How Jewish is Christianity?

Many have referred to Judaism as one of the world’s oldest religions that is still in practice today. This line of thought stems from the idea that the Judaism practiced over the previous twenty centuries is the same as that which was practiced in the Biblical Old Testament times. However, upon closer examination, we can see that what is commonly referred to today as “Judaism” finds its beginnings around 200 B.C.(1) Distinctly different from Christianity by virtue of the respective positions on original sin, salvation, and most specifically the deity of Jesus Christ, modern Judaism may be classified in three major branches known as Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform but the basic philosophy is shared by all three.

AW Tozer has written that “what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”(2) and indeed this statement proves true when examining the basic philosophy of Judaism. For the Biblical Christian, God is presented as an infinitely holy(3) and personal God(4) whose justified wrath(5) falls on condemned sinners who are lost in their state of sinfulness(6) unless drawn out of such state by the gracious act of God to reveal Himself to them(7) so that they might enjoy eternal fellowship(8) with Him by way of the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ,(9) to redeem them from their state of sinfulness and restore them to a right relationship with God the Father(10). However, the basic philosophy of Judaism does not present God or man in this same light.

“Judaism rejects the doctrine of original sin, saying that sin is an act, not a state. Thus, man has the ability to live according to the Law. If he fails, he only needs to come to God in repentance. With this view of sin, Judaism has eliminated the need for a Saviour.”(11)

Thus, although Judaism may have a reverence for the God of their making, He is not the infinitely holy God of the Bible whose wrath must be satisfied. For the Jewish people, it is not so much a requirement that the wrath of God be satisfied, but rather and adherence to the 613 commands found within the Torah that will fit them for a healthy lifestyle. “Jewish believers are able to sanctify their lives and draw closer to God by keeping the mitzvoth (divine commandments).”(12) This belief, however, is not mere legalism, but is in fact the basic philosophy of Judaism: that the whole of life must be holy and the way to do so is by observing the commands.

The Jewish people also observe a cycle of holidays that they observe each year that help to define their “Jewishness.” Many of these holidays are derived from the Old Testament Scriptures such as the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), Feast of Tabernacles (sukkos), and Passover.(13) It will depend upon the individual’s adherence to the particular branch of Judaism as to what extent these holidays are observed. Unfortunately, too many adherents to Judaism miss the great significance of the holidays which, in the Old Testament, pointed to the future coming Messiah and that all things would be filled in Him. Many Jewish people will object to becoming a Christian not so much out of a doctrinal conviction but because they feel as though “they will cease to be Jewish if they believe in Jesus and that becoming a Christian means turning one’s back on one’s people, history, and heritage.”(14) This is the essence of the basic Jewish philosophy. Being Jewish has little to do with an understanding of doctrinal principles, a confession, or a statement of faith, but for most it is an ethic, simply a way of life.

