Celebrating Halloween With Abraham, Martin and John (Transcript)

In America Halloween is celebrated on October 31st. I don’t particularly like Halloween, especially its occult aspects, but that’s a message for another time.

I want to tell you a brief story of God’s grace.

Reformation Day

You see, October 31st is also Reformation Day, when we celebrate the light that dawned when the so-called Reformers began to break out of the darkness of Roman Catholicism, and once again began to preach salvation by grace through faith.

It was more than 490 years ago [1517 A.D.] that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the big wooden door of the Wittenburg Church, denouncing the sale of indulgences by the Roman Catholic Church, in which the souls of dead people were supposedly purchased out of the mythical Purgatory, or their time in Purgatory was shortened.

It was an evil practice, which preyed on the fears and superstition of the people, and made them poorer as the so-called Church grew richer.

Abraham

But I want to begin our story much farther back in time, to a man called Abraham.

Abraham was called by God out of Ur of the Chaldees, a pagan land with a pagan superstitious culture. God called Abraham away from his people and his culture, to begin a whole new people and culture, which eventually culminated in the nation Israel, and eventually the promised Messiah of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the reason I want to begin with Abraham is because of a covenant that God made with Abraham. And this covenant became the forerunner to what we now call the New Covenant.

God promised Abraham that he would become a mighty nation, that he would have millions of descendants, through which the world would be blessed. Now the whole story is too long to tell here, but there was one little problem.

Abraham’s wife Sarah was barren, childless. And the years had passed, and Abraham had assumed that his heir would be someone from his household staff. This was customary when there was no offspring.

Let’s read the promise of God from Genesis Chapter 15, verse 4 and following:

“Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’ And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’”

Now Abraham could either believe that or not. Did he believe it?

Well, let’s fast-forward to the book of Romans and see what Paul wrote to the Romans about it, and at the same time we’ll learn a very important Bible truth about salvation.

In Romans 4:3,5 we read,

“For what does the Scripture say? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” “...but to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.”

Through the story of Abraham we learn something that has always been true:

Salvation is a free gift from God, through believing God. Or as the Bible says, by grace (that’s the free gift), through faith (that’s believing God).

And this salvation was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross when he paid for our sins. The Bible says He became sin for us, so that we could become the righteousness of God.

In other words, He paid the price, so that we could be declared or reckoned righteous by God, Who gave us the gift of His own righteousness, when we believed in Jesus Christ.

There is no other way, and there never has been.

Even the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin, the Bible says in Hebrews 10:4. All the blood of the sacrifices of Israel did were to temporarily cover the sins of the people until the time that the Messiah could shed His blood to pay for and take away sins.

But salvation was always by grace (a free gift) through believing God.
Now let’s fast-forward a few hundred years beyond Paul and the other Apostles, who taught this beautiful Gospel, good news, that whoever believes in Jesus Christ would be saved by grace through faith.

The Roman Catholic Church

The organized Church became infected more and more with the world’s view of religion. What is the world’s view of religion? It’s simply this: we must DO something, some obedience, some ritual, some work to EARN the favor or love or salvation of God. Salvation couldn’t be a gift, so it must be earned in some way.

And every religion of the world, except true Christianity, has that in common. Some aspects of doing good works or rituals to attain heaven, or Nirvana, or eternal life, or whatever.

And although the Church has always had that evil Legalism influence knocking at its door, after around 400 A.D. it became more and more of an organized Legalism, built into the very documents and teachings of the Church.

And on into the rightly-called Dark Ages, and into the Middle Ages, it became the norm. The headquarters of the organized Church became Rome, with its Bishop known as the Pope, and the Roman Catholic Church held its grip on most of the then-known world.

And without going into great detail, the basic doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church was that of works plus "grace", or what they called "grace". It really wasn’t grace at all, because as the Scripture says,

“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.” (Romans 11:6)

In other words, if you add works to grace, as a requirement for salvation, then it’s not really grace at all. Because grace means “free gift”, and if you have to add works to get a free gift it’s not a free gift.

That was the problem with the Galatians, and Paul minced no words when he told them that by mixing grace and works, they not only were corrupting grace, but they were believing in another gospel, which is not really a gospel at all, and those who taught such a thing were accursed.

This is still, by the way, the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church today. You will hear their leaders talk about salvation by grace, or salvation by faith, or talk about justification, or the merits of Christ, or the mercy of God, even the Bible and the authority of the Bible.

But despite the twisted terminology, the final result is a teaching that it’s not grace by itself or faith by itself by which we are saved, but grace plus works, faith plus works.

Martin

Well, we come in our story to a Roman Catholic monk named Martin.

By his own admission, there was never a monk who strived any harder than Martin to gain God’s favor. There was never a monk who worked any harder, drove himself any farther, punished himself any more than Martin Luther.

But no matter how he worked and strived and prayed and worked and strived and prayed, he had no peace. And the reason was that he understood how righteous and holy God was, and that man’s works can never gain favor from such a perfect and righteous and holy God.

