgressed against the Lord, but merely a despising of the consequences of his action. Second, this lines up very well with Paul's distinction in 2 Corinthians 7:10-13 between a "godly sorrow" that leads to salvation with regret, and a "wordly sorrow" that only produces death and loss. So Paul has categories for tears that do not include repentance. And lastly, we know of so many other people in Scripture (Peter! David!) who committed similar acts of disobedience and sin, but who did repent afterwards.
Therefore, this warning in Hebrews 12:12-17 refers not to the impossibility of repenting after sin or to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit mentioned in the gospels, but rather that turning away from God will lead to destruction if there is not repentance, as Esau himself demonstrates.
I don't think so. Look at the context again: "See that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance (literally, "no place") to repent, though he sought it with tears." This last phrase is the crucial one. I have often (unconsciously) interpreted it in the past as saying that Esau could not repent, though he sought repentance with tears. I think many read it this way. However, notice that all the text says is that Esau sought "it" with tears (this is faithful to the Greek, which is likewise ambiguous). So understanding this text centers around identifying what "it" was that Esau sought in vain. The word "it" in Greek is feminine singular, and there are two feminine singular nouns earlier in the verse which "it" could be referring to. The first is, indeed, "repentance." However, the other possibility is "the blessing." This is a reference to his birthright (in v. 16) which Esau had previously sold. Notice that plugging this in for "it" would change radically the thrust of the last phrase: "For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought to gain back his birthright with tears."
This makes much more sense to me of the passage, for several reasons. First, the phrase "he found no place for repentance" doesn't sound like a description of something that was impossible for Esau to do, but rather describing that in spite of his pursuit to gain back his birthright in tears, he nonetheless did not do so in repentance; his heart was hardened and he was not repentant in spirit--that is, he found "no place" for repentance in his pursuit to reacquire what he really wanted. That is, there was no God-centered sorrow over sin and over having transgressed against the Lord, but merely a despising of the consequences of his action. Second, this lines up very well with Paul's distinction in 2 Corinthians 7:10-13 between a "godly sorrow" that leads to salvation with regret, and a "wordly sorrow" that only produces death and loss. So Paul has categories for tears that do not include repentance. And lastly, we know of so many other people in Scripture (Peter! David!) who committed similar acts of disobedience and sin, but who did repent afterwards.
Therefore, this warning in Hebrews 12:12-17 refers not to the impossibility of repenting after sin or to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit mentioned in the gospels, but rather that turning away from God will lead to destruction if there is not repentance, as Esau himself demonstrates.
Kept By The Power Of God...Through Faith
We talked in class this past week of how the NT writers do not see an either/or relationship between the necessity of believers persevering by faith, and of God's sovereignly presevering them by His grace, but rather a both/and relationship in which our endurance is the very manifestation of God's upholding and sustaining us by His power. I Peter 1:3-9 is perhaps the classic example of this:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Nonetheless, this passage is by no means the only text that speaks of this dynamic (check out the quotes I mentioned earlier, below, by Berkouwer and others which highlight this theme, too; see TRSBU, p. 205, footnote 119)). Once you see it, it becomes impossible not to see it everywhere. For instance, notice how the letter of Jude ends with this dual perspective. In Jude 20-21 we are commanded: "But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life." Yet a mere few verses later, in Jude 24-25, Jude extols the power and grace of God to bring about this very thing in our lives: "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." So who keeps who? Do we keep ourselves in the path of faith, or does God. For Jude, it is self-evidently both. We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, FOR it is God who is working in us to work and to will for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13; compare I Corinthians 15:10 and Colossians 1:28-29)
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Nonetheless, this passage is by no means the only text that speaks of this dynamic (check out the quotes I mentioned earlier, below, by Berkouwer and others which highlight this theme, too; see TRSBU, p. 205, footnote 119)). Once you see it, it becomes impossible not to see it everywhere. For instance, notice how the letter of Jude ends with this dual perspective. In Jude 20-21 we are commanded: "But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life." Yet a mere few verses later, in Jude 24-25, Jude extols the power and grace of God to bring about this very thing in our lives: "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." So who keeps who? Do we keep ourselves in the path of faith, or does God. For Jude, it is self-evidently both. We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, FOR it is God who is working in us to work and to will for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13; compare I Corinthians 15:10 and Colossians 1:28-29)
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Who Is Being Warned In Hebrews?
A huge difference between the "Tests of Genuineness" (TOG) and "Means of Salvation" (MOS) views is how the identity of the people described and addressed in Hebrews 6:4-8 and Hebrews 10:26-31 is understood. For the "TOG" view--ably defended by Wayne Grudem and many others--the people described in these two passages are merely professing Christians who are not actually saved--that is, they are self-deceived hypocrites who do not have true saving faith. For the "MOS" view, as espoused by Schreiner and Caneday, these people are true, genuine Christians who are in a saving relationship with God through Christ and whose sins have been definitively forgiven and who are regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit and who are justified by the blood of Jesus. This is, to be sure, no small difference. It is also practical, as it colors how we hear and receive these warnings.
