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Editor-in-Chilf Dr. Michael S. Horton Managing Editor Benjamin E. Sass~ Design Ragont Design
IL
THE LIFE OF THE
JUSTIFIED SINNER
Contributing Scholars Dr. John Armstrong
Dr. S. M. Baugh .
Dr. James M. Boice
Dr. D. A. Carson
Dr. Knox Chamblin
Dr. Bryan Chapell
Dr. Daniel Doriani
Dr. J. Ligon Duncan
Dr. Timothy George
Dr. Robert Godfrey
Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
Dr. John Hannah
Dr. D. G. Hart
Dr. Carl F. H. Henry
Dr. Michael S. Horton
Dr. Robert Kolb
Dr. Allen Mawhinney
Dr. Joel Nederhood
Dr. Roger Nicole
The Rev. Kim R iddlebarger
Dr. Rod Rosenbladt
The Rev. Harold L. Senkbeil
Dr. R. C. Sproul
Dr. Robert Strimple
Dr. Willem A. Van Gemeren
Dr. Gene E. Veith
Dr. David vVells
vv.
4 WHO AM I. .. Really? Michael S. Horton
9
9 HOLINESS Harold L. Senkbeil
14 JOHN OWEN AND THE "NORMAL" CHRISTIAN LIFE John D. Hannah
Cure Board if Directors Douglas Abendroth
Michael E. Aldrich
Cheryl Biehl
The Rev. Earl Blackburn
Dr. vv. Robert Godfrey
Dr. Michael S. Horton
James Linnell
Dr. Rod Rosenbladt
19 HOW CAN OUR GOOD WORKS PLEASE GOD? Zacharias Ursinus
20 THE LONG WAR
Christians United for Reformation
Michael S. Horton
© 1996 All rights reserved.
Cure is a non-profit educational founda tion committed to communicating the insights of d1e 16th century Reformation to the 20th century church. For more informa . . tion, call or wri.te us at: CHRISTIANS (JNITED jar REFORMATION
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'OVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
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IN THIS ISSUE.
• •
By Michael Horton "Sanctify them by the truth. Your Word is truth."
T
hose words from our Lord's high priestly prayer in John 17 frame our discussion of a most important subject in this issue. What do you think about when you come across that verb, "to sanctify" or the noun, "holy"? Especially in our day, images of a prude come to mind- a narrow-minded, somewhat bigoted kill-joy who is worried that someone somewhere is having a good time. But, of course, that caricature is not only superficial; it's the opposite of the biblical portrait. First and foremost, sanctification is God's work. He takes us for himself, as he did at Mount Sinai after he had delivered his people from slavery. Like the vessels used in the temple, God has taken common, unclean, unholy people, and has set them apart to belong to him and to be used in his service. It is he who sets us apart, not we. Furthermore, we are not simply set apart from the world, but (more posi tively) for God. This is why Reformation theologians speak of two uses for the term "sanctification": definitive and progresSIve. We are already "holy and without blame before him," by his choice, redemption, calling and justification (Eph. 1:4-13). "He has been made for us our righteousness, holi-
ness, and redemption" ( I Cor. 1:30). But because we are already holy in Christ, we are responsible to grow in the progressive sanctification that characterizes the Christian life. Although we can do nothing to give ourselves new life, once we are made anew in Christ by the H oI} Spirit, we are able for the first time to love and ser e G od, howev;er imperfectly, and to love and serve our neighbor. We are not active in our new birth, but acted upon, but this does not mean that after we are made alive that we are still passive toward God! Quite the contrary, we are activelr seeking out the light that once caused us such revulsion. >Vthough this sanctification "is never perfect in this life" / \ estminster Shorter Catechism), it is always growing and increasing and no Christian-regardless of how his or her experience might contradict this fact- is justified apar t from also being progressively shaped into the likene of Christ. How can we neglect such an important topic, especially when there is so much confusion over san :rification in our day? So we hope it will be a profitable ead, and if Sl please share it with a friend and let us hear vour thoughts about this issue.
NEXT ISSt)E: REkIGION ANhPoPULAR CULTCRE
than the 'mainline liberal Protestants whose place they sOtlght,t() take in ' the cultural ascendancy. But should we be snobs? Is it any better to hang our churchly hopes on We often fail to appreciat'e the extent to which supposed-' an allegiance totIaydn and Shakespeare instead of "I ly "neutral" and "benignrt ·.factors often niis~shape the ," 'Got You, Babe" jingles that seem to sha e the style of praise chorusesrAnd how do we get the Christian mes identity of the church and o~~her message. One of the reasons for' the spot in whiSh we fmd the sag~ ou,( fQthe without marketing it in some sense? D. L. ~Moody ~esponded to critics, "I like my way of church these d~ys is that the evangelical movement has,by doing it better dian your way of not doing itl" Are we per an~ large" mafried the spi(~t of the ag~. A time whert haps~ inaking more out of the dangers of "pop-culture" .';whirl"~th~ : fa$d1iatiQq with the novel,€ccentric, ecl~~tic and exciting"--;.,-isking, our age is dominit€ d by an obse:s-" than ,tve,should; while souls are lost forever? sion with mass popular ct;1lture. We see it in the cliches and In ,o~r, next i~sue, we'll be consulting some of the., best commercialism of the eva:q.g~lical subculture, in its T..: folks oh ' thi~ subiect, -individuals who have given 't~~se and a host of relate;d 'questions-a great deal of thought... shirts, cruises, evangelistic cr~~~des,and worship styles. Often suspicious of:;~J;ii:gh ' culture" (die fine arts, ., So join us as we,sed~': to sharpen our understanding of th~; classical music, refined}:literary tastes ),evangelica~ ,:'." cnallel}ges ~lJ)~:~ QPportunities of our sojourn in the 'rQ i;lc1 of whitt. ,'" ' " Christians run· the risk of becoming ev\fl' ~ore worl~ly "WHIRL IS KING:'
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NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
MODERN REFORMATION
LETTERS
ACE SORELY NEEDED I have recently learned about the existence of modernREFORMATION and have subscribed to it. I am also enjoying reading the back articles I have downloaded from your web site. Also, after reading The Cambridge Declaration of The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals (ACE) in the July / August issue, I am convinced that its principles are sorely needed in our churches. Keep up the good work! 1. K.
Via America On-line
understand for the layperson. MR is for theologians ... My suggestion would be to deal more with cults and make your message a little simpler.
5.5. Forest Hills) NY
EDITOR'S RESPONSE Grateful as we are for those who hold to the doctrine of the Trinity, we at MR will never be satisfied-and more importantly, neither will God's justice-without the doctrine of justification. As a result, we cannot accept Finney, who shocks us again and again as he writes: But for sinners to be forensically pronounced just, is impossible and absurd ... As we shall see, there are many conditions, while there is but one ground, of the justifi cation of sinners ... As has already been said, there can be no justification in a legal or forensic sense, but upon the ground of universal, perfect, and uninterrupted obe dience to law. This is of course denied by those who hold that gospel justification, or the justification of pen itent sinners, is of the nature of a forensic or judicial justification. They hold to the maxim that what a man does by another he does by himself, and therefore the law regards Christ's obedience as ours, on the ground that he obeyed for us ... The doctrine of an imputed righteousness, or that Christ's obedience to the law was accounted as our obedience, is founded on a most false and nonsensical assumption. (Charles G. Finney, Finney's Systematic Theology [Bethany, 1976J, 320-322.)
IS FINNEY AN ENEMY? When I first heard the term HReformation," my thinking was that you would have included all the Hplay ers" involved. Instead you have limited the Reformation to Luther and Calvin. Poor Finney and Wesley get cruci fied ... This is where I have to differ. I don't see Finney as an enemy. Instead, I see Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, secular humanists ... as the Hbad guys:' I agree that preaching today does not com pare with the past, but at least in the Pentecostal or Wesley Churches the basic Trinity and other doctrines are taught, at the very least in their statements of faith. This '~~an't be said for the groups I listed above. The big prob Jem today in our churches is that people today as opposed to, say, the r 700's, have more pastimes such as TV, movies, radios, computers, CD's, etc . . . Our mes sage, while it can't be changed, has to be made simple to
A BEACON AMIDST CONFUSION AND SUBJECTIVITY I am a subscriber to MR and a new adherent to reformed principles as I understand them. Thanks largely to your work and research, you have helped many, myself included, to confront the fundamental doctrines of the Faith-a pursuit which no doubt will remain ongoing in this life. Thank you for being that beacon amidst so much religious cOQfusion and subjectivity.
B. p
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NOVEMBER DECEMBER I996
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Who Am I ... Really?
THE "NEW SELF" IN AN AGE OF SELF-TRANSFORMATION MICHAEL S. HORTON Nearly all the wisdom we possess ... consists oj two parts: the knowlecJge oj God and the knowledge But) while joined by many bonds) which one precedes and bringsforth the other is not easy to discern.
oj ourselves.
John Calvin, Institutes, 1. 1. I
o wonder Paul said the Gospel was foolishness to Greeks. For Plato, the goal of life was gnosis, mystical knowledge of the Good; Aristotle had a similar objective, but was more down - to earth in his appreciation for the possi bilities of knowing the non-mystical world of our ordinary observation. Are we god-like souls who must strive to transcend our earthly existence and attain union with the Good? Or are we merely animals that cannot help but fol low our base drives and impulses? What is the "self"? Is there such a thing as an "I" or a "you"? These are not just clever questions for philosophy, but have become vexing problems for our generation.
