Our Evangelical Mantra Properly Explained

The evangelical rule “justification by grace through faith” must be explained in a way consistent with the rest of the New Testament witness or we will live in perpetual confusion/disunity at the least and at the worst stand condemned of preaching a different gospel (II Corinthians 11:4 and Galatians 1:8-9). 

In the prevalent literature and preaching two terms of the proposition above, justification and grace, have been poorly defined, and a third, faith, suffers from bad translation in several instances of the most popular English versions of the Bible, leading to misunderstanding.  The definitional problems are the easier to resolve by presenting simple theological choices. 

First, does “justification” mean to be declared righteous or does it mean to be made righteous?  This choice determines whether or not one takes all the other passages of the New Testament seriously, including its moral commandments, or leaves them as options largely irrelevant to the prospect of ultimately achieving eternal salvation, all else being equal.  To resolve this question one might consider:  http://michaeldeshanehinton.blogspot.com/2013/01/thoughts-on-salvation-by-faith-by-john.html and http://michaeldeshanehinton.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-spiritual-danger-of-antinomianism.html . 

Second, does “grace” mean unmerited favor or does it mean divine activity?  The implication of this choice is whether or not one is a passive recipient of (monergism) or active participant in (synergism) one’s own salvation.  It may also speak to how we conceive of God himself.  Is the Holy Spirit weak in the face of sin or can the Helper enable and inspire us to live victoriously in this life?  See http://michaeldeshanehinton.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-is-grace.html 

Now, the problem of translation that affects the third term of our evangelical motto, “faith,” is more complicated.  It depends on grammar, specifically the use in English translations of modifiers called definite articles.  Definite articles restrict the use of the noun it modifies to a particular incidence of what is described.  “Birds sitting on a fence,” for instance, is indefinite but “the red bird on the picket fence” is definite, if all the other birds are blue and there are no other picket fences in view with birds sitting upon them. 

For the purposes of this lesson we will distinguish between “faith” as an indiscriminate act of trust/believing on the one hand and on the other hand “the Faith,” using the definite article, meaning Christianity in particular, the religion established by Jesus, the new covenant in his blood.  Every religion has the story of its beginnings, a set of beliefs about ultimate reality or God, ethical requirements for its adherents, rituals that the people find meaningful, and a helpful organizational structure.  But a non-descript “justification by grace through faith” tends to make people irreligious for the lack of the definite article modifying faith in key Pauline passages where they occur in the original Greek text.  So, one is left to think that we are saved by believing in Jesus when in fact we are asked to be faithful in the religion that he established, in which, of course, he is the principal actor as per the definition of grace above.

Now, “the Faith” viewed as a definitive religion does not exclude our believing but rather depends on us trusting God to fulfill his word that comes to us by said Faith.  Nevertheless, mere “belief” in American pop-evangelicalism today tends to exclude many things contained in "the Faith," making us prone to antinomianism, often proudly so, which should be rejected as explained under justification above.  It is more accurate to say that "the Faith" justifies us, not the mere act of believing, because people "believe" many things, some of them very strange and not in accord with "the Faith." 

But the problem gets a little more complicated.  There are places where the translators ought to supply the definite article for an English audience where it does not occur in the Greek text.  Why?  Well, as an act of efficiency the Greek writer may consider a noun sufficiently modified without actually penning every way that it can be made specific.  He might not use the definite article, for instance, if other words are there to make it definitive or if his logic makes it clear the precise thing of which he speaks. 

Now, there are many places in the New Testament where the scholars have supplied the definite article properly, yielding “the Faith.”  But in key Pauline passages that fuel the “justification by grace through faith” formula they have in recent times failed miserably.  The offending passages are these (in some cases the Geneva Bible of 1560/99 properly translates the text, which will be noted): 

Romans 3:22 should be translated, as does the Geneva Bible: To wit, the righteousness of God by the faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all that believe. 

Romans 3:27-31 should be translated: What then becomes of our boasting?  It is excluded.  Through what law?  Of works?  No, but through a law of faith.  For we reason that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.  Is God of the Jews only?  Is he not also of the Gentiles?  Yes, of Gentiles, too.  So it is that the one God will justify whomever: the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through the faith.  Do we overthrow law by the faith?  Absolutely not!  We establish a law. 

Galatians 2:16 should be translated properly, as does the Geneva Bible: Know that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we, I say, have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law, because that by the works of the Law, no flesh shall be justified. 