I plan on discussing this specific matter, and these two passages, soon in class (Lord willing). But for now, what do you see in these two passages (LISTED BELOW) that would argue for either view? What would lead us to think these are not authentic, born again Christians described here, but rather frauds and fakes who were never saved to begin with? What evidence, on the other hand, can be put forth that would argue that these people are actual, genuine believers who have experienced true salvation? If we are honest, decent arguments can be given for both sides. There is a reason that there has always been such fierce debate over these two passages throughout history. However, when all the evidence is seen cumulatively together, does one view or the other seem to have more validty, being demonstrated to be much more likely? How would the original audience have heard these warnings? Start writing down your thoughts.
Hebrews 6:4-8: "For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned."
Hebrews 10:26-31: "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
(of course, these passages should be consulted in their entire overall contexts to be understood as accurately as possible)
I plan on discussing this specific matter, and these two passages, soon in class (Lord willing). But for now, what do you see in these two passages (LISTED BELOW) that would argue for either view? What would lead us to think these are not authentic, born again Christians described here, but rather frauds and fakes who were never saved to begin with? What evidence, on the other hand, can be put forth that would argue that these people are actual, genuine believers who have experienced true salvation? If we are honest, decent arguments can be given for both sides. There is a reason that there has always been such fierce debate over these two passages throughout history. However, when all the evidence is seen cumulatively together, does one view or the other seem to have more validty, being demonstrated to be much more likely? How would the original audience have heard these warnings? Start writing down your thoughts.
Hebrews 6:4-8: "For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned."
Hebrews 10:26-31: "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
(of course, these passages should be consulted in their entire overall contexts to be understood as accurately as possible)
Saturday, July 7, 2007
A Call For The Perseverance Of The Saints
Revelation 13:7-10—“Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.”
Revelation 14:9-12—“And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”
Revelation 14:9-12—“And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”
What Should We Tell Brand New Converts?
Many things, of course! But after a dramatic conversion in the early years of the church (recorded in Acts 11), Barnabas is sent by the apostles to bring some order to this "mess" and sort things out for the future. Notice the one thing that Luke points out Barnabas instructed these brand new, baby Christians in:
Acts 11:21-24—“And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.”
Acts 11:21-24—“And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.”
The Parable of the Sower
In Luke's version of the parable of the sower (found in Luke 8:4-18), we are confronted once again with the familiar description of the four different kinds of soil, all of which hear the gospel and--at least in some way--initially respond to it in "faith." However, just like in Mark (4:1-25) and Matthew (13:1-23), Luke's Jesus informs us that only one kind of soil upon which the seed (i.e. gospel) falls actually experiences final salvation. What is different about this soil compared to the other three? A comparison of the three accounts in Matthew, Mark and Luke is profoundly enlightening, and if you have never studied this crucial parable in-depth, I commend this exercise to you.
I will not attempt to describe all the differences these accounts give us between the four soils which lead three to "fall away" and only one to receive salvation. But Luke's version adds something about the fourth soil which Matthew and Mark do not: in Luke 8:15 we read: "As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with perseverance.” I have translated this last word in the Greek (hypomone) not as "patience" as most English versions do, for this is a radically watered-down revision of Luke's thought. This word in Greek almost always refers to endurance/perseverance, and other words are used by NT writers when wanting to convey the thought of "patience" or "forbearance." Also, the verbal form of this same word is used by Jesus in Matthew 10:22, 24:12, and Mark 13:13 when he says that it is only the one who "endures" to end who will be saved. And most importantly, the only other time Luke uses this word in his entire gospel is in Luke 21:19, which says: "And by your perseverance you will gain your lives." This clearly does not mean "patience" here! In conclusion, then, one of the fundamental marks of the "good soil," which receives the word in faith and does not turn aside to the riches of live or the cares of this world or bows under persecution or unpopularity, and thus receives the kingdom on the last day, is perseverance.
Hebrews 10:35-39--"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
I will not attempt to describe all the differences these accounts give us between the four soils which lead three to "fall away" and only one to receive salvation. But Luke's version adds something about the fourth soil which Matthew and Mark do not: in Luke 8:15 we read: "As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with perseverance.” I have translated this last word in the Greek (hypomone) not as "patience" as most English versions do, for this is a radically watered-down revision of Luke's thought. This word in Greek almost always refers to endurance/perseverance, and other words are used by NT writers when wanting to convey the thought of "patience" or "forbearance." Also, the verbal form of this same word is used by Jesus in Matthew 10:22, 24:12, and Mark 13:13 when he says that it is only the one who "endures" to end who will be saved. And most importantly, the only other time Luke uses this word in his entire gospel is in Luke 21:19, which says: "And by your perseverance you will gain your lives." This clearly does not mean "patience" here! In conclusion, then, one of the fundamental marks of the "good soil," which receives the word in faith and does not turn aside to the riches of live or the cares of this world or bows under persecution or unpopularity, and thus receives the kingdom on the last day, is perseverance.