END NOTES
(1) Richard Robinson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed Dean C. Halverson (Bloomington, IN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), p 122. The author adds, “It is best, however, to use the term “Judaism” to refer to the religion of the rabbis that developed from about 200 B.C. onward and crystallized following the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70. In this way Christianity is not described as a daughter religion of Judaism, but more correctly as a sister: both branched out from the Old Testament faith.
(2) AW Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1961), p. 1
(3) Lev 19:2
(4) God is seen as clearly personal through His active involvement in the Creation process in Genesis 1 (not through an impersonal, hands-off approach proffered by the evolutionist), and a myriad of times throughout the Bible where God is shown to speak directly with His people and to offer aid through sovereign intervention in their time of need (see for reference Gen 3:21, 22:8, 12-14, 50:20; Ex 19:4, 20:1-2; 1 Chron 29:10-19; Dan 3:8-30, etc).
(5) God’s wrath is justified because of His infinite Holiness. Since sin is anything that is contrary to the character of God, our sin is in direct opposition to Him as the Scriptures assert “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds…” (Col 1:21).
(6) The Bible is consistent in its declaration that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23, see also Gen 6:5-6, 8:21; 1 Kin 8:46; Psa 51:5; Is 53:6; Eph 2:1-3; Col 1:21-22, 2:13-14; 1 Joh 1:8, 10. The doctrine of original sin is specifically opposed in the basic philosophy of Judaism.
(7) John 6:44 is one of the clearest representations of this idea: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”
(8) John 17:3 defines “eternal life” for us: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Thus, the emphasis for eternal life is that we might know the “one and only true God” and to enjoy Him forever. The Westminster Confession declares that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
(9) Many passages throughout the Scriptures refer to Messiah as the ultimate sacrifice to pay the due penalty for sin. See for reference specifically Isa 53; and the testimony of John the Baptist who declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Joh 1:29).
(10) Especially in the Pauline epistles, man is represented as at enmity with God, hostile towards Him, but the joyous truth prevails that “He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him…” (Col 1:22) and later, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Col 2:13-14). This reconciliation made possible through Jesus Christ is what translates to the “peace of Christ” as dictated in Col 3:15.
(11) Kenneth Boa, Cults, World Religions and the Occult: What They Teach. How to Respond to Them (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 1990), p. 79.
(12) Mark Waters, ed Encyclopedia of World Religions, Cults, and the Occult (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2006), p. 337.
(13) See chart of Jewish Holidays in Richard Robinson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed Dean C. Halverson (Bloomington, IN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), pp 128-129.
(14) Richard Robinson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed Dean C. Halverson (Bloomington, IN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), p 131

Some Thoughts on Sanctification…

Again, obviously not an exhaustive thought progression, merely an initial go…

The act of sanctification, or sanctifying, finds its roots in the beginning of recorded history with Creation. When God had finished creating the heavens, the earth, the light, the dark, the waters, the dry land, the male, and the female “He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested” (Gen 2:2-3, emphasis mine). By sanctifying the seventh day, God called this day – the Sabbath day – holy, and set it apart from the other six days of the week. He declared the Sabbath day to be “other than” or “different” from the rest of the week where certain functions were performed and others were set aside for the day. The Hebrew word for sanctified is “qadash” which means “to be set apart or consecrated” (Strong’s, 6942, “qadash”). Vine’s adds that “in the primary stem the verb signified as act, whereby, or a state wherein, people or things are set aside for use in the worship of God” (Vine’s, “To Sanctify”, 210). God set aside the Sabbath Day so that on this day He would be worshipped. The Sabbath was created for man to receive rest from his labors and to focus his heart and mind on the Giver of Life and the ability to work. This act of worship on the Sabbath was not to come to the detriment of worship the other six days of the week, but on the Sabbath there was a special time of communal fellowship where the people of God were gathered together to worship Him as the family that they are.

When the Tent of Meeting and the Tabernacle were later established, God chose to have certain items and people sanctified for service in the temple. The Levites were the chosen descendants of Jacob who were called to be the priestly servants of God. These Levites were given the task of performing the sacrifices as an offering of worship to God for the cleansing of sins (Ex 27-30). As was from the beginning, sanctification was an element of worship to God Almighty. He sanctified the Sabbath and commanded that it be observed as a day of worship (Ex 20:9-11) and as a result, He also prescribed the way in which He was to be worshipped. God declared to Moses which items should be used in the service of the temple, how the priests were to be dressed, what elements should be available for them, and how they were to act while in the presence of His Divine Glory. The Tabernacle had its inner chamber, the Holy of Holies, signifying that this part was consecrated, set apart, and sanctified for the exclusive presence of the Lord. It was the center of worship and sanctification is necessary for proper worship.

Sanctification is inseparable from God’s act of justification and is indeed subsequent to this act. God justifies the sinner and declares him to be “not guilty” before Him. This justification, however, does not deal with the inward nature of man, but only with the external, in its judicial sense. Sanctification, is the result of God’s Spirit working within the life of a regenerated believer in order to change the believer to conform to the image of Christ. Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology defines sanctification as “a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives” (746). This freedom is what enables the regenerate believer to properly worship Christ.

