by Garrett Glende

This week brings us to chapter 40 in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology on the topic of the perseverance of the saints. While this doctrine is one of the most comforting in Scripture, it should also cause self-examination and evaluation of our own spiritual walks with God. It’s inclusion at this point in the volume comes after an overview of the application of Christ’s redemptive work. It is logical to study this issue of whether or not a person can lose their salvation, after having covered such topics as regeneration (being granted new life), justification (being counted as righteous before God), and sanctification (practical growth towards Christ-likeness), as it might be a question that some people could have after hearing all the other aspects of salvation. Can we ever expect to lose such a great gift? As we search the Scriptures, we will find that our salvation is indeed secure in Christ, and nothing will ever be able to separate the true believer from their sovereign and gracious Lord.

Grudem tells us that “the perseverance of the saints means that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again.” One key section of Scripture that speaks on this issue is found at the end of Romans 8. We read in verse 30 that “those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” In what is known as the golden chain of redemption, it is clear that everyone who God sets his love upon in predestining them to be his children also are carried through the Christian life until they reach heaven in glorification. There is no room for doubt in Paul’s words. He does not say that only some of those who are justified end up being glorified. No, it is the same group of people in each category. They are predestined, called, justified, and glorified. But what is keeping them saved? Is it just that all people who are justified keep living good enough lives to stay in God’s favor? Or does their security come from an external source? Indeed, just a few verses later Paul provides an explanation as to how this golden chain is unbreakable. In verse 33 he writes, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” No one will ever be able to challenge the salvation of the saints because God is the one who has justified them. He is the one who has been guiding along the plan of salvation, even before the foundation of the world. There are none more powerful than Him and because His will is guaranteed to come to pass, all those whom He desires to be saved will be saved.

Moreover, God secures our salvation till the end for us by granting us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes to believers in Ephesians 1:13 that “when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, [you] were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Here the Holy Spirit is called “the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (Eph. 1:14). Later on in the book he gives the command, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). We see that it is the Holy Spirit who guards our salvation until we are ultimately glorified and receive our true inheritance in heaven.

At the end of the chapter, Grudem provides us with immediate application. He asks us to examine our own lives and tells us what can give a believer genuine assurance. The first of these questions to ask ourselves is, “Do I have a present trust in Christ for salvation?” Since this is what we are saved by in the first place (Eph. 2:8-9), we must ask ourselves if we still express a faith in Christ – faith that He has paid the penalty for our sins, and that only He can provide salvation for us. Sometimes it is easy for someone to say they believe in Christ because of some experience, but their assurance is based on only this experience and not the person and work of Christ. Another question to ask is, “Is there evidence of a regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in my heart?” Not only does the Holy Spirit provide a real type of confidence in one’s salvation, He also produces fruit in the life of a true believer. If a person truly has the Spirit in them, then it will be shown by their demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit. Their life will exhibit the character qualities that are consistent with those that are described in Scripture. Lastly, “Do I see a pattern of growth in my Christian life?” Surely there will be times when growth is more rapid than others, but we should be able to look back on our Christian lives and see a consistent upward trend towards holiness. By increasing in the virtues of faith, we will make our calling and election sure. It is my hope that all of us can trust in God’s promise to save us to the uttermost, as Christ constantly makes intercession for us before the Father. All praise be to Him for giving us such great comfort and hope!

by Garrett Glende

The exact nature of the work of the Holy Spirit is a controversial topic, even among otherwise likeminded believers. Many of the great teachers we hear from at conferences and listen to online differ when it comes to defining what the baptism of the Holy Spirit is and how one is filled with the Spirit. Therefore, we must be all the more discerning when we search the Scriptures to see what God has declared to us concerning this topic. We will see that what the Bible says about being filled with the Spirit may be different from many of the popular contemporary views, yet it is an issue that we must take seriously, for it profoundly impacts our growth as Christians.

