“The great lesson of Peter’s denial is that wherever there is arrested development of Christian life there must follow deterioration of Christian character. Life must make progress to higher levels or sink lower until it pass away. I must follow Jesus Christ wholly and absolutely without question, or there will be an ever widening breach between Him and myself, until I, even I, presently shall deny Him with blasphemy over some flickering imitation fire. ‘Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall’.”
~ G. Campbell Morgan
The Westminster Pulpit Vol. 1, p. 193
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
The Doctrine of Assurance as Presented in the Book of Hebrews
The Epistle of Hebrews contains several of the strongest warnings against apostasy that can be found in all of the Bible. One of the truly beautiful aspects of the letter is that there is an equally strong message of assurance right along side the warnings against falling away from the faith.
This side by side pairing of the two messages is reminiscent of the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. It is at the end of this most famous sermon that he utters some of the most feared words in all of scripture.
This passage is often taught by itself but the Lord does not offer the fearful warning without immediately reinforcing the hearers with the assurance that is available to those who not only hear but also do His words.
It is in this same fashion that the writer of Hebrews approaches the hard subject of falling from faith by coupling it neatly with the astonishing message of assurance.
Before we embark upon the Hebrews passages concerning assurance we will take a moment to review the three aspects of assurance that are taught in the Westminster Confession of Faith which is the doctrinal standard for my denomination the Presbyterian Church in America .
Three Aspects of Assurance in the Westminster Confession of Faith
Here we read from the 18th chapter of the confession the three grounds that the believer may have for assurance. In more modern English we can understand these three to be (1) that our faith is in the correct thing which is the promises of salvation toward us, God’s people, as found in the scriptures; (2) that there is evidence of the inward changes that true faith in the promises will produce; (3) and that the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts that we are His children indeed.
The next step is to look at selected passages in Hebrews to see if they indeed uphold these three grounds of assurance.
Faith Based on the Promises
At the end of the fifth chapter and through the first quarter of the sixth chapter of the book of Hebrews the writer gives a powerful warning against defecting from the faith. He follows this beginning in verse 9 of the sixth chapter with a hopeful reassurance by saying that he feels sure of better things for them – things that belong to salvation. In verse 11 he expresses a desire that they would have a full assurance of hope. He urges the readers to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
In verse 19 he vividly describes our hope as an anchor of the soul. In the previous verses he has narrated how God reinforced His promises to Abraham by making an oath to Himself. The writer describes these as two unchangeable things. God cannot lie and yet he confirmed His purpose in the promise by swearing an oath to Himself to fulfill His promises to Abraham. This is not to be viewed as mere redundancy but as a double emphasis on God’s part that His purposes for us will come to pass.
It is important, I think, to recall the confidence Abraham had in God’s promise that his offspring would be like the sands of the sea and the stars of the heavens.
When God demanded the life of his child of promise, Isaac, as a sacrifice Abraham chose to believe that God would even raise him from the dead in order to uphold His promise.
Abraham’s hope was so much an anchor to his soul that the violent waves of temptation would not displace his resolve to trust and obey the Lord. Of course God provided a ram to bear the sacrificial burden.
This is an extraordinary narrative of faith in the promises of God. And it is the exact picture that the book of Hebrews draws for us to understand the full force of assurance. It is extraordinary but not fantastic. It is exactly this kind of faith that we are urged to imitate.
What are the promises that we are to anchor into for our assurance? The writer answers in verses 19 and 20 of this sixth chapter of Hebrews.
Christ has gone beyond the curtain on our behalf. Another passage that brilliantly demonstrates the promise that our faith must be anchored into is found in II Corinthians “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Christ operating as our High Priest has brought Himself, as the ultimate once for all sacrifice, behind the curtain atoning for our sins. In this we must believe.
In chapter ten the Hebrews writer expands on this concept and propositions the readers to hold fast and waver not.
To this passage John Calvin adds:
Calvin, in his commentary, points to the only ground upon which we can have the confidence to answer the proposition, to hold fast and not waver. That ground is the sure foundation of God’s promise to provide that superior Priest offering a superior sacrifice than that of bulls and goats; namely Christ Jesus the Lord.
Evidence of the Inward Changes
In the tenth chapter of the Hebrews Epistle the writer again pairs the messages of assurance with the warning against defecting from the faith. This time he speaks of assurances first and follows after with warnings of apostasy.
In verses 12 through 14 the writer moves from the first ground of assurance, faith in the promises, to the second ground of assurance, evidence of inward changes.