N
The crisis of modernity is in many ways one crisis among many in the pursuit of reason apart from biblical revelation for wisdom concerning ultimate issues. Alexander Pope, the Romantic poet who summed up the feeling of his contemporaries, declared in his Essay on Man: Placed on this isthmus of a middle state,
A being darkly wise, and rudely great: ...
[Man] hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest,
In doubt to deem himself a god, or beast;
In doubt his mind or body to prefer,
Born to die, and reasoning but to err;
Alike in ignorance, his reason such,
Whether he thinks too little, or too much:
Chaos of thought and passion all confused; ...
Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurled:
The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!
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OVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
And ye t , is there any way of discovering any answers to these questions? Not when, as Pope put it elsewhere, "The proper study of Man is Man ." Psychology
replaced theology, the inner workings of the soul finding no judge or redeemer outside of oneself A century after Nietzsche pronounced God "dead," exis tentialist writer Andre Malraux declared in a United Nations address that humanity was now dead as well. It is therefore little wonder that the "self" is being decon structed, leaving a question mark over the reality of any such supposed entity. _ It is in th~s context that our generation especially se~s to constantly reinvent the self, indulging in meta m~rphoses and self-transformations that make older folks tired just thinking about. Kenneth Gergen, a leading exponent of postmod ern/constructivist psychology, argues that the former goal of psychology-to lead patients into a firmer sens of self- identity- has been ( happily, to his mind) replaced by a passion for wearing a variety of masks ~nd creating a plurality of identities. Not surprisingly, he MODERN REFORMATIC_
closes one of his essays by referring to Romantic poet Walt Whitman's line, liDo I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. (I am large. I contain multi ''1 des. )"
The average person today changes vocations) religions) political ideologies) partners) and perhaps even sexual orientations without much
oj the agony that used to distinguish such decisions.
But what I really want to use as an important marker f this change is from psychologist Robert Jay Lifton's essay, liThe Protean Style." Taking as his metaphor the Greek myth of Proteus, who could transform himself into a lion, dragon, fire, or flood, Lifton argues that the "Protean" man or woman of our times is marked by "self-process;' a seemingly endless pursuit of experiments. In the Greek myth, valiant souls could force Proteus to prophesy their futures if they could only bind him in chains to keep him from transforming himself. Only thus bound would Proteus be forced to be himself. Lifton offers some clinical examples of his point. One patient spoke of wearing a lot of different masks, similar to an actor who is not sure which role ( if any) is his or her real "self' Gergen insists that this wearing of many masks is actually a sign of a healthy personality. I This, Lifton believes, is at the root of the passionate demand for new experiences. Whereas previous genera tions usually only had one "self" and regarded what we practice freely today as "schizophrenia;' the average per son today changes vocations, religions, political ideolo gies, partners, and perhaps even sexual orientations with out much of the agony that used to distinguish such deci _ sions. It is simply a different mask, since there is no real ',<I self" that can be known. "If you label me, you negate me;' as the popular expression goes. Thus, says Lifton, the postmodern self is riddled with contradiction: radically opposed to boundaries and
yet guilty for not having an "outlet for his loyalties" and for having "no symbolic structure for his achievements:' The Protean self does not know how to measure good or evil, truth or error, a positive "transformation" from a negative one. "Rather than a feeling of evil or sinfulness, it takes the form of a nagging sense of unworthiness all the more troublesome for its lack of clear origin:'2 Lifton concludes: But we may also say that Protean man's affinity for the young, his being metaphorically and psychologically so young in spirit, has to do with his never-ceasing quest for imagery of rebirth. He seeks such imagery of rebirth from all sources, from ideas, techniques, religions, and political systems, from mass movements and of course from drugs , or from special individuals of his own kind-that is, from fellow Protean voyagers-whom he sees as possessing that problematic gift of his namesake, the gift of prophecy. 3
What all of this raises is the question of self-identity in light of Christian revelation, specifically related to this matter of rebirth and transformation. As early as the first chapter, John's Gospel acknowl edges that although the Word came to his own, they did not accept him. IIYet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John I: 12- I 3 ) . Early in his ministry Jesus encounters the thoughtful Jewish scholar Nicodemus who has conceded that Jesus is "a teacher who has come from God," given the miraculous signs (John 3:1-2). How Jesus responds to this admission is quite remarkable. Nicodemus is not now embraced as a disciple, for it is one thing to admit that Jesus is sent from God because of the miracles and quite another to trust in him and to be personally swept into the in-breaking tide of the king dom of God. First, Jesus declares, III tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born from above," to which Nicodemus replies, IIHow can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a sec ond time into his mother's womb to be born!" All that Nicodemus can see ( indeed, all that human reason can see apart from God's gracious illumination of the biblical text) is the mechanics of the natural, observable world. He sees miracles.. . performed in time and space and, like any r-~tional individual, must conclude that the one who perfotms these miracles must be who he says he is. Further, he knows what birth means, having circumcised many newborn children in his rabbinical career. But how could a grown person be IIborn"? Nicodemus cannot understand why the miracles are performed, but only that they were performed and he cannot understand our Lord's meaning in the New Birth, apart from the mechanics of natural procreation. ' NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
5
Jesus persists: "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again: The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (v. 5-8). Notice that Jesus is declaring not what we must do in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, but what must be done jor and to us. While many Christians today believe that this is a command that the unbeliever is capable of obeying, that is not our Lord's point at all. Not only does he say that the New Birth must precede entrance into the kingdom of God; he insists that "flesh giv~s birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." It is important to notice that Jesus is not saying, "spirit gives birth to spirit," but "the Spirit gives birth to spirit." In other words, he is not opposing spirit and matter here, but is declaring that it is the Holy Spirit and not the believing sinner who is responsible for this New Birth and entrance into the kingdom. It is a point Jesus makes again, for instance, in John 6. As his listeners grumble at his teaching of salvation by grace alone, he declares, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh [i.e., human striving] counts for nothing" (v. 63). In his words to Nicodemus, Jesus says that this birth is from above, not from below; from God's Spirit, not from somewhere within the activity of the individual whose will is bound to sin. This is why people are "born not of ... human decision ... , but born of God" (John 1:13). As Paul would later write, "It does not therefore depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy" (Rom. 9:16). And the further point Paul makes in that section (viz., that God "has mercy on whom he will have mercy") is first declared here in our Lord's remarks to Nicodemus. The Spirit, he says, blows wherever he will like the wind, whose coming and going is mysterious and entirely free. But Nicodemus is still confused, bound as he yet is to the wisdom of the flesh. "How can this be?" This, of course, is what we have been asking down through the ages and it is at the root of some of the greatest debates in church history. Nicodemus sees things only "from below," in terms of human resources, while Jesus urges him to see things "from above," from the perspective of divine sovereignty and grace. "You are Israel's teacher," Jesus tells Nicodemus, "and do you not understand these things? ... I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" (v. 12). And yet notice the compassion ate heart of our Redeemer. Undaunted by his interlocu tor's stubbornness, Jesus persists in explaining this point: "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven-the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted 6 :-:OVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life" (v. I 3- I 5). N ow what does this response have to do with bein~ born again? Where one might have expected Jesus to lea Nicodemus into steps of conversion or a sinner's prayer, he instead explains that Nicodemus actually has no access to "things heavenly." It is not a matter of Nicodemus finding God or climbing into the heavenly chamber, since the Son of Man is the only one who has ever stood before God and it is by his coming below, not by Nicodemus' rising above, that this New Birth is made possible. How then will the Son of Man effect this miraculous birth? By being lifted up, a reference to Numbers 21:8-9 where God commands Moses to place a bronze serpent on a pole so that the disobedient Israelites suffering under the biting curse of venomous snakes could look to this foreshadowing of the Messiah and be saved. Promised to Adam and Eve as the one who would crush the serpent's head, and in the wilderness lifted up symbolically as the life for all who look upon the sign in faith, Jesus would be lifted up physically on the Cross, where God's justice and mercy would kiss for the eternal life of all who believe. This is why Paul says that we do not have to go up into the heavens to bring Christ down, but to simply hear the preached Word of the Gospel (Rom. 10:6-15). It is also why our Lord, with Golgotha in sight, would pray, "Sanctify them by the truth; youG word is truth" (John 17: I 7).
