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| An abandoned house, rotting away. |
Reformed Folks REPUDIATE
Justification by God's Free Grace alone,
but are OBSESSED with
Justification by their faith in Christ alone
Reformed Folks Repudiate Justification by Free Grace alone. They substitute it with the fable of Justification by their Faith alone in Christ alone!
From: sing
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 09:02:47 +0800
To: Ipoh East Church
Subject: some questions on 1689.11.1-2 to ponder
Dear Brothers,
Here is 1689.11.1
"Those whom God effectually calleth, He also freely justifieth,(1) not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous;(2) not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone;(3) not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in His death for their whole and sole righteousness,(4) they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith, which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God.(5)
You insist upon the LIE of your justification by God through your faith in Jesus Christ alone.
I suggest that you have repudiated the biblical teaching summarized in the confessional statement above.
When you are not too busy, please ponder on these questions a little while.
1. Do you believe that God justifies the ungodly (under condemnation) FREELY?
2. What does it mean, 'He also freely justifies'?
3. Or do you believe that God justifies CONDITIONED upon man's believing in Christ?
4. If justification is CONDITIONED upon man's faith (something wrought in him) is it still true that God justifies the condemned FREELY?
5. If justification is CONDITIONED upon man's act of believing in Christ (an act done by him) is it still true that God justifies the condemned FREELY?
6. Is the grace of faith something wrought in the effectually called by the indwelling Spirit?
7. Is the act of believing a work done by the effectually called? (read John 6:28)
8. Is it possible that the unjustified (still in the state of condemnation and dead) is able to believe in Christ in order to be justified by God?
9. Is it not SO PLAIN and OBVIOUS that God's act of justifying freely by His grace, and the justified's act of receiving and resting in Christ are separate and distinct - the former being prior to and which enables the latter?
But HORROR of HORROR, the reformed folks has conditioned the former on the latter, i.e receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness is prior to, and the instrumental cause of God's act of justifying the condemned!!!
10. Is man's act of receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness (i.e. when he has eternal life, since life must precede the activities of that life) the CONDITION for God's act of imputing Christ's righteousness (i.e. His active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in His death) for his whole and sole righteousness while he was in an unjustified condemned state?
OR
Is man's act of receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness the effect of, and the divinely appointed instrumental MEAN to evidence the prior justification that was entirely by free grace, CONDITIONED ON NOTHING, not even believing in Christ?
What do the lives of Abraham and Cornelius and host of others tell us?
'Faith is the sole instrument of justification' in 1689.11.2 MUST BE understood in the light of the above.
In what sense then is faith the sole instrument of justification by the FREE grace of God?
How is the justification by God's FREE grace brought to light or made manifest?
By the instrument of faith - i.e. receiving and resting in Christ and His righteousness for salvation.
The only consistent answer is that faith (receiving and resting in Christ and His righteousness for salvation) is the divinely appointed means, and the infallible proof and evidence of the work of justification wrought by God's FREE grace without faith.
The Old School Baptist knew the truth, and stated, "The reason why any are justified IS NOT because they have faith; but the reason why they have faith IS because they are justified."
But the new school baptists (or known as fullerites) who advocate justification by faith alone in Christ is teaching the exact opposite!
Reformed folks READING INTO the Confession as they do with the Scriptures.They are actually embracing Deformed doctrines.
Ponder on these questions.
your brother and servant in Christ,
pastor lau
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From: sing
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2006 00:36:52 +0800
To: Ipoh East Church
Cc: SDC Subject: justification and faith
Dear Brethren,
Please indulge me a few moments to point out something quite simple from the 1689 Confession of Faith. Tell me what you think. My suggestion is that you let the words of the 1689 speak for themselves. Words do have meaning.
1689.11.2 states, "Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification;(6) yet it is not alone in the person justified, [it is not the only evidence of salvation] but ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.(7)
The words [it is not the only evidence of salvation] are Dr Peter Masters' commentary.
Consider the simple logic behind these words.