With the same price, the one time sacrifice of Christ our High Priest, our perfection for all time has been bought. The evidence of this and the second ground of assurance is that we are being sanctified. The writer has moved us from Christ as Priest to Christ as King.
It is so very important to emphasize that the evidence is not that we are already glorified but that we are being sanctified. Our progressive sanctification is the assurance of our future glorification once again based on the one time sacrifice of Christ.
This does not mean that we do not struggle with sin. On the contrary it means that we do struggle with sin. There will be ups and downs, peaks and valleys. This means that our walk has changed.
Another way to say it is that our life trajectory has changed. Is our life trajectory moving us toward Christ likeness? Are we making Christ our Lord and King?
In verse 16 Jeremiah 31:33 is sited. “I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” Before it was a burden to keep the law. Now it is a burden not to. This is the evidence of the inward change and our assurance of future glorification.
The Holy Spirit Speaks to our Hearts
Also in the tenth chapter the writer moves immediately to the third ground for assurance in verse 15 “And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us”.
We find this same ground for assurance all through the Bible. Specifically in Romans we read:
In this passage Paul insists that the Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God. This produces such a close and compassionate relationship that we cry, "Abba! Father!" which is to say, “Daddy”. Such a term of endearment is produced by the Spirit’s witness that our relationship has been changed through His adopting us as His own children. What greater ground for assurance than to know through the Spirit that we have been adopted and the Father is now our Father.
In Conclusion
It is important to point out that the there will be times when the Spirit’s witness will not be easily discerned. There will be times when our faith is shaken. There will be times when our hearts will fail us. These by themselves do not shatter our assurance. As John teaches:
If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart, He knows where we stand in Him. If our hearts fail us we look to our progressive sanctification. Do we keep His commandments? Is it a burden to keep the commandments or a burden not to? Do we love one another? Then we will look to our faith in His promises. Do we believe in His Son Jesus Christ?
God is so good to us that not only did He provide His son Jesus Christ to be for us a Prophet, Priest, and King but He also provided His Spirit to guide our hearts to His promises, change our hearts by writing His laws on them, and witness to our hearts that we are His adopted children. We cry, "Abba! Father!"
This side by side pairing of the two messages is reminiscent of the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. It is at the end of this most famous sermon that he utters some of the most feared words in all of scripture.
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' Mathew 7:21-23 ESV
This passage is often taught by itself but the Lord does not offer the fearful warning without immediately reinforcing the hearers with the assurance that is available to those who not only hear but also do His words.
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Mathew 7:24-25 ESV
It is in this same fashion that the writer of Hebrews approaches the hard subject of falling from faith by coupling it neatly with the astonishing message of assurance.
Before we embark upon the Hebrews passages concerning assurance we will take a moment to review the three aspects of assurance that are taught in the Westminster Confession of Faith which is the doctrinal standard for my denomination the Presbyterian Church in America .
Three Aspects of Assurance in the Westminster Confession of Faith
This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith, (1) founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, (2) the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, (3) 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.
Here we read from the 18th chapter of the confession the three grounds that the believer may have for assurance. In more modern English we can understand these three to be (1) that our faith is in the correct thing which is the promises of salvation toward us, God’s people, as found in the scriptures; (2) that there is evidence of the inward changes that true faith in the promises will produce; (3) and that the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts that we are His children indeed.
The next step is to look at selected passages in Hebrews to see if they indeed uphold these three grounds of assurance.
Faith Based on the Promises
At the end of the fifth chapter and through the first quarter of the sixth chapter of the book of Hebrews the writer gives a powerful warning against defecting from the faith. He follows this beginning in verse 9 of the sixth chapter with a hopeful reassurance by saying that he feels sure of better things for them – things that belong to salvation. In verse 11 he expresses a desire that they would have a full assurance of hope. He urges the readers to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
In verse 19 he vividly describes our hope as an anchor of the soul. In the previous verses he has narrated how God reinforced His promises to Abraham by making an oath to Himself. The writer describes these as two unchangeable things. God cannot lie and yet he confirmed His purpose in the promise by swearing an oath to Himself to fulfill His promises to Abraham. This is not to be viewed as mere redundancy but as a double emphasis on God’s part that His purposes for us will come to pass.
It is important, I think, to recall the confidence Abraham had in God’s promise that his offspring would be like the sands of the sea and the stars of the heavens.
When God demanded the life of his child of promise, Isaac, as a sacrifice Abraham chose to believe that God would even raise him from the dead in order to uphold His promise.
