Glaring Deficiencies, Outright Falsehood, and Plain Contradictions

Such a scrumptious looking dessert! 

I came across this brief doctrinal statement on salvation. It has all the biblical words and sounds impressive. Take a good look.

"The Doorway -

Salvation

The blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the only way of salvation through the forgiveness of sin. Salvation occurs when people place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin. Salvation is a gift from God, and it can never be earned through our own efforts, religious works or good deeds."

Some brief observations:

It expresses some sound bites of Bible words but it is riddled with glaring deficiency, outright falsehoods and plain contradictions. The only plausible defence against these charges may be this, "This is such a brief statement of a few words, you can't possibly expect the gospel truth adequately expressed." It may be accepted if we can agree with the matters pointed out in the following.

It has some sound bites of words from the Bible: "The blood of Jesus Christ...shed on the cross... the only way of salvation... the forgiveness of sin... death and resurrection... payment for sins... salvation is a gift from God… etc."

These are all good sounding words.

A.  Glaring Deficiencies

1. "The blood of Jesus Christ..."

a. At best, this is just half the truth; when a half-truth is presented as the whole truth, it becomes a subtle and dangerous lie.

- The righteousness of Jesus Christ, i.e. the righteousness secured by Jesus Christ through His life of perfect obedience to all the laws of God in the stead of His people are absolutely essential and central to the salvation of His people

b. It is BOTH the active obedience of Christ in His life in securing the righteousness for His people and His passive obedience in laying down His sinless life as a sacrifice for the atonement of the sins for His people that secured salvation for His people.

- It is both His life and His death, both His righteousness and His blood.
- It is BOTH His living the perfect sinless life we are required to live and His dying the accursed death that we deserved to die; He is our substitute in BOTH. 

- Without righteousness of Christ, no justification; no justification, a man remains in his native state of condemnation and death, no salvation.

- The blood of Christ bore away the curse and wages of sins, it secured the forgiveness of sin.

2. "... provides the only way..."

a. "provides" means "makes available for use." OED.

- "The blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the only way of salvation through the forgiveness of sin." Therefore Christ makes salvation available to sinners; it is up to sinners to avail themselves to it; to act to possess it.

- So Christ's work of redemption makes available the way of salvation, and sinners themselves must make use of the opportunity provided to get themselves saved.

- It is saying, Christ has prepared the way to the gates of heaven and have even opened the gates of heaven; now sinners need to make use of the way provided to get themselves into heaven.

b. The gospel says,

- God purposed salvation for His people,

- Jesus Christ accomplished that salvation for the same people through His life (securing righteousness for the justification unto life for His people) and death (making payment for the wages of sins of His people to secure the forgiveness of their sins.)

- the Spirit of God freely and sovereignly applies that same salvation to each individual of the same people when they are still SPIRITUALLY DEAD in their trespasses and sins, completely unable  to utilize whatsoever grand things are provided for them.

- Making available salvation for sinners will save NO ONE; making available the life-giving concoction to the dead will NOT get any dead alive. The Maker of the life-giving concoction must proactively and freely apply it to the dead to bring the dead to life.

B. Outright Falsehood

1. "... Salvation occurs WHEN people put their faith in..."

- Salvation had been made available; it is waiting for the man to act to get that salvation. Salvation OCCURS when a man acts and does something, i.e. places his "faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for his sin."

- This is saying that a man who is not yet saved by God’s free grace, is capable of doing something to make his salvation occurs. Words have meaning, do they not?

- Therefore, salvation is CONDITIONED upon an act of man. Man must act in order to obtain the salvation that has been made available to him.

- This notion repudiates the plain teaching of Scriptures.

- "Except a man be born again, he cannot.." i.e. except salvation is first applied by the Holy Spirit to a spiritually dead man, he can't perform any spiritual acts, e.g. places his "faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for his sin." Impossible.

- "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." It is a basic axiom, "spiritual life must precede spiritual activities." The bestowal of salvation gives spiritual life; salvation must precede any spiritual activities; this is as elementary as a,b,c.

b. Salvation by God's free grace ENABLES a man to do something to obtain 

- It enables him to place his faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as perfect and complete payment for his sin. This is through the gospel ministry.