It is the preaching if the Cross-the public act if lifting up Christ as the Savior
if the world-that overcomes the curse if sin and death. The Heidelberg Catechism puts it this way: "Since, then, faith alone makes us share in Christ and all his ben efits, where does such faith originate? The Holy Spirit creates it in our hearts by the preaching of the hoI gospel, and confirms it by the use of the holy Sacraments" (Question 65). On one side, we are faced
MODERN REFORMATIL
with the naturalist or Pelagian, who sees religion as little more than morality. A Christian is simply someone who has made a decision to submit to the life-style Jesus mod ' Is. On the other side, we face the enthusiast, who sees -religion in terms of private experience that requires no mediation through the preached Word, the truth of the Gospel proclaimed in clear doctrinal and historical terms. However these two types may seem contradictory, they both represent the "Nicodemus syndrome;' the desire to attain salvation by the flesh rather than to be given salva tion by the Spirit. The liberal Protestant cannot see the kingdom of God because it is heavenly and things heav enly are regarded as simply out of bounds for real knowl edge, while the enthusiast cannot see the kingdom of God because he or she insists on climbing up into heaven instead of receiving the Word who has come down to earth and is made known in earthy forms of ink and paper, human speech, water, bread and wine. After leading off his famous Institutes with the quote cited in the beginning of this article, Calvin observes that it is impossible to contemplate self-identity apart from God. First, God is our Creator in whom "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). And yet, we can begin also with ourselves and before long we realize that we are not only created with amazing dignity, but sinking in "miserable ruin, into which the rebellion of ~he first man cast us:" "Thus," writes Calvin, "from the ~:eeling of our own ignorance, vanity, poverty, infirmity, and- what is more- depravity and corruption, we rec ognize that the true light of wisdom, sound virtue, full abundance of every good, and purity of righteousness rest in the Lord alone." This leads us once more to con template God: And we cannot seriously aspire to him before we begin to become displeased with ourselves ... Again, it is cer tain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God's face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself For we always seem to ourselves righteous and upright and wise and holy- this pride is innate in all of us unless by clear proofs we stand convinced of our own unrighteousness, foulness, folly, and impurity.
Theology, not psychology; the external Word, not internal self-identity, must give us our definition. We are created, not self-creating; sinners, not innocent spirits; redeemed in Christ, not striving after our own selfhood. So what does this have to do with the Protean self, the tendency we have described above? Actually, it has a great deal of relevance. First, the answer to the perpetual, ''-anxious, and feverish process of constantly re-inventing our"self" is met with the realization that our self- iden tity is not something we achieve, but something we are given.
Either we are given our identity in Adam) ourfirst representative) or we are given our identity in Jesus Christ ...
Either we are given our identity in Adam, our first representative, or we are given our identity in Jesus Christ, our "second Adam" and the head of the new humanity of those who are born from above. If we are only born from below (i.e., natural birth), we are lost. Furthermore, if we seek to be born again from within, we are lost. Genuine identity must come not from "self" but from "other"- that which is not self. Just as we do not possess identity in ourselves as human beings, instead receiving our identity by our relationships to other people, so too we have an identity as Christians only because of our relation to Christ as we share in his Body, the church. As the New Birth- a cataclysmic, supernatural resur rection of the soul that is "dead in trespasses and sins" comes from above, so too does the sanctification that grows out of that vital union with Christ. We are branch es of the Vine, members of the Body, precious stones in the Temple, co-heirs with Christ: this is our identity, a gift. As we have all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ by virtue of being chosen in him, redeemed by him, and sealed in him by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:3- 13), it is only by acknowledging and constantly embracing this vital union with Christ that our sanctification can replace the striving for self-identity whose very elusiveness has led to the postmodern crisis of selfhood. Instead of wearing new masks and feverishly transforming ourselves through multiple "rebirths;' or taking up new identities based on the icons and vain promises of mass marketing and consumerism, we give up ourselves and our pretended right to define ourselves. Instead of re - inventing our "self," we die to self and are raised to new life in Christ. Crucified with him, we are raised with him in newness of life, forever chang~d. T~ere once lived a young man who, despite his Christian mother's prayers, gave himself over to a life style ~f debauchery and joined a mystical cult that involved "free love:' One day, as he was in his backyard, he overheard a child singing, "Take up and read, take up and read," and it just so happened that the young man had recently picked up Paul's epistles out of cursory interest. The book was opened to Romans 13:
NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
7
The hour has come for you to wake from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put ·aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Gripped by a sense of guilt and utter lostness, he who had found his identity in false religion and immoral ity turned in faith to Jesus Christ. Clothed in his lust for new experiences and unfettered liberty, he now could see nothing but bondage in himself and he clothed himself in Christ, accepting from the hand of another the gift of a new identity. That young man's name, if you haven't guessed by now, was Aurelius Augustinus, known to us as St. Augustine. Augustine left a life of error and license not because he acceded to his mother's pious wishes, nor because he wanted to merit his way into eternal life. After all, he became the ardent foe of Pelagius and works-right eousness. Rather, it was because that which had seemed beautiful was now ugly; that which was attractive was repulsive; that in which he had claimed unlimited free dom he now regarded as insufferable bondage. Grace, that double-cure, promised him a way out, a way of escape from both sin's guilt and power. The Bread of Life held out to him, Augustine was suddenly given a new way of seeing himself and his world that reoriented his entire self-understanding in a radical moment. Not all conver sions, of course, are so abrupt and instantaneous, but the ew Birth itself (the cause of conversion) is always
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DECE _ IBER 1996
abrupt and instantaneous. The Wind blows and the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame leap for joy. It is that promise of new clothing-both justifica tion and sanctification, a new standing and a nev. nature-that the Gospel holds out. As God rename Jacob ("he who struggles for control") Israel ("he strug gles with God"), so he renames us in baptism. By losing our life we gain it. In the Revelation our Savior declares that his people are given the hidden manna of life ever lasting. "I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it" (Rev. 2:17). But the New Birth does not end the battle; it only begins it. Throughout our lives, the struggle is enormous as we battle against the constant pretensions of the flesh (i.e., our sinful identity in Adam), those life-styles, and assertions of selfhood that regard the Spirit as the enemy of freedom. In truth, the Holy Spirit liberates us to enjoy a clearly defined selfhood that is no longer in bondage to the Protean pursuit. At last, Proteus has been captured and chained, forced to appear as he really is, but instead of Proteus' prophesying, it is God who prophesies or preaches, naming and identifying our true, alienated self and then freeing us to enjoy a new selfhood. It is an iden tity that is given to us from outside of ourselves, not one that is constantly re-invented from within; an identity that is firm, not constantly wandering aimlessly for a place of rest and purposeful existence; an identity that i< eternal and not bound to the passing fads of this evil age. "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on things below. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory"
(Col. 3:1-4).
I Kenneth Gergen, "The Healthy, Happy Human Being Wears Many Masks," in The Truth About Truth: De-corifusil1g al1d Re-col1structing the Postmodern World, ed. by Walter Truett
Anderson (New York: Putnam, 1995), 136-44. 2 Robert Jay Lifton, "The Protean Self," in The Truth About Truth: De-confusing and Re-col1 structil1g the Post111odern World, op. cit., 132. 3 Ibid., 135.
Dr. Michael Ho"rton is the president of Christians United for Refprmation and a research fellow at Ya le Divinity School. He is a gra~uate of Biola University, Westminster Theological Seminary in California, and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. In addition to the recently released In the Face of God: The Dangers and Delights of Spiritual Intimacy (Word), Mike is the author or editor of many books. For further consideration of topics related to those of this article, see his The Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments (Moody, 1993).
MODERN REFORMATIC'
oliness:
GOD'S WORK OR OURS?
HAROLD L. SENKBEIL
he biblical terms "sanctify" and "sanc tification" are from the same word family as "holy" and "holiness." The rich tapestry of the biblical language of holiness contains but one single golden strand woven throughout: the abso lute sinlessness and transcen dent purity of God the Holy Trinity. God alone is holy in . imself, and therefore from God himself all holiness must proceed; apart from him nothing is holy. Therefore God sends forth his Holy Spirit so that by his grace we believe his holy Word. That Word (also in its sacramental forms) is the means the Holy Spirit uses to sanctify us- to make us holy- within the fel lowship of the Holy Christian Church, which is the communion of saints, or holy people.
T
As long as sanctification is seen as primarily in the arena of human morality, the heart of sanctification is lost. True, sanctification does effect a change in morali ty, but sanctification in itself is not a question of human morality, but divine purity. Once sinners are purified by God's divine grace, they live lives which reflect God's own holiness.
-- orrowed Holiness This is absolutely vital. If you and I as sinners are to spend eternity in the presence of a holy God, we must share in his holiness: "Strive for ... the holiness
without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12: 14). The truth is, since the fall of Adam every human being is excluded from the presence of God except one: God's own sinless and holy Son. We have no holiness in this world apart from Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God. Believers borrow their holiness from him by faith. Sanctification therefore comes as good news; it is gift language, for it means our cleans ing and purification through the forgiveness of our sins for Jesus' sake. All who are baptized into Christ have put on Christ by faith, together with the holiness that belongs to him; "that we may share in his holiness" (Heb. 12: 10). Sanctification is there fore just as much a gift as is jus tification. There is a link between faith and life, between justification and sanctification, between salvation and holy living. And that link is Christ. He "... has become for us wisdom from God that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption" (I Cor. I :30). We have no life to live as. Christians that is not given by God the Father, earned by God the Son, and bestowed by God the Holy Spirit. Therefore our focus is always on Jesus Christ, God incarnate in human flesh. Because he is our redemption, or atoning sacrifice for sin, he is also our righteousness, or perfection before God. And because he is our righteousness/ redemption, he is also our holiness, or sanctification. With St. Paul, we have one Christ-centered confession: "For me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:2 I). In this way the bondage to our private emotions is broken, and we live holy lives in perfect freedom "outside of ourselves." NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
9
True) sanctification does effect a change in morality) but sanctification in itseifis not a question oj human morality) ,but divine purity.