Galatians 3:22 should be translated, like the Geneva Bible: But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ should be given to them that believe. 

Philippians 3:9 should be translated, as does the Geneva Bible: And might be found in him, that is, not having my own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, even the righteousness which is of God through faith, 

Paul believed, according to a correct translation of his works, that the Faith of Jesus Christ (Christianity) superseded the Law of Moses (Judaism) as God’s new way of salvation.  His polemic against the Jews, Judaizing teachers, and Peter’s one-time act of hypocrisy caused Paul to contrast Christianity with Judaism in stark terms as two separate religions; hence his language about justification by the Faith “apart from” works of the Law.  But Paul did not seek to overthrow a general principle of lawful existence.  He worked to introduce Jesus’ new religion among the Gentiles, which he called a Law of Faith (Romans 3:27-31, properly translated above) and the Law of Christ (I Corinthians 9:21 and Galatians 6:2).  His exposition of morality led him to speak of what Christians call the Law of Love (Romans 13:8-10 and Galatians 5:14). 

Paul knew the original disciples of Jesus and was familiar with Christ’s teachings through them, so he understood all of the theological, liturgical, and ethical considerations that comprise “the Faith,” and which materially contributes to our salvation.  He would not have discounted the Sermon on the Mount, the Great Commission, the Summary of the Law, the Golden Rule, the Mind of Christ, the Institution of the Lord's Supper, and ultimately, the Way of the Cross.  It was his calling to convey Christian teachings to Gentiles as Apostle to the Gentiles.  Contrary to a common misconception Paul never wrote that we are justified by “faith alone” or that “Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the believer for justification.”  Nothing that he actually wrote in the original Greek would distract us from the highest standards of Christian discipline, spirituality, and moral behavior contained in the Gospels or other New Testament writings, every passage of which is the apostolic witness to the Faith of Jesus Christ. 

Considering these things we must conclude, consistent with the totality of the New Testament canon: we are made actually righteous by the power of God's Spirit offered to us in and through the Faith of Jesus Christ, if we believe in it and faithfully practice it, enduring to the end.

What is Grace?

After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:7-11 ESV)

To our knowledge Jesus never uttered the word “grace.” 

But Paul used the word “grace” often in his letters (at least 82 times).  He wrote of our being saved by grace.  How did he formulate such a thing?  Jesus never said it – why Paul?

According to the Biblical account, the first time any disciple of Jesus Christ said the word “grace” it was Peter, quoted above, in ecumenical council, discussing what to do about the new Gentile converts … with Paul sitting right there.  So we see, first, that the New Testament witness is consistent; Christianity is and has always been one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Faith because Peter, who knew Jesus and was the chief of the apostles, and Paul both used the word grace.  Peter is Paul’s link to Jesus in the concept of being saved by grace. 

Second, talk of grace arose to solve a practical problem created by events.  What actually happened is, therefore, a key to understanding grace and thus correcting a widespread misunderstanding.  We have heard, for instance, that grace is the unmerited favor of God.  But that definition is an abstraction and largely misleading.  That definition makes grace a function of God’s mind rather than his redemptive action in history.  In the passage above Peter described God’s act in saving Gentiles, which he personally facilitated, to wit:  What he witnessed at Cornelius’ house and what he experienced himself as a Jewish convert to Christ he called “grace.”  This was after Paul reported what God as doing through him.  So, their understanding of grace is fact-driven. 

But before analyzing the salvation historical factors that provide an accurate definition of grace, third, we must critique the traditional definition of unmerited favor.  The most obvious weakness of the idea of unmerited favor is that if grace is unmerited then why doesn’t everyone have grace?  The Universalists, carried along by the idea of unmerited favor preach that, indeed, God does give everyone grace and so we are all saved.

To counter that notion the orthodox believer might argue that grace is offered freely but some do not “accept” it.  But that does not solve the problem.  The act of “accepting,” though it sounds passive, is a work that a man must do so does not fit the term “unmerited.”  Logically, the Calvinists are correct that if anything is required of a man in furtherance of his own salvation one has established a work and thus merit.  “Accepting” is then, and has become in many evangelical circles, a kind of legalism, with double pre-destination the only logical cure. 

The less obvious weakness of “unmerited favor” lies in the second term.  The question is how God distributes his blessings and favor. 