Hebrews 10:35-39--"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
Friday, July 6, 2007
Piper on Perseverance
Here are three messages on the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints by John Piper:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/BySeries/59/
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/BySeries/59/
DISCUSSION QUESTION: What Is The Difference Between The "Tests of Genuineness" and "Means of Salvation" Views?
We ended class this past Tuesday with this question briefly brought up. For those who are (or lean towards) Calvinists and who thus have a strong view of God's final preservation of all His chosen people--that is, that no true believers will fall away and perish--the two options for understanding the warnings are the Tests of Genuineness view (Wayne Grudem, etc.) and the Means of Salvation view (Schreiner & Caneday, etc.). So a crucial question is, what are the legitimate differences between these two interpretations of the warning passages? On the other hand, what common ground and similarities are there between them? Does it matter--practically--which one we hold to? We'll discuss this more in class, but I'd love to start some dialogue now in the comments section: what differences or similarities do you see between these two views?
Thursday, July 5, 2007
LISTENING TO THE WARNINGS: Why I Want To Be "Left Behind" When Jesus Comes
I'm referring, of course, to the famous and popular Left Behind series of Christian fiction books that have been all the rage over the past decade. While not a big fan of the theology which is expressed in these books with respect to the "end times", I could actually care less about these books at the end of the day, and my burden is not to point out the manifold errors (in my opinion) contained in these works. But it does seem to me that if you buy into this take on eschatology, you will not understand the thrust of one of Jesus' fundamental warnings to His disciples.
Consider Matthew 24:36-51 (which is the first passage listed in my previous post)--it is fascinating to me that this is the central text cited by "Left Behind" theology proponents for their view of a "secret rapture," in which believers will be mystically whisked away while the world continues to go on, until the "second" second coming of Jesus later on! You've seen the bumper stickers, right?: "In case of rapture, this car will be unattended" OK, I'll make sure not to drive behind you then. Yet Matthew 24 is the only passage in the New Testament that could suggest anything like this (I Thessalonians 4:13-18 I take as a general description of the second coming which will happen on the last day, taking place simultaneously with the conclusion to the history of the world and the bringing into existence of a new heavens and a new earth and the banishment of the ungodly from the Lord's presence forever--and certainly not to a "secret" rapture that will not be seen by the world as it continues to go on. Indeed, one of the chief weaknesses of "Left Behind" theology is that it separates two events--Jesus coming for His people, and the end of history/final judgment--which the NT always keeps together).
Yet, when Matthew 24 is examined closely, it becomes apparent that it actually teaches the exact opposite of "Left Behind" theology! Take a look for yourselves:
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For AS were the days of Noah, SO will be the coming of the Son of Man. For AS in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, SO will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."
Notice two crucial things about this text. First, the context is a comparison between the flood of judgment that came upon the wicked who did not trust in God during Noah's day, and the future coming of the Son of Man. Jesus says it will be like it was in Noah's day when He comes again: people will be frolicking in their idolatrous enjoyments of money, sex and power, having a grand old time of fun and revelry, and the coming judgment will hit them like a ton of bricks--it will be an absolute surprise, totally unexpected, catching them completely off guard. Second, the description that follows of what will happen when Jesus returns in judgment on the wicked and salvation for His people--namely, one will be taken and one left--is used in comparison to what happened in Noah's day when the flood of judgment came! Namely, the wicked were swept away or taken away, while those who take refuge in God and were ultimately saved were left behind! Therefore, to be left behind is to experience salvation on the last day--you will remain in the new heavens and the new earth, in which righteousness dwells--while to be "taken away" refers to being expelled outside of the gates of the kingdom, being swept utterly away to final judgment, and cast into hell. In light of this coming reality, Jesus says one thing repeatedly to those who follow Him: STAY AWAKE. WATCH. DO NOT FALL ASLEEP. This is a warning that leads to salvation if it is heeded. We do not know when the Day comes. Therefore, since we are of the Day and of the Light, let us stay awake and watch for His coming (compare Romans 13:11-14 and I Thessalonians 5:1-11).
Therefore, the next time you hear someone ask if you want to be "left behind" when Jesus returns, say with a big smile and genuine conviction: "Absolutely!"