In the New Testament, we see the continuation of God’s initiating act of sanctifying or setting apart of individuals of His choosing for worship. The Greek words “hagios” and “hagiazo”, and “hagiasmos” are used to render the idea of consecration, sanctification, and the act of making something holy (Strongest 37, 38, 40). Thus, God’s desire for His own glory has continued throughout the centuries and now lies in the hearts of those for whom Christ died. “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life” (Rom 6:22 NASB). In this verse we see that Paul is clearly stating that there is a definite beginning, a continuation, and an ending point of sanctification that results in eternal life and each deals with the aspect of worship in the believer.

Prior to sanctification, there were those whom God foreknew “before the foundations of the world” (Eph 1:4) and “those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son […] and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified…” (Rom 8:29, 30). As an act of His grace, God chose to reveal Himself to those whom He has chosen and as a further act of His grace He chose to declare them “not guilty” in regards to the eternal condemnation of sin. This act of justification, however, did not leave the individual sinner any more or less conformed to the image of Christ than he was immediately prior to his acquittal. Therefore, God acted within the life of the new believer to cause the new birth, or regeneration, enabling the new creation (2 Cor 5:17) to respond rightfully to God’s working of grace. In Peter’s words, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3). To be “born again” signifies a new beginning, a fresh start, and a new perspective. And as a result of this new life in Christ, there is a turning from the old ways of life – a life wrought with sin.

“This initial step in sanctification involves a definite break from the ruling power and love of sin, so that the believer is no longer ruled or dominated by sin and no longer loves to sin […] to be dead to sin or to be set free from sin involves the power to overcome acts or patterns of sinful behavior in one’s life” (Grudem 747).

This is, indeed, an initial step and is not to be considered as the last step or a once and for all step. True, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1), however, there is still a sin nature that is a part of every human – believer or nonbeliever. The advantage for the believer is that he now possesses the power afforded to him to choose not to sin and to choose the power of the Holy Spirit, “who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession” (Eph 1:14) from the point of regeneration onward. And it is from this point that the new believer is enabled not only to live under the grace of God, but to do so, and rightly worship the Triune God fully.

The act of sanctification in the believer does not only have a definite beginning “having been freed from sin” (Rom 6:22) but it is a continual process. Never on this side of eternity will an individual be able to say that he or she has defeated sin once and for all, or that he or she has mastered any particular sin for “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Pro 16:18). The process of sanctification in the life of the believer continues throughout the believer’s life. It is through this process of sanctification that the new believer will “derive [his] benefit” (Rom 6:22) as the believer understands more fully the depth of his sin, his need for a savior, and an appreciation for the work that has been done for him by the work of Christ. All of this results in greater worship of God the Father Almighty.

The Holy Spirit is the agent of sanctification in the life of the believer as He is the One who will “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment [and] will guide [all believers] into all truth” (Joh 16:8, 13). Through this process of conviction, the Holy Spirit is revealing thoughts, attitudes, and actions within the life of the believer that are not in accordance with the character of Christ. He also is empowering the believer with the grace to boldly approach the throne of grace with confidence knowing that he may confess his transgressions to God and be cleansed from all his iniquity (2 Chr 7:14; Heb 4:16; 1 Joh 1:9). As John Murray states,

“Indeed, the more sanctified the person is, the more conformed he is to the image of his Saviour, the more he must recoil against every lack of conformity to the holiness of God. The deeper his appreciation of the majesty of God, the greater the intensity of his love to God, the more persistent his yearning for the attainment of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the more conscious will he be of the gravity of the sin which remains and the more poignant will be his detestation of it” (Murray 145).

Again, the process of sanctification has in its view the proper worship being ascribed to God Almighty. Without the quickening of the Holy Spirit who affects His ministry of conviction, the sinner would be lost and without direction in how he is to live a life of worship. Without God’s agent of sanctification through the power of the Holy Spirit he would be unable to not be “conformed to this world” (Rom 12:2a), unable to be “transformed by the renewing of [his] mind” (Rom 12:2b), and unable to “prove what the will of God is” (Rom 12:2c) and therefore unable to set his mind on the things of the Spirit (Rom 8:5-8). And a mind not set on the things of the Spirit is a mind void of worship.