The first issue that comes up in the chapter is what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. A key text in determining the meaning of this phrase is found in 1 Corinthians 12:13, where Paul writes, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” The greater context of the verse concerns the unity of the body and the diversity of spiritual gifts. Even though the body has many different members that play various roles in building it up, it is still one unified body. Paul makes this point clear so as to not elevate any one gift over another. The same Spirit has baptized us all into the unified church of Christ. The inference here is that baptism in the Spirit takes place at the point of conversion and is an event that ushers in the believer’s being united to the body. Those in the more charismatic camps, particularly Pentecostals, will claim that baptism in the Spirit is something that happens after a person is saved and can be repeated at various points throughout an individual’s life. Apparently, this is something that must be prayed for fervently and will lead to greater sanctification and effectiveness in ministry. This baptism will most likely occur during an emotional experience, and the individual’s feelings are the ultimate authority. After all, you can’t argue with someone’s experience, right? I don’t mean to form a caricature of all Charismatics, as I do believe that many have truly examined the Scriptures and come to this conclusion. However, I do not believe that the Bible paints the same kind of picture of what it means to be baptized in the Spirit.

It would seem natural at this point to discuss the spiritual gifts, specifically the miraculous sign gifts, but those will be addressed in a later chapter, so there is no need for the topic to be brought up here. Instead, we’ll focus on how a believer can be filled with the Holy Spirit. The primary text to turn to here is Ephesians 5:18, where Paul tells believers not to “get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” We see here that it is a command, and the Greek suggests that it is to be continually ongoing. It could read, “Be continually filled with the Spirit.” The result of obedience to this command is that they would be “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord” (verse 19). The cross-reference for this verse is found in Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” We see that having the word of Christ dwell deeply in the believer results in the same thing as being filled with the Spirit. Thus, in order to obey the command to be filled with the Spirit we must continually hide the truths of God’s word in our hearts. The effects of having rich, meaningful times in God’s word are clear when we come to church on Sundays. For the congregation, a week full of prayer and meditation on the Word leads to a worshipful, focused time of singing and listening during the service. For the preacher, having the word of Christ dwell richly in Him throughout the week leads to empowerment and conviction when preaching. This is what a Spirit-filled life should look like. We don’t need to be searching for a special experience that will further our giftedness, but rather digging deep into God’s word so that it would overflow into our daily lives. Then the fruit of the Spirit will be exhibited to the rest of the world so that souls might be saved for Christ. So the next time we feel the need for the Spirit’s power, may we all turn to the reliable and life-giving source of God’s word.

by Garrett Glende

A few weeks back, we looked at the doctrine of justification and saw that it is the act of God that brings sinners into right legal standing before Him. This week we come to chapter 38 in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, dealing with the issue of sanctification. The two topics are often confused, leading to serious problems in daily life and application. In order to live a gospel-motivated and cross-centered life, the differences between the two must be clear in our hearts and minds.

To begin, Grudem defines sanctification as “a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.” This definition is purposeful in differentiating sanctification from justification. Instead of a one-time action, sanctification is progressive; it is a process that flows throughout our lives. Not only a work of God, sanctification is synergistic; involving the efforts of both God and man. Rather than being declared righteous, sanctification is the path to becoming Christ-like, though never perfect. Grudem also notes that justification is the same in all Christians, while growth in holiness is experienced to different degrees.

The initiation of our spiritual growth begins immediately at regeneration. We see this displayed in the stark contrast Paul describes between the one who is in slavery to sin and the one who is a slave to righteousness. There is no middle ground between the two. Once someone is regenerated, they immediately lose their status of slaves to sin and begin a new life striving towards holiness. This gradual climb is something that continues until our lives on earth are through. We are constantly being renewed into the image of our Creator as we strive towards the upward call that is in Christ Jesus (Col 3:10, Phil 3:13-14). Speaking to redeemed believers, Paul also says that we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18). This lifelong battle will finally end at death, when we will be given perfect resurrection bodies and sin will no longer remain. There will be no more growth because there will be no more room for it – no more need to fight against sin, as it will be gone forever.

Misunderstanding the way sanctification works can have profound impacts on our daily lives. One instance this can occur in is when sanctification is believed to be fully a work of God or fully a work of man. Both stances are wrong and guide us into improper living. If God is the only one behind spiritual growth, then people are bound to be lazy, just waiting around for growth to occur. However, the reality is that we can’t grow without putting in the effort in disciplines such as Bible study and prayer. On the other hand, if one relies completely on their own works, then legalism is liable to set in. Devotional times become merely intellectual studies and our spiritual lives are full of activity, but there is no true growth. Instead, we must trust first and foremost that God is the only one who can really carry us along towards holiness, while at the same time striving hard after Him. Paul prays for “the God of peace himself [to] sanctify you completely” (1 Thess. 5:23), while also encouraging believers to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). Both are essential parts in the Christian’s sanctification and we must make every effort to understand the proper balance as we continue pursuing holy lives, all because of the gospel.

by Garrett Glende

Last week we looked at what happens in justification, the act of God in which we are declared righteous before Him. As tremendous as this doctrine may be, it still does not secure us all the benefits of Christ’s redemptive work. Justification only deals with our relationship with God in a legal sense, but the personal aspect of redemption comes when God adopts us into His family.

