Loveland Protestant Reformed Church
709 East 57th
Street; Loveland, CO 80538
Services: 9:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. June through
August)
Vol. 5, No. 10 Pastor: Rev. G. Van Baren Phone: (970) 667-9481
Homepage on Internet: http://www.prca.org
Contents:
Justification By Faith
The Gift of Discipleship (2)
Supra- or Infralapsarianism (1)
When Scripture speaks of justification by faith, then it is emphasizing several very important truths.
First, justification is by faith shows how the sinner is actually justified before God. It explains how God's justifying sentence as Judge is applied to the sinner, so that he passes from a state of guilt to innocence.
When we are justified by faith our faith is counted (imputed) for righteousness (Gen. 15:6, Rom. 4:5). God as Judge accepts that faith as our righteousness or innocence.
He does this, however, not because faith itself is worthy or because faith and the obedience of faith are accepted somehow as a substitute for perfect obedience to His law. Rather, faith is counted as righteousness because of its own character.
As we have seen, faith is in its deepest reality a bond of union with Christ. That explains how we are justified by faith. Faith is counted as our righteousness not because it is a substitute work or because it is worthy in itself, but because it brings us into contact with Christ and His perfect righteousness
Truly, therefore, we are justified by the righteousness, obedience, holiness, and works of Christ, which become ours through faith. And it is only by faith, then, that we can be justified - nothing else but faith lays hold on Christ and His righteousness. Nothing but Christ's righteousness will ever find acceptance with God for our justification.
Nor can faith be another work. Justification by faith does not mean as many believe, that God as Judge has decided that instead of demanding all the works of the law, He will demand just one thing of us - one work - and that is faith.
Faith is not something we produce - not something that has its origin in us (as many teach). Believing is not a decision that the sinner makes - he can make no such decision as long as he is lost in his sins. The faith by which we are justified is itself the GIFT OF GOD. He provides not only the righteousness that we need in order to be justified but also the means or way by which that righteousness becomes ours.
Our justification, therefore, is wholly the work of God. From Him are all things necessary for our justification. The righteousness that justifies us, the Person who provides that righteousness, and the means by which we receive it (faith) are all His gifts.
Thus, that justification is by faith means that it is not by works. We are called to do good works (they are even ordained for us! - Eph. 2:10), but we do them as proof of and in thankfulness for salvation received, not to earn or merit salvation. Our works have NOTHING to do with our standing before God. Only Christ's works do.
As Scripture says, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded! Of Him and through Him and to Him is our justification, to whom be glory forever and ever. Free, gracious justification, given through the gift of faith - what a blessing! And what a gracious God who so justifies unworthy sinners! Rev. Ronald Hanko
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew
16:24
We will quote again the question that prompted this and the preceding article: "Our discipleship: is it 'conditional' or 'unconditional'? 'offered' or demanded'? a matter of 'decision' or 'election'?"
We pointed out last time that discipleship is given by grace alone, through the work of the Holy Spirit and based upon the meritorious value of Christ's cross. It is rooted in election and belongs only to those who are elect.
We noticed that the very demands of discipleship are such that we would never, agree to become a disciple. It is contrary to everything we want in life.
The context also makes clear that discipleship is a gift of grace, because Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, who were already disciples, but who had an erroneous conception of what it meant to follow Jesus.
I wish to make a couple more important points about this, however.
I have been at great pains to stress, in this article and in the one before this, that no one, knowing the cost of discipleship, would ever agree of his own free will to become a disciple.
This does not mean, however, that those who are made disciples become reluctant and unwilling disciples who only remain disciples because their resistance is overcome by sovereign grace, and their ability to break away from Christ is resisted by a power greater than anything they have.
When God's people are made Christ's disciples by the Holy Spirit, they are made willing, obedient, eager, and joyful disciples. Yes, even though the "cost" of discipleship is self-denial and cross-bearing, the Holy Spirit alters their will so that these disciples consider it a great privilege to follow Christ -- even in His way of suffering. This is why I gave to these articles the title, "The gift of Discipleship."
When the Canons of Dort describe the work of conversion (which includes the work of being made a disciple), it says: "God . . . infuses new qualities into the will, which though heretofore dead, he quickens; from being evil, disobedient, and refractory, he renders it good, obedient, and pliable . . ." (3 & 4, 11). (You should read the entire article.)
That disciples joyfully bear their cross is evident from the joy with which the apostles praised God when they were whipped by the Sanhedrin for preaching Christ (Acts 5:41).