- The eternal salvation that God had purposed, Christ secured, and the Spirit applies to each man ENABLES him to respond to do God’s will for him

The two beliefs are worlds apart, as far as the east is from the west; they are unbridgeable.

- So many know to mouth “salvation by grace alone” when they actually believe salvation by grace PLUS man’s action, i.e. his action of placing his faith “in the death and the resurrection of Christ…”

-  One very simple explanation for this confusion and inconsistency is their ignorance of the plain biblical distinct between eternal salvation by God’s grace alone and temporal salvation through the obedient responses of God’s children (those to whom God has already freely bestowed eternal salvation) to His will.

- Without learning and acknowledging this biblical distinction, they will continue in their cesspool of confusion and inconsistencies.

C. Plain Contradictions

1. “Salvation is a gift from God, and it can never be earned through our own efforts, religious works or good deeds."

- Though salvation is a gift from God, yet this salvation CANNOT occur until man does something, until his effort of placing his faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In addition, for him to place his faith in the death of Jesus Christ requires the great effort of a preacher to preach to him the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Read Romans 10:14ff.

- Even Christ himself said believing in Him is a WORK required by God. Faith or believing is a religious work to be performed in obedience to God’s will.

- John 6:28-29 “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

2. The popular concept of “salvation is a gift of God” is like this: the gift of life is freely and sincerely before a dead man waiting for the dead man to act to accept and make use of the free gift so that he may become alive, so that his salvation may occur! Such an idea of a gift is a cruel mockery and wicked insult to the dead!

- Imagine Jesus Christ leaving the gift of life outside the tomb of Lazarus and waited for Lazarus to do something for his resurrection to occur to him!!!

- This concept of this gift is so worldly; it is so similar to the gift* offered by the world… *terms and conditions apply.

- What declares the Scriptures? Read Eph 2:1-9.  Salvation is a gift of God; that gift is divinely applied to a sinner when he is spiritually dead in trespasses and sins; he is quickened and made spiritually alive. Salvation is freely bestowed to him personally by God, without him doing anything BECAUSE he was incapable of doing anything before the salvation was bestowed to him.

There you are- even a few-sentenced doctrinal statement is riddled with glaring deficiency, outright falsehood, and plain contradictions. This is reflective of the state of confusion and ignorance among churches.

CONCLUSION

Apostle Paul, toward the end of his life, has prophesied of this sad state of affairs in churches.

2Timothy 4

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2Timothy 3:7

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Sola fidei is both anti-Scriptural, and anti-Confessional

One of the chief blessings in my life is the ability to read and comprehend the English language with some degree of proficiency, even though I don't speak well.

Take this paragraph (1689.11.2) on Justification from the London Baptist Confession of Faith for example.

Paragraph 1 states in no uncertain terms that faith is completely excluded from God's free and gracious act of justifying sinners in their state of condemnation and death.

Paragraph 2 states in no less uncertain terms that faith is an effect of justification.

Here  is the full paragraph:
"2. Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ, and his righteousness, is the (f) alone instrument of justification: yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving Graces, and is no dead faith, (g) but worketh by love."

It is plainly stated that faith - which enables a man to receive and rest on Christ and His righteousness - is in the person JUSTIFIED (the how of it, read Paragraph 1) but not alone, it is always accompanied with all their saving graces.

It is also no less plainly stated that faith - which enables a man to receive and rest on Christ and His righteousness - is one of the saving graces; saving graces are the effects of the salvation freely and sovereignly applied to an elect, dead in trespasses and sins, at his effectual calling (see 1689.10) to grace and salvation.

The saving graces are worked by the Spirit of adoption - who was given to dwell in those freely justified and regenerated and adopted - in the children of God; faith is one such saving grace, which enables the JUSTIFIED person to receive and rest on Christ and His righteousness.

Gal 5 - KJV
22 ¶But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,2 3 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

This Scripture is an adequate reason and proof of "yet it (faith) is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces" - graces worked within the justified, regenerated and adopted, i.e, God's children, by the indwelling Spirit of God.