To answer that question we must begin at ground level, knocking down all presumption and assuming that we know nothing of God’s will, plan, and purpose.  The Bible says, for instance, that God does not show favoritism, per se, merited, unmerited, or dyed the color purple: 

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. (Acts 10:34-35 ESV) 

There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:22-23 ESV) 

For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:11-13 ESV)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28 ESV) 

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11 ESV) 

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. (James 2:1 ESV) 

From these passages we see that the Jewish idea of special election attaching to them as Jews is passé.  Circumcision was the sign of a covenant that was in this very council being rejected.  Along with the story of how God manifested grace to the Gentiles at Cornelius’ house Peter included a dénouement of the old Jewish covenant with which they were all familiar:  God obviously was not blessing that covenant any longer because it was a continual source of frustration, pain, and anxiety.  The advent of Christ and the religion that he established was vastly different.  It had universal appeal and is offered to anyone, regardless of race or ethnicity.  It was accompanied by signs and wonders by which God testified to the Gentles being “acceptable” to him.  That is, the Jews are not the special people any more.  That is Peter’s principal point in his summary before the council above.  God will save both Jews and Gentiles by his grace, exactly what Paul wrote several times. 

 

Notice what Peter did *not* say in his speech above.  He made no reference to the trance that he entered, the vision that he saw of a sheet let down, or the decree that God made, “Do not call unclean what I have cleansed.”  This exclusion of material fact focuses our attention on what exactly he called “grace.”  The vision was not the grace.  The free selection of food was not the grace to which he referred.  The decree was not referred to as grace.  Again, what actually happened at Cornelius’ house takes grace out of the realm of speculation, theology, or even of special revelation.  What he saw with his eyes and heard with his ears at a point in time and space caused him to say “grace.” 
 

Likewise, what Paul experienced in his work among the Gentiles caused him to follow Peter in the nomenclature of “grace.”

What did they see that they called “grace?” 
 

They saw God act.  Specifically, they saw the Holy Spirit poured out both on themselves “at first” and then upon Gentiles that believed later.  Peter said in the speech above about the event at Cornelius’ house, “Giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us.”  That fact alone convinced him that God made no distinction between Gentile and Jew but that all are saved by grace. 
 

Therefore, the definition of grace is the divine activity that saves, specifically the operation of the Holy Spirit, initially and continually, to convict, convince, heal, free, deliver, empower, discipline, correct, sanctify, and lead us in Christian discipleship. 
 

That seems to be what Paul had in mind when the Galatians were tempted to fall away: 
 

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? (Galatians 3:2-6 ESV) 

Just as we find Christian “perfection” associated with the ethic of love we see in the New Testament a close association of “grace” with divine power at work to save – in the Spirit, the power of God, miracles, and gifts of the Spirit being exercised effectively.  Here are a few passages on point: 
 

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33 ESV) 
 

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. (Acts 6:8 ESV) 
 

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6-8 ESV) 
 

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. (1 Corinthians 3:10 ESV) 

Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. (2 Corinthians 1:15 ESV) 
 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV) 
 

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, (Ephesians 3:7-8 ESV) 
 

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says,

                “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

                                and he gave gifts to men.”

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (Ephesians 4:7-8 and 11-12 ESV) 
 

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV) 
 

To conclude the criticism of the popular definition of grace, then, we must say that it is not favor but God acting to find those upon whom he might pour out his blessing.  Jesus is described as being “full of grace,” for instance.  Some experienced the power of God flowing through him for healing and deliverance.  Some did not.  Some listened to his word.  Some did not.  Some became his disciples.  Some did not.  The grace was the same.  It was there in him the whole time.  Once a woman drew upon it and Jesus didn’t even know until he felt power leave his body, asking, “Who touched me?” 
 

Fourth, the definition of grace as divine activity makes sense not only from the passages above but also because of the shared root word in Greek: “grace” is translated from CHARIS and a variant is the word “gift,” specifically CHARISMA, that is, reference to the charismatic gifts of the Spirit (I Corinthians 12:4, 9, 28, 30, and 31).  One receives grace, therefore, when he or she has been acted upon by the Spirit to be converted, or has received the Spirit for empowerment, transformation, and guidance.  That is why Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Spirit, which he called “power from on high” and which Peter called the “gift” that yields “manifold grace” (Luke 24:49 and I Peter 4:10). 
 