Sanctification has a definite beginning and is in a perpetual state of continuance in the life of the believer. But when will this sanctification process end? When will the believer finally cease to sin? The only answer that satisfies is when the believer inherits the “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). This inheritance will be fully realized at some point after the physical death of the believer or when Christ returns for His Church – whichever occurs first and will result in true worship of the Maker and Savior. Because sinners live in a life constrained by the effects of sin, all are unable to truly worship Christ for who He is. When this tarnish of sin is removed from the internal being of the sinner, he will truly and rightly be able to cry with all of the redeemed

“Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; for all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed” (Rev 15:3-4).

Before this time, the believer may worship only in part and must wait until the time when God’s act of redemption is fully accomplished and results in the believer’s complete sanctification. For before this time,

“although the believer is made a new creature, is translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son, he is but partially sanctified; that his selfishness, pride, discontent, worldliness, still cleave to , and torment him; that they effectually prevent his ‘doing what he would’[Rom 7:14-25], they prevent his living without sin, they prevent his intercourse with God being as intimate and uninterrupted as he could and does desire” (Hodge 224).

Therefore, when God has completed His work of sanctification in the life of a believer God will finally receive the true, just, and deserved worship that He desires from His children. It is not until this point – the point of true worship – that the believer fully sanctified.

God instituted the act of sanctification, by setting apart days, articles, and people, for the act of worship. He has always had in mind the act of sanctification to be set apart for the worship of Himself and to see all things done for His own glory. This sanctification, however, does not come completely at once but has a definite beginning, a gradual progression, and a definite ending point. Until the end, God will not receive the true worship that He desires and the believer’s aim should be to work in accordance with His Spirit, responding to the “energizing power that God exerts upon and within the righteous which enables them to serve Him acceptably” (Pink 80). This “energizing power” is the power of the Holy Spirit, given to all new creatures in Christ; given so that He might prompt the proper worship of the Almighty God who has chosen, set apart, and sanctified His children by calling them to worship.

Works Cited
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.
Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology in Three Volumes: Part III Soteriology. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 3rd prntg. 2003.
Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible-Updated Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Word Publishing, 1995.
Murray, John. Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955.
Pink, Arthur W. The Sovereignty of God. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1928, rptd 1998.
The Strongest NASB Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2004.
Vine, W.E. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996.

Some Thoughts on God’s Justification of the Sinner

Obviously not an exhaustive examination, simply an initial one…

God’s act of justification is a complex yet simple issue that has been debated over the centuries and even acted as an ecclesiastical divider that was instrumental in the beginning of what is now referred to as the Protestant Reformation. A proper understanding of sinful man’s justification will result in a greater appreciation of the unmerited grace that the Lord has poured out upon His children who were chosen “before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4). So important is the issue of justification that the Apostle Paul devoted much of his letter to the Romans in explaining the requirement, the remedy, and the result of God’s act of justification in the life of the sinner and from this letter is where this paper will draw the majority of its content.

Before examining the implications of justification, however, the necessity arrives to define the term and see its uses as seen in the inspired writings of New Testament Scripture. The words for “justification”, “justify”, and “justified” all derive themselves from the word “dikaioo” which is defined as “to deem to be right” (Vines, “justification, justifier, justify”, 339). According to The Strongest NASB Exhaustive Concordance the word dikaioo (or its derivatives) is used thirty-five times in the New Testament, primarily by the Apostle Paul. Of those thirty-five occurrences, seventeen are found in the epistle to the Romans, penned by the Apostle Paul implying that Paul’s understanding of justification was quite imperative to his entire view of salvation and the Christian’s new life in Christ. Other possibilities for translation are “righteous, to show to be righteous, to declare righteous, an ordinance, a sentence of acquittal or condemnation, a righteous deed, or the act of pronouncing righteous” (Strongest 1342, 1343, 1344, 1345, 1346, 1347). Most noteworthy is the act of declaring righteous as opposed to earning righteousness. Also, it is important to note that in Paul’s usages in Romans, to be justified, is to be acted upon from an outside source as opposed to an internal change within the individual. For the purposes of this paper, and to summarize all of the above the following definition will be used for justification: “Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which He (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in His sight” (Grudem 723).