Consider Matthew 24:36-51 (which is the first passage listed in my previous post)--it is fascinating to me that this is the central text cited by "Left Behind" theology proponents for their view of a "secret rapture," in which believers will be mystically whisked away while the world continues to go on, until the "second" second coming of Jesus later on! You've seen the bumper stickers, right?: "In case of rapture, this car will be unattended" OK, I'll make sure not to drive behind you then. Yet Matthew 24 is the only passage in the New Testament that could suggest anything like this (I Thessalonians 4:13-18 I take as a general description of the second coming which will happen on the last day, taking place simultaneously with the conclusion to the history of the world and the bringing into existence of a new heavens and a new earth and the banishment of the ungodly from the Lord's presence forever--and certainly not to a "secret" rapture that will not be seen by the world as it continues to go on. Indeed, one of the chief weaknesses of "Left Behind" theology is that it separates two events--Jesus coming for His people, and the end of history/final judgment--which the NT always keeps together).
Yet, when Matthew 24 is examined closely, it becomes apparent that it actually teaches the exact opposite of "Left Behind" theology! Take a look for yourselves:
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For AS were the days of Noah, SO will be the coming of the Son of Man. For AS in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, SO will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."
Notice two crucial things about this text. First, the context is a comparison between the flood of judgment that came upon the wicked who did not trust in God during Noah's day, and the future coming of the Son of Man. Jesus says it will be like it was in Noah's day when He comes again: people will be frolicking in their idolatrous enjoyments of money, sex and power, having a grand old time of fun and revelry, and the coming judgment will hit them like a ton of bricks--it will be an absolute surprise, totally unexpected, catching them completely off guard. Second, the description that follows of what will happen when Jesus returns in judgment on the wicked and salvation for His people--namely, one will be taken and one left--is used in comparison to what happened in Noah's day when the flood of judgment came! Namely, the wicked were swept away or taken away, while those who take refuge in God and were ultimately saved were left behind! Therefore, to be left behind is to experience salvation on the last day--you will remain in the new heavens and the new earth, in which righteousness dwells--while to be "taken away" refers to being expelled outside of the gates of the kingdom, being swept utterly away to final judgment, and cast into hell. In light of this coming reality, Jesus says one thing repeatedly to those who follow Him: STAY AWAKE. WATCH. DO NOT FALL ASLEEP. This is a warning that leads to salvation if it is heeded. We do not know when the Day comes. Therefore, since we are of the Day and of the Light, let us stay awake and watch for His coming (compare Romans 13:11-14 and I Thessalonians 5:1-11).
Therefore, the next time you hear someone ask if you want to be "left behind" when Jesus returns, say with a big smile and genuine conviction: "Absolutely!"
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Watch! Stay Awake!
I mentioned tonight in class that Jesus' most frequent warning--by far--to his disciples in the Synoptic Gospels (i.e. Matthew, Mark and Luke) is one simple word: WATCH! I went home and looked for this in the Gospels, and found that virtually every time Jesus utters this warning, the same Greek word (gregoreo) is used. It is alternately translated either as "Watch" or "Stay Awake," depending on the context--but it is always the same word used in Greek. There is often a play on its meaning in many of the contexts. Below I have listed each time this word is used by Jesus in a warning (in bold red), as well as echoes of Jesus' fundamental warning by later New Testament writers.
Matthew 24:36-51—“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 25:1-13—“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Matthew 26:36-46—“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’ And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Mark 13:32-37—“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Mark 14:27-42—“And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not." And Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." But he said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." And they all said the same. And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch." And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Luke 12:35-48—“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”
Acts 20:24-32—“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
I Corinthians 16:13—“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
Colossians 4:2—“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
I Thessalonians 5:2-9—“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I Peter 5:8-10—“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
Revelation 3:1-6—“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 16:15—“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”
Matthew 24:36-51—“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 25:1-13—“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Matthew 26:36-46—“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’ And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Mark 13:32-37—“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Mark 14:27-42—“And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not." And Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." But he said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." And they all said the same. And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch." And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Luke 12:35-48—“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”
Acts 20:24-32—“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
I Corinthians 16:13—“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
Colossians 4:2—“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
I Thessalonians 5:2-9—“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I Peter 5:8-10—“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
Revelation 3:1-6—“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 16:15—“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
J. Edwards on I Corinthians 9:23-27
"First, we ought to follow the good example that the apostle Paul has set us in his seeking the good of his own soul.First. We should follow him in his earnestness in seeking his own salvation. He was not careless and indifferent in this matter; but the kingdom of heaven suffered violence from him. He did not halt between two opinions, or seek with a wavering, unsteady mind, but with the most full determination and strong resolution. He resolved, if it could by any means be possible, that he would attain to the resurrection of the dead. . . .