Throughout the Bible, we are told that God saves sinners into His own family and calls them sons and daughters. In other places, those who believe in Him are said to be “children of God.” John writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). The distinctive nature of adoption is that God initiates an intimate relationship with sinners. In this verse John is directly connecting the love of God to our adoption. Thus, adoption is first and foremost an act of love by God. There is no work done by us in this process. Just as a human family adopts a child, God is the one who initiates the work and sees it through. Grudem calls God’s part as Father “the role that conveys the highest privileges of fellowship with God for eternity.” While He is still our creator, judge, and Lord, the reality of God as our Father is what allows us to take part in a vast amount of blessings.

One of these privileges is that, as adopted sons and daughters, we get to be a part of a new spiritual family with our new brothers and sisters. This idea of a family should be at the center of our relationships within the local church body. We see this played out in the life of the church when Paul tells Timothy to “not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity” (1 Tim 5:1-2). The bond that has been created through our adoption into God’s family brings the whole body into deeper relationships with one another, even to the point where older men are treated like fathers and younger women are to be as sisters. Because we are all members of the same family, shouldn’t our interactions be distinct from those of the world? There should be a noticeable difference in the way that relationships within the church function. Being united in Christ and adopted by God, even the most opposite of people can experience deep Christian love and fellowship. The person who has nothing in common with us is still our brother or sister in Christ. We should love, serve, and genuinely care for this person because they are truly a part of our family. Sadly, this is not often the case, as the socially awkward and less personable people are left out and uncared for. We hear of another church member’s struggles, but our hearts do not grieve appropriately. A brother or sister experiences a great joy, but we fail to rejoice with them. Would this be the case if we truly saw them as members of our family? God has uniquely created and chosen each one of us to be a part of a local church and placed us in relationships with people for a reason. We now have a special opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others so that they would be encouraged in their Christian walks and learn to know and love God more. So the next time we all walk into church together, may we not forget that we are gathering with God’s family, our very own brothers and sisters.

by Garrett Glende

Over the past several years, many Christian leaders have recognized a growing trend among young evangelicals towards the virtues and doctrines that were rejuvenated during the Reformation era. Books like Collin Hansen’s Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists and the popularity of churches that pair orthodox doctrine with a modern style, such as Mars Hill in Seattle, show that the fights of the reformers live on today. The central rallying cry for many of these figures was that man could not be made right with God on the basis of his own merit, but only through his faith in Christ. This issue of justification lies at the heart of the gospel message and is one of the main dividing lines between true Christianity and all other world religions. Therefore, it is crucial for us to understand it correctly so that our hearts would be changed and our wills would be affected.

Before we get much further, the precise definition of justification must be explained. Simply put, justification is right legal standing before God. But first, the assumption must be made that all men and women are in need of righteousness. The Bible says clearly that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and are unable to save themselves through any good deeds performed (Galatians 2:16). In fact, even the things that we think are good are seen as filthy rags to God because they are marred by our sinfulness and cannot even begin to match His perfections (Isaiah 64:6). Thus, instead of standing right (or righteous) before God, we stand condemned. The only way a person can see God and experience eternal life with Him is if they are righteous. Herein lies man’s greatest problem: how can he, a guilty and condemned sinner, be right with God?

Before answering this question, let’s look a little deeper into what justification is and is not. It was mentioned earlier that it is right legal standing. This is a key idea in understanding the fullness of this doctrine. It is a legal pronouncement in which a sinner is treated as if he was righteous. We can see this slightly better through the lens of a courtroom where the judge makes a declaration of the guilt or innocence of the person on trial. Theologically, God is the judge in the courtroom and we all stand guilty before Him. He declares us innocent even though our hands are stained. The legal aspect of justification is important to make clear because many confuse it with sanctification, saying that it is something that happens internally rather than externally. However, the Bible is clear that justification does not make us righteous; we are simply treated by God as being such. There is no need to rid yourself of certain sins before God justifies you. If this were the case, how could we know that we’ve attained the necessary amount of righteousness? Scripture presents an opposite picture, as the sinner praying in the temple goes home justified rather than the self righteous Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14).