Our Part? One of the most ancient and persistent Christian heresies (viz. Pelagian ism and Semi-Pelagianism) is that human beings have a role to play in their own salvation. In its most blatant form this heresy claims that Christ's sacrifice is not sufficient to save, but that we must place our own good works into the balance to give us favorable standing before God. Its subtle form seems more attrac tive: God does all the work in justification, but we finish this work by our sanctification. We may be declared right by God's gracious judicial decree through faith in Christ alone, but then it is up to us to perform the works of love and obedience which true holiness requires. This error makes justification merely the first stage of sanctifi cation. God gets us going on the path of holiness, and we continue. God starts and we finish. God has his part and we have ours, so the thinking goes. But the life we live "in the body" we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. We have no life to live apart from the life which he bestows by faith. And this faith itself is a gift from God, not of works, lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:9). We are therefore "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. 2:10). Christian salvation (or justification) and Christian living (or sanctification) are but two aspects of one divine reality: the life bestowed in Jesus Christ. Such life is received by faith. And Holy Scripture declares that faith is God's work from beginning to end: 'TI am] confi dent of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (PhiL 1:6).
Of the Making of Many Books . .. This scriptural teaching is sadly missing in the popu lar Christian literature of our day. Religious best-sellers focus on the sanctified life, but precious little gospel is contained in these books. What gospel we do find is couched in command language, not motivation language. The books are essentially lists of "how to's" for the 10
NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
Christian life, what to do and not to do in order to make sense out of the complex world in which we live. The issues of modern life are not examined in light of the good news, but almost exclusively in light of the pro scriptions and prescriptions of moral imperatives. If the modern Christian's dilemma stems from living in an antagonistic culture, then we can profitably learn from the New Testament. Here the apostles were delin eating a "life-style" for Christians who lived in a world completely at odds with everything they stood for. As we look to the letters of the New Testament, we find many statements describing what the new life in Christ means for everyday stresses and strains. Never, however, do these statements of law stand on their own. Always they are undergirded by the life-giving and empowering gospel of Jesus Christ. Life for the apostles is not viewed merely as a complex chain of obstacles to overcome by practicing a long list of commands God has prescribed for every contingency. The hostility we encounter in this world cannot be chalked up to the quirks of the human mind. Rather, the New Testament recognizes one sinister enemy behind all of the sins and turmoil of life, both internal and externaL He is Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44), the ruler of darkness (Eph. 6:12), the one who accuses God's people in his presence day and night (Rev. 12:10). God's perfect cre ation has been invaded by this evil adversary and he can now be called the prince of this world (John 14:30). Entering this enemy-occupied world, Jesus Christ has assumed human flesh to deal with Satan on his own turf (GaL 4:5). In the body of his flesh he has made satisfac tion for the sins of the whole world and has defeated the devil by his death and resurrection (CoL 2:14-15). To all who believe in him he promises everlasting life (John I 1:26). Those who trust in him are credited with his very holiness (2 Cor. 5:21). Drawing on this faith relation ship, there is light and life in this world of darkness and death (John 1:4).
One Focus No wonder, then, that the apostles were always fram ing their description of the new life in Christ in the con text of Christ's death and resurrection on their behalf In everything they had to tell the faithful about living the Christian life, they had one focu~ and one focus only: "I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (I Cor. 2:2). The entire life oj Christian service should be viewed as Christ)s action being carried out in the life oj the believer: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (GaL 2:20). The difference is striking. Most of the evangelical world puts the spotlight on the Christian's action; ,the New Testament focuses on Christ's action. MODERN REFORMATI O.
Contact with God
The central attraction of the evangelical movement is not its doctrine of the renewed life in itself, but rather , ow that renewed life provides demonstrable proof of the reality of God and his action in the world. Carter Lindberg has described the current American scene very well:
-~
The credibility of the church rests on the changed lives of its people, thus only the praise-filled experience of God's presence and power is the answer to today's experi ence of insecurity and uncertainty. The depersonaliza tion of contemporary life in the midst of materialism and secularism disposes persons to search for a personal experience of reality, l
There is another alternative. Rather than seeking the reality of God in our own experience, the Bible directs us to find assurance in the historic events of God's interven tion in this world in the person and life of his Son. The basis of our knowledge about God and his living, vibrant reality is not in our experience, but in the experience of Jesus on the cross. There he faced the wrath of the Father and made satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. In his triumphant resurrection, there is validation of his entire saving work. In the word of his gospel, we have no mere static facts about events of history, but the actual means by which people of every age may be brought into "renuine contact with the saving work of Christ. tilt [the gospel] is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). The Power for Sanctification
.
Current evangelical literature, with its myriad of principles, warm folksy illustrations, and down-to-earth advice presents the power for the new life as a combina tion of man's work and God's work: Sure, God saves me by grace, but then he expects me to save myself with his help! With his Spirit he gives me the power I need to get started, but then it's up to me. By following his principles and continuing in close fellowship with him and my fel low believers, I will be inspired to produce the kind of life that is pleasing to him. Spectacular power is available; all I have to do is reach out and grab it!
Similarly, we do not like to hear that God himself is the driving power in our life of sanctification: tlFor we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. 2:10). True, Scripture does speak of the activity of the Christian in performing works of love: continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling ...." At the same time however, we are reminded that the power for it is God for the sanctified life is not our own: who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (PhiL 2: I 2 - I 3). tI •
tI •
••
••
A Package Deal
Justification (receiving God's righteousness) and sanctification (sharing in God's holiness) are to be clearly separated theologically, but not essentially. Like the proverbial horse and cart, they can neither be unhitched nor re-hitched. Putting sanctification before justification
Christian salvation
(or justification) and Christian
living (or sanctification) are
but two aspects oj one divine
reality.· the life bestowed in Jesus
Christ. Such life is received by
faith. And Holy Scripture
declares thatfaith is GodJs work
from beginning to end
.
~
Do-It-Yourself Christians?
Thus we see that self-assertion raises its ugly head. Pride is deeply ingrained in the human nature. Noone likes to be told he can't do something; in fact, each of us enjoys taking credit for his or her accomplishments. So also when it comes to the Christian faith. There is some thing deep within us that rebels when Scripture reminds .- us that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)
is an affront to God's grace and a stumbling block to faith. Holding to justification without sanctification leads nowhere, for tlfaith without works is dead" (James 2:26). No one setting out on a journey in a horse-drawn cart hitches the cart in front of the horse, nor does he shoot the horse. Together they make a unit. Yet clearly the horse has to come first and provide the power if there is to be any forward movement! NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
11
As one Lutheran theologian observes: Sanctification describes the same reality as does justifica tion but describes the justified Christian's relationship to the world and society. Justification and sanctification are not two separate realities, but the same reality viewed from the different perspectives of God and man; From the perspective of God the reality of the Christian is totally passive and non-contributory as it receives Christ only. From the perspective of the world, the same reality never ceases in its activity and tirelessly performs all good works. 2
Thus when speaking about the power for the sancti fied life, we dare never stop speaking about Christ. St. Paul put it this way: "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him cruci fied" (I Cor. 2:2). The person and work of the crucified Lord is the sum total of our message. He is all in all "our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemp tion" (I Cor. 1:30). No wonder, then, that Luther could write, "Having been justified by grace, we then do good works, yes, Christ himself does all in us."3
The Sign of Jonah In the sixteenth chapter of Matthew, we have a remarkable sequence of events that helps us understand how God operates through the cross of his Son in direct opposition to every human expectation. The Pharisees and Sadducees speak for all of us, ask ing Jesus to prove his identity (v. I). We all would like to know where in the world God is, and we would like him to make himself perfectly and unmistakably evident.
Putting sanctification bifore justification is an affront to GodJs grace and a stumbling block to faith.
Jesus, however, makes it clear that there will be no miraculous evidence given. The only evidence will be the "sign of Jonah" (v. 4). The strange three-day sea journey of the Old Testament prophet in the fish's stomach was really a picture of the three-day burial of Jesus. You cannot be any more hidden than Jonah was in a fish belly under the water. Jesus makes the extraordinary claim that he would be no less hidden: people would be 12
NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
able to see who he was when his lifeless body would be placed into a tomb for three days. To ask for any more proof than his death is foolhardy and dangerous; it is fol lowing the teachings ("yeast") of the Pharisees and Sadducees (v. 5-12).
Church Growth When Peter made his glowing confession that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 16), Jesus explained that Peter had not arrived at this conviction by human ingenuity. God the Father had revealed it to him. Whenever people come to faith, it is always on God's initiative. Jesus makes it clear that this is the permanent pattern for the growth of his church; he himself will build it as the Father brings people to confess that he is Christ and God (v. 18- 19).
The Satanic Piifall Immediately after Peter's confession of faith, Jesus begins to explain what his saving work includes: first tor ture at the hands of the power structure in Jerusalem, then execution and, only after that, resurrection (v. 2 I). Peter is horrified. "This shall never happen to you!" he exclaims (v. 22). What Jesus has to say to Peter at this point stands for all time as a clear condemnation of every effort to find God through human reason and speculation: "Out of my sight, Satan! ... You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" (v. 23). Th . "things of men" always run directly opposite to the "things of God:' The things of men focus on glory and power; the things of God center in weakness and the cross. Human eyes are always on the heights; God's eyes are always on the depths. God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (I Cor. 1:27-28).
Where in the world is God? We want to know. We all want to know. The yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees is still with us, prodding us to look for God in the expe riences of our mind and heart. But we have to let God be God. We have to let him speak where he has promised to speak to us: from the cross of Jesus, his Son!