Secondly. The apostle did not only thus earnestly seek salvation before his conversion and hope, but afterwards also. What he says in the 3rd chapter of Philippians of his suffering the loss of all things, that he might be found in Christ, and its being the one thing that he did to seek salvation; and also what he says of his so running as not in vain, but as resolving to win the prize of salvation, and keeping under his body that he might not be a castaway; were long after his conviction, and after he had renounced all hope of his own good estate by nature. If being a convinced sinner excuses a man from seeking salvation any more, or makes it reasonable that he should cease his earnest care and labour for it, certainly the apostle might have been excused, when he had not only already attained true grace, but such eminent degrees of it. To see one of the most eminent saints that ever lived, if not the most eminent of all, so exceedingly engaged in seeking his own salvation, ought for ever to put to shame those who are a thousand degrees below him, and are but mere infants to him, if they have any grace at all; who yet excuse themselves from using any violence after the kingdom of heaven now, because they have attained already, who free themselves from the burden of going on earnestly to seek salvation with this, that they have finished the work, they have obtained a hope. The apostle, as eminent as he was, did not say within himself, “I am converted, and so am sure of salvation. Christ has promised it me; why need I labour any more to secure it? Yea, I am not only converted, but I have obtained great degrees of grace.” But still he is violent after salvation. He did not keep looking back on the extraordinary discoveries he enjoyed at his first conversion, and the past great experience he had had from time to time. He did not content himself with the thought, that he possessed the most wonderful testimonies of God’s favour, and of the love of Christ, already, that ever any enjoyed, even to his being caught up to the third heavens; but he forgot the things that were behind. . . .
Thirdly. The apostle did not only diligently seek heaven after he knew he was converted, but was earnestly cautious lest he should be damned; as appears by the passage already cited. 1 Cor ix. 27. “But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest by any means, when I have preached to others, 1 myself should be a castaway.” Here you see the apostle is very careful lest he should be a castaway, and denies his carnal appetites, and mortifies his flesh, for that reason. He did not say, “I am safe, I am sure I shall never be lost; why need I take any further care respecting it?” Many think because they suppose themselves converted, and so safe, that they have nothing to do with the awful threatenings of God’s word, and those terrible denunciations of damnation that are contained in it. When they hear them, they hear them as things which belong only to others, and not at all to themselves, as though there were no application of what is revealed in the Scripture respecting hell, to the godly. And therefore, when they hear awakening sermons about the awful things that God has threatened to the wicked, they do not hear them for themselves, but only for others. But it was not thus with this holy apostle, who certainly was as safe from hell, and as far from a damnable state, as any of us. He looked upon himself as still nearly concerned in God’s threatenings of eternal damnation, notwithstanding all his hope, and all his eminent holiness, and therefore gave great diligence, that he might avoid eternal damnation. For he considered that eternal misery was as certainly connected with a wicked life as ever it was, and that it was absolutely necessary that he should still keep under his body, and bring it into subjection, in order that he might not be damned; because indulging the lusts of the body and being damned were more surely connected together. The apostle knew that this conditional proposition was true concerning him, as ever it was. “If I live wickedly, or do not live in a way of universal obedience to God’s commands, I shall certainly be a castaway.” This is evident, because the apostle mentions a proposition of this nature concerning himself in that very chapter where he says, he kept under his body lest he should be a castaway.1 Cor. ix. 16. “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.” What necessity was there upon the apostle to preach the gospel, though God had commanded him, for he was already converted, and was safe; and if he had neglected to preach the gospel, how could he have perished after he was converted? But yet this conditional proposition was still true; if he did not live a life of obedience to God, woe would be to him; woe to him, if he did not preach the gospel. The connexion still held. It is impossible a man should go any where else than to hell in a way of disobedience to God. And therefore he deemed it necessary for him to preach the gospel on that account, and on the same account he deemed it necessary to keep under his body, lest he should be a castaway."
From the sermon "The Character of Paul an Example to Christians," which can be found at http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/paul.htm
Secondly. The apostle did not only thus earnestly seek salvation before his conversion and hope, but afterwards also. What he says in the 3rd chapter of Philippians of his suffering the loss of all things, that he might be found in Christ, and its being the one thing that he did to seek salvation; and also what he says of his so running as not in vain, but as resolving to win the prize of salvation, and keeping under his body that he might not be a castaway; were long after his conviction, and after he had renounced all hope of his own good estate by nature. If being a convinced sinner excuses a man from seeking salvation any more, or makes it reasonable that he should cease his earnest care and labour for it, certainly the apostle might have been excused, when he had not only already attained true grace, but such eminent degrees of it. To see one of the most eminent saints that ever lived, if not the most eminent of all, so exceedingly engaged in seeking his own salvation, ought for ever to put to shame those who are a thousand degrees below him, and are but mere infants to him, if they have any grace at all; who yet excuse themselves from using any violence after the kingdom of heaven now, because they have attained already, who free themselves from the burden of going on earnestly to seek salvation with this, that they have finished the work, they have obtained a hope. The apostle, as eminent as he was, did not say within himself, “I am converted, and so am sure of salvation. Christ has promised it me; why need I labour any more to secure it? Yea, I am not only converted, but I have obtained great degrees of grace.” But still he is violent after salvation. He did not keep looking back on the extraordinary discoveries he enjoyed at his first conversion, and the past great experience he had had from time to time. He did not content himself with the thought, that he possessed the most wonderful testimonies of God’s favour, and of the love of Christ, already, that ever any enjoyed, even to his being caught up to the third heavens; but he forgot the things that were behind. . . .