But exactly how was it that this tax collector walked back to his house righteous in God’s sight? God has not simply let him off the hook or pretended that he is righteous. Instead, He has transferred the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ to his account so that when God looks upon the tax collector He sees Christ’s perfections and not our sinfulness. Paul describes this exchange in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This transaction is appropriated by the man’s faith in God as the only one who can justify. The letter of Romans is centered around this theme of justification by faith alone and points to the person of Abraham as the prime example. We read in Romans 4:3 that “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Later on Paul writes that “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:1). Even though we must have faith in order to be justified, we cannot muster this up by our own efforts, as justification is completely an act of God’s grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Again, Paul writes in Romans 3:24 that we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

To those who have been justified: it’s been done! One of the greatest problems that we face as Christians is thinking that justification is an ongoing process. When these ideas take hold in our heads, we begin to try to work for our salvation. Say we miss a few days (maybe a few weeks) in our quiet times, or our prayer life isn’t as it should be, or we keep struggling with a particular sin, should we feel condemned? If we believe wrongly about justification, we probably will feel this way because we’re now starting to base our standing before God on our own performance. Instead, we need to rely on the righteousness of Christ and His perfect atonement on our behalf. At a church like Lighthouse, it’s tempting to look around and compare yourself to everyone else. “I don’t serve as much as him” or “She seems to have so much more joy than me.” This mentality should have no place in the life of the Christian. We don’t need to be like the “holy people” at church in order to be in God’s favor. God has set the standard for us to meet and He treats us as if we have attained it! Therefore, we are freed from the guilt of sin and can glorify God by living in light of His grace, exercising good works because He has called us to do so.

by Garrett Glende

“Just have a little faith” is a phrase we hear fairly often these days. It’s usually directed toward a downcast sports fan or a doubting friend, but the adage is generally not taken very seriously. It’s meant to provide a tiny speck of security in something that doesn’t really deserve to be trusted. The reality is that there are few things in this world that can truly be trusted after all. People, science, and the stock market are all things that we place our trust in that will at one time or another fail us. In chapter 35 of Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem develops a biblical view of the concepts of faith and repentance and how they are applied to individuals. Despite the fickleness of worldly things, we are able and called to place our faith in the person of Jesus Christ, forsake our former ways of sin, and turn towards righteousness. Grudem defines the two acts of faith and repentance as comprising the manner of conversion, “the willing response to the gospel call, in which we sincerely repent of sins and place our trust in Christ for salvation.”

In modern day American Christianity, faith is probably the most talked about aspect of a person’s spiritual life, yet many seem to have misguided views about what the Bible actually says about it. Grudem lays out three elements that construct the biblical model of faith, the first of which is understanding. For someone to be converted, it is obvious that they must have some sort of knowledge about Christ and the gospel message. How can someone place trust in something that they know nothing about? But intellectual knowledge is not enough. Many so called biblical scholars have accurate knowledge of the facts concerning the gospel, yet they are far from becoming Christians. As James tells us, even the demons believe (James 2:19). The second necessary component to faith is approval. The sinner must agree that Christ has indeed paid the penalty for sin at the cross, and that His resurrection has secured a means of salvation for all who would believe. Still, mere ascent to the data does not match the Bible’s diagnosis of true faith. In addition to understanding and approval, the individual must depend personally on the person and work of Christ. Thus, “saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God.” If the third element is not present in a person’s life, then they have placed no more trust in the redeeming work of Jesus than the fact that a minute is made up of sixty seconds. There is nothing personal about the composition of a single minute. When the Bible describes saving faith, it uses words like “come,” “received Him,” and “believe in Him.” We get the picture that a person who has faith in Jesus is fully dependent on Him and goes to Him for salvation because he trusts Jesus’ words and actions.