He was somewhat awakened to the corruption of the Church when he saw the practice of indulgences being stepped up drastically to pay for the building of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The building program was financed by indulgences being sold to the people. And the chief salesman was a man named Tetzel.

Luther was appalled at the crass misuse of power and superstition, and nailed his complaint to the Church door as his 95 Theses.

But that was not Luther’s most important enlightenment. As a student of the Scriptures, he studied the books of Galatians and Romans intently. And he began to see something in the Scriptures, and finally the light dawned on him, as God opened his heart, just as he had opened the heart of Abraham, and millions of others since.

What Luther saw, what was revealed to Him by God through the Scriptures, was that salvation was not earned in any way, but was a free gift of God, through faith in Jesus Christ.

And it set Luther on fire.

In this modern day of gospel books and Bibles on every desk and shelf in America, we may take it for granted. But Luther was living in a day when the light of the gospel had almost been put out for hundreds of years. Darkness had settled in so deeply that when Luther began teaching salvation by grace alone through faith alone, HE was the one who was considered a heretic.

But by God’s grace, the Reformation had begun with gusto. Luther had meant to Reform the Roman Catholic Church, but they would have none of it. And thus the so-called Protestant Church became a whole new thing.

Through Martin Luther, and other Reformers, the Bible was widely spread in the language of the people. Formerly it had only been widely available in Latin, and many leaders had meant it to stay that way, so that doctrine could only be dispensed through them, twisted as they made it. But as people were able to read the clear teaching of Scripture, the good news spread.

John

One of the most influential of the Reformers was John Calvin, who headquartered in Geneva [Switzerland]. Another intense student of the Bible, by the time he was only 27 years old, he wrote The Institutes of the Christian Religion, and became one of the key streams for the spread of the grace message throughout Europe in this exciting time.

There were many others who caught fire with this light of the gospel that God blasted onto the earth in a new setting. Names like Zwingli, and Melanchton, and Knox. It was Knox who prayed, “Lord give me Scotland or I die.” And Scotland was revolutionized by the gospel.

Not to be thoroughly run out of town, the Roman Catholic Church lashed back with Inquisitions and persecutions designed to maintain its power and the false gospel of faith plus works. Many were tortured, burned at the stake, or otherwise martyred for the simple gospel of salvation by grace through faith. But the blood of these martyrs became the seed of the church, which grew rapidly.

And out of this storm survived some basic truths that we celebrate alongside Halloween, some 500 years later. Despite Halloween winning the popularity contest in our culture, I invite you to join me in celebrating what has become known as the Five Solas.

Five Solas

The first is Sola Gratia, by grace alone. Our salvation has to be a free gift of grace, because our own righteousnesses are as filthy rags, useless in securing our salvation in any way.

Another is Sola Fide, by faith alone. Faith will always be followed by works, but the works are never the requirement or instrument of our salvation.

Another is Solus Christus, by Christ alone. Only by the work of Christ, in shedding his blood and dying on the cross, may we be saved by grace through faith in Him. There is no other way to the Father except by Him, Jesus Himself said.

Another is Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone. The Scriptures, the Bible, is the only authority we have from God for ultimate truth. Because it came by revelation from God, it is true, and He reveals to His children the truth of the Scriptures, and there is no other authority for doctrinal truth, including the Church itself.

And one more, Soli Deo Gloria, for the glory of God alone. That is the heart song of the redeemed, that He might be glorified in our lives. And He is.

One glimpse of the glory of the Lord makes the glory of the greatest Medieval Cathedral, or the glory of the splendor of the Vatican and its gold and fancy dress, fade by comparison.

Celebrate with me, and Abraham, and Martin and John, the Reformation, and the bright light of the gospel of grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Celebrating Halloween With Abraham, Martin and John

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Celebrating Halloween With Abraham, Martin and John

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Reversing The Reformation - How Some So-Called Protestants Are Subtly Undermining Justification By Faith

Note: October 31 is Reformation Day, celebrating the Protestant Reformation, when the biblical gospel of grace was re-introduced to the Church at large.

The Roman Catholic Church held an almost monopolistic grip on the hearts of millions of people for hundreds of years.

Through the Dark Ages and Middle Ages, the awful legalistic system of "salvation by works" nearly choked out the light of the Gospel of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only small pockets of true believers in Christ escaped the dark heavy blanket of Romanism.

Then around 500 years ago came what we call the Reformation.

Men like Luther and Zwingli and Calvin and Knox, intense students of the Scriptures, rose up and shined the light of the Gospel into the darkness of European Catholicism.

These brave men brought an end to the monopoly of the Popes. They boldly proclaimed that salvation was

by grace alone, not by merit;

by faith alone, not by works;

by faith in Christ alone, not in sacraments;

under the final authority of the Word of God alone, not the unscriptural teachings of the Bishops of Rome.