Thirdly. The apostle did not only diligently seek heaven after he knew he was converted, but was earnestly cautious lest he should be damned; as appears by the passage already cited. 1 Cor ix. 27. “But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest by any means, when I have preached to others, 1 myself should be a castaway.” Here you see the apostle is very careful lest he should be a castaway, and denies his carnal appetites, and mortifies his flesh, for that reason. He did not say, “I am safe, I am sure I shall never be lost; why need I take any further care respecting it?” Many think because they suppose themselves converted, and so safe, that they have nothing to do with the awful threatenings of God’s word, and those terrible denunciations of damnation that are contained in it. When they hear them, they hear them as things which belong only to others, and not at all to themselves, as though there were no application of what is revealed in the Scripture respecting hell, to the godly. And therefore, when they hear awakening sermons about the awful things that God has threatened to the wicked, they do not hear them for themselves, but only for others. But it was not thus with this holy apostle, who certainly was as safe from hell, and as far from a damnable state, as any of us. He looked upon himself as still nearly concerned in God’s threatenings of eternal damnation, notwithstanding all his hope, and all his eminent holiness, and therefore gave great diligence, that he might avoid eternal damnation. For he considered that eternal misery was as certainly connected with a wicked life as ever it was, and that it was absolutely necessary that he should still keep under his body, and bring it into subjection, in order that he might not be damned; because indulging the lusts of the body and being damned were more surely connected together. The apostle knew that this conditional proposition was true concerning him, as ever it was. “If I live wickedly, or do not live in a way of universal obedience to God’s commands, I shall certainly be a castaway.” This is evident, because the apostle mentions a proposition of this nature concerning himself in that very chapter where he says, he kept under his body lest he should be a castaway.1 Cor. ix. 16. “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.” What necessity was there upon the apostle to preach the gospel, though God had commanded him, for he was already converted, and was safe; and if he had neglected to preach the gospel, how could he have perished after he was converted? But yet this conditional proposition was still true; if he did not live a life of obedience to God, woe would be to him; woe to him, if he did not preach the gospel. The connexion still held. It is impossible a man should go any where else than to hell in a way of disobedience to God. And therefore he deemed it necessary for him to preach the gospel on that account, and on the same account he deemed it necessary to keep under his body, lest he should be a castaway."
From the sermon "The Character of Paul an Example to Christians," which can be found at http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/paul.htm
Friday, June 29, 2007
What Faith Knows
"Faith knows that of itself it does not produce salvation and abiding in Christ. So in the call to faith there is no room for a command to make a personal contribution to salvation and perseverance; there is simply a call to complete reliance on Christ." (G. C. Berkouwer)
Perseverance And Doxology
"Only if we remember the profundity of God's faithfulness can we see our life, not as only a series of indepedent moments, but as a life that is preserved in spite of everything. Therefore the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints will always be a doxology to God's preservation, which again and again places the weak and threatened life in the unextinguishable light of His grace." (G. C. Berkouwer)
From Death To Life
"In the change from death to life, God's grace is mirrored. Therefore, we cannot speak of faith and unbelief, standing and falling, apart from the grace of God. The Church is warned against apostasy precisely because of the riches which in true faith are appropriated and preserved. Only because of the unbreakable connection between our faith and God's grace, between our love and God's love, is it understandable that there is such a serious admonition here. Anyone who busies himself with these connections in a logicistic fashion plunges himself into the abyss of pride or of frivolity. But faith and love turn their ear to the Scriptural admonition. It does not suggest a falling away from true faith, nor (which is the same) a falling away from the love of God; but is accents the relatedness in faith of the entire life to the grace of God." (G. C. Berkouwer)
What's Up With Hebrews?