However, faith is not the only aspect of a person’s conversion. Along with faith, the Bible speaks of repentance as being a necessary ingredient for salvation. Grudem defines it as “a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.” As a result of the work of the Spirit in our hearts, we see the ugliness of our sin and are grieved by it. Like faith, there is true repentance and there is worldly repentance. True repentance is full of sorrow over sin because the person is found to be guilty of hating the very God who died for them. It is not sorry over the consequences of sin, such as broken relationships or loss in worldly possessions, although these may be present as well. Genuine repentance is first and foremost an understanding that sin is evil and a sorrow over that sin. A truly repentant person will then turn their lives away from this sin and towards obedience. This is literally a change of heart. A heart that once loved sin now loves Christ and wishes to obey Him. Grudem explains that “when we turn to Christ for salvation from our sins, we are simultaneously turning away from the sins that we are asking Christ to save us from.” Thus, faith and repentance cannot be separated from one another.

Many of us can remember when we first experienced conversion. There was a clear change that God worked in our hearts. This may have been quite a while ago for some, but let us not forget that faith and repentance do not stop at conversion in the life of the Christian. In reality the entirety of our lives are to be marked by these two. Especially as we grow in knowledge of our Savior, we are able to rely on Him even further and exercise even greater faith. Aspects of His character that were once foreign to us can now become great pillars for us to lean on. For example, as we grow in our understanding of His sovereignty we can trust Him more when fighting through trials. And as we come to know more of His holiness, our knowledge of how sinful we are will continually lead us to repentance. And I suppose that this should be the case whenever we open our Bibles. Each time we read of the greatness of God we are given the opportunity to have our lives changed. Whether we choose to do so is really up to us. We could just let our knowledge stay just that – knowledge – or we could have it change us. Pray that we would all deepen our faith in Jesus, as He is the only one to be truly believed in.

by Garrett Glende

In case you haven’t been following along, the past few topics in this series have been under the umbrella of the application of the atonement in our redemption. We have been walking through what theologians call the ordo salutis (order of salvation), studying the process of our salvation from election to glory. The issue at hand this week is the wonderful doctrine of regeneration: God’s act of giving new life to dead sinners by awakening their hearts to see the glory of the Son and their need for His forgiveness.

Grudem defines regeneration as “a secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us.” The crux of this definition is that regeneration is fully an act of God. Jesus gives us insight into this “secret act,” as Grudem describes it, in John chapter 3 where He encounters Nicodemus. Here Jesus tells him, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Nicodemus’ response suggests that such an occurrence would be impossible, to which Jesus replies:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8).

Jesus illustrates the mystery of regeneration by comparing the act of God, particularly the Holy Spirit, to the wind. We cannot see the miracle of the new birth take place, but we are able to see its effects. So it is with the wind: we only know that the wind is blowing because we hear its whistle and see the swaying of the trees. Just as we cannot control the course of the wind, we also are at the mercy of the sovereign will of God in regeneration. As spiritually dead people (Eph. 2:1), running as fast as we can away from our Creator, we must be brought about to a whole new life in order to make any sort of movement towards God. In support of God’s regenerating work, James speaks of the Father of lights, who has “of his own will brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). Peter also declares that God has “caused us to be born again…” (1 Pet 1:3). Indeed, we see throughout Scripture that God is the only person who is able to grant spiritual life.

Now that it is clear that God is the one who gives new life, we can look at what actually happens in regeneration. As stated above, much of it is a mystery and we cannot explain all the details of the process, but we can glean certain truths from Scripture. One thing that can be noted is that the Bible often relates the new birth with ideas such as washing, cleansing, and renewing. We see this clearly in Titus 3:5 where Paul writes that God has “saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Echoes of Ezekiel 36:25-27 come to mind:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

Again, we see that God is the one who gives this new life to His covenant people, purifying them through the washing that comes from the Spirit. This passage from Ezekiel is a beautiful picture of God’s grace in removing our hearts of stone, hardened to spiritual truth, and replacing them with hearts of flesh that are alive and receptive to God’s word. We who were once alienated to God and hostile towards Him, completely dead in our sins, have now been brought into life where we are able to worship and glorify our maker (Col. 1:21).