As previously stated, Paul addresses three issues dealing with justification throughout the book of Romans – requirement, remedy, and result. The requirement for justification is set forth in the first three chapters of his epistle as he lays the foundation that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). He begins his argument with a definition of the gospel and his assertion that he [Paul] is “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed […and…] the wrath of God is revealed” (Rom 1:16, 17, 18). The gospel, or God’s accurate revelation of Himself to His chosen people, is an act that is purely motivated by God’s grace and not merited by any of the recipients of His special revelation. Paul continues that “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that [all people everywhere at all times] are without excuse” (Rom 1:20). Because of the sinful nature of humanity, apart from being acted upon by God’s grace, man will always choose that which is sinful, that which is contrary to the character and nature of God, as he is in essence bound to do so. Although God has set in the hearts of men to know right from wrong, men throughout the centuries subsequent to the Fall of man have “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom 1:25). Therefore, as all men are guilty of sin which leads to death, they are in need of an acquittal, or a declaration, if their hope is to live in eternal paradise of the heavenly kingdom of God. And this declaration will not come from within themselves, for what man can appeal to his own authority or initiative when his own initiative will lead him astray every time? As Augustine wrote in his Confessions in the early fifth century, “O Holy God…when Your commands are obeyed it is from You that we receive power to obey them.” Augustine was merely confirming what Paul had written four hundred years prior – man is completely responsible for his sin and is unable to save himself from the wrath that is due him or to declare himself righteous or not guilty, in the eyes of God. But the wrath of God demands justice, it is required.

Therefore, if God’s wrath demands justice as a requirement for the punishment of sin, where is this remedy for justification to come from? Where might man find the ability to declare himself righteous in the eyes of God? Might it come from a perfect obedience to a set of standards or laws? Never, for Paul declares that “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in is sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). So where might one find the remedy? The only answer is as a result of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ “for all those who believe… [who are being] justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:22, 24). Purely as an act of God’s grace He chose to declare “not guilty” those who would believe on Jesus Christ as Lord. Paul later states that the ungodly man is justified as a result of his faith and not by his works, and therefore, the sinner’s “faith is credited as righteousness” (Rom 4:5). It is imperative to note that the sinner did nothing to earn the righteousness that was given to him. Rather it was “credited” to him. It was a gracious gift of the Redeemer who freely chose to act out of His own goodness, not out of any merit that the sinful man may have displayed internally or externally. In fact, to be justified, or to receive justification, does not change the inward being of the sinner at all. As Grudem clarifies,

“Here Paul cannot mean that God “makes the ungodly to be righteous” (by changing them internally and making them morally perfect), for then they would have merit or works of their own to depend on. Rather he means that God declares the ungodly to be righteous in His sight, not on the basis of their good works, but in response to their faith” (723).

The inner being is left unchanged, as through justification, it is only God making it possible for Him to see the righteousness of Christ – the only One who is truly righteous – covering the life of the sinner. “When a judge justifies an accused person he does not make that person an upright person. He simply declares that in his judgment the person is not guilty of the accusation but is upright in terms of the law relevant to the case” (Murray 119). The requirement for justification was set forth in that the justice of God and the wrath of God must be satisfied, and we see through Holy Writ that the only One capable of satisfying such wrath and justice was the person Jesus Christ. “Through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:18-19). The obedience of Christ to die on the cross for sinful humanity is the act of righteousness that was able to then allow for the declaration of those whom He foreknew to be considered righteous, and therefore justified. Jesus Christ is the only remedy for redemption.