Abraham’s hope was so much an anchor to his soul that the violent waves of temptation would not displace his resolve to trust and obey the Lord. Of course God provided a ram to bear the sacrificial burden.
This is an extraordinary narrative of faith in the promises of God. And it is the exact picture that the book of Hebrews draws for us to understand the full force of assurance. It is extraordinary but not fantastic. It is exactly this kind of faith that we are urged to imitate.
What are the promises that we are to anchor into for our assurance? The writer answers in verses 19 and 20 of this sixth chapter of Hebrews.
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19,20 ESV
Christ has gone beyond the curtain on our behalf. Another passage that brilliantly demonstrates the promise that our faith must be anchored into is found in II Corinthians “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Christ operating as our High Priest has brought Himself, as the ultimate once for all sacrifice, behind the curtain atoning for our sins. In this we must believe.
In chapter ten the Hebrews writer expands on this concept and propositions the readers to hold fast and waver not.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:19-23 ESV
To this passage John Calvin adds:
But we ought carefully to notice the reason which he subjoins, for he is faithful that promised. For we hence first learn, that our faith rests on this foundation, that God is true, that is, true to his promise, which his word contains; for that we may believe, the voice or word of God must precede; but it is not every kind of word that is capable of producing faith; a promise alone is that on which faith recumbs. And so from this passage we may learn the mutual relation between the faith of men and the promise of God; for except God promises, no one can believe.
Calvin, in his commentary, points to the only ground upon which we can have the confidence to answer the proposition, to hold fast and not waver. That ground is the sure foundation of God’s promise to provide that superior Priest offering a superior sacrifice than that of bulls and goats; namely Christ Jesus the Lord.
Evidence of the Inward Changes
In the tenth chapter of the Hebrews Epistle the writer again pairs the messages of assurance with the warning against defecting from the faith. This time he speaks of assurances first and follows after with warnings of apostasy.
In verses 12 through 14 the writer moves from the first ground of assurance, faith in the promises, to the second ground of assurance, evidence of inward changes.
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:12-14 ESV
With the same price, the one time sacrifice of Christ our High Priest, our perfection for all time has been bought. The evidence of this and the second ground of assurance is that we are being sanctified. The writer has moved us from Christ as Priest to Christ as King.
It is so very important to emphasize that the evidence is not that we are already glorified but that we are being sanctified. Our progressive sanctification is the assurance of our future glorification once again based on the one time sacrifice of Christ.
This does not mean that we do not struggle with sin. On the contrary it means that we do struggle with sin. There will be ups and downs, peaks and valleys. This means that our walk has changed.
Another way to say it is that our life trajectory has changed. Is our life trajectory moving us toward Christ likeness? Are we making Christ our Lord and King?
In verse 16 Jeremiah 31:33 is sited. “I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” Before it was a burden to keep the law. Now it is a burden not to. This is the evidence of the inward change and our assurance of future glorification.
The Holy Spirit Speaks to our Hearts
Also in the tenth chapter the writer moves immediately to the third ground for assurance in verse 15 “And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us”.
We find this same ground for assurance all through the Bible. Specifically in Romans we read:
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:15-17 ESV
In this passage Paul insists that the Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God. This produces such a close and compassionate relationship that we cry, "Abba! Father!" which is to say, “Daddy”. Such a term of endearment is produced by the Spirit’s witness that our relationship has been changed through His adopting us as His own children. What greater ground for assurance than to know through the Spirit that we have been adopted and the Father is now our Father.
In Conclusion
It is important to point out that the there will be times when the Spirit’s witness will not be easily discerned. There will be times when our faith is shaken. There will be times when our hearts will fail us. These by themselves do not shatter our assurance. As John teaches:
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. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. I John 3:19-24 ESV
If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart, He knows where we stand in Him. If our hearts fail us we look to our progressive sanctification. Do we keep His commandments? Is it a burden to keep the commandments or a burden not to? Do we love one another? Then we will look to our faith in His promises. Do we believe in His Son Jesus Christ?
God is so good to us that not only did He provide His son Jesus Christ to be for us a Prophet, Priest, and King but He also provided His Spirit to guide our hearts to His promises, change our hearts by writing His laws on them, and witness to our hearts that we are His adopted children. We cry, "Abba! Father!"
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Doctrine of Apostasy as Presented in the Book of Hebrews
The biblical doctrine of apostasy can be a daunting subject for a person in the reformed camp to come to terms with. At first glance it seems to be contradictory to our firm belief in the doctrine of perseverance sometimes called perseverance of the saints.