The Real Problem Most people think that the human dilemma is that our lives are out of adjustment; we don't meet God's expectations. Salvation then becomes a matter of rear ranging our priorities and adjusting our life-style to cor respond with God's will. In its crassest form, this errol~ leads people to think they earn their own salvation. More often in today's evangelical world, the error has a m<?re subtle disguise: armed with forgiveness through Jesus, MODERN REFORMATI O . .
people are urged to practice the techniques and principles Christ gave to bring their life-style back into line. It is certainly true that sinful lives are out of adjust足 ment. We are all in need of the Spirit's sanctifying power. ut that comes only after our real problem is solved. Sins are just the symptom; our real dilemma is death.
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him (Rom. 6:6-8).
GodJs final solution
Through Death to Life
God warned Adam and Eve that the knowledge of evil came with a high price tag: "... when you eat of (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) you will surely die" (Gen. 2: I 7). Our first parents wanted to be like God and were willing to pay the price. And we are still paying the price: "the wages of sin is death . . ." (Rom. 6:23); "... in Adam all die" ( I Cor. 15:22); " ... You were dead in your transgressions and sins" (Eph. 2: I ). The real problem we all face is death. Physical death, to be sure. But ultimately and most horribly, spiritual death-being cut off from God forever. And everyone must die. You can either die alone or die in Jesus. 4 In his death Jesus Christ swallowed up our death, and rose again triumphantly to take all of the teeth out of the grave. In the promise of the resurrection, death loses its power. When we die with Jesus, we really live!
So we see that the cross of Jesus is far more than a nice decoration or a theological concept. In fact, it is the central hinge around which all of faith revolves. At the cross the hidden God has opened up his very heart for all to see. In the death of Jesus, the God-Man, with eyes of faith we see most clearly the Father's love. Baptized into that death, the cross takes on a whole new dimension. Now we can see that the only route to life is through death. And death is not to be feared, if it is the death of Jesus-for his death brings life! That is the hardest thing to learn. We are always try足 ing to avoid hardship, pain, and death. Yet the cross of Jesus reveals to us that the only life worth living is a life which is given through death-the death of Jesus. There is no getting around the cross of Christ; the Christian life is always a life under the cross. But the way of the cross is the way to life. Rather than fleeing from suffering and pain, Jesus invites us to take up our cross and follow him. The only life we have to lose is counterfeit; the life we gain is the real thing-it is the life he lives through us!
Wanted: Dead and Alive! There is no sidestepping death. Everyone must die. It is the basic human dilemma; but the cross is God's great nswer to our predicament. We need not die alone. Jesus ong ago died in our place, and that means that every baptized Christian dies in Jesus. "Don't you know," St. Paul wrote, "that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" (Rom. 6:3). Far from being some mere symbol of our dedication to Jesus, holy baptism is the God-appointed means of planting the cross of Jesus Christ squarely in the midst of our lives. In our baptism Christ takes us in his arms, sins and all, and carries us into his own tomb to die with him. Death is always frightening. But this death is different, for when you die with Jesus, you also live with him. "If we have been united with him in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection" (Rom. 6:5). That means that if we die in Jesus through our bap足 tism, we also live in Jesus; a resurrection takes place. The difference is that we have died and risen along with Christ: "We were therefore buried with him through bap足 tism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Rom. 6:4). After our burial with Christ in our baptism we are no longer the same person in God's sight. Our sins have been left behind in his tomb-the one place in all the universe hat the Father will not look. And we have a new life through faith in him; it is the risen life of Jesus Christ!
1 Carter Lindberg, TheThird Riformation?: Charismatic Movements and the Lutheran Tradition (M acon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1983), 180. 2 David Scaer, "Sanctification in Lutheran Theology," Concordia Theological Quarterly, 49:2, 3, 188. 3 Martin Luther, AE 34, I I I. 4 I am indebted to Robert Kolb (Concordia Seminary, St. Louis) for his summary of this and many other aspects of Luther's "Theology of the Cross."
Rev. Harold L. Senkbeil, STM, is the pastor of Elm Grove Evangel ical Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) in Elm Grove, Wisconsin . Portions of this article are taken from one of his books: Sanctification: Christ in A e, tion (Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1989).
NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
13
John Owen and the "normal" Christian Life OR SA,NCTIFICATION IN AN ERA OF CONFUSION JOHN D. HANNAH
T
he lament of recent writers over the deplorable state of
theological consciousness in
the churches is alarming.
David Wells' judgment that
evangelicalism (being an
expression of the Enlighten
ment which it so professes
to oppose) is on the verge of
Hlosing its character, if not
its soul," has a ring of reality
in it.!
Many of the churches in the land seem content with the repe tition of heart-warming, inspir ing stories and the rehearsal of positive experiences, what is des ignated as II celebrative worship," with a foreboding absence of doctrinal teaching. Negative, oft discomforting statements in the Scriptures are glossed over, if not completely avoided, with the result that saints endure ele mental pabulum and the unbelievers come away with the impression that Jesus looks remarkably like them! Though touted as a serious Bible-oriented movement, the lack of in-depth doctrinal interest in the churches belies a terrible tragedy. The pastor's role has become that of an amiable good-fellow; the once profound emphasis on character has receded for an emphasis on personality. The result is that the Lord's people have little instruction in the Scriptures; what they may receive is most likely a medley of diverse theological elements that are mutually contra-
I4
~ OVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
dietory and confusing. Illustrative of the state of biblical teaching in the churches is what passes as instruction ·in the spiritual life. When presented with the question, IIHow do you walk with God?", the rejoinder is often confusing, if not dis tressing. Generally, Christian advice-givers have seen the shallowness of secular approaches to life which deposit the roots of dysfunctional behavior in external forces that involuntarily impact the IIvictim;' and reject self-exertion and II correct" mental thoughts as resolutive. For the Christian, at least generally, there is the recognition that
MODERN REFORMATI O.
we are responsible moral agents, and the solution to aber rance is without, not within. However, Christian coun selors, theologians, and pastors have taught a dizzying rray of procedures for dealing with behavioral dysfunc tion. While there is agreement, at least in the broadest of terms, that the fountainhead of all wrong is sin, the depth of the disfiguring effects of it are described with no consensus. And, because there is little agreement as to the human plight or the degree of debilitation, a variety of solutions has been offered. For example, whether it is a Holiness, Keswick, or Charismatic model for the Christian life, the emphasis on faith (i.e., "if you only believe," "simply trust") is often little more than psychological gymnastics. As sometimes presented, victo ry over sin is a matter of following correct procedures with wholehearted trust; the strength of inward resolve is made the key to progress. Such schemes promise too much, instantaneously bringing confusion to the tender hearted realist. Approaches to the spiritual life · of these sorts do not take into account the struggle with sin as an ever-enduring process and the result of such shallow ways of thinking results in discouragement for anyone hoping for a quick fix. When methods promise a great deal more than they actually deliver, the net result is not victory over sin, but an even greater sense of guilt and heightened awareness of failure. Theories that do not take into 1.ccount the ever-present power of sin simply cannot tleliver what they promise. In the preface to an edition of John Owen's works, J. 1. Packer recounted his own struggle with the holiness theory of the victorious life and his sense of haunting failure. As a result, he turned to the saving insight of the biblically-oriented wisdom of that master counselor, the chancellor of Oxford University in the seventeenth centu ry, the Puritan divine, John Owen. Packer wrote: "I still think after thirty-five years that Owen did more than any one else to make me as much of a moral, spiritual, and theological realist as I have so far become ... .It is not too much to say that God used him to save my sanity."2 Packer's judgment about the depth of Owen's insights into the spiritual life is quite valid and it is for this reason that a summary of his thoughts is worth presenting. In essence, Owen offers perceptive counsel for the questions we face: What is the fundamental cause of behavioral dysfunction?; What debilitation has resulted from the dysfunction?; and What are the prospects for correction? John Owen and the Human Dilemma Every view of the spiritual life has at its starting point an understanding of the human plight in sin. - Tndeed, a weak view of the latter is at the base of every tlistortion in the former. Simply put, an inaccurate under standing of the power of sin in the believer's life will lead to dLtorted expectations of spiritual progress. Three
principles emerge from Owen wntmgs that provide insight into the doctrine of the Christian life. First, the grip of sin (what Owen speaks of as the dominion of sin) has been broken; its universal hold on the Christian's life came to an end in the miracle of reb irth. Commenting on Romans 6: I 4 ("For sin will have no dominion over you ..."), he argues that the hold of sin both extensively and intensively has been forever abol ished. "The dominion of sin is present when sin exercises control over the will of a man with no opposition from another principle" (Works 7:518). While sin, says Owen, remains in the believer, never to be eradicated in this life though immediately in the final resurrection, the believer has experienced the wonderful reality of degrees of victo ry over sin. To illustrate the point, Owen invokes the image of a forest. Prior to the Lord's mercies in redemp tion a person's life may be characterized as a dense tangle of trees, vines, and underbrush. The ground is completely covered; there are no clearings and light never penetrates to the soiL Sin, like a dense jungle, completely dominates the entire landscape of one's being: the intellect, emo tions, and wilL There neither is, nor can be, any virtue in the unbeliever in that his or her entire being is deformed and corrupted.