Faith is exercised by the JUSTIFIED; faith is not exercised by an un-justified person (under the condemnation of sin) in order to be justified by God. The latter is a fable, the lie of the devil.

It's stated that faith... is the ALONE instrument of justification. Many who are addicted to sound bite take this to mean the popular "sola fidei", justification by God is through faith alone, thus contradicting everything clearly stated in Paragraph 1.

Faith - which receives and rest on Christ and His righteousness - is the alone instrument of justification means that receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness is the ALONE means to evidence, to manifest, to demonstrate that one has been freely justified by God BASED SOLELY on Christ and His righteousness. Faith as an instrument to EVIDENCE that one has been freely justified by God; faith as an instrument exercised by the unjustified to be justified by God is the lie of the devil, the popular "sola fidei" of the protestant reformation.

The old school particular Baptists stated this gospel truth,
"The reason why any are justified IS NOT because they have faith; but the reason why they have faith IS because they are justified."

Can the matter be stated any plainer? Yet the new school RBs and Calvinists believe the EXACT opposite because they have swallowed the lie of "sola fidei" hook, line and sinker.

O Lord, open their eyes. Amen.

What ox are you? Orthod-ox, Heterod-ox or Treader-ox?

Be the ox that treads out the word of God. 

~~ by Elder Bill Taylor

Orthodox: authorized or generally accepted theory, doctrine, or practice.

Heterodox: not conforming with accepted or orthodox standards or beliefs.

There are certain orthodox (generally accepted) doctrines that constitute foundational biblical truth, such as Christ's virgin birth, and his resurrection from the dead. Other doctrines are not as "generally accepted," such as the total depravity of fallen men, of eternal election, of monergistic regeneration by the Holy Spirit, of the preservation of the saints, etc. These doctrines, joined with the first mentioned above, were generally accepted in the early New Testament church. Luke's gospel begins with, "Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us," stating there was orthodoxy among early believers concerning the basic precepts of "the faith." Jude wrote, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (Jude 3).

When Paul admonished the brethren at Corinth to, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (2 Cor 13:5), he was exhorting them to look deeply within themselves, to examine the basis of their own beliefs rather than judge him and try to prove him to be holding heterodox beliefs. After all, the commonly held belief among the Corinthians appears to be that the Apostolic miraculous gifts were most important in their worship.

Now here is my question: is the standard of orthodoxy what has been commonly believed by the majority of any group? Or is the standard  of orthodoxy what, "Thus saith the LORD?"

Should any man strive to ensure his interpretation of scriptural passages conform to "what most of us have always believed, " or should he examine his beliefs and ensure his interpretation is prayerfully arrived at and consistent with scriptural context? This is not to say he is free to develop his own doctrines,  but to ensure he builds his beliefs on "the faith once delivered to the saints." He should seek counsel with other brethren, but should not change his beliefs simply because other brethren agree certain scriptures must be interpreted as they see it and as it has been seen by the majority.

If we must all conform to what the majority has always believed, just because there has been general acceptance, then there is little need for the personal, prayerful study. I prefer to be as those Paul called noble Bereans, and study out scripture - letting scripture prove scripture. That ought to be the only standard of orthodoxy, I believe.

Some notes on Effectual Calling - 1689.10.1

If you understand the above statement,
you are ahead of many theologians.

Some notes on Effectual Calling

(as summarized in 1689 CoF Chapter 10.1)

1. Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is pleased in his appointed, and accepted time, effectually to call, by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God; taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by his almighty power determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace.

( Rom 8:30; Rom 11:7; Eph 1:10, 11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14; Eph 2:1-6; Acts 26:18; Eph 1:17, 18; Eze 36:26; Deu 30:6; Eze 36:27; Eph 1:19; Psalm 110:3; Song 1:4 )

Introduction:

a. The Context of effectual calling:

- The covenant of redemption, Chapters 7 and 8; here in Chapter 10, it is indicated by “Those whom God hath predestinated unto life…”

- The impotence of man, Chapters 6 and 9; in this paragraph, it is indicated by “that state of sin and death in which they are by nature…”

- This leads to the absolute necessity of chapter 10, the effectual call by the free and sovereign activities of the Triune God.

b. Popular errors of the RBs in particular, and the Calvinists in general, and even some Primitive Baptists.