Under the doctrine of perseverance we believe that a when a person is truly saved there remains no possibility of losing their salvation. However, the book of Hebrews speaks clearly about “falling away”. In order to properly flesh out the subject we will have to look deeper than the broad term “salvation” to the more specific terms of faith and election which are not, by themselves, synonymous with salvation though they are aspects of it.
Above all we are grounded with a certainty of the truth of the word of God and are fully convinced of its veracity. It is with that knowledge, understanding, and conviction that we will turn to the scriptures in the book of Hebrews.
The Warning Against Apostasy
Here we read one of the stern warnings that the Hebrews writer sends out to the readers. The message is that there is no second Genesis. There is no second “new beginning” or “re-creative act”. There are three views of how to understand this message of apostasy. The first is the actual view, second is the hypothetical view, and finally the apparent view.
Some have suggested that the warnings against apostasy that we read about in Hebrews are hypothetical in nature. This is the idea that the writer of Hebrews was using an imaginary situation to influence the readers toward godly living.
I have come to reject the notion that this is a hypothetical warning on the grounds that the writer later comforts the Hebrew readers that he is sure, in their case, of better things pertaining to salvation. If the writer had meant the warning to be hypothetical he would not have needed to offer them this encouragement. Earlier in the letter the writer has shown that it is not only a possible situation but one that had already happened in the history of God’s people during the Exodus.
The first step that the reformed Christian must take in exploring the topic of apostasy is to agree with scripture that it is a real thing. But is it a real fall from an actual salvation or an apparent salvation? The Hebrews passage that we are dealing with seems to uphold the reformed belief that one cannot be saved then lost and saved again. Scripture makes a number of assertions to this end.
Scripture asserts that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Scripture asserts that nothing in creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Scripture also asserts that that the golden chain of God’s purpose is not thinning out toward the end, but that the very people who are known, foreordained, called, and justified are also glorified.
After rejecting an on-again off-again actual salvation and a hypothetical warning the question then remains: can a person be enlightened, taste the heavenly gift, and share in the Holy Spirit without being truly saved? Can a person be apparently saved and united to the visible church without being part of the invisible church?
The view many, including myself, hold is that those who fall away are not genuine believers, but rather men and women who only appear so. They are people who have a deep exposure to the gospel and have made an apparent yet superficial profession of faith and have been received into the fellowship of God’s people. However, at a later point they have abandoned their profession, even becoming enemies of Christ.
What is Apostasy
The writer of Hebrews begins to explain:
The rain has fallen on all kinds of land and has produced crops. Some land, after drinking the rain, produce a harvest that is useful for those whose sake the crop has been cultivated. Some land, after drinking the same rain, produce, a harvest that is worthless and cursed. The point that I want to draw on here is that all the land took part in the same nourishment. The only difference was in the harvest that each crop yielded. The writer seems to say that taking part in some of the elements of a process does not necessitate that the ultimate end of that process will be realized. This is where we must differentiate terms between salvation, faith, and election.
At times we are prone to use the terms election, and faith to mean salvation. We may use the term “the elect” and translate that to mean “the saved”. We may also observe the evidence of one’s faith and conclude that the person is “saved”. The problem that I find with this is that the concept behind the words saved and salvation is eschatological in its scope and meaning.
When we speak of salvation we are not talking about the individual elements of salvation but the entire eschatological chain of elements. The accepted chain of elements or the Ordo Salutis is as listed: Election, Predestination, Gospel call, Inward call, Regeneration, Conversion (faith & repentance), Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification. When we speak of salvation we are speaking of the whole chain from election to glorification not just individual elements of it.
My contention is not that using the word “saved” before glorification is realized is wrong but that it is not helpful in understanding the complex theological doctrine of apostasy.
The reformed Christian does not believe that a person can fall away from salvation in this eschatological sense. We do agree that people can and do fall away from individual elements of salvation. A person may well experience the gospel call even the inward call. They may experience faith and repentance on a temporary basis eventually falling away from these gracious experiences and never experience the full eschatology of salvation culminating in glorification. This understanding of apostasy seems to coincide with what the writer of Hebrews is teaching; that taking part in some of the elements of a process does not necessitate that the ultimate end of that process will be realized.
This idea and even the type of illustration that he uses is not a new way to present the subject. Jesus touches on it in His Parable of the Sower:
According to Jesus there are those who receive the word with joy. They endure for a time before ultimately falling away because they have no root in themselves. These are those who have, at some rootless level, participated in certain elements of salvation. They have been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, and shared in the Holy Spirit without being truly and ultimately saved.