Therefore, as the requirement of justification is evident in that the wrath of God must be satisfied and the justice of God administered, the remedy for justification is found only through the atoning death of Jesus Christ who “knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21), what then is the result of our justification? What is the effect on the ungodly who has now been declared to be righteous? This result is of utmost importance if we are to truly understand God’s redemption of His people. As Arthur Pink comments, “while the soul is ignorant of the doctrine of Justification, there can be no real and intelligent assurance of its acceptance in the Beloved” (138). The initial act of justification allows holy God to look upon unholy man and see the righteousness that Christ has provided. However, as stated above, the inner man has yet to be effected and in essence man is seen as being merely neutral before God. Within God’s economy, sinful man is at this point capable of receiving God’s forgiveness for sin. It is at this point then that God is able to impute righteousness to us, which is that “God thinks of Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, or regards it as belonging to us. He ‘reckons’ it to our account” (Grudem 726).

It is at this point that the Roman Catholic Church found a large disagreement with those responsible for the Protestant Reformation as the Roman Catholic position is that justification results in the inner change of man which will produce faith and good works as a means to salvation (727-728). This view, however, diminishes the emphasis on God’s gracious choosing to act on the life of the sinner. For if salvation is reduced to being merely by works, then the work of Christ is seen as secondary and not foremost. The traditional Roman Catholic position since the Council of Trent in 1546 has been that there is an “infusion” of righteousness as opposed to an “imputation” and the difference has severe ramifications on a gospel that is to be by grace alone.

“And the seriousness of the Romish error is not so much that it has confused justification and renewal but that it has confused these two distinct acts of God’s grace and eliminated from the message of the gospel the great truth of free and full justification by grace. That is why [Martin] Luther endured such travail of soul as long as he was governed by Romish distortion, and the reason why he came to enjoy such exultant joy and confident assurance was that he had been emancipated from the chains by which Rome had bound him; he found the great truth that justification is something entirely different from what Rome had taught” (Murray 119).

This debate raged on, but as a result of those who were called by God to be faithful to Holy Scripture, the gospel of grace was recovered, not that it was lost, but it was being ignored. The Apostle Paul’s words then rang true that “therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). For he continues, “for those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and those whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified” (Rom 8:29-30). So what is the grand result of being justified as a result of God acting on an individual not by the merits of any of his own actions, but solely on the merits of God’s gracious choice? It is that there is no condemnation, nor may there ever be! For those who are in Christ, God sees them as the righteousness that Christ alone holds. Thus, for God to condemn those whom He has justified would be a defiance to His character, for He cannot change, He cannot tell a lie, and He may not disown Himself (Heb 13:8; 6:17-18; 2 Tim 2:13). And if God will not condemn those whom He has chosen to declare not guilty as an act of His gracious justification, who then can call an accusation to God’s elect? No one may do so and have such an accusation be efficacious in the bringing about of condemnation. Not even the father of lies himself can bring forth such an accusation against God’s children. And this result is eternal.

God’s act of justification in the life of the sinner is central to the salvation of man and its proper understanding will evoke a grateful response of praise in the individual. Acknowledging that man is completely dead in his trespasses and may only be brought to life through the life-giving breath of the Savior causes one to see more clearly that man’s works, however mighty they may be, are merely chaff to be blown away in the wind in comparison to the greatest work that has been performed by Christ and imputed to ungodly men. The requirements for justification were set forth when God declared His justice in the Garden of Eden, refusing to ignore sin but dealing with it at its inception. From that point on, the remedy for justification has been through a blood sacrifice. In the Garden, God graciously provided such a sacrifice and on Golgotha, He mirrored this action again. God graciously provided the spotless lamb of Christ to die on behalf of sinful men. And as a result, sinful men could then be declared righteous in His sight and be afforded the opportunity to spend an eternity with Him, rather than continue to be at enmity with Him. From beginning to end in God’s act of redemption, God’s unmeritorious acts of grace perform the requirements that man could not perform, provides the remedy that man could not provide, and produces the results that man in himself could not produce. “To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen” (Rom 16:27).

Works Cited

Augustine, Aurelius of Hippo. Confessions. Trans. By R.S. Pine-Coffin, New York: Penguin Books, 1961. 181 (ix, i) as quoted in Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther and Calvin by John Piper. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2000. 56.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.

Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible-Updated Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Word Publishing, 1995.

Murray, John. Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955.

Pink, Arthur W. The Sovereignty of God. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1928, rptd 1998.