The book of 1 John offers much practical application in light of this doctrine. As a benchmark for true saving faith, John cites many fruits that will be exhibited in result of the new birth. We must examine our own hearts to see if we are truly living in accordance with what the Bible describes a born again person is like. John writes that “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). We see clearly that regeneration results in a changed life. The sins that we once lived in – the very same ones that enslaved us – no longer control our lives. We have been given a new heart that now desires to please God in all that we do. This does not mean that we never sin again, but there should be a distinct mark in our attitude towards sin and its outward manifestations. By this hatred of sin, we will be assured of our salvation, as John writes that “you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him” (1 John 2:29). Perhaps the greatest display of the Spirit’s work of regeneration is our love for God and people. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). It seems simple, but it is often one of the hardest things to do – love one another. Consider if your life displays the fruit of the Spirit. Do you claim to have been born of God, but fail to love your brother? These types of questions are difficult to ask yourself, but it is good for us to diagnose what is really going on in our hearts. But this we know for sure: that for those whom God has given new hearts of flesh He will never cast out. He will continue to mold and sanctify them into disciples of Christ, all by the marvelous power of the Holy Spirit that powerfully works within us. May we truly live as those given new life, fighting sin and loving others, all to the glory of God.

by Garrett Glende

Last week we studied what it means that God has elected some people to be saved. This was the initial step in what theologians have deemed the ordo salutis, or order of salvation. The next cluster of chapters in Grudem’s book walk through this process, ending with glorification and union with Christ. This week we will look at the gospel call and see how this doctrine is applicable to our lives today.

Most (if not all) Christians remember the moment when they heard the gospel for the first time and it pierced their heart. Maybe some had grown up in the church or in a Christian environment and listened to many preachers proclaim the good news, but it never really sunk in. Perhaps others were staunch atheists, always boldly and publically renouncing Christ. Most Christians did not accept the gospel the first time they heard it, in fact, many continue on in their unbelief for decades before God calls them to faith and repentance. How can this be? Why does it take so long for some to come to Christ? While there are many answers to these questions, one response that can be offered is that God had not called them yet. Before things get too confused, let’s take a look at the two types of callings that Grudem outlines in this chapter.

General Call

The general call (otherwise known as the external or gospel call) is when the gospel in preached to unbelievers. It is a universal appeal for all sinners to come to Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Included in this proclamation are the basic fundamentals of the gospel message (sin and its penalty, Christ’s atoning death on our behalf), an invitation to respond in faith and repentance, and the promise of eternal life. This call is routinely rejected, as men’s hearts are unable to respond without God’s quickening.

Effectual Call

A verse we looked at last week demonstrates the effectual gospel call. Romans 8:30 reads, “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” The difference between the effectual call of God and the general gospel call is that the effectual call always results in justification. There will be salvation for all those whom God calls in this way. Grudem defines it as follows: “effective calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.” Notice that God uses the general call as an integral aspect of bringing rebels to himself, for “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14). Even still, God remains sovereign over those He brings to himself as Jesus testifies that “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). The conversion of Lydia in Acts 16:14 is an example of God effectively calling a sinner to repentance, as it says that “the Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul.” Paul was faithful to proclaim the gospel and God used this teaching to work in Lydia’s heart so that she would turn to Him in faith. The effectual call is not some mechanical working that is absent of any emotion or human response, as some critics of the doctrine have suggested. There is always a call for each individual person to come to Christ for rest and they must have faith and repent to be saved. Grudem writes, “He does not save us ‘automatically’ without seeking for a response from us as whole persons. Rather, he addresses the gospel call to our intellects, our emotions, and our wills.” As a demonstration of His love and mercy, this invitation includes the glorious truths of the gospel and speaks directly to our hearts.

Application

There is immediate clear application of this doctrine for all Christians today. “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” The answer that Paul implies with this verse is obvious – they will not believe. For sinners to be saved, Christians must preach the gospel. It is the means by which God has chosen to bring the lost back to Himself and it is one of the primary reasons why we are still here on earth. A man will not wake up one day and place his faith in the atoning death of Christ having never heard the gospel ever before. Everyone we meet – every roommate, every co-worker, every classmate – must hear the good news of Jesus Christ. The timing and nature in which we share is to be decided on with wisdom and discernment, but we must have a sense of urgency and a love for the lost. The church, as God’s proxy on earth, has been granted the responsibility to spread the news of the gospel and each individual member must take part in this privilege. And we should see it as such. What an honor to be able to speak forth the wonderful truths of Christ dying as a substitute for our sins. I’m encouraged by the members of LBC who take on this responsibility with joy and as the church plant draws ever nearer, may we all proclaim the gospel more boldly than we ever have before.