In Conclusion: A Hopeful Warning
The writer of Hebrews intends the warning to be a hopeful message. He pleads, “harden not your hearts as in the rebellion”. He makes this plea in a propositional way. After teaching that Christ, in whom they have trusted, is in every way superior to the angels, Moses, and the Hebrew Priesthood he encourages the readers to draw near to God in full assurance of faith.
Under the doctrine of perseverance we believe that a when a person is truly saved there remains no possibility of losing their salvation. However, the book of Hebrews speaks clearly about “falling away”. In order to properly flesh out the subject we will have to look deeper than the broad term “salvation” to the more specific terms of faith and election which are not, by themselves, synonymous with salvation though they are aspects of it.
Above all we are grounded with a certainty of the truth of the word of God and are fully convinced of its veracity. It is with that knowledge, understanding, and conviction that we will turn to the scriptures in the book of Hebrews.
The Warning Against Apostasy
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.
Hebrews 6:4-6 ESV
Here we read one of the stern warnings that the Hebrews writer sends out to the readers. The message is that there is no second Genesis. There is no second “new beginning” or “re-creative act”. There are three views of how to understand this message of apostasy. The first is the actual view, second is the hypothetical view, and finally the apparent view.
Some have suggested that the warnings against apostasy that we read about in Hebrews are hypothetical in nature. This is the idea that the writer of Hebrews was using an imaginary situation to influence the readers toward godly living.
I have come to reject the notion that this is a hypothetical warning on the grounds that the writer later comforts the Hebrew readers that he is sure, in their case, of better things pertaining to salvation. If the writer had meant the warning to be hypothetical he would not have needed to offer them this encouragement. Earlier in the letter the writer has shown that it is not only a possible situation but one that had already happened in the history of God’s people during the Exodus.
The first step that the reformed Christian must take in exploring the topic of apostasy is to agree with scripture that it is a real thing. But is it a real fall from an actual salvation or an apparent salvation? The Hebrews passage that we are dealing with seems to uphold the reformed belief that one cannot be saved then lost and saved again. Scripture makes a number of assertions to this end.
Scripture asserts that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Scripture asserts that nothing in creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Scripture also asserts that that the golden chain of God’s purpose is not thinning out toward the end, but that the very people who are known, foreordained, called, and justified are also glorified.
After rejecting an on-again off-again actual salvation and a hypothetical warning the question then remains: can a person be enlightened, taste the heavenly gift, and share in the Holy Spirit without being truly saved? Can a person be apparently saved and united to the visible church without being part of the invisible church?
The view many, including myself, hold is that those who fall away are not genuine believers, but rather men and women who only appear so. They are people who have a deep exposure to the gospel and have made an apparent yet superficial profession of faith and have been received into the fellowship of God’s people. However, at a later point they have abandoned their profession, even becoming enemies of Christ.
What is Apostasy
The writer of Hebrews begins to explain:
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 6:7-8 ESV
The rain has fallen on all kinds of land and has produced crops. Some land, after drinking the rain, produce a harvest that is useful for those whose sake the crop has been cultivated. Some land, after drinking the same rain, produce, a harvest that is worthless and cursed. The point that I want to draw on here is that all the land took part in the same nourishment. The only difference was in the harvest that each crop yielded. The writer seems to say that taking part in some of the elements of a process does not necessitate that the ultimate end of that process will be realized. This is where we must differentiate terms between salvation, faith, and election.
At times we are prone to use the terms election, and faith to mean salvation. We may use the term “the elect” and translate that to mean “the saved”. We may also observe the evidence of one’s faith and conclude that the person is “saved”. The problem that I find with this is that the concept behind the words saved and salvation is eschatological in its scope and meaning.
When we speak of salvation we are not talking about the individual elements of salvation but the entire eschatological chain of elements. The accepted chain of elements or the Ordo Salutis is as listed: Election, Predestination, Gospel call, Inward call, Regeneration, Conversion (faith & repentance), Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification. When we speak of salvation we are speaking of the whole chain from election to glorification not just individual elements of it.
My contention is not that using the word “saved” before glorification is realized is wrong but that it is not helpful in understanding the complex theological doctrine of apostasy.
The reformed Christian does not believe that a person can fall away from salvation in this eschatological sense. We do agree that people can and do fall away from individual elements of salvation. A person may well experience the gospel call even the inward call. They may experience faith and repentance on a temporary basis eventually falling away from these gracious experiences and never experience the full eschatology of salvation culminating in glorification. This understanding of apostasy seems to coincide with what the writer of Hebrews is teaching; that taking part in some of the elements of a process does not necessitate that the ultimate end of that process will be realized.