"For this reason the Epistle to the Hebrews is full of admonition and consolation, because it is in this way that the preservation of the Church is accomplished...These admonitions have as their end the preservation of the Church, which precisely in this way is established in that single direction, which is and which must remain irreversible--the direction from death to life!" (G. C. Berkouwer)
The Necessity Of Obedience
"We, whom God has favored with the light of the Gospel, ought to acknowledge that we have been called in order that we may advance more and more in our obedience to God, and strive constantly to draw nearer to him. This is the real preservation of the soul, for by doing so we shall escape eternal perdition." (John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews)
Faith and Perseverance
"...anyone who sees a contradiction between the doctrine of perseverance and the numberless admonitions of the Holy Scriptures has abstracted perseverance from faith. Faith itself can do nothing else than listen to those admonitions and so travel the road of abiding in Him. For admonition distinguishes the true confidence, which looks for everything from grace, and the other 'possibility,' which is rejected on the basis of Christ and the Church. So admonition is at the same time both a remembrance and a calling. It points out the way of error to those who travel the way of salvation, and it exhorts them to keep going only in the true way." (G. C. Berkouwer)
Another Old, Dead Reformed Guy
"It is therefore quite mistaken to infer from the admonitions of the Scripture the possibility of the total loss of grace. The certainty of the outcome does not make the means superfluous, but in God's order it is unbreakably tied up with them." (Herman Bavinck)
Work Out Your Own Salvation With Fear And Trembling, FOR It Is God Who Works In You, Both To Will And To Work For His Good Pleasure
"We will never be able to understand these words if we see the divine preservation and our preservation of ourselves as mutually exclusive or as in a synthetic cooperation. Preserving ourselves is not an independent thing that is added paradoxically to the divine preservation. God's preservation and our self-preservation do not stand in mere coordination, but in a marvelous way they are in correlation. One can formulate it best in this way: our preservation of ourselves is entirely oriented to God's preservation of us...There is therefore no reason to see a tension between God's preservation and our preservation of ourselves if we do not view the latter as something complementing the divine preservation. In such a case the divine keeping would be only the starting point for perseverance and perseverance would be realized by an independent preservation of ourselves. This, however, is a train of thought that is foreign to the entire Scriptures...Preserving ourselves does not imply that we contribute our part and that God contributes His. Our preserving is oriented to His, and it is included in it. Faith can never say, and will never say, 'This is our part.' It is the mystery of faith that it cannot speak in this way. It understands the connection of promise and demand, of grace and admonition. The mystery of this connection is the profound content of the doctrine of perseverance. Apart from faith this doctrine petrifies into a meaningless train of argument; but in faith the correct view of God's sovereign grace and His loving mercy is maintained. Amidst all weakness and instability, faith confesses this mercy as the alpha and omega of life." (G. C. Berkouwer)
It Really Is That Simple!
"So what is Jesus saying [in Matthew 10:22 and Mark 13:13]? He is saying that perseverance to the end is God's means by which anyone will be saved. At the same time his words assure all who persevere and remind us that there is no other way to face persecution, even unto death, if we want to be saved in the final day. It is really that simple! But you ask, 'What if I should fail to persevere to the end?' The answer from the context is simply that you will not be saved, if you fail to persevere to the end. Again you may ask, 'So, are you telling me that Jesus' words mean that is is possible for me to lose my salvation?' No, that is an unwarranted conclusion to draw either from the text or from our explanation of the text. Jesus' words say nothing about the possibility of losing one's salvation; that is not the function of his conditional promise. Rather, his words function to assure you that you will be saved, if you persevere. You must persevere if you want to be saved. You ask once more, 'So are you saying that if I do not persevere to the end, that will prove that I was never truly saved in the beginning?' Though the theological answer is 'Yes,' it inverts Jesus' words. Here, Jesus does not give us a test of perseverance by which we may know whether or not we are saved. Notice his orientation. He is prospective, not retrospective." (Schreiner and Caneday, TRSBU, p. 152)
Warnings As "Means of Salvation"
"...their proper primary effect evidently being just to bring out, in the most impressive way, the great principle of the invariableness of the connection which God has established between perseverance, as opposed to apostasy, as a means, and salvation as an end; and thus to operate as a means of effecting the end which God has determined to accomplish--of enabling believers to persevere, or preserving them from apostasy; and to effect this in entire accordance with the principles of their moral constitution, by producing constant humility, watchfulness, and diligence." (William Cunningham)
Don't Play Off The Biblical Writers Against Each Other
"So in the Holy Scriptures we continually find passages with forceful admonitions, earnest appeals, and warnings against apostasy. We also meet passages full of consolation about the unchangeablenss of God's grace, of God's loving, all-determining grace. One might think for a moment that we are confronted here with two incompatible trains of thought, which one could label the 'apostasy of the saints" and the 'perseverance of the saints'...If we examine the witness of Scripture carefully, we observe immediately that it is not correct to say that one Biblical writer is dynamic in his description of the life of faith, while another works with purely static data, data of stability and immutability. If that were so, one could postulate differing Biblical-theological teachings, with one writer thinking in terms of election and another in terms of human responsibility. It is clear, however, that with such a method of division we do not really get at the problem of perseverance and apostasy. For what is striking about the Scriptures is that the passages concerning the steadfastness of God's faithfulness and the passages with admonitions are inseparable. We do not encounter a single passage that would allow anyone to take the immutability of the grace of God in Christ for granted...Only if we have some understanding of the depth of the correlation between God's grace and faith will we be able to go ahead correctly here...For the Scriptures, then, there is apparently no unbearable tension or opposition between the gracious faithfulness of God and the dynamic of life, because it is in the thick of the dynamic of the actual struggle of life that Scripture speaks of perseverance in grace." (G. C. Berkouwer)
Are Unconditional Promises Actually...Conditional?