In this better definition of grace we see, fifth, a contrast with life under the Law of Moses.  On the one hand, God had established a new covenant.  The specific issue before the council was the proposition that one had to become a Jewish proselyte in order to be saved (Acts 15:1).  The council decided that was not true.  They *saw* by direct evidence to the contrary that God was saving people by his grace, his divine power and activity, which cleansed hearts through the Faith of Jesus Christ “apart from” Judaism, or “works of the Law.” 
 

On the other hand, the Law of Moses prescribed rituals and behaviors that we in our own power could not do.  Peter explained the weakness of the Law in his speech at the council, saying that they should not impose upon Gentiles a religion that the Jews themselves could not bear.  Therefore, the early Church arrived at its policy conclusion not by academic or scholastic “debate” alone but by reports of what was happening, which they called “grace:” by his miraculous intervention God helps people enter and fulfill requirements of the new covenant that he established in Christ.  With Christianity, then, there is both a new law of love (John ) and a profound change in how it is fulfilled.  It is fulfilled, Paul wrote, by those who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:xy).

Therefore, when we consider salvation by grace we ought not to engage in speculation about what God might have decreed about this person or that, or guess what God might think in his eternal and immutable mind.  If grace is at work we can see it unfolding before our very eyes in time and space.  Like Peter and Paul we can be facilitators of grace as we exercise the gifts to meet felt needs.  If people either accept or reject this divine activity that will be apparent as well due to the presence or absence, respectively, of changed lives, for when grace happens hearts are cleansed by faith. 

Sixth, this definition of grace makes merit almost completely irrelevant to the discussion.  God as sovereign may act to save whomever he will.  Paul picked up on what Peter said about “grace” and ran with it to justify his work among the Gentiles.  Grace enters the Christian lexicon only because of God’s offering covenant to Gentiles as a class of believers, solving a problem of salvation history, which was the subject of the first ecumenical council recorded in Acts. 
 

Seventh, plugging in the new definition of grace radically changes the way we do discipleship.  It takes us out of our heads and into real life experience.  Our theology becomes much more practical: 
 

·         Salvation becomes an on-going and continual process of being made actually righteous by the miracle-working power of God.  Salvation is not a one-dimensional belief system or speculation about eternal decrees but an experience of God with beginning, middle, and end.  As Peter said above we “will be” saved by grace, future tense. 

·         It liberates us from certain kinds of mental gymnastics that gloss over sin because by grace are hearts are changed.
 

·         It frees us also from emotional contortions whereby we are tempted to pour the entire Biblical witness into believing the concept of “Christ’s finished work.”  By grace we “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV).  With grace the ideas of work and law are not frightening to us because we have God’s help; our relationship with and reliance upon him are deepened by cooperating in our own salvation.
 

·         This active definition of grace heightens the need for discerning of spirits so that we can identify what God is doing vs. what a man or demon might do.  It invites us to watch for God at work and listen to him (see John 5:19 and 30).

·         It encourages us to exercise gifts of the Holy Spirit in meeting felt needs with the knowledge, power, and wisdom that God provides.

 

The Pattern of Biblical Prophecy Requires a Spiritual Perspective

The pattern of Biblical prophecy is this: 

1.        All prophecy concerning Israel was fulfilled in Christ and the remnant of Jews that believed in him at the time of his appearing (Romans 9-11).  Because the Jewish nation did not receive him the covenant with physical Israel ended with the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 AD.  The Jews are now just another nation (kind of people) called to repent and believe in Jesus like everyone else (Acts 4:23-31). 

2.       Meanwhile, Christian believers are now the true circumcision (Romans 2:29 and Philippians 3:3) and Israel of God (Galatians 6:10), who inherit the promises given to Abraham (Galatians 3:15-29).  Christians are the spiritual temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) and the elect by faith in Christ (Romans 8:33, 2 Timothy 2:10, and Titus 1:1).  The transition from physical Israel to spiritual Christianity was extremely difficult for the early Church (Acts 15) and many today still do not understand it.  The confusing thing is that the New Testament uses Old Testament language to describe new things in Christ.  The use of Old Testament language tempts many to believe in a false continuity when in fact Christianity represents a radial break with Judaism.  That is why Paul says that we are justified by the Faith “apart from” works of the Law.  Accepting the end of the old covenant and the inauguration of the new one in Jesus’ blood is essential to understanding the Biblical world-view.  The rise and spread of Christianity, to the point, was predicted in Old Testament prophecy: 

“I saw in the night visions,

                and behold, with the clouds of heaven

                                there came one like a son of man,

                and he came to the Ancient of Days

                                and was presented before him.

                And to him was given dominion

                                and glory and a kingdom,

                that all peoples, nations, and languages

                                should serve him;

                his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

                                which shall not pass away,

                and his kingdom one

                                that shall not be destroyed.  (Daniel 7:13-14 ESV) 

3.       A distinctly Christian prophetic tradition now applies, which in the words of Jesus is quite simple, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”  (Matthew 24:14 ESV)  Note that Jesus said “this” Gospel of the kingdom.  He means the spiritual kingdom that he taught and proclaimed, not the Old Testament one that was lost when the Hebrews rejected Jesus (Matthew 21:33-44).  “Kingdom” is one of those old words that takes on a new meaning consistent with the paradigm shift occurring in Christ’s new revelation.  His kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36).  Flesh and blood cannot inherit it (1 Corinthians 15:50).  It is “not meat and drink but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). 

4.       In speaking of the end of the world we find an interesting parallel to the end of physical Israel.  Just as the ancient Jews were destroyed (except for the remnant named above) because they rejected Jesus so the world will be destroyed for the refusal of mankind to repent of both personal and systemic evil (except for a “remnant of mankind” (Acts 15:17) that are “called out” of the world to be saved, who flee the wrath to come): 

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.  (Revelation 9:20-21 ESV) 

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

                The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. (Revelation 16:8-11 ESV) 

According to Scripture, this world is the kingdom and abode of Satan, who is the god of this world (Luke 4:5, 1 John 5:19, and 2 Corinthians 4:4); this world will be utterly destroyed (2 Peter 3:1-13) but we are not destined for wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10) and so we are strangers and exiles here (Hebrews 11:13-16and 1 Peter 2:11).  We are not to have any affection for the world (James 4:4-5 and 1 John 2:15-17) and should be detached in our dealings with it (1 Corinthians 7:29-31), though we may serve as good citizens of the society in which we live (Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17).  Christians are in danger of falling away because of worldly distractions (Matthew 13:22/Mark 4:19 and Mark 8:36/Luke 9:25) and if we are faithful to God we can expect trouble and persecution in this world (John 16:33 and 2 Timothy 3:12). 

5.       But this world of sin and evil will be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17, 2 Peter 3:13, and Revelation 21:1), inhabited by those that have purified themselves by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and because they loved not their own lives unto death (Matthew 16:24/Luke 9:23,  Romans 8:17, Philippians 3:10-11, and Revelation 12:11).  Those that die in faith, that is, faithful and enduring to the end, will be raised by the Lord to inherit eternal life when he returns (John 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 15).  Therefore, Jesus commands us: 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

The Spiritual Danger of Antinomianism

The greatest hindrance to spirituality is lawlessness.  On the personal level that means carnality and the lack of discipline.  In a church environment that means believing, preaching, and teaching that law is contrary to grace.  That false doctrine is called antinomianism, trans-literally, against law.

Antinomianism is the Latinized word for what we find in the Greek New Testament: anomia, anomos and athesmos.  A word such these that begins with the prefix a- means the lack of something.  In this case it means the lack of law, one that lacks the rule of law in his or her behavior, and the lack of moral principles, respectively.  Just as a baby would starve for the lack of food or die of exposure for the lack of warmth, a child of God can suffer spiritual death for the lack of law and principles.

Since law is essential to faith development, that is, growing from spiritual infancy in the new birth to maturity in Christ, antinomianism is a form of religious abuse.  In cases of abuse the police do not need evidence of a physical assault in order to arrest a perpetrator.  Neglect is abuse.  Failing properly to feed and clothe a child, for instance, is considered a crime.  Likewise, failing to preach and teach that works are required for salvation is spiritual child abuse because whoever has not heard or been rightly taught that God requires lawful obedience has no chance of achieving spirituality.

“Not many of you should become teachers,” James wrote (3:1), “for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”   Whoever seeks true spirituality, therefore, ought to flee churches that do not tell the truth about salvation or growth in grace.  The doctrine of “faith alone,” for example, is especially heinous and condemns its adherents to a life of religious mediocrity.  James, again, wrote (2:24), “A man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”  Yet, there are many clergy that will gladly take our money in exchange for the false hope of an easy gospel.  And what we see today is that lawlessness in our Western, Christianized society is a direct result of antinomianism in the churches.

From a historical point of view, societies that suffer a lack of morality become chaotic and fail.  In fact, the difference between civilized people and barbarians is that barbarians do not follow rational principles of law and order.  Barbarians indulge carnal desires, demand what they want, and then kill, steal, and destroy to have it, which is the opposite of law and true religion.  No society can survive the constant breaking of the law or withstand those that do so in great numbers.  Likewise, public officials that do not respect the rule of law are considered despots.  Mob rule, also, is a form of tyranny.

 Similarly, division, confusion, and heartache results when churches are taken over by those that “want what they want,” having no regard for Scripture, reason, sound doctrine, good behavior, theology, or established traditions.  A serene and harmonious sanctuary established by God is the best place for experiencing growth in grace.  If one is redeemed and seeks a higher plane of existence, where there is love, peace, and joy, then law provides the pathway from sinfulness to spirituality.  From that source of grace flows a benefit to society, as leaven makes bread to rise, in the words of Jesus.

 Because both the liberal-progressive Social Gospel and American pop-evangelicalism are antinomian it is necessary to review those passages of the New Testament that might cause alarm and turn us away from such bad doctrine.

 First, the greatest injustice in the history of the world resulted from lawlessness: 

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” (Acts 2:22-23 ESV)

 Second, the following verses condemn anomia, which is translated lawlessness and law-breakers: 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV) 

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  (Matthew 13:41-42 ESV) 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27-28 ESV)

 Third, one sign of the end times is the increase of anomia, lawlessness.  Paul agrees with Jesus about overwhelming lawlessness and then adds the prediction of a lawless one that emerges, often called the Antichrist.  Also notice that lawlessness causes love to grow cold. 

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.  And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:9-14 ESV) 

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 ESV)

If the lack of law is evil and promotes evil then one might rightly ask what law applies.

 There are five laws in the Bible.  The first and most obvious one is the Law of Moses with its five books, the Pentateuch, centering upon the giving of the Ten Commandments and attendant legislation.  But the Law of Moses is passé and superseded by Christianity.  Its moral requirements make it over the wall into Christianity and its civil code has been the basis of Western jurisprudence since ancient times.  But the ritual law is obsolete and has passed away in deference to God’s revelation in Christ.

 The second law has been obscured by the heresy of antinomianism.  It is the Law of Christ (I Corinthians 9:21 and Galatians 6:2).  One can say that just as the Old Testament is about the Law of Moses and Judaism, the New Testament is about Jesus and his Law of Love.  But “love” that does not require behavioral standards is not love at all but permissiveness, a colossal lie of the devil that paves the way to personal destruction.  The New Testament is full of commandments and admonitions.  It is unreasonable to think that we can please God and be saved if we do not obey them.

 The third law is called the natural law and is found two places in Romans: 

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. (Romans 2:14-16 ESV) 

Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. (Romans 12:9 ESV)

 The fourth law is the law of the secular state in which one lives.  Peter and Paul speak to this law in I Peter 2:13-17 and Romans 13:1-7, respectively.

 The fifth law is revealed also in Romans, a book that is widely misunderstood as giving credence to antinomianism.  In Romans we find the following, which is the true Roman Road of Salvation and depends on the law as a rational sense of morality (incorporating both natural and divine law).  But this law is fulfilled by following the Spirit.  It is called the Law of Faith (Romans 3:4) and the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2).  It follows a simple formula:  righteousness is required but we are carnal; therefore God in Christ has provided a way for us to fulfill the law and thus be saved: 

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (2:6-8) 

But I am carnal, sold under sin … I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am!  Who will save me from this body of death? (7:14 and 23-24) 

God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit ...  If by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the body we will live. (8:3-4 and 13)

The Law of the Spirit is the same as the Law of Faith because faith is required to do what the Holy Spirit leads us to do, that is, to follow Jesus in death and resurrection.  Jesus calls us to die to sin and self in his name and for his sake so that God can raise us up in him.  The essence of Christianity is to grow in grace by the transforming power of the cross, which purifies us.  Law provides the objective standard for determining our pilgrim’s progress and spiritual growth toward ultimate salvation.               

Being familiar with law in all its forms, therefore, John, the Beloved Disciple, provides a working definition of sin and contrasts it with the real righteousness that we find in Jesus: 

Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. (I John 3:4-7 RSV, emphasis mine) 

If the Son loved righteousness and hated lawlessness (Hebrews 1:9), if it is lawlessness from which the Savior redeems us (Romans 4:7, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 8:12 and 10:17) then how did antinomianism arise? 

It was a misunderstanding. 

Peter explains it in his second letter: 

And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:15-18 ESV)

The Purpose of Spiritual Formation

The purpose of spiritual formation is to make us like God.

To know what God is like we must read the Gospels for in them we find Jesus, who is the Son of God, who said that to see him is to see the Father, and who did what he saw the Father doing and said what he heard the Father saying.  Knowing this, Paul wrote that Jesus was the image of the invisible God.  So, the purpose of spiritual formation is to become conformed to the image of Christ, becoming Christ-ian, because Christ is like God and is God.

What did Jesus do?

One of the things Jesus did was to perform extraordinary miracles.

The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Luke 7:18-23 ESV)

Notice that Jesus did not answer the question of his identity directly.  Following the Socratic Method he pointed to evidence that could be used by John in Aristotelian fashion to draw his own scientific conclusion, allowing John to make his faith stronger by using his own mind to figure it out rather than being told in a dogmatic fashion.

The evidence provided were the various miracles that Jesus facilitated.  Jesus acknowledged that it was God at work in and through him to do those wonderful, amazing, loving things for people.  Ultimately those miracles were used as signs by the disciples to confirm that Jesus was the Christ.  They were God’s imprimatur upon his being, authenticating his authority.

The supernatural nature of Jesus was from beginning to end a display of consistency, from his virgin birth to his being raised from the dead, and in the means being consistent with the end: a supernatural being that visited us did supernatural things among us.  As we become supernatural beings in spiritual formation then there should be a testimony to that reality in the miraculous things that go on around us.

How does that happen?  What mechanisms of the universe did Jesus use to bring that about and can we honestly say that we are like him and thus spiritual if we cannot ourselves do similar things?  Jesus himself said that if we believed in him we would do the works he did and even greater ones.  How?  The cause/effect relationship between Jesus and his miraculous power resides in the kind of person he was, a few elements of which we might consider.  The answer to how it happened is this: God blessed him with miracles because God was pleased in him because of what he did toward God.

First, Jesus was a righteous man.  He had no sin and was confident in being free of sin.  He challenged his detractors, for instance, to show where he had any sin.  He spoke against sin and wanted people to live righteously before God.

One might panic at this point and say, “Yikes!  I have a thousand sins!  How can I ever qualify for miracles with all these sins attaching to me?”

The answer is simple: forgiveness.

John wrote, I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Therefore, let us confess our sins, allowing the Spirit to reveal them to us, until we feel clean and confident of being righteousness.  IN that same letter John also wrote (3:21-22), “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.”

Likewise, spiritual formation understands the doctrine of holiness, which says that we can be free of sin by obedience to God’s commands.  Romans, chapter 6 explains that our baptism symbolizes death to sin and arising to the righteous life that God intends for us.  It signifies a radical break with the past.  These are key passages from that pivotal chapter:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. [13] Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness … Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? [17] But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, [18] and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness … now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (Romans 6:12-13, 16-18, and 22 ESV)

The linear pattern is clear: conversion -> obedience -> sanctification -> eternal life …

And being qualified for God’s blessing in a supernatural existence like that enjoyed by Jesus, who loved to help people in miraculous healing and deliverance.

Second, Jesus was a man of prayer.  Scripture tells us that he often went by himself to desolate places, away from the crowds and his own disciples, to be alone with God in pray.

What did he say?  How did he pray?

We have glimpses of that from the Garden of Gethsemane, where someone overheard what he was saying in his last private moments on earth.  It must have been Mark because his dad and the others were a ways off and/or asleep!  Whoever it was saw a man in anguish of soul.  Jesus was called the Son of David.  We know of his physical descent in the royal lineage.  But what if it also means the spiritual heritage that we find in the Psalms, where David is likely to say anything to God in open, honest, earnest prayer?

Third, Jesus sought to please God and not man.  We see this in how controversial he was.  He openly criticized the religious hierarchy and authorities, for instance, confronting them in a number of ways, sometimes nose to nose in what seem like shouting matches (see John 8:12 and following).  He interfered with them making money, at one point physically attacking their storefront operations.  “You cannot serve God and Mammon,” he said.  So, he was free of the constraints and limits often placed upon people because of denominational affiliation or institutional loyalty.

