The World's Ruined: Mark Jones' "Antinomianism"

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Mark Jones' "Antinomianism" - Reflections by Mark McCully

From my friend and compatriot in the gospel -

Let me say that I am at least equally bored with those who make everything to be about “union with” the resurrected Christ so that we Christians “can and will” now do what Christ did.

It's all right here and worth reading > Is the Law/Gospel Antithesis Boring?

I don't think so...

1 comment:

MarkFebruary 16, 2014 at 7:55 PM
Lutheran Carl Braaten (Justification; the Article by which the Church Stands or Falls) quotes Mcgrath:

“One of the most significant developments in seventeenth-century dogmatics was the affirmation that faith was itself a cause of justification…it was stated that faith was logically prior to justification.

“This affirmation was interpreted to mean that justification was dependent on a change in man. Although justification is still defined forensically, it is understood to be predicated upon a prior alteration within man—namely, that he believes. Where Luther had understood justification to concern the unbelieving sinner, orthodoxy revised this view, referring justification to the believing sinner.” (2:48)

The question whether they are in Christ because they are justified, or whether they are justified because they are in Christ, would have no meaning for Luther. Christ is our justification…We must not make a merit of one’s believing or a virtue of one’s faith… The gospel is the glad tidings of the divine love, not motivated from the outside, not caused by any human action, and certainly not characterized as a response of God contingent on human repenting and believing.

If faith is logically prior to justification, then justification would be conceived of as a synthesis of two factors, one divine and one human, with the priority always of course reserved for the divine, but the all-decisive finality conceded to the human.

The essential element in all false religion, Luther perceived is: “If I do this, God will be merciful to me.” It is misleading to say that, if I believe in Christ, God will be gracious to me, as if my believing is not already evidence of God’s grace, as if my faith is not itself created by the forgiving grace of God while I am still a sinner.

The publican may be the greatest Pharisee of them all by exchanging the humility of his faith for the justifying grace of God.

Justification is not procured by faith as a human attitude or virtue (inner works) in lieu of justification by external works of piety. There is nothing at all that faith contributes in the way of completing a subjective process which culminates finally in justification.

The relation between grace and faith is the other way around. Grace creates faith. It creates the means by which it shall be received. We need to become new creatures because we have no remaining capacity to trigger off the event which effects our justification.

If faith is the prior condition of justification, how does a person get that necessary faith? The sinner’s will has inherently only the ability to resist, and is in fact converted while it is resisting
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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)