- equating the effectual calling as regeneration.

- equating the Word (second Person of the Trinity) as the ministry of the word or the inspired Scriptures, leading to the heresy of gospel regeneration.

- the normal way of calling (with instrumental means) and the exceptional way of calling (without instrumental means).

- all the elect, without exception, will hear and believe the gospel.

c. Serious implications: An erroneous view of effectual calling is necessarily coupled with the wrong views of justification, regeneration, and the function of the gospel ministry. (if you are clueless, please inquire.)

1. The General Overview of Effectual Calling (paragraph 1)

a. The objects of effectual calling

- “Those whom God hath predestinated unto life…”

- This embraces ALL the elect, without exception. Forget about the reformed fable of the "normal/exceptional" ways. Bear this in mind when you read paragraph 3. More on this when we come to paragraph 3.

b. The author of effectual calling

- “Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, He is pleased… to effectually call…”
- God alone is the author, and He acts according to His good pleasure. 

- Divine predestination has to do with PEOPLE; God predetermined the eternal destiny of people. God DID NOT predestinate things and events!

c. The timing of effectual calling for each elect

- “He is pleased in his appointed, and accepted time…”

- God alone determines the time of an elect's effectual calling out of his native state of sin and death to that state of grace and salvation.

- The gospel ministry affects the time of conversion of those whom God HAS ALREADY effectually called, prior to and independent of the gospel ministry.

d. The efficacy of the effectual calling

- “He is pleased… effectually to call…”

- “… by His almighty power determining them to that which is good.”

- “… effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ.”

- “…yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace.”

- The divine purpose in the effectual call of each elect is most assuredly and immutably accomplished, by His almighty power alone; man's role is completely excluded.
- "... that which is good" is nothing less than being brought into the state of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ. 

e. The Divine Agents of effectual calling

- “He is pleased… effectually to call by His Word and Spirit…”

- "His Word" is not the Scriptures; there were no Scriptures for many centuries prior to Moses; neither is His Word the gospel ministry 

- These are the second and third Persons of the Divine Trinity respectively. See John 1:1,14; Heb 4:12; Rev 19:13.

- All three Persons of the Triune God are actively involved in the effectual calling of those predestinated onto eternal life.

- "His Word" is distinct and different from "the ministry of the word" in paragraph 3; save yourself from soundbite.

f. The transference in the effectual calling

- “He is pleased… effectually to call… out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to [that state of] grace and salvation…”

- To call a man out of his native state of sin and death to that state of grace and salvation in Christ Jesus REQUIRES the free and sovereign divine activities of justification, regeneration and adoption (in that number, and order); without these free and sovereign activities of the Triune God, a man is not brought out of his native state and into the state of grace and salvation in Christ Jesus.

- A man called into the state of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ is already perfectly fitted for eternal glory; he is freely justified by God's grace, regenerated by the Spirit of God, adopted into the family of God, and bestowed with and indwelt by the Spirit of adoption' The indwelling Spirit works in him all the saving graces. 

g. The basis of effectual calling

- “... grace and salvation by Jesus Christ.”

- The redemptive work by the Son of God is the basis and ground of the calling of those predestinated to life in the covenant of redemption.
- Their predestination unto eternal life is based and grounded solely upon the redemptive work of Jesus Christ alone. 

h. The manifold effects of effectual calling upon the called

- “enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God…”

- “taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh…”

- “renewing their wills...”

- That is, the whole person is affected, a new creation, a new man.

Conclusion
Thus a man, an elect, in his native state, i.e. under just condemnation, dead, and alienated from God, is effectually called out of that state by God's sovereign and gracious activities of justification (removes condemnation), regeneration (removes deadness), and adoption (removes alienation) into the state of grace and salvation by Jesus Christ.

These three free and sovereign activities of God in the effectual calling bring an elect OUT OF his native state of condemnation, death, and alienation INTO the state of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ.