condensed theology, lecture 38, the doctrine of salvation 12

8/6/2019 Condensed Theology, Lecture 38, The Doctrine of Salvation 12

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Condensed Theology

A Primer in Systematic Theology


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Soteriology:The Doctrine of Salvation

What does the Bible teach aboutsalvation?


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Sanctification

Review


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Sanctification: Review

Definitive Sanctification

Progressive Sanctification

Who will define each of these terms?


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Definitive Sanctification is the once-for-all

act of God that cleanses and purifies usfrom sin, which act is the product of ourunion with Christ in his life, death, burial,and resurrection.

What role does the believer play in his or

her definitive sanctification?


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Progressive Sanctification is the process

in which we responsibly participate withGod in becoming more and more holythroughout our Christian lives until ourglorification.

What role does the believer play in his or

her progressive sanctification?


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Sanctification: Review Definitive and progressive sanctification occupy different

places in the ordo salutis: Election

Predestination

(Effectual/Effective) Calling

Regeneration

Definitive Sanctification

Repentance

Faith

Justification

Adoption

Progressive Sanctification

Glorification


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Sanctification: Review Define the relationship between definitive

sanctification and progressivesanctification.

God transforms a fish (sinner) into a bird

(saint). God gives birds (saints) the will to fly and

commands them to do so, but they often

succumb to a competing desire to swim (tosin).


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Sanctification

Monergism and Synergism


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Sanctification: Review Is sanctification monergistic or synergistic?

It depends on two things First, what kind of sanctification is in view

(definitive or progressive) and

Second, what the terms monergistic andsynergistic mean.

Lets begin with the second point; namely,

the meanings of monergistic andsynergistic.


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Sanctification: Review The term Synergism can be used in a theological-

technical way to refer to the belief that the human willcooperates with divine grace in our regeneration.

The opposite of Synergism, Monergism refers to thebelief that divine grace acts unilaterally in our

regeneration. Thus Synergism (note the capital S) can have a very

specific referenta belief regarding the nature ofregeneration.

Therefore there is a sense in which is inappropriate toask the question Is sanctification Synergistic? sinceSynergism has to do with the doctrine of regeneration.


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Sanctification: Review The term synergism can be used in a less technical

fashion to refer simply to cooperation. Therefore monergism in this less technical sense refers

to an act which is undertaken alone. Thus in a discussion of Christian sanctification, it is

appropriate to ask whether or not sanctification is

synergistic (note the lowercase s); That is, whether it is God who acts unilaterally

(monergistic) or we who act in cooperation with God(synergistic).

It is this secondary and less technical sense in which Ihave been using the terms synergism and monergismwith respect to the different aspects of the ordo salutis(the order of salvation) in our lectures on soteriology.


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Now then, let us ask whether or not

sanctification is synergistic. Is sanctification synergistic?

Well, it depends what you mean bysanctification.


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As we have said, definitive sanctification is

monergistic (not synergistic)God actsupon us with no cooperation from us at all.

Progressive sanctification, however, issynergistic (not monergistic) in that thebeliever cooperates with the Lord in the

process of his conformity to the image ofJesus Christ.


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Sanctification: Review This cooperation, however, is a mysterious

cooperation. Phil 2:12-13: So then, my beloved, just as you

have always obeyed, not as in my presenceonly, but now much more in my absence, workout (katerga,zomai, katergzomai) your salvation withfear and trembling; for it is God who is at work (o`evnergw/n, ho energn) in you, both to will and to

work (to. evnergei/n, t energen) for His goodpleasure.

Which leads us to the substance of this lecture


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Perseverance of the Saints


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The Perseverance of the Saints Perseverance is related to progressive

sanctification in the same way that asteam engine must continue to have coalfed into its stove and stay on the tracksheaded toward its final destination.

Stay on the tracks headed toward yourdestination (perseverance).

Feed coal into your stove (progressivesanctification).


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The Mystery ofPerseverance


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The Mystery of Perseverance The Bible teaches two compatible and

mysterious truths: Gods people must persevere in order to be

saved (duty).

God grants perseverance to his people as agift of his grace (gift).

Lets start with the second, morecommonly asserted teaching


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The Gift of Perseverance To say that this is more commonly asserted than the

duty of perseverance is only partially true.

This idea is usually put like this: Believers can neverlose their salvation.

Or a bit more crassly, Once saved, always saved.

As we get closer to our conclusion, youll see why theseaphorisms are not as helpful in conveying the Biblesteaching with regard to the security of believers in Christ.

We refer to it as the perseverance of the saintsGod

promises that his people will persevere.


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The Gift of Perseverance Rom 8:29: For those whom He foreknew, He

also predestined to become conformed to theimage of His Son, so that He would be thefirstborn among many brethren.

Phil 1:6: For I am confident of this very thing,that He who began a good work in you willperfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

1 Pet 1:5: who are protected by the power of

God through faith for a salvation ready to berevealed in the last time.


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The Gift of Perseverance The texts that weve seen indicate the following:

Believers will be delivered safely to the Last Day Believers will grow in grace

Or to return to our steam engine metaphor:

God keeps you on the tracks headed toward yourfinal destination.

God empowers you to feed coal into your stove.


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The Duty of Perseverance


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The Duty of Perseverance When we call perseverance a duty we

mean more than that we are commandedto persevere;

We mean that a failure to fulfill themandate to persevere will result in afailure to arrive safely at the Last Day.


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The Duty of Perseverance 1 Cor 15:1-2: Now I make known to you,

brethren, the gospel which I preached toyou, which also you received, in whichalso you stand, by which also you are

saved, if you hold fast the word which Ipreached to you, unless you believed invain.


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The Duty of Perseverance Col 1:21-23: And although you were formerly

alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evildeeds, yet He has now reconciled you in Hisfleshly body through death, in order to presentyou before Him holy and blameless and beyond

reproachif indeed you continue in the faithfirmly established and steadfast, and not movedaway from the hope of the gospel that you haveheard, which was proclaimed in all creationunder heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made aminister.


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The Duty of Perseverance Heb 3:6: but Christ was faithful as a Son over His

housewhose house we are, if we hold fast ourconfidence and the boast of our hope firm until theend.

Heb 3:12-14: Take care, brethren, that there not bein any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that fallsaway from the living God. But encourage oneanother day after day, as long as it is still called

"Today," so that none of you will be hardened by thedeceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakersof Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our

assurance firm until the end.


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The Duty of Perseverance Heb 6:4-12: For in the case of those who have once been

enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and havebeen made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the

good word of God and the powers of the age to come, andthen have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again torepentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son ofGod and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks therain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to

those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing fromGod; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless andclose to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. But,beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you,and things that accompany salvation, though we are speakingin this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your workand the love which you have shown toward His name, inhaving ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And wedesire that each one of you show the same diligence so as torealize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you willnot be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith andpatience inherit the promises.


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The Duty of Perseverance

Its Pathology


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The Duty of Perseverance:

Pathology

Perseverance in the faith is a duty that if

neglected will result in our failure to obtainsalvation.


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Pathology

Does this make you nervous?

Well, in one sense it should. You mustmake every effort to persevere in the faith.

It is your responsibility to keep your engine onthe tracks headed toward your finaldestination.

If you deviate from the tracks (the course laidout for you), you will not make it to your finaldestination.


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Pathology

Believing in Jesus is a duty that if

neglected will result in our failure to obtainsalvation.

Think about this for a moment


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Pathology The doctrine of election teaches us that God has

chosen some for salvation (in all its fullness)from before time beganthe elect will come tosaving faith. God has done it.

Does this mean that the elect do not need tobelieve in the Lord Jesus Christ since theirelection guarantees their salvation anyway?

Absolutely not!


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Pathology Rom 10:14-17: How then will they call on Him in

whom they have not believed? How will theybelieve in Him whom they have not heard? Andhow will they hear without a preacher? How willthey preach unless they are sent? Just as it iswritten, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OFTHOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOODTHINGS!" However, they did not all heed thegood news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HASBELIEVED OUR REPORT?" So faith comesfrom hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Dont forget Romans 9!


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Pathology

If we do not object to this:

Believing in Jesus is a duty that if neglectedwill result in our failure to obtain salvation.

Then we should not object to this:

Persevering in the faith is a duty that ifneglected will result in our failure to obtainsalvation.


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The Mystery ofPerseverance


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The Mystery of Perseverance This is what makes perseverance a

mystery. Both are true:

We will not make it to final salvation unless wepersevere, and

God has granted us perseverance by thepower of his grace.

A biblical illustration


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The Mystery of Perseverance Acts 27:21-25: When they had gone a long time without

food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, "Men,

you ought to have followed my advice and not to haveset sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss.Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for therewill be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belongand whom I serve stood before me, saying, 'Do not beafraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold,God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.'

Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe Godthat it will turn out exactly as I have been told.


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The Mystery of Perseverance Acts 27:30-31: But as the sailors were

trying to escape from the ship and had letdown the ship's boat into the sea, on thepretense of intending to lay out anchors

from the bow, Paul said to the centurionand to the soldiers, Unless these menremain in the ship, you yourselves cannot

be saved.


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The Mystery of Perseverance This is what makes perseverance a

mystery. Both are true:

We will not make it to final salvation unless we

persevere, and God has granted us perseverance by the

power of his grace.

Thus neither teaching allows us to use oneto trump the other


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The Mystery of Perseverance We must stay on the tracks headed toward

our final destination; if we dont, we wontmake it there.

AND

God has guaranteed that we will stay onthe tracks headed toward our final

destination.


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Losing Our Salvation

Can Believers Lose TheirSalvation?


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Losing Our Salvation On the other hand, I understand the

question as one that asks: Is thebelievers eternity secure?

To which I would respond: Yesif you

persevere knowing full well that if youpersevere it is the product and proof of thegrace of God which guarantees yourfuture.


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Once Saved; AlwaysSaved


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Once Saved; Always Saved Usually this dictum is invoked by those

with a shallow view of salvation. If you intellectually assent to the truth of

the gospel at some point in your life, you

will be saved regardless of how you liveafterward.

This is absolutely and unequivocally false.


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Once Saved; Always Saved First, God has chosen us to be holy and blameless

before him (Eph 1:3).

Second, Christ predestined our works (Eph 2:10). Third, faith cannot be reduced to intellectual assent.

Fourth, when a person is converted, he or she is

changed by God from within and that change necessarilyresults in some degree of outward change (Jer 31:31-34w/ Hebrews 8).

Fifth, Christ saved us to be a people zealous for good

deeds (Titus 2:11-14) Sixth, if you do not persevere, you will not be finally

saved.


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Once Saved; Always Saved On the other hand, if you mean by Once

Saved; Always Saved that no trueChristian can ultimately be eternally lost,you are absolutely and unequivocally

correct. You just need to be sure that in your

definition of true Christian you includethe absolute necessity of perseverance.


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Conclusion

Two Implications


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Conclusion The doctrine of perseverance ought to give us a

sense of sobriety when it comes to the pursuit ofholiness. It is why we are called to work out oursalvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).

The doctrine of perseverance ought to engender

in us a sense of wonder for the power of Godssaving grace. Not only does he justify us but heplaces in our hearts a capacity to grow in graceand persevere to the end even in the light ofafflictions and suffering and the continuedpresence of personal sin!

condensed theology, lecture 38, the doctrine of salvation 12

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