Vine, W.E. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996.

Doctrinal Statement for Humanity, Sin, and Salvation

The Assignment: “Utilizing no outside resources other than your own convictions backed by the Biblical text, formulate a Doctrinal Statement for the Doctrines of Humanity, Sin, and Salvation. Each statement must be supported by one or more Biblical reference. Do not consult any other Doctrinal Statement, confession, or theological resource (e.g. books, pamphlets, articles, sermons, etc). The Bible is to be your only resource.”

This assignment was given as part of a Theology course (THEO 2231) at Southeastern Bible College, Spring 2006. My response was what follows…

Doctrinal Statement of the Doctrines of Humanity, Sin, and Salvation
By KC Armstrong

I. Doctrine of Humanity
In the beginning, when God created the Heavens and the Earth, He also created man (Gen 1:27). God formed man out of the dust of the ground and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Gen 2:7). Man was not created as an act of natural means or by any accident that transpired over time but was created in the image of God and is the only part of God’s creation that bears His image (Gen 1:27). As a result of being Created directly by God, not by a chance process, and bearing the image of God, man is granted an individual sense of identity and is not to be viewed as a machine (insignificant and easily dispensable), simply an another animal species (for man is higher than all other species), or as a pawn in the universe (as God is intricately involved in the details of man’s life) (Gen 1:27-28; Ex 20:13; Ps 139:3-15; Eph 2:10). God, IN His wisdom, decided that it was “not good for the man to be alone” (Gen 2:18), therefore He made a suitable helper for the man. Woman was formed by God out of the rib of the man and the two were given dominion over the earth, to subdue it, and to rule over it (Gen 1:28). Thus, God’s ordination of and blessing upon the union of marriage was declared good when exercised under the authority of God between one man and one woman committed for life (Gen 2:24). Scripture address the varying parts of the man (heart, soul, mind, body) however one is not to be stressed over the other. As sin affects the entire being and salvation accomplishes redemption of the entire being, it is to be understood that the constitutional nature of man has varying parts but one whole. Therefore, all parts are moving in one direction at all times whether in word, or deed, or thought (Gen 34:8; Lev 26:15; Deut 6:5; 1 Sam 1:15; 1 Kin 8:48; Mat 10:28; Mat 22:37)

II. Doctrine of Sin
As a result of Adam’s sin, a sin nature has been transferred from every descendant from him to include all men and therefore all men after Adam were created with a nature inclined towards sin and as a further result there is no man who is without sin (Gen 8:21; 1 Kin 8:46; Ps 130:3; Pr 20:9; Eccl 7:20; Rom 3:23; Rom 5:12-17). In man’s sinful state, the totality of his being is corrupt and therefore he engages in deeds that are hostile towards God and is considered to be an enemy of God (Rom 5:8; Eph 2:3; Col 1:21). As a result of his being total depraved, man is enslaved to his own sinful desires and unable to free himself from such desires, he will deny responsibility for his own sin, he will deceive himself of the existence of his own sin, he will find himself unable to sense the presence of sin in his life, he will become increasingly concerned about his own needs, and will never be satisfied by the sin that he wants (Gen 3:12; Jer 17:9; Ex 7:3; Zec 7:12; Rom 6:17; Heb 11:25; Jam 1:15 1 Joh 1:8; ).

The result of man’s sin affects his relationships with other humans by causing competition among them, being overly concerned with his own desires and thus unable to see things from the perspective of his fellow man, he will reject authority in his life – especially the authority of God, and sin will produce actions that are only sought for his own satisfaction with no regards for others (Ex 32:31; 1 Sam 15:23, Mat 18:6; Ph 2:3-5; Jam 4:1-2; 17)

The results of sin are also evident in man’s relationship with God. Sin results in divine disfavor, guilt before a holy God as we have transgressed His law, accountable for punishment, and justifiably able to receive the penalty of death; physically, spiritually, and eternally (Gen Deut 4:25; 9:27; Josh 23:16; Ps 78:59; Rom 3:23; 6:23; Eph 2:1, 5; Col 2:13; 2 Pet 2:14; 1 Joh 5:16).