by Garrett Glende

The next portion of Grudem’s Systematic Theology that we’ll be covering is the application of salvation. We’ve just studied the person and work of Jesus Christ and now we will see how His perfect sacrificial death is specifically applied to us. First up is the controversial topic of election and reprobation. Heated discussions are commonplace when dealing with this issue, but instead of fighting over our theological dogmas, we must always go back to the Scriptures and derive our beliefs from there. With this kind of doctrine it is easy to read our preconceived notions into God’s word instead of the other way around. The aim of the rest of this article is to explain election and its application as the Bible teaches it.

Grudem defines election as “an act of God before creation in which he chooses some people to be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but only because of his sovereign good pleasure.” To build a biblical foundation for this doctrine, let’s look at a few texts.

Ephesians 1:4-6
“…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved.”

Here Paul states the timing, function, and purpose of God’s act of election. First of all, we have been chosen by God “before the foundation of the world.” This is a particularly important aspect because it places all of the responsibility of election in God’s hands. There was nothing created at the time when God chose to save sinners, making his choice free of any human action that had previously taken place. Next, the result of election is our “adoption as sons.” We will cover this topic in a later chapter, but it is important to point out that there is an outcome resulting from God’s choice, namely our adoption into His family. Finally, the purpose of our being chosen by God is so that we would live holy lives unto the “praise of his glorious grace.” God did not merely save us just so that we would go to heaven when we die. He predestined the elect in order that they might give glory to Him here on earth. We do this by declaring the wonders of His grace, the height of which is the atoning death of the Savior. In this passage, Paul wants believers to know that God has chosen them before creation so that they would be His sons, all the while bringing Him glory while on earth.

Romans 8:28-30
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Again, we see from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome that God’s sovereign choice is the impetus for our ultimate glorification. This passage is known as the golden chain of redemption as it includes many of the vital elements of salvation beginning with predestination and ending with glorification. We see that those whom God predestines are the very same people as those who are glorified in the end, implying that all whom God chooses will be saved. The reverse of this also holds, for all those who are glorified were predestined. There is no other path to heaven but by the sovereign grace of God. There is much more to say about this passage, but for the sake of space we’ll move on.

So it seems pretty clear that God chooses those whom He will save. There really is no getting around that if one is the least bit faithful to the text. But many will propose that God’s choice was not completely His to make. They claim that He must have looked down the corridors of time and seen those who would eventually profess faith in Christ then simply chosen them. This way, we can still say God elects (so that we don’t contradict explicit verses), but also maintain the autonomy of man. After all, “it’s just no loving for God to choose some and not others,” so they claim. The problem with this thinking is that if it were the case that God predestined based on his foreknowledge of man’s faith, then none would be saved! We’ve established in previous articles that man is dead in sin and completely unable to exercise faith on his own. Moreover, it ultimately gives the credit for salvation to the sinner rather than to God. The only difference between those saved in heaven and those perishing in hell would be some sort of superior spiritual awareness or luck, and not the sovereign wisdom and grace of God.

The natural question to ask now would be, “If God chooses who goes to heaven, does he choose those who go to hell?” This is a complicated and touchy theological issue, and I must admit that I have no firm conviction on it. However, there are some things that can be said with confidence, building on past studies and Scripture to make such claims. First, God is sovereign over all things. Having covered this topic in previous articles, we know that there is not one atom out of His control. Thus, at least in a broad sense, God chooses to send people to hell. God is not caught off guard that sinners are in hell, for he knows all things and controls all things. We also can say with confidence that God has a purpose in condemnation of sinners, namely the display of his justice, holiness, and wrath, which would not have otherwise been demonstrated. Along these lines, Paul asks, “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory…” (Romans 9:22-23). Some theologians support the doctrine of “double predestination,” essentially saying that God elects unconditionally those who are to be condemned. Others would argue that double predestination is unbiblical, and believe that those whom God does not elect are simply left to their own sin and, in a sense, condemn themselves. I honestly cannot say with confidence if God chooses to condemn people in the same way that he chooses to save people, but it is clear from Scripture that He does have the final say.