Someone may ask, however: "If Jesus is simply instructing His disciples and us in the true qualifications of discipleship, why does He put it the way He does? Why does He say, 'If any man will come after me . . . ?' It sounds like every one has a chance, and the final decision rests with man."
But that kind of interpretation is so wrong that it is not even really worth talking about.
There is certainly an implied demand here -- as the questioner suggests. Disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Christ. Jesus requires that. In fact, this is so much a part of discipleship that without self-denial and cross-bearing, we can never be a disciple. But the reasons Jesus puts it this way are two.
In the first place, it is our Lord's purpose to save us so that we become willing disciples. But He does not work that willingness in our hearts blindly and as one manipulates a robot. He comes with the demands of discipleship and works by His Spirit so that we joyfully follow Him regardless of the cost.
And in the second place, because all our nature is contrary to what discipleship requires, we fulfill these demands only in the way of struggle against sin, putting down our own inclinations which are opposed to self-denial and cross-bearing, and earnestly beseeching God's grace in prayer and supplication that we may be true disciples.
We are made willing in the day of His power, as Psalm 110 puts it (vs. 3). And so, in willingness and joyful obedience, we choose what no man can possibly choose apart from grace. As Moses did when he "by faith . . . chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt (Heb. 11:25, 26).
A foolish choice from a human point of view, but a choice that leads to glory -- as it did for Christ -- and we follow Him.
It is all God's work in us and through us and to His glory. Prof. H. Hanko
Supra- or Infra-lapsarianism? (1)
We have received the following difficult question about predestination: "Supralapsarians claim that their theory does justice to the logical symmetry of the decree of God. Opponents reply that it comes perilously close to making God the Author of sin. They would further emphasize the historical fact that both the Westminster Confession and the Synod of Dort adopted the infra-lapsarian position. Were these synods correct in adopting the milder infra theory?" We will be answering this question in several issues.
Some explanation is required. Many will not even have heard the words, supra- or infra-lapsarianism, or if they have, will not have remembered what they mean. Nor should they worry. The subject here is one about which Scripture says nothing.
In general, these two words have to do with the logical order of God's decrees. More particularly, they have to do with the relationship between predestination and the fall of mankind in God's decrees.
The question is: When God chose some and not others, did He choose them as those whom He had already foreseen as fallen (infra-lapsarianism), or did He choose them solely for His own glory and then "afterward" decree their fall and redemption as the way in which He would use them for His glory (supra-lapsarianism).
This involves the further question of where Christ comes in the decree. Did God foresee the fall first, then choose some to salvation, and only then decree Christ and His work as the answer to sin, so that Christ comes last in God's decree? Then the order would be: (1) creation and the fall, (2) election, (3) Christ (= infra-lapsarianism).
Or did God first decree Christ as the One through whom He would glorify Himself, then choose some "in Christ" and finally decree the fall and redemption as the way in which He would glorify Himself in Christ and His people? Then the order of God's decrees would be: (1) Christ, (2) election, (3) creation and the fall. Then Christ is first in God's decrees (supralapsarianism).
"Infra-lapsarian" means "under" or "after" the "fall" (infra = under, lapsus = fall) and is the other teaching that the decree of predestination was after the decree of the fall. According to this scheme God first saw His people as fallen and then determined to save them, choosing some only to be saved.
The word "supra-lapsarian" means "above" or "before" the "fall" and refers to the teaching that the decree of predestination was before the decree of the fall. According to this scheme, God first planned to save some for the glory of His Name and then planned what He would save them from.
Infra-lapsarianism, then, teaches that the logical order of God's decrees is the same as the order of things in history - the fall first and Christ last. Supra-lapsarianism says that the order is the opposite of history, Christ first and the fall last, that is, that we must think of things in God's decree in order of their importance.
Perhaps we can now see the difficulty. When we ask the first question above the infra-lapsarian order seems preferable in light of Romans 8:29 and Ephesians 2:4 (i.e., when God chose us He saw us as already fallen, NOT conformed to the image of Christ and NOT holy). When we ask the second question the supra-lapsarian order perhaps seems preferable especially in light of Colossians 1:16-18 (i.e., that Christ is before everything else, also in God's decrees. Which, if either, is correct? Rev. Ron Hanko
We call attention to our readers to a significant addition to materials from the
Protestant Reformed Churches. It is found on a page prepared by Dr. Pierre C. LeMaster:
WWW.rsglh.org
This Web Site includes a complete set of Heidelberg Catechism sermons by Rev. Steven Key as well as audio sermons by various ministers. There is included also recently audio lectures on the Millennium recently given at Holland, Michigan. Check it out!!