III. Doctrine of Salvation
As a result of man’s sinful nature and his inability to free himself from the bondage of sin, and God in His justice must punish sin, man is in need of salvation. (Rom 3:23). Before the foundations of the world were established, God chose some to be conformed to the likeness of Christ and to those alone He has rendered it certain that they will experience His salvation (Ps 139:3, 13-15; Rom 8:28-30; Eph 1:4; Col 3:12; 1 Pet 1:1-2). Salvation from beginning to end is an act of God’s grace, that is, man presents no quality that is worthy of redemption and it is only through the grace of God that man may experience salvation, not by man’s works. Not all men will be saved, and it will be only those whom He has chosen, but no chosen man will deny the effectual calling of God (Joh 6:44; Eph 2:8; 1 Pet 1:3).

Salvation is instantaneous and a process at the same time. In its initial state, the unbelieving, sinful man has his sin revealed to him, causing him to repent of his sin, to acknowledge Christ as Lord, and to place his faith in Christ, not trusting in his own works, but he does not do so as a result of his own mind, but only in response to the grace of God. This is regeneration and, at this time, the man is then adopted, or placed, directly into the family of God and his salvation is eternally secure at this moment as he receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come (Is 55:1; Ez 11:19-20; Jer 24:7; Dan 9:18; Joh 1:13; 3:3-21; 6:44; Eph 2:4-8; Col 1:22; 2 Tim 1:9-10; Tit 3:5-7; Heb 1:3; 1 Pet 1:2-3, 23; 1 John 3:2). As a result of this regeneration, the man is now a new creation, with a new nature, and is therefore justified, or declared not guilty before the Father because of the work of Christ on the cross (Ps 103:8-12; 118:14; Is 1:18; 53:3-7; 2 Cor 5:17, Tit 3:5). Sanctification is the next step in salvation and is the period of time where the new believer is in a continual relationship with Christ and is being conformed to His image (Rom 6:19-22; 8:28-30; 1 Pet 1:2-3). All true believers, those whom God has chosen, will persevere in their faith until the end times and beyond. None have the capacity to fall away and Christ can not deny Himself by casting them off. Therefore, salvation is eternally secure (Joh 17:6, 9-10, Eph 1:13-14; Col 1:13-14; 1 Th 4:13-17; 2 Tim 2:11-13; Heb 6:4-6; 1 Pet 1:3-5). There will be a time for all those who have been chosen that they will be brought up into Heaven to take up eternal residence with Christ. At this point, they will receive glorified bodies that are no longer tainted with a sinful nature and will have the opportunity to worship Christ fully for all of eternity. (John 6:44; 1 Cor 15; Col 2:12; 1 Th 4:13-17; Rev 11:12)

As man is totally depraved while in his sin nature, that is, unable to remove himself from his position, God as an act of His grace provided the means for His wrath to be satisfied and for his justice to be given (Rom 1:18; 2 Cor 5:21). This means is not through the work of men but by the death of Christ on the cross (Eph 2:8-9). His death was sacrificial in that He was without sin and therefore the only candidate capable of presenting Himself as a spotless lamb in line with the Old Testament system of sacrifices (Ex 29:36; Lev 1:3, 3:1, 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 9:6-15, 10:5-18). In His death, He became the propitiation and substitution for sin in that, He first fulfilled the whole law and then He became sin for man so that the wrath of God could be poured out upon Him and satisfied by such pouring out although He Himself knew no sin (Is 53:5-6, 12; Mat 27:46; Joh 1:29; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; 4:3-4; 1 Pet 2:24). In His death, He accomplished the ministry of reconciliation in that He has now provided a link between God the Father and sinful man. Without this reconciliation all men would remain alienated from God unable to approach Him by their own means (Ex 33:20-23; Lev 16:17; Mat 27:51; Rom 3:23-25, 5:11; 2 Cor 5:18-19; Col 1:20; 1 Tim 6:16; Heb 10:14).

For a Better Formulated Doctrinal Statement See “Baptist Faith & Message, 2000″ Here