We live in the information age, where knowledge is increasing at a speed hardly fathomed in former generations. Yet in the church, knowledge of God’s word seems to be at an all time low. In a recent Christian booksellers convention barely 1 in a 100 writers could provide a reasonable response to the question of what it means to be saved.
In any discipline, there are certain basics that need to be learned. If someone is to learn how to be a mechanic, they would need to become very familiar with the inner workings of a “carburetor” (a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine). The same is true for a whole host of other parts of a working engine. There is no other way forward if someone is to become a mechanic. There are words that simply have to be mastered.
The trend is that those responsible for the training of pastors tell their students to never mention theological words from the pulpit, the result being that much of the Bible is incomprehensible to most people. There is a language to the Bible – certain words need to be learned before the joy of reading God’s word can be a reality. Yet there has been an intentional “dumbing down” in the pulpit which has left Christians bereft of the joy that should be theirs in comprehending the “so great salvation” that God has provided us.
Non-Christians often tell us that they do not NEED the Christian faith. But if they ever understood what is at stake, there is nothing more important or necessary. They will all stand before a holy God and give an account for their lives and those who are not in right standing with God will be thrown into the lake of fire (they don’t just jump in). What they will need more than anything at that moment is ATONEMENT. They need a substitute, one who suffered in their place as their sin bearer. They may not “feel” the need for it now, but believe me, it will be the most important thing imaginable then.
ATONEMENT: the work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation. Two aspects:
1. His passive obedience – laying down His life as a payment for our sin
2. His active obedience – the 33.5 years He lived as a man, never sinning, but positively, always obeying His Father in thought, word and deed.
IMPUTATION:
1. Our sins transferred to Christ as He hung on the cross, and He bore the full weight of Divine wrath for them (1 Pet 2:24 – “He bore our sins in His body on the tree…”)
2. Christ’s own righteousness transferred to us (who believe) – a righteousness that perfectly pleased the Father (2 Cor 5:21)
PROPITIATION:
“by means of a sacrifice His anger his forever removed and He looks upon us with favor.” (Christ is our propitiation (Rom 3:25) – 1 John 4:10 – In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.)
CALLING:
1. The General Call (of the Gospel) (Many are called but few are chosen)
2. The Effectual Call (where God’s call always results in spiritual life) (Romans 8:29, 30)
REGENERATION – (being born again, born from above) the first act in our salvation is God’s work completely (monergism – one power working) as He raises us from spiritual death.
According to Jesus, unless a man is first born again, he cannot enter or even see the kingdom of God.
REPENTANCE: a change of mind (New Testament), a change in direction (Old Testament)… a renunciation of all self effort to save ourselves and to trust completely in the Savior.
The nature of Christ’s salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness. – A.W. Pink
FAITH: Three components of true saving faith
1. Information – the Person and work of Christ – His virgin birth, His sinless life, His substitutionary death on the cross and resurrection from the dead
2. Assent – we must believe the information (these first two without the third, merely qualify us to be demons – they know the information and believe it)
3. Trust – placing our complete trust in the Person and work of Christ, throwing ourselves on the mercy of God to save us
JUSTIFICATION – a declaration by God (a courtroom word) of not guilty, reckoned righteous, because of Christ. Not merely “just as if I’d never sinned” but more than that, “just as if I’d always obeyed.” Justification is by faith alone, and not by human works at all. Romans 3:28; 4:4, 5; Eph 2:8, 9;)
Some quotes from Martin Luther: “Justification by faith alone is the article of the standing or falling Church.”
“Whoever departs from the article of justification does not know God and is an idolater . . . For when this article has been taken away, nothing remains but error, hypocrisy, godlessness, and idolatry, although it may seem to be the height of truth, worship of God, holiness, etc. . . If the article of justification is lost, all Christian doctrine is lost at the same time.”
“When the article of justification has fallen, everything has fallen. Therefore it is necessary constantly to inculcate and impress it, as Moses says of his Law (Deut. 6:7); for it cannot be inculcated and urged enough or too much. Indeed, even though we learn it well and hold to it, yet there is no one who apprehends it perfectly or believes it with a full affection and heart. So very trickish is our flesh, fighting as it does against the obedience of the spirit.”
“This doctrine [justification by faith alone] is the head and the cornerstone. It alone begets, nourishes, builds, preserves, and defends the church of God; and without it the church of God cannot exist for one hour. For no one who does not hold this article or, to use Paul’s expression, this ‘sound doctrine’ (Titus 2:1) is able to teach aright in the church or successfully to resist any adversary . . . this is the heel of the Seed that opposes the old serpent and crushes its head. That is why Satan, in turn, cannot but persecute it.” – Martin Luther
For the believer, justification is a past tense event. Romans 5:1 – “Having been justified by faith (past tense), we have (present tense) peace (not a temporary cease fire) with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the only Savior)
SANCTIFICATION:
1. A standing – we are separated unto God, His own special people, set apart for His service (Monergism)
2. A lifelong process of becoming more holy, which starts at the moment of regeneration (Synergism – a cooperative venture of more than one party – God and man working together – Phil 2: 12, 13 “..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.”). Without sanctification there was no true justification. There should be a struggle against sin.. no struggle, shows no activity of the Holy Spirit (no sign of spiritual life).
1 Cor 6: 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Justification is a constant standing with the Father for the believer.
Sanctification is an on-going process.
“Justification by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone does not lead to more sinning. On the contrary, it is the only sure and hopeful base of operations from which the fight against sin can be launched. All the bombers that go out to drop bombs on the strongholds of sin remaining in our lives take off from the runway of justification by faith alone. The missiles that we shoot against the incoming attack of temptation are launched from the base of justification by faith alone. The whole lifelong triumphant offensive called “operation sanctification” – by which we wage war against all the remaining corruption in our lives – is sustained by the supply line of the Spirit that comes from the secure, unassailable home-base of justification by faith alone. And it will be a successful operation – but only because of the unassailable home base.” – Dr. John Piper