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.
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A transcript from a Question and Answers session with Dr. R. C. Sproul and Rev. Rick Phillips at a Ligonier Conference in 2007:
Dr. R. C. Sproul: “I would say that it is possible to be a Christian and never go to Church. The thief on the cross never had any opportunity to go to Church. The Roman Catholic Church defines the votum ecclesium explicitum, which is an explicit desire to be joined to the Church but you are providentially hindered from doing it; OR at least the implicitum – that you have some desire in your heart to do what is pleasing to God, you just don’t know yet that going to Church is pleasing to God.
Rick Phillips: “There’s different kinds of necessity. It is not necessary as a condition of salvation but under normal circumstances it is a necessary consequence, as is sanctification in general. It is normative that we should be part of the people of God and their worship. And I want to say…. now I dont know the person and I dont know the particulars… but you are are making a tragically foolish life choice if you are in an occupation that keeps you from being part of the people of God both in their worship and therefore in their life. When we look back on our lives the quality and value of the teaching in the Church and our participation in the Church will be one of the chief features through which we were a blessing to others and we were blessed.
“… to rely on oneself for faith is no different in principle from relying on oneself for works, and the one is as unchristian and anti-Christian as the other.”