This idea and even the type of illustration that he uses is not a new way to present the subject. Jesus touches on it in His Parable of the Sower:
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. Mathew 13:20-21 ESV
According to Jesus there are those who receive the word with joy. They endure for a time before ultimately falling away because they have no root in themselves. These are those who have, at some rootless level, participated in certain elements of salvation. They have been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, and shared in the Holy Spirit without being truly and ultimately saved.
In Conclusion: A Hopeful Warning
The writer of Hebrews intends the warning to be a hopeful message. He pleads, “harden not your hearts as in the rebellion”. He makes this plea in a propositional way. After teaching that Christ, in whom they have trusted, is in every way superior to the angels, Moses, and the Hebrew Priesthood he encourages the readers to draw near to God in full assurance of faith.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Michael Horton on Redemptive-Historical Interpretation and Preaching
I tell seminary students to ask themselves after completing a sermon, “Now would it have been necessary for God to have given us the Bible for that sermon?” Methodist minister William Willimon gave me a better question: “Would it have been necessary for Jesus Christ to have died in order for this to be true?” ~Page 88
The first Christian sermons, therefore, do not proclaim Moses as an exemplary Christian leader, nor is the purpose to set forth the example of Joshua’s courage and guiding principles of leadership or David’s heart for the Lord. Nor is Gideon’s fleece a parable for seeking the Lord’s will for our lives. Rather than being a textbook for determining the age of the earth, Genesis is ultimately directed at God’s lordship and sets the stage for the drama of redemption. Instead of being an almanac of end-times predictions, Revelation is thoroughly centered on Christ and his triumph over sin and death on behalf of his people. Scripture is about Jesus Christ from beginning to end, God’s first word at creation and God’s last word at the consummation. “I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End,” Jesus says (Rev. 1:8 NKJV). ~Page 84
A Better Way, Rediscovering the Drama of Christ-Centered Worship ~Rev.Michael Horton (Ph.D)
The first Christian sermons, therefore, do not proclaim Moses as an exemplary Christian leader, nor is the purpose to set forth the example of Joshua’s courage and guiding principles of leadership or David’s heart for the Lord. Nor is Gideon’s fleece a parable for seeking the Lord’s will for our lives. Rather than being a textbook for determining the age of the earth, Genesis is ultimately directed at God’s lordship and sets the stage for the drama of redemption. Instead of being an almanac of end-times predictions, Revelation is thoroughly centered on Christ and his triumph over sin and death on behalf of his people. Scripture is about Jesus Christ from beginning to end, God’s first word at creation and God’s last word at the consummation. “I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End,” Jesus says (Rev. 1:8 NKJV). ~Page 84
A Better Way, Rediscovering the Drama of Christ-Centered Worship ~Rev.Michael Horton (Ph.D)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Sola Scriptura SS Lesson #2
I have not had time to blog much about Church History or anything else for that matter. However, I will submit my outline from last week's Sunday School lesson. It was the second lesson in a series on the five solas.
The Canon of Scripture
The Bible is comprised of 66 books and letters (39 OT/27 NT), 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses, and 774,746 words. It was written over a 1,500 year period (1400 BC to nearly 100 AD) through the pens of nearly 40 different human writers. It has been passed down for nearly 2000 years and translated into several thousand languages.
My Sheep Hear My Voice – John 10:27
We believe that the church recognizes the voice of the Lord. And because of that there has been relatively little debate over the canon of scripture (within the Church).
Marcion and Montanus
The first person to draft a detailed list of books for the purpose of gaining canonical recognition was Marcion, the heretic. He separated himself from the Catholic Church in 144. He declined to avail himself of the allegorical methods of exegesis current in the church and consequently found the Old Testament irreconcilable with the New Testament. He felt the two were so antithetical that they must represent two separate religions with two separate Gods. He took away from the scriptures.
Around the same time Montanus and his followers believed that they were in possession of a new revelation of the Holy Spirit. The prophets of Montanism spoke as if they were possessed of God. They believed that their prophecies superseded and fulfilled the doctrines proclaimed by the Apostles. They superseded and added to scripture.
OT Canon
Jewish text was canonized numerous times by Jesus in the New Testament.
• Matt 5:17-20 – Not even the punctuation will pass.