IF faith is not the only evidence of salvation, THEN faith is necessarily an evidence of salvation. Faith is an evidence of salvation, but it is not the only evidence of salvation.
Would you agree with these statements?
1. Faith which receives and rests (simple present tense) on Christ and His righteousness is not alone in the person justified (simple past tense).
- The simple grammar of the statement informs us that the divine act of justifying the person in effectual call to grace and salvation is PRIOR - logically and chronologically - to that person's act of receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness in the gospel call.
- If justification by God had not taken place, would there by any thing to receive and rest on???
2. Faith which receives and rests (simple present tense) on Christ and His righteousness is ever accompanied with all other saving graces in the person justified.
- That is why saving faith (faith produced by the salvation bestowed by God through effectual calling) is never alone. It is ever accompanied by all other graces worked in those justified by God's free grace. Salvation bestowed by grace guarantees all other saving graces. The indwelling Spirit works all those saving grace, including the grace of faith. The ministry of the word is the divinely appointed to make manifest and nurture these saving graces.
3. These other saving graces in the person justified are often manifested EVEN BEFORE faith in Christ is manifested through hearing the gospel.
- Abraham in Gen 12-14 is a classic OT example of this. Abraham's life manifested many saving graces before the manifestation of faith in the promised seed in Gen 15:1-6!
- Cornelius is a classic NT example of this. Cornelius's life manifested many other saving grace before the manifestation of his faith in Christ through the preaching of Apostle Peter.
- These people were already effectually called (i.e. justified, regenerated and adopted, with the Holy Spirit given to dwell in them, who works all the saving graces) to grace and salvation EVEN BEFORE they were called to faith in Christ. Faith wrought by the ministry of the word further sanctifies an elect - wonderfully demonstrated in the case of Abraham and Cornelius.
- 'Further sanctifies' necessarily implies the PRIOR once-for-all definitive sanctification in the effectual call which separates an elect our of a state of sin and death to grace and salvation. Definitive sanctification makes further sanctification possible. The ministry of the word is a means toward the latter.
- Only those whom God has effectually called to grace and salvation, i.e. justified, regenerated and adopted, are able to hear the gospel and believe the good news of salvation - salvation is already true of them by grace. The gospel is good news of what God has done... NOT what God will do on condition that man do something. Spiritually dead man can't possibly act spiritually.
4. The ministry of the word draws out and manifest the grace of faith already in the heart of the person indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Christ. For that reason Apostle Paul describes the gospel ministry as "therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith' that of revealing the righteousness of God from faith to faith.'
- The question is, in the preaching of the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from whose faith to whose faith?
- It is revealed or made known or declared from the preacher who is not ashamed of the gospel (i.e. have great faith) to those hearers who have faith, even the hearers who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them to work the grace of faith to believe.
- It is not revealed from faith to unbelief… it is revealed from faith to faith… from a preacher who is not ashamed of the gospel to those who have spiritual life and have receive the gift of faith at regeneration. It is only those who have eternal life that are able to believe.
Enough said for now.
Is my understanding of your Church Confessional Standard in error?
If it is, then please kindly point it out to me. I am willing to learn and embrace the truth.
I have no use for standard reformed shibboleth that does not conform to the teaching of Scriptures as summarized in the Confession of Faith. Perhaps the Confession is in error; if so, then let us boldly say so and give adequate reasons and disown it as your Church's Confessional Standard.
Please consider these simple common sense thoughts carefully.
Feel free to disagree but please be kind enough to give some reasons.
sing
"And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not" Acts 28:24.
Ipoh East Church - I was instrumental to plant it, and ministered to it for several years. But when the Lord taught the truth more accurately, and I endeavored to teach them the same, they rejected the truth as explained above.... removed me as their overseeing Pastor.
And not long after the church disbanded.
Ipoh East Church - I was instrumental to plant it, and ministered to it for several years. But when the Lord taught the truth more accurately, and I endeavored to teach them the same, they rejected the truth as explained above.... removed me as their overseeing Pastor.
And not long after the church disbanded.