When methods promise agreat deal more than they actually delive~ the net result is not victory over sin) but an even greater sense oj gUilt and heightened awareness ojfailure. Second, despite the grip of sin having been broken, the presence of sin in the believer's life remains an ever present reality. Though the Bible suggests that the domin ion of sin has been utterly crushed, it also attests to the believer's continual struggle. In his treatise, "The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of the Remainders of Indwelling Sin in Believers," Owen grapples with Paul's statement in Romans 7:21: "I find then the principle of sin in me." In dealing with the dual realities of sin's defeat'
NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
IS
yet presence, he argues that sin is very much alive though no longer universally so. He is quite explicit when he writes, "Grace changeth the nature of man, but nothing can change the nature of sin." The hold of sin continues in the believer, but not totally. Sinclair Ferguson has sum marized Owen's point clearly: "The nature of sin does not change in regeneration or sanctification, but its status in us is radically altered."3 To return to the illustration of the dense forest, Owen argues that the dominion of sin no longer exists for tpe believer, not because the forest has been completely cleared, but because many of the trees and some of the underbrush have been uprooted. Some areas ( i.e., metaphorical trees ) where sin once reigned without any.. influence to the contrary no longer exist. The forest is still present, but there are now clear ings, areas where trees have been uprooted and the tangle of vines removed. To express it another way, in God's mighty act of redemption, his renovating, revivifying grace removed some of the towering tree-like sins in the believer's life. With some of the trees, however, the growth has been merely retarded by pruning; others remain untouched by grace. The believer may go years without a knowledge of the presence of this or that par ticular tree. In it all, however, sin no longer controls one's totality. The normal Christian life is one of struggle with the residual trees in all of our "forests". Third, the constant potency of evil toward the believ er is examined by Owen in his exposition of Matthew 26:4 I ("Watch and pray that you enter not into tempta tion" ) . The frequency of solicitation to evil and the believer's proneness to its beckonings are ample evidence that the Christian life is one of serious labors, not of quick resolutions. Solicitations toward evil come from two sources, external and internal. For example, Owen lists four occasions when the hour of temptation is com monly at hand: times of unusual outward prosperity, times of spiritual coldness and periods of formality in duties, times of great spiritual success, and times of self confidence as in Peter's affirmation, "I will not deny thee" (Works 6:130). To Owen, if sin is not an ever-pre sent possibility, the Bible's warnings to be watchful are ludicrous. The presence of sin in the believer's experience man dates two responses. First, because sin is no longer exten sively or intensively universal (the domination of sin has been broken), there is the ground of assurance that one has become the recipient of divine light and grace ( there in is the saint's joy and confidence in the struggle with sin; that is, in our union with Christ). Second, the rem nants of sin's dominance (now called indwelling sin), call for serious striving to limit its reign, realizing that the normal Christian life is one of struggle and ragings, though not to the exclusion of profound joy an~ advances. It is also in this context that part of the glon 16
);0\ EMBER DECEMBER 1996
ous hope for the Christian is magnified when he or she is aware that the fight with sin will end when we are in his presence. John Owen and the Human Solution
For Owen, and his English contemporaries, the reme dy for sin's dominion is Christ's victory given to us in the regenerating work of God the Spirit. The solution to indwelling sin in the believer involves a divine work also; it is the renewing work of the Spirit. In both supernatur al first-causes, one is graciously acted upon and responds in gratitude and affection. Ferguson summarized ~he point thusly: "As in the inauguration of the new hfe, there is the act of regeneration, producing the exercise of God-given faith, so in sanctification, there is the work of grace, producing the exercise of duty, and the response of obedience:'4 While the objective cure for sin's destruction is the redemptive work of Jesus Christ applied by the grace of God and bestowed by the Holy Spirit, this is subjectively applied by the Spirit's work in the redeemed, whereby he calls them to obedience, the obedience of progressive conformity to Christ. The latter ministry of God's Spirit focuses on the progressive diminution of th power of indwelling sin. It has two aspects according ~~ J. 1. Packer: "Sanctification has a double aspect. Its pOSltive
MODERN R EFOR M.-\~-
side is vivification, the growing and maturing of ~he new man; its negative side is mortification, the weakenmg a~d r . -illing of the old man:'5 In the explanation of these twm " . aspects, Owen is particularly helpful.
Vivification: The Renewal oj Life in the Believer . According to Owen a number of actlOns promote spiritual progress. In his work, he caps~li.zes numerous important elements relative to the posltlve aspects of sanctification. One treatise pivots on Romans 8:6: "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace." Private means for fo.cus.ing the mind on God are, for example, prayer and medltatlOn (he elsewhere takes up Bible reading and memorization)' Of the importance of meditation he notes, "W~osoever shall sincerely engage in this duty and shall ablde co~ stant therein, he will make such a refreshing progress m his apprehension of heavenly things as he will be greatly satisfied withal" (Works 7:3 19). Corporate aspects of positive steps toward the di~in ishment of the grip of indwelling sin (i.e., the frUlt of the flesh) are also cruciaL In fact, the elements of corpo rate worship- hearing the Word of God preached, and attendance upon the sacraments- are cr,uci~l. Sanctification can only occur to the extent that one s falth is in the proper object, God in Christ. Y!ortification: The Death oj Sin in the Believer . Returning to the forest image, the dark, dense lmpen etrable forest of huge trees and entangling underbrush has been broken forever; the dominion of sin, its universal power without any ameliorating influences, has been ended. There are now clearings in the jungle; some of the trees have been rooted out, others pruned. This new con dition is the state of the believer in indwelling sin (i.e., sin remains, but it is no longer all-pervasive). The goal of the spiritual life is that of continuing the work of clea~ing the forest, opening ever-enlarged clearings, and the d.lscovery of new trees to uproot (if uprooting is not posslble, the goal should be to remove as many branches ~nd c~t. away as much undergrowth as possible). The negatlve actlvlty of putting sin to death is what Owen calls mortification. I~ the treatise, On the Mortification oj Sin in the Believer, an exposl tion of Romans 8: I 3 C'If you by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh, you shall live"), he states several salient principles. It must be remembered that Owen is no pacifist in the matter of mortification; it is not a matter of "letting go and letting God." For example, he writes, "H.e doth not so work our mortification in us as not to keep lt still an act of our obedience" (Works 7:34). ~Owen was a realist in his teaching concerning ndwelling sin; he refused to offer promises ~bout the outcome of duties that are contrary to expenence and Scripture.
He strenuously argued, for example, that while sin can be weakened and some forms of wickedness uproot ed, it cannot be utterly killed or destroyed (thus the dis tinguishing mark of the true saint is n?t "victory" so much as it is an unrelenting struggle untll the burden of ourselves is lifted in the final redemption). Further, mor tification is not simply the presence of a quiet, sedate demeanor; nor is it the creation of a diversion or cover up; it is the actual killing of sin.
Hurriedly claiming a verse
such as I John I: 9 may
not only be a misapplication
oj Scripture . . . it may be
aform oj subteifuge.
The "dysfunctional" human character, according to Owen, differs vastly from the description of secular psy chologists and even some Christians in the same field of advice-giving. The human dilemma stems .from a volun tary choice that has resulted in the corruptlon of the very core of his or her being (i.e., the heart), whence all subse quent actions find their source and ca~se. The ~em~dy~ as one would expect, is not to be found m the adJudlcatlOn of the victim's rights; it comes only when a person, as a responsible, culpable agent, recognizes his or her own guilt and seeks forgiveness. . The place to begin the mortification of a . partlc~lar sin is for the believer to recognize sin for all ltS ternble potential, meditate on its destructive power, and load the conscience with the heavy weight of its guilt. "Get a clear and abiding sense upon thy mind and conscience of the guilt, danger, and evil of that sin wherewith thou art per plexed" (Works 6:5 I). Hurriedly claiming a verse sud: as I John 1:9 may not only be a misapplication of Scnpture to rid the burden of sin upon one's conscience; it may be a form of subterfuge. Owen suggests, on the contrary, that we should load our consciences with the awfulness of our sin and only then allow God to grant our minds peace! Further, he suggests that a careful analysis should be made to determine whether sin has a deeper cause than its external manifestation. Also, he urges Christians to react quickly and deciNOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
17
sively against sin, not mInImIzIng its wickedness or neglecting to recognize its potential for destruction. "Rise mightily against the first actings of thy distemper, its first conceptions; suffer it not to get the least ground" (Works 6:62). The believer must become an astute observ er of the occasions when he or she is vulnerable to sin ning, and carefully endeavor to avoid them.
simply does not exist. The mark of the saint is not victo ry; it is a struggle with the enemy who is already con demned, a struggle which is never eradicated until we hear our Savior's call to enter into his glory in the last day, th first day of our rest from the power of sin.
I David F. Wells, No Place For Trwtb, Or, Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology? (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993),68.
Growth does not just happen. There are no
easy short-cuts or qUick
victories. It is a journey
that will inevitably lead
to glory) but the road
is long and circuitous.