• It is estimated that 5% or 1/22.5 verses of NT is OT quote or paraphrase. A number of OT books are not referenced in the NT (Judges, Ruth, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles). Christ affirms the Jewish divisions of the OT canon - Luke 24:27 and 44.
NT Canon
In order to understand the NT canon we must understand the role and office of the Apostles.
• Apostolos – Means sent forth, one sent, messenger, ambassador, or representative. The Jews used the term for an official position of representation similar to our power of attorney.
An Apostle was:
• An eye witness to the resurrected Christ – Acts 1:22.
• Personally appointed by Christ – Acts 1:24 and Mathew 10:1-7.
• To build and govern the early church – Matthew 28:16-20 and Eph 2:19-2.
• To teach and write with authority – I Corinthians 14:37 and I Thes 2:13.
• They have something that we do not (special, direct revelation) – Galatians 1:11-12, Mathew 16:13-20, John 14:26, and John 16:12-15.
• We receive them – Mathew 10:40.
Criteria for Recognizing God’s NT Canon
• Written by, on behalf of, or sanctioned by an Apostle.
• Not contradictory to the rest of scripture.
• Received by the church or heard by His sheep – again there have been no major controversies (inside the church). Athanasius (hero of the faith, Bishop of Alexandria) officially recognized (listed) the exact 66 books we have today in his Easter address in 367 AD. To which there was not one objection in the entire church.
WCF Chapter 1
• Section 2 – The exact same list that Athanasius published is recognized in the confession.
• Section 4 – The confession affirms that scripture is not canonized by the word of man or of church law. It is to be believed because it is the word of God. It is a self attesting authority.
• Section 5 – The confession affirms that even though a mountain of evidence abounds it is the Holy Spirit who bears witness in our hearts that the word is authoritative and infallible. It affirms that His sheep hear His voice. I John 2:20-27 - His anointing confirms what we have been taught.
The Canon of Scripture
The Bible is comprised of 66 books and letters (39 OT/27 NT), 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses, and 774,746 words. It was written over a 1,500 year period (1400 BC to nearly 100 AD) through the pens of nearly 40 different human writers. It has been passed down for nearly 2000 years and translated into several thousand languages.
My Sheep Hear My Voice – John 10:27
We believe that the church recognizes the voice of the Lord. And because of that there has been relatively little debate over the canon of scripture (within the Church).
Marcion and Montanus
The first person to draft a detailed list of books for the purpose of gaining canonical recognition was Marcion, the heretic. He separated himself from the Catholic Church in 144. He declined to avail himself of the allegorical methods of exegesis current in the church and consequently found the Old Testament irreconcilable with the New Testament. He felt the two were so antithetical that they must represent two separate religions with two separate Gods. He took away from the scriptures.
Around the same time Montanus and his followers believed that they were in possession of a new revelation of the Holy Spirit. The prophets of Montanism spoke as if they were possessed of God. They believed that their prophecies superseded and fulfilled the doctrines proclaimed by the Apostles. They superseded and added to scripture.
OT Canon
Jewish text was canonized numerous times by Jesus in the New Testament.
• Matt 5:17-20 – Not even the punctuation will pass.
• It is estimated that 5% or 1/22.5 verses of NT is OT quote or paraphrase. A number of OT books are not referenced in the NT (Judges, Ruth, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles). Christ affirms the Jewish divisions of the OT canon - Luke 24:27 and 44.
NT Canon
In order to understand the NT canon we must understand the role and office of the Apostles.
• Apostolos – Means sent forth, one sent, messenger, ambassador, or representative. The Jews used the term for an official position of representation similar to our power of attorney.
An Apostle was:
• An eye witness to the resurrected Christ – Acts 1:22.
• Personally appointed by Christ – Acts 1:24 and Mathew 10:1-7.
• To build and govern the early church – Matthew 28:16-20 and Eph 2:19-2.
• To teach and write with authority – I Corinthians 14:37 and I Thes 2:13.
• They have something that we do not (special, direct revelation) – Galatians 1:11-12, Mathew 16:13-20, John 14:26, and John 16:12-15.
• We receive them – Mathew 10:40.
Criteria for Recognizing God’s NT Canon
• Written by, on behalf of, or sanctioned by an Apostle.
• Not contradictory to the rest of scripture.
• Received by the church or heard by His sheep – again there have been no major controversies (inside the church). Athanasius (hero of the faith, Bishop of Alexandria) officially recognized (listed) the exact 66 books we have today in his Easter address in 367 AD. To which there was not one objection in the entire church.