Did Jesus love his religious heritage and fellow Jews?  Of course, he loved them like his mother.  We often speak of Jesus as the embodiment of the Suffering Servant, meaning Israel.  But is it not Mary, the obedient Jewish girl, who better represents the people that bring him forth into the world?  “Salvation is from the Jews,” he told the Woman at the Well.

Likewise, Jesus did not derive his support from the religious establishment but several women followed him and contributed to his needs out of their own resources (Luke 8:2-3) – because they believed in him –  because he helped them in miraculous ways, like Mary Magdalene, out of whom he cast seven demons.

So again, we see how things come full circle by way of explanation, the material support comes because of the spiritual power and not the other way around.  Our religious institutions are often designed to provide the finances for ministry when the model of Christ is that the supernatural existence draws to it the things needful for the body.

Another way that Jesus sought to please God and qualify himself to receive miracles was rejecting man-made teaching and tradition in exchange for what Scripture actually says.  Consider this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees, noting toward the end, again, the place of money:

                The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

                “‘This people honors me with their lips,

                                but their heart is far from me;

                in vain do they worship me,

                                teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

                You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

                And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (Mark 7:5-13 ESV)

In conclusion, Peter and John had achieved a level of spiritual formation to make their existence among the people miraculous.  They did what Jesus did, and became like Jesus as true servants and ministers in Jerusalem.  They went to the temple one day and encountered a man that was lame, begging for money.  Peter answered him, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”  He went walking and leaping and praising God.

The Essence of Spirituality

The essence of spirituality is to be like God.

Jesus said that God is spirit and, speaking of the resurrection, Paul wrote that Jesus became a life-giving spirit.  Similarly, Paul wrote that we no longer know Christ according to the flesh, acknowledging that he did come in the flesh but is no longer experienced that way.  Combating the Gnostic heresy John wrote that Jesus came in the flesh, though John is dualistic, the one who recorded the Lord’s words about God being spirit and we must be born again in the Spirit.

Many years ago a church official accused me of being an idolater for worshiping Jesus as God, co-equal with the Father and the Spirit in Trinitarian faith.  Fearing the same sin of idolatry Wolfhart Pannenberg, in JESUS, GOD AND MAN, stated that nowhere in Scripture is the Holy Spirit portrayed as a physical being.  Of course, Luke and others wrote that the Spirit came in the form of a dove.

But it is not idolatry to worship one that was briefly a man and then became a spiritual body that defies the laws of physics, though he still interacts with them via miracles.  It is not idolatry to worship the Spirit with the Father and Son, if the Spirit only briefly appeared for our sakes to anoint Jesus for ministry.

My point is that flesh, physicality, this material world is transitory.  Its form is passing away and our bodies will soon enough lie moldering in the grave.  Being God, it was not natural for Jesus to come in the form of sinful flesh.  We see in the Gospels his irritation with it and his desire to return to the Father.  He wanted the disciples to be glad that he was going home.  He promised that we would join him if we endured to the end.  If we are faithful he will raise us up to receive our spiritual bodies, too!

Hallelujah!

Since the carnal existence that we now share is transitory we must see this life as preparation for the next, becoming as much like God as possible now, at least to begin the process.

We are already spiritual beings, made in the image and likeness of God.  But because of sin that image is marred and we can hardly see our true selves.  But we begin to see, become enlightened, when we begin to discount the flesh and value the spiritual aspect of our nature.

I recently counseled a 50+ year-old man that has struggled with alcohol since he was 14.  Now the ravages of time, compounded by pollutions both of mind and body, has left him deeply depressed, suicidal, and asking questions that needed to be answered long ago.

He asked me why he has suffered so much.  I told him it was to demonstrate body/soul dualism and how the soul is more important than the body.  He was taken aback.  He had never heard that before, though he has been to church and AA meetings too many to count.

See, the body can become wracked with pain.  It can drive a man crazy with pain.  There is pain of heart and mind, as well, because of its association with the body.  But spirit is not touched by pain because it is not physical and has no need.

The way, then, to become more like God, more spiritual, is to have less need.  God needs nothing.  If one can contemplate that and relate to it as a beginning point of prayerful meditation then one can begin to develop a spiritual perspective.  Then the strength, peace, love, and joy of our freedom in Christ begins take root and will, in time, to bloom and grow, almost effortlessly, as the green grass springs forth and the flowers of the field open to the heavenly light.