"Consider what ways, what companies, what oppor tunities, what studies, what business, what conditions, have at any time given, or do usually give, advantages to distempers, and set thyself heedfully against them all" (Works 6:62). Though Owen states several other points (this being only the briefest summary), he concludes the discussion arguing that the saint must carefully keep in view the wonder, majesty, and kindness of God, being ever-mindful of his or her own vileness ( Works 6:63-70). It is the saint's union with Christ that allows one to be a persistent realist when it comes to the issue of struggle with sin. Jonathan Edwards' resolve makes sense if we are, indeed, united to God through the blood stains of our dying advocate. "Resolved: Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruption, however unsuccessful I may be." "Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever did," is a romantic line from "Sound of Music," Maria's impas sioned statement to Colonel Van Trapp. It illustrates a truth that is the point of this article. While the new birth happens to us, we are active in our growth as Christians. Growth does not just happen. There are no easy short cuts or quick victories. It is a journey that will inevitably lead to glory, but the road is long and circuitous. Do not be called aside by the lure of "the easy, higher way"; It 18 1'(0\ EMBER DECEMBER 1996
2 James 1. Packer, Introduction to John Owen's Sin and Temptation: The Challenge To Personal Godliness, ed. by James M. Houston (Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1983), xxix. 3 Sinclair B. Ferguson, John Owen on the Christian Life (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1987), 125-26. 4 Ibid., 55. 5 James 1. Packer, A Qwestjor Godliness: The Puritan Vision Crossway, 1990), 199
0/ the Christian Life (Wheaton, IL:
Dr. John D. Hannah is the Chairman of the Department of Historical Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary and a mem ber of the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals (ACE). Another article on John Owen by Dr. Hannah appeared in Reformation and Revival, Summer 1996 (Vol. 5, Num. 3). r---------------------------------------:--------------------------------------------------,I I I I I I
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How Can Our Good Works Please God Since
They Are OnlY Imperfectly Good1
ZACHARIAS URSINUS This brief article is the fourth of six parts of Ursinus' commentary on Question 91 of the Heidelberg Catechism: "But what are good works?" The entire work is The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, n.d.; a reproduction of the Second American Edition which was printed at Columbus, OH, 1852).
I
f our works were not pleasing to God, they would be perfornled to no purpose. We lUUSt, therefore, know in what way it is that they please God. As they are imperfect in theluselves, and defiled in many respects, they cannot of themselves please God, on account of his extren1e justice and rectitude. Yet they are, nevertheless, acce~:~able to God in Christ the Mediator, through faith, or on account of the merit and satisfaction of Christ imputed unto us by faith, and . on account of his intercession with the Father in our behalf For j.ust as we ourselves do not pleq&e God 'i n ourselves, bqt in his Son, so our works being imperfect and unholy in them- . selves, are acceptable to God on account of the righteousness Christ, which covers all theit imper fectioh or im.purity, so that it does not appear before God. It :i~ neces sary that the person who 'performs good works should be acceptable to God: then the works of the person are also accepted: otherwise, when the person is without faith, the best works are but an aboHlination before God, inas much as they are altogether hypocritical. As now.the person is acceptable to God, so are the works. But the person is acceptable to God on account of the Mediator; that is, by the imputation of the merit and righteousness of Christ, with which the person
is covered as with a garment in the presence of God. Hence the works of the person are also pleasing to God, for the sake of the Mediqtor. God does not look upon and examine olfr righteousness and in1perfect works as they are in themselves, according to the rigor of his law in respect to which he would rather condemn them; but he beholds and considers . them in his Son. It is for this ' reason that God is said to. have had respect to Abel and . his offering, viz.: in his Son, in whom Abel believed; for it was by faith that he presented his sacrifice (Gen. 4:4, Heb. ~ I 1:4). So Christ is also . called our High Priest, by whom our works are offered unto God. He is also called the altar, on which our prayers and works being placed, they are acceptable unto God, which otherwise would be detestable in I his sight. It follows, therefore, that every defect and every in1perfection respecting ourselves and our works is covered, and, as it were, repaired in the judgn1ent of God, by the perfect satisfaction of Christ, It is in view of this that Paul ~ays, HThat I may be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the la~, but that which is thr-~ugh the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (PhiL 3:9). !
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19
MICHAEL S. HORTON
veryone knows ,St. Augustine, that fourth-century giant, as the doctor of grace. To a large extent, the Reformation was simply a recovery of and improvement on Augustine's system. Few quills have graced the subject of guilt and grace like the Bishop of Hippo's. And yet, Augustine's own conversion was not so much due to the guilt of his sins, as to their power. You see, Augustine had been a member of a heretical sect known for its immorality. The immediate point of contact for him was the indomitable tyranny of sin. Theologians have distinguished three aspects of sin: its guilt, its power, and its presence. The moment we place our confidence in Christ's saving work, we are instantly justified, liberated from the condemnation which the guilt of our sins deserves. Further, because of the Holy Spirit's regenerating work, we are not only given the faith to believe, resulting in our justification; we are also given the gift of repentance, resulting in a life of sanctifi足 cation or growth in Christian maturity. And yet, we know the struggle of Romans 7 all too welL Though we are justified and are being sanctified, we are engaged in a war and will know no peace until we are finally delivered from the presence of sin altogether in the New Jerusalem.
E
Know The En~my The unholy trinity most often identified in Scripture is well-known to most of us: the world, the flesh, and the devil. First, the world. Now, be careful with this one, because it is not the world per se that's the problem, but the world 20
~OVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
as it has come to be shaped by th 足 warped hands an r;:/ minds of sinful human beings. As God created it, the world was a good place足 "very good," God said. The Creator placed Adam in the garden as the worldly
custodian, to insure that all creation served and praised
its glorious Maker. But we know the story: Adam and Eve
failed God in this task and the entire creation was placed
under a curse to bondage and decay. The second law of
thermodynamics was one physical aspect of this curse.
And yet, God did not leave it this way. In the very day on
which God pronounced judgment, He also promised
redemption ( Gen. 3: I 5). From Eden, history unfolds in
successive stages of redemptive acts pointing to the ulti足
mate act of redemption in Christ's s~lf-sacrifice.
But we very often forget that the world itself was . included in this promise of redemption. It wasn't just for Christians that the "new creation" or the "new age" dawned. In Romans chapter eight, St. Paul informs us, "The whole creation is on tiptoe" waiting to see our redemption. "The world of creation cannot as yet seE' reality, not because it chooses to be blind, but because i God's purpose it has been so limited-yet it has been given hope." That's right, even creation itself has been given the promise of redemption. "And the hope is that MODERN REFORMATIO'
in the end the whole of created life will be rescued from the tyranny of change and decay, and have its share in that magnificent liberty which can only belong to the -hildren of God!" (Rom. 8:20-21, Phillips).
Rathet; it is the world as dominated by alien forces hostile to the reign oj Christ which presents some oj our most urgent challenges.
Therefore, the world has now become the theater of war. Just as Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait made that state the theater of conflict, so too Satan has invaded this world through the disobedience of our first parents. The world is our enemy, therefore, not in the sense that -ve are hostile to its culture, its music, its science, its art, s civic and social life-for we were created to partic ipate in these activities. Rather, it is the world ~s do~i nated by alien forces hostile to the reign of Chnst whlch presents some of our most urgent challenges. This is why the Apostle warned, "Do not be con formed to this world's pattern of thinking, but be trans formed by the renewing of the mind" ( Rom. 12:2). Hence, we "take captive every thought to make it obedi ent to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). Every method, belief, out look, agenda, must become a POW of Jesus Christ. Our beliefs and attitudes must pass His inspection. Some years ago, the National Council of Churches, often railed against by evangelicals as liberal, made the remark that, "The world sets the church's agenda." But today, it is often evangelicals themselves who are taking in uncritical ly the popular trends and fashionable thought~ ~hi~h make it difficult sometimes to discern where Chnstlamty ends and pop culture begins. If the conflict with the world is a war without, the conflict with the flesh is the war within. St. Paul makes it the subject of his seventh chapter of Romans. "We know," he says, "that the Law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin." At this point, Paul, the _5 ~issionary to the Gentiles, does not experience the "vic torious Christian life" so many Christians are promised these days. He feels like a POW in the battle with sin. One minute, in Romans six, we find him fighting and
overthrowing attacking forces in hand-to-hand combat. The next, in Romans seven, he is a prisoner. This is the nature of the Christian life. This is the course of sanctifi cation. What many Christians today regard as a "carnal Christian" is really either an unbeliever or, like the rest of us- a struggling saint. "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out ... When I want t? do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner b~mg I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work m the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am!" (vv.
21 -24). The difference between a Christian and a non Christian is not, as is often suggested, that the former lives a "victorious life;' or that he "lives above all known sin." Rather, it is that the Christian is at war within, while the non-Christian is not even aware of any conflict. The Christian houses two hostile forces. He is at once "justi fied and sinful:' pro-God and anti-God. And this war with oneself will never be resolved until we reach the Promised Land. As Alexander Whyte, the Presbyterian pastor of the previous century informed his congrega tion, "You will never leave Romans seven while I am your minister!" The third enemy, archenemy, in this war, is the devil himself. Unlike the mystery religions surrounding the Jewish and early Christian cultures, biblical faith located evil in personal beings rather than impersonal forces. A revived collection of mystery religions, the New Age movement seeks to discover and manage these evil forces, but Christians know where evil comes from. It is the result of personal, active, willful rebellion by creatures brought into being as good creations by a good God. In Revelation twelve, we read about a "war in heav en." After our Lord ascends, war breaks out and Michael defeats Satan. The dragon is therefore expelled from heav en and is no longer given access to the court where his prosecution against Christians can be heard. And yet, "Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." Thus, the theater of war moves from heaven to earth itself. Here, Satan prowls like a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." He deceives unbelievers with false teaching; he en'tices Christians with false promises, and though he knows his time is short, his hatred for Christ and His redeemed hosts drives him to assault. Though he cannot win the war, he is happy to win battles, making common cause with the world and the flesh.