"The opponents of the doctrine of perseverance knew these passages, of course; but they always stress that the 'if,' the conditional, must always be understood in the text, even though it is not found there in so many words. Further, such 'unconditional' texts, they said, had to be understood within the entire conditional context of the Scriptures." (G. C. Berkouwer)
Do Warnings Imply That Believers Can Perish?
"Indeed, because the Scriptures continually warn against falling away, many think that the perseverance question is already basically settled. They believe that such warnings, if they are in earnest, have meaning only if the danger of falling is not imaginary but is a very real threat with which one must constantly reckon." (G. C. Berkouwer)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Loss of Salvation: Robert Shank
“…a person cannot be motivated by the ‘alarming admonitions’ until he abandons his confidence in the ‘consolation’ passages—the (supposed) promises of God that perseverance is inevitable and apostasy is impossible.” (Robert Shank)
Test of Genuineness: Wayne Grudem
"The purpose is always to warn those who are thinking of falling away or have fallen away that if they do this it is a strong indication that they were never saved in the first place." (Wayne Grudem)
Jonathan Edwards: Soft Hearts and Hard Warnings
"False affections, however persons may seem to be melted by them while they are new, have a tendency in the end to harden the heart. With the delusion that attends them, they finally tend to stupefy the mind, and shut it up against those affections wherein tenderness of heart consists: and the effect of them at last is that persons become less affected with their present and past sins, and less conscientious with respect to future sins, less moved with the warnings and cautions of God's word or God's chastisements in His providence, more careless of the frame of their hearts and the manner and tendency of their behavior, less quick-sighted to discern what is sinful, less afraid of the appearance of evil, than they were while they were under legal awakenings and fears of hell...
...Yea, the most confident and assured hope, that is truly gracious, has this tendency. The higher a holy hope is raised, the more there is of this Christian tenderness. The banishing of a servile fear by a holy assurance is attended with a proportionable increase of a reverential fear. The diminishing of the fear of the fruits of God's displeasure in future punishment is attended with a proportionable increase of fear of His displeasure itself; the diminishing of the fear of hell, with an increase of the fear of sin. The vanishing of jealousies concerning the person's state is attended with a proportionable increase of jealousy of heart, in a distrust of its strength, wisdom, stability, faithfulness, etc. The less apt he is to be afraid of natural evil (having his heart fixed, trusting in God, and so not afraid of evil tidings), the more apt he is to be alarmed with the appearance of moral evil, or the evil of sin. As he has more holy boldness, so he has less of self-confidence, and more modesty. As he is more sure than others of deliverance from hell, so he has more of a sense of the desert [i.e. deserving] of it. He is less apt than others to be shaken in faith; but more apt than others to be moved with solemn warnings, and with God's frowns, and with the calamities of others. He has the firmest comfort, but the softest heart. Richer than others, he is the poorest of all in spirit: the tallest and strongest saint, but the least and tenderest child among them." (Religious Affections, pp. 285, 291-92)
...Yea, the most confident and assured hope, that is truly gracious, has this tendency. The higher a holy hope is raised, the more there is of this Christian tenderness. The banishing of a servile fear by a holy assurance is attended with a proportionable increase of a reverential fear. The diminishing of the fear of the fruits of God's displeasure in future punishment is attended with a proportionable increase of fear of His displeasure itself; the diminishing of the fear of hell, with an increase of the fear of sin. The vanishing of jealousies concerning the person's state is attended with a proportionable increase of jealousy of heart, in a distrust of its strength, wisdom, stability, faithfulness, etc. The less apt he is to be afraid of natural evil (having his heart fixed, trusting in God, and so not afraid of evil tidings), the more apt he is to be alarmed with the appearance of moral evil, or the evil of sin. As he has more holy boldness, so he has less of self-confidence, and more modesty. As he is more sure than others of deliverance from hell, so he has more of a sense of the desert [i.e. deserving] of it. He is less apt than others to be shaken in faith; but more apt than others to be moved with solemn warnings, and with God's frowns, and with the calamities of others. He has the firmest comfort, but the softest heart. Richer than others, he is the poorest of all in spirit: the tallest and strongest saint, but the least and tenderest child among them." (Religious Affections, pp. 285, 291-92)
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