WCF Chapter 1
• Section 2 – The exact same list that Athanasius published is recognized in the confession.
• Section 4 – The confession affirms that scripture is not canonized by the word of man or of church law. It is to be believed because it is the word of God. It is a self attesting authority.
• Section 5 – The confession affirms that even though a mountain of evidence abounds it is the Holy Spirit who bears witness in our hearts that the word is authoritative and infallible. It affirms that His sheep hear His voice. I John 2:20-27 - His anointing confirms what we have been taught.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Knowledge, Faith, and Assurance under John Calvin
One of Calvin’s favorite passages to reference is John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” To Calvin faith and knowledge are inseparable. Faith is not without the content of knowledge. Knowledge is the foundation of faith. In order to have true faith we must know true things about Jesus Christ and what he has done for us.
The medieval concept of implicit faith taught that it is a true faith simply to believe what the church believes. Even if you don’t know what the church believes simply agreeing is adequate. This put trust in the church’s teaching authority. Calvin believes that this view of faith is utterly inadequate. One needs to know God and what the Bible says about God. One needs to know Jesus Christ and what the Bible says about Jesus Christ. If someone is not willing to fill their mind with these real truths then they do not have real faith. Faith must be something personal. It cannot be the church’s it must be mine. It is trust that is the form (enlightening aspect) of faith. Faith is then personal knowledge and trust in the promises of God toward us.
If you know a promise and trust a promise it follows that you have an assurance of that promise really being for you. To that end Calvin taught that assurance of salvation was the essence of faith. In contrast the idea of moral conjecture was that upon examination of the current works of the individual can a probability of salvation be arrived at. I can conjecture on the basis of my moral condition that I am in a state of grace. In contrast to Calvin the medieval theologians taught that anything beyond moral conjecture, any such assurance or certainty, was presumptuous, arrogant, and dangerous.
The medieval concept of implicit faith taught that it is a true faith simply to believe what the church believes. Even if you don’t know what the church believes simply agreeing is adequate. This put trust in the church’s teaching authority. Calvin believes that this view of faith is utterly inadequate. One needs to know God and what the Bible says about God. One needs to know Jesus Christ and what the Bible says about Jesus Christ. If someone is not willing to fill their mind with these real truths then they do not have real faith. Faith must be something personal. It cannot be the church’s it must be mine. It is trust that is the form (enlightening aspect) of faith. Faith is then personal knowledge and trust in the promises of God toward us.
If you know a promise and trust a promise it follows that you have an assurance of that promise really being for you. To that end Calvin taught that assurance of salvation was the essence of faith. In contrast the idea of moral conjecture was that upon examination of the current works of the individual can a probability of salvation be arrived at. I can conjecture on the basis of my moral condition that I am in a state of grace. In contrast to Calvin the medieval theologians taught that anything beyond moral conjecture, any such assurance or certainty, was presumptuous, arrogant, and dangerous.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Schleitheim Confession - 1527
The Schleitheim Confession was a declaration of Swiss Anabaptist belief. The Confession consisted of seven articles, written during a time of severe persecution:
Baptism – Baptism is administered to those who have consciously repented and believed that Christ has died for their sins. Infants, therefore, were not to be baptized.
The Ban (Excommunication) - A Christian should live with discipline and walk in the way of righteousness or be excommunicated.
Breaking of Bread (Lord’s Supper) - Only those who have been baptized can take part in communion.
Separation from Evil - The community of Christians shall have no association with those who remain astray in disobedience and a spirit of rebellion against God.
Pastors in the Church - Pastors should be men of good repute. Some of the responsibilities they must faithfully carry out are teaching, disciplining, the ban, and the sacraments.
The Sword – No member of the Church was to bear arms in any cause.
The Oath - No oaths should be taken because Jesus prohibited oath-swearing.
Baptism – Baptism is administered to those who have consciously repented and believed that Christ has died for their sins. Infants, therefore, were not to be baptized.
The Ban (Excommunication) - A Christian should live with discipline and walk in the way of righteousness or be excommunicated.
Breaking of Bread (Lord’s Supper) - Only those who have been baptized can take part in communion.
Separation from Evil - The community of Christians shall have no association with those who remain astray in disobedience and a spirit of rebellion against God.
Pastors in the Church - Pastors should be men of good repute. Some of the responsibilities they must faithfully carry out are teaching, disciplining, the ban, and the sacraments.
The Sword – No member of the Church was to bear arms in any cause.
The Oath - No oaths should be taken because Jesus prohibited oath-swearing.
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