The World's Ruined: The Christian's Progress on the Road to Salvation...

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Christian's Progress on the Road to Salvation...

Are we comfortable with the fact that we don’t and never will in this life measure up to the standard of even one command of God's holy law? In one sense, hopefully, Yes… and yet in another, certainly No! It's not that we don’t feverntly wish that we could truly and faithfully obey, even as we - now born of the Spirit - under grace and not under law, with our own insufficient means (the remnant of sin hanging on our back) work to that end… but it is by trusting in Christ, that we who are still sinners now understand ourselves to be at peace with God through Christ our Savior who died for us, who has justified us and has given us the seed of willingness, by the Holy Spirit, to now walk in faith unto (towards) obedience of that holy law. Yet(!) we do so with much limitation and imperfection, so that we look not to ourselves for the evidence of our salvation, but look "to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”

Let’s not kid ourselves as to our present capabilties and the inherent qualities of our works before God’s judgment seat. Rather we should rightly tremble... and in faith look to the throne of grace, to which Christ our Surety implores us to approach. We have no other sure avenue of salvation.

3 comments:

TonyJanuary 28, 2014 at 6:30 AM
Amen, Jack. I love how WCF 16.5-6 puts it re: our good works:

5. We cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come; and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom, by them, we can neither profit, nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins, but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants: and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit; and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled, and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God's judgment.

6. Notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him; not as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God's sight; but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.

Christ is my only righteousness before God, I am accepted "in Him" alone. Yet, because I am accepted "in Him," my weak, imperfect, sinful works are likewise accepted graciously by God, as Christ purifies all their weakness & imperfection with His blood, and graciously "crowns His own works." It is all to the praise of the glory of His grace, start to finish.
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Jack MillerJanuary 28, 2014 at 12:12 PM
Tony, I love that section of the WCF also. Very helpful stuff!
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MarkFebruary 13, 2014 at 9:42 AM
If all sin is the same as not believing the gospel, then being christian is being moral, and if being moral is being Christian, then being Mormon is being Christian. If all sin is the same as not believing the gospel, then there are no Christians but only sinners.
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The Mere Mercy of God

This calling of Abram is a signal instance of the gratuitous mercy of God. Had Abram been beforehand with God by any merit of works? Had Abram come to him, or conciliated his favour? Nay, we must ever recall to mind that he was plunged in the filth of idolatry; and God freely stretches forth his hand to bring back the wanderer. He deigns to open his sacred mouth, that he may show to one, deceived by Satan's wiles, the way of salvation.

But this is done designedly, in order that the manifestation of the grace of God might become the more conspicuous in his person. For he is an example of the vocation of us all; for in him we perceive, that, by the mere mercy of God, those things that are not are raised from nothing, in order that they may begin to be something.

-John Calvin, Genesis, (Banner of Truth), p. 343

"Nor the faith also does not shut out the justice of our good works, necessarily to be done afterwards of duty towards GOD (for we are most bounden to serve GOD, in doing good deeds, commanded by him in his holy Scripture, all the days of our life): But it excludes them, so that we may not do them to this intent, to be made good by doing of them. For all the good works that we can do, be imperfect, and therefore not able to deserve our justification: but our justification doth come freely by the mere mercy of God..." (Thomas Cranmer - Homily of Justification)

Justification-Sanctification/Law-Gospel

In short, I affirm, that not by our own merit but by faith alone, are both our persons and works justified; and that the justification of works depends on the justification of the person, as the effect on the cause. (John Calvin, Acts of the Council of Trent with the Antidote)

The law guides, directs, commands, all things that are against the interest and rule of sin. It judgeth and condemneth both the things that promote it and the persons that do them; it frightens and terrifies the consciences of those who are under its dominion. But if you shall say unto it, “What then shall we do? this tyrant, this enemy, is too hard for us. What aid and assistance against it will you afford unto us? what power will you communicate unto its destruction?” Here the law is utterly silent, or says that nothing of this nature is committed unto it of God: nay, the strength it hath it gives unto sin for the condemnation of the sinner: “The strength of sin is the law.” But the gospel, or the grace of it, is the means and instrument of God for the communication of internal spiritual strength unto believers. By it do they receive supplies of the Spirit or aids of grace for the subduing of sin and the destruction of its dominion… (John Owen, A Treatise of the Dominion of Sin and Grace)