Know The Weapons "Put on the full armor of God," Paul's command in Ephesians chapter six, is well-known to many of us. First . up is the "belt of truth:' Before anything else, we have to NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
21
know what we believe and why we believe it if we are to with the forces within. Sin becomes a matter not of per withstand the world, the flesh, and the devil. Another sonal rebellion as much as demonic conflict ( such as metaphor might be that of roots reaching deep into the Jimmy Swaggart's insistence that he was fine now after Oral Roberts cast the demons off of the evangelist'r soil of Scripture. We must read Scripture not only for back), and the war becomes a good force" vs. Hba (#' devotional purposes, but to understand in a profounder force" nonsense. This is folk religion rather than way the meaning of our faith. We ought to read great Christian warfare and it certainly has nothing to do with Christian classics instead of light and fluffy popular books. There is a war for our mind and truth is the place Ephesians six. to start. As a belt, it holds our pants up in battle. One should also notice that the helmet of salvation is Second, the libreastplate of righteousness" is list given at the beginning of the war, not the end. Salvation is never a carrot God dangles in front of us to keep us ed. According to the Cambridge Biblical Commentary, liMost likely, this refers not to the believer's moral character, but going, but is a declaration already made at the beginning of it all. What commander would send his forces into describes God's rescue operation in Christ, bringing the battle without a helmet, merely promising them one as a assurance that the Christian is right with God:' In other reward for their success? God gives us the lihelmet of sal words, our protectiofl: in battle is the confidence that we vation" right from the start, not if we win, but so that we are justified-that is, already declared righteous. will win. Whenever Satan comes to tempt us, we hold up the cross. Whenever the flesh threatens to bring us back under the dom~ion of Adam, we rem~d ou~elv~ of our ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ii
union with the second Adam, Jesus Christ. Whenever the world tells us about self-esteem or self-confidence, or takes a short-cut around deal ing with the real problem of guilt, we respond with this doctrine of justification. Third, there are the ready feet:' Once armed with truth and the knowledge of our justification in Christ, we are now ready to zealously act. This is of great importance. St. Paul refers in Romans to his legalistic friends as those who lihave tremen dous zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge." This zealous ignorance was especially disastrous, he says, because what they failed to understand was essential to the gospel: liFor not knowing about the righteousness of God which is by faith, they set out to establish their own right eousness." Zeal must be led and directed by the truth and justification which have already been dis cussed. That being said, many of us are so content with the belt and the breastplate that we forget our shoes. Zeal without knowledge is misguided ener gy, but knowledge without zeal is a profound waste of good news. Fourth, we have the lihelmet of salvation." What is important to note in all of this is that every weapon with which we have been provided is outside of us. In other words, whether it's truth, or salvation, the weapons with which we fight the world, the flesh, and the devil are not inner resources. So much of the emphasis I see these days on spiritual warfare" calls believers into themselves through spiritual exercises like spiritu al breathing" or other forms of subjective, mystical navel-gazing. But this is just what Satan's strategy has been. In every pagan folk culture, mysticism dominates. Techniques are provided for dealing Ii
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:--:o\E\!BER DECEMBER 1996
MODERN REFORMATIC
Know The Captain
Each of these weapons mentioned in Ephesians six is first listed in the Old Testament, particularly Isaiah I l. ",1),£ the Messiah it is promised, "Truth will be the sash \ ;~J:)Und His waste:' "Righteousness will be His armor ... ~His own arm worked salvation. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, He put on garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in zeal as a cloak." Further, He is even the shield and the helmet: "He is my shield behind whom I take refuge" (Ps. 144:1 -2 ); "He will wear the helmet of salvation upon His head" ( Is. 59: I 7 ). And He is the sword, known to John's Gospel as "the Word of God:' In all of our battles with the enemy, we reach for nothing that Christ has not already won for us. Even when we win a personal battle, it is because Christ has already fought and successfully won over His trials and temptations. In Christ, the war is already won, so the bat tles are real but the outcome is already known. I hear someone saying, "Wait a second, even when you guys do talk about sanctification and the pursuit of godliness, you end up talking more about justification and 'alien righteousness' than practical steps of holiness." That's correct, and any method that does not do that is not Pauline, evangelical, or Reformational in any sense. Let me give an example of how genuinely practical this approach is even for godliness. In Shakespeare's "MacBeth;' the witches' prophecy that "no man born of woman will conquer you" inspires MacBeth to fight ven the dreaded MacDuff. In the heat of battle, MacBeth taunts his enemy with the prophecy and confi dently wields his sword because of it. But then MacDuff informs the usurper that he was not, technically speaking, born of a woman, having been torn from his mother in her death. Just as soon as the news reaches MacBeth's ears, the strength leaves him and he is immediately taken in battle. Many Christians live defeated lives, not because they are failing to follow certain steps or are not living up to the "victorious Christian life" ( whatever that is), but because they do not have the confidence that no one, not even Satan, can "lay any charge to God's elect" (Rom. 8:32). In the heat of battle, the strength we have to keep on going is knowing that our Commander has already determined the outcome of the war by His victory. His ascension into heaven and the devil's expulsion from the same guarantees that our skirmishes, serious as they cer tainly are, will nonetheless not bring us ultimate defeat. Knowing that already makes all the difference. Conclusion
Having said all of that, I wonder if we really want to ~' :e rid of our sins. In Romans six, Paul cheers us on: "Do not let sin reign, therefore, in your mortal body." In Romans seven, he is more sober, reflecting on his own -:'ersonal struggle to "practice what he preached" in the "
previous chapter. In the eighth chapter, he goes on to encourage us that even though we lose battles here and there, "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (v. I).
John Owen once said oj
Christ) ((When He comes to
wa~ he finds no quiet landing
place. He can set His foot
on no ground but that
which He must fight for.))
As believers, we live between those three poles- ener getic zeal, struggle/failure, gospel. But I wonder if we take the first two poles as seriously as we really ought. Knowing that our salvation is sealed in the courts of eter nity, do we eventually ignore the challenges of Romans six because of the failures of seven and the unconditional "no condemnation" in eight? I guess what 1'm saying is: What do we have to lose? If we're afraid of losing a bat tle, of being disappointed with a failure out on the field, we need only remember that our success or failure on the battlefield does not determine the outcome of the war. We can fight with confidence. John Owen once said of Christ, "When He comes to war, he finds no quiet landing place. He can set His foot on no ground but that which He must fight for:' We will not grow without a fight, without sharing in His suffer ings. Unlike justification, our sanctification is a lifelong struggle- so much for "let go and let God." Small victo ries are prized; battles lost are soon f~rgotten, extracting lessons for the next. None of our enemies- the world, the flesh, or the devil, will simply move aside and put up a white flag. And yet, in our fighting we fail to hide our unrestrained anticipation prefigured in the arrival of Israel in the Promised Land: "Then the land had rest from war."
j
Dr. M ichael Horton is the president of Christians United for Reformation and a research fellow at Yale Divinity School. NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1996
23
KEY CONCEPTS IN - -_ REFORMATION SPIRITUADJTY
1. Union with Christ
,I
'+ Every doctrine related to salvation and the Christian life must be oriented around this touchstone of faith. No theory of Christian growth OJ, development (an obscure or ignore this central fact. In Ref9rmation spirituality, the objective and subjective, external and internal, are linked inseparably by thi; reality. I<In Christ" we are justified and are being sanctified. +
+
2. Justification by Faith Alone
I<To declare righteous;' this courtroom term is the core of the Good News:,> If we seek to attain divine favor by our own willing and running, we will quickly end up in either self-righteousness or despair. Progress in obedience comes only as we acknowledge Christ to be our righteousness, holiness~ and redemption.
3 .. Sanctification
+
+
•
Here is another essential biblical word. Once declared righteous ' by the imputation ' of Christ's righteousness, we now grow in personal righteousness in union with Christ and his righteous ness. In our~Alvation we contribute absolutely nothing except sin. But once regenerated by God's grace (apart from Qur cooperation), we are free to cooperate with the Holy Spirit for the first time. Sanctification, .therefore, unlike regeneration, justification, etc., requires our enttrgies and participation. ,We grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, actively animated by the gospel. Both justific;ation and sanc;tification are the gift of G,? d by virtue of our union with Christ. +
+
+
4. Calling/Vocation
Also related to the {'priesthood of all believers," this Reformation doctrine emphasized the fact that everything ~e do honors God if done in faith. A ditch-digger is no less spiritu al than a missionary. God hascreate.d each of us with certain gifts and we are m.eant to find meaning and fulfillment not only in church-related things, but in our work and leisure as' well. This doctrine, more th~Jl. any other, was responsible for what has come to be identified as I<the Protestant Work Ethi(:' +
+
+
Baptism and Holy Communion, in Reformation spirituality, figtU:e promin~I;1t1y as I< mea!1~ of grace." B.aptism is the beginning of our life in ChrIst, and in Communion we feed on Christ -the Bread of Life~throughout our wilderness journey. ,
5. Sacraments
+
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MOD ERN
REF OR_.~
Apply Advanced Technology To Reforllled Theology!
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Students of Scripture and of the Reformed tradition are keenly aware of the benefits and blessings that a quality theological library can provide both personally and for ministry. But many remain unaware of the rich resources and tremendous capabilities now available with an electronic theological library.
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To order In the Face oj God) or any other books featured in this issue, call CURE at 1-800-956-2644, M-F, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm ET.