Application

The doctrine of election is first and foremost a humbling one. When we come to grips with the fact that we did nothing to contribute to God choosing to save us, it should strip away all boasting from our hearts. It wasn’t that God saw a certain degree of goodness in us and decided to place his mercy on us, but rather that God saw people who despised Him and He saved us anyway. Moreover, the doctrine of predestination should give us great confidence in evangelism. We can speak with unbelievers about the grace of God in Christ knowing that God has people in the world that He is going to save. If this weren’t the case then we might figure out some way to coax a profession of faith out of someone using a sugar-coated gospel and flashy language. How depressing would it be for the evangelist who does not see any fruit? He must be doing something wrong! But this is not what the Bible tells us. We can share the gospel with the lost boldly because God has predestined those whom He will save! The burden is off us to save because it’s completely God’s work. We don’t have to worry about how convincing our arguments are or how smooth our speech is. We just need to preach the gospel and love people and watch God do His miraculous work of saving sinners. What a joy and comfort it is, knowing that our God has chosen to impart His grace on unworthy sinners like you and me.

by Garrett Glende

Things could always be worse. We look around and see natural disasters, oil spills, political corruption, and moral degradation. The world we live in has been in shambles since Genesis 3, but is it as bad as it could be? Has God left man to destroy all things good or does He intervene and provide blessings? Chapter 31 of Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology tackles these issues and more under the heading of “Common Grace,” illustrated in various aspects of human life.

First, we must lay a framework for what is meant by the term “common grace,” so that it is not confused with saving grace. The doctrine is seen most clearly when we are confronted with the fact that man still exists on Earth. In the Garden, God promised Adam that eating the fruit would bring about death. Nevertheless, man fell and the Earth and all its inhabitants have been cursed ever since, bringing about the ultimate punishment of death. But why are we (humans in general) even allowed to live in the first place? God would be perfectly just to punish sin immediately with its due consequences, yet He withholds His wrath and grants us life. Isn’t this grace? Men are receiving something that they have done absolutely nothing to merit – life itself! And this is just the beginning. Grudem defines common grace as “the grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not a part of salvation.”

Common Grace in the Physical Realm

This is essentially the principle that is illustrated above. God gives believers and unbelievers the same amount of grace when it comes to the physical world around us. I can enjoy the serenity of the beach and the majesty of the mountains just as an unbeliever can (although the unregenerate man is still blind and cannot see God’s glory in it all). Jesus explains this principle when He says that God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). Likewise, Acts 14:16-17 speaks of how God has blessed the nations with rain and productive harvests, “satisfying [their] hearts with food and gladness.”

Common Grace in the Moral Realm

Many of us in Reformed Christianity love the acronym “TULIP,” and rightly so. It represents wonderful truths about God and His redemptive plan, but the first term in the phrase, “total depravity,” is easily misunderstood. It could imply that man is depraved to his maximum capacity and there is no more room left for any evil to creep in. However, it’s obvious that the world could be much more evil than it actually is. God’s grace in the moral realm is demonstrated by the fact that unregenerate men and women are able to discern between good and evil and can exercise upright behavior. There are many atheists in the world who do many “good deeds” and hold to similar moral values as Christians because God has given all men a conscience that bears witness to the Law of God and convicts their hearts (Rom. 2:15). When we read about this issue in Scripture, it’s clear that the world could be filled with even more sin than it already has, but God has graciously restrained the sinfulness of man so that His character might be seen, even so faintly.

Application

There are many other aspects of God’s common grace. Especially when we consider that all good things come from Him, it’s clear that evidence of God’s grace surrounds us throughout our days (James 1:17). We see the amazing feats of modern technology and the wonder of ancient art, but rarely do we give God any credit for it. It was completely by His grace that people were able to have the minds that designed today’s hi-tech electronics that we all enjoy. I’m probably going to give in and upgrade to the new iPhone 4 when it comes out. Surely, its technology will impress me and I’ll gawk at all the fancy things it does (seriously, having an HD video camera on my phone sounds pretty sweet). But is this praise directed at the ingenuity of the human designer? Or does the thought even cross my mind that God is the one who gave that person the gifts and talents in the first place? There is so much out there to worship God for, but we rarely are aware of it all. I suspect that if we understood common grace to its full extent, our hearts would never cease to be amazed by the goodness of God to His creatures.