Calvin Synod Herald, 2004 (105. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2004-11-01 / 11-12. szám

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD

11

states:

Those whom God effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth: not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them, they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness, by faith; which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God. Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification: [4] yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.

The Confession of Faith is not Scripture and was never intended by the original writers nor accepted by the church as being on par with the Bible. It is a simple attempt to explain in terms all can understand what the whole of God’s word teaches us concerning any particular point of doctrine addressed. The present day detractors however have taken this portion of the confession along with one of the most long standing positions of the Reformed churches to find a place to create a theological hook upon which to hang their teachings. The opening salvo attacks the so-called great Solas of the church (By grace alone, by faith alone, by Christ alone, etc.) by pointing out that the confession itself admits that faith is never alone and therefore there must be something added to faith for man to be justified. What they add is works by attempting to show that in every passage that speaks of judgment that the believer is judged by his works. This they would say means they agree justification is a forensic declaration of God but it has a future or eschatological element and is only complete when at the final judgment the works of the believer in the flesh are judged and his justification made whole and final.

The defenders of the faith make a grave error in claiming these interlopers of Reformed theology are confusing justification with sanctification seeing sanctification connected to the works of man in the flesh. From this faulty foundation they tilt at windmills then instead of routing these modem day heretics and exposing them for what they are. Sanctification has no more to do with the work of the person than justification. The bible is again very clear and needs no assistance in being understood. We read in the Bible:

Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

This is a clear passage and shows without doubt sanctification is of God just as much as justification and as such does not have anything to do with justification. It just as clearly shows that justification and sanctification have their roots in the eternal election of God and both begin and end with God not what the created does or does not do. To deny this infringes upon God’s work because we read in Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” To add works then is to deny the sovereignty of God the very soul of Reformed doctrine. God’s sovereignty tramples the autonomy of man and this is where we find the desire to change the doctrine

of justification to allow at least some element of man’s work to be included in salvation. The proponents deny this. These for the most part are sincere godly men and one can only wonder why they are so engaged. They either have deluded themselves or are being misled by the devil and not seeing Satan’s hand upon their shoulder guiding them along the path of destruction. It happened to Peter in the biblical revelation of that portion of history and it happens today. None of us are an island of wisdom and for this reason the Reformed have always held the command of Scripture to be in subjection to our fellow believers very close. While never on par with the Bible church tradition or what the church has believed through the ages has been given some weight in how we understand doctrine within the church.

Ephesians 8:1 Off and Romans 8:30 then form our two most clear passages to understand justification as God has revealed it to us. All other so-called controversy must be examined in light of these two clear passages and brought into compliance because there is no contradiction in God’s word. James and Paul were not teaching two different doctrines but the same doctrine with a shift of emphasis as such. Paul says we are justified by faith alone, James appears to add works but when read in the clarity of the whole of Scripture it becomes clear James was saying the same thing that God said in Romans 8:30. That is that those whom God elected God does all other things for too. Thus I cannot have a justified person who does not do good works. Christ said, “by their fruit you shall know them.” If the works are rotten so is the soul and that person is not justified and of course the opposite is also true. However, we are never given permission to judge the soul of any person but we are told to examine the fruit and call to repentance those who do not do good works.

To point to works being the foundation of our final judgment is a non-issue in this or any other key point of doctrine because the works of man have not and will not ever save the first person. Justification means salvation in totality and it is final from the election though it may be made manifest at various times in history (time). Our works do matter. Works however have no weight whatsoever in where our eternal home will be. Paul writing to the church of Corinth said:

1 Cor. 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

In other words even if a believer is misled and does nothing but bad works (not within the will of God) they will not be lost. Salvation of God is eternal and complete from its beginning in election until its completion in glorification with Christ. If the works of the person can be destroyed and have no effect on the person’s salvation how dare any claim our justification is not complete through faith alone? Paul wrote these words of explanation so all can understand justification and the final judgment. This does not say one single believer will be standing before Christ with no works whatsoever, all of their works having been burned in judgment.