The Central Point of the Reformation

The central point of the Reformation is what we call Justification by Faith. This is the sublime and simple truth that when we believe in Jesus Christ we are “justified” or “declared righteous” by God. This means that we are fully in right standing with God, our sins forgiven and no longer held against us.

This is accomplished because God judged our sins in Christ on the Cross, and gave us the “gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17) by imputing the righteousness of Christ to us, when we believe in Christ.

As 2 Corinthians 5:21 puts it, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Romans Chapter 5:1,2 gives us the result of this wonderful act of the Lord:

“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

The Permanence of Justification

When we are justified, declared righteous by God, it is forever. It is permanent. And it occurs at the moment when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, when we believe the Gospel.

The "gift of righteousness" can never be taken away, because it is part of a package deal, to put it crudely. This righteousness is given to us by grace through faith, and that is “not of yourselves” and “not of works” (Ephesians 2:8,9). Even the very faith by which we believe in Jesus Christ is a gift given by God through the New Birth, regeneration.

This “imputed righteousness” contrasts starkly with the unbiblical Roman Catholic teaching that one is actually “made righteous” (“infused righteousness”) through the sacraments like Baptism, and the Eucharistic Mass, and through meritorious good works -- and that this so-called righteousness leaks out through sinning, and therefore can be lost, thereby damning the soul of the one who fails to maintain his “righteousness” by his works and attendance to the sacraments.

In Come the Neo-Legalists

The Reformation did not, of course, abolish Roman Catholicism. This cult of works salvation has continued these many years, and still thrives today.

But until recently one could more or less count on Protestant Bible teachers to uphold Justification by Faith Alone. One could more or less count on Protestant Bible teachers to oppose the so-called Justification of Rome, where grace and works are mixed, making it “no longer grace” (Romans 11:6).

But back in the 1960’s and 1970’s there was a professor at Westminster Seminary named Norman Shepherd. In 1975 some of his former students were being questioned for ordination, and when the question “How is a sinner justified?” was asked, they answered, “By faith and works.” Shocked questioners traced their answer back to their professor, Norman Shepherd.

Shepherd was allowed to teach for six more years, a disgrace in itself, but was finally released in 1981, the proverbial dung having hit the fan hard enough. Even then, several professors who then agreed with Shepherd were allowed to remain, teaching hundreds of students who spread the cancer yet today.

The big foot of undermining Justification by Faith had been stuck in the door, and the result has mushroomed into several full-blown ministries and movements, some directly from Westminster, and some relatively independent.

Allow me to name some names and then I will attempt to capsulize the kernel of the heresy.

Pioneering writers include E.P. Sanders, N.T. Wright, Steve Schlissel, Steve Wilkins, Douglas Wilson, and Peter Leithart.

They have been joined by a multitude of Pastors, bloggers and other writers, and teachers in Seminaries. Many in the Emerging/Emergent Church movement have gravitated toward these men, particularly N.T. Wright. And they have infiltrated otherwise orthodox places, including well-known mainstream Evangelical and Reformed magazines.

They operate under names and ministries you may have heard: Shepherdism, Auburn Avenue Theology, Federal Vision, or the New Perspective on Paul. And they lead churches in virtually every Reformed denomination.

What They Have In Common

I won’t pretend the issues and sub-doctrines are not varied and even complicated, but they have one important thing in common – a rejection of the biblical Justification by Faith (even while sometimes saying they support it).

Like most false teachers, their terminology is often the same as orthodox terminology. But the expression of their error can mostly be bunched under an important term: Covenant Nomism (sometimes called Covenantal Nomism). “Nomism” refers to “Law”.

Though their implementation of the doctrine varies (for example, some teach that one enters the “covenant” through water baptism, others through so-called “faith alone”), the basics are as follows:

1.One enters into a “covenant” of the “people of God”, through “faith” and/or baptism. This is a real covenant which makes one a real Christian.

2.Once in the “covenant” of the family of God, it is now one’s responsibility to stay in the covenant, and follow Jesus as Lord all the days of one’s life…or else (more on the “or else” in a moment). This is blatant Legalism.

3.IF one remains in the “covenant”, by assembling together and obeying the Law sufficiently, THEN, at the end of one’s life, or the end of the age, one will be truly “Justified”, or “declared righteous” ON THE BASIS OF THEIR LIFE AND WORKS.

4.Here’s the “or else”: If one departs from sufficient obedience to the Law, or (in some cases) stops fellowshiping in the local assembly, they are deemed “out of the covenant”, will never be “justified”, even though they truly believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and were in His “covenant” and were a true Christian. Their works, or lack of them, have ultimately damned them.

What Can Be Done?

Admittedly, this is an extremely brief introduction to Neo-Legalism, or Covenant Nomism.

The men teaching these things are not ignorant, and they’re not stupid. They are biblically classic false teachers.

What would I recommend?

1.I don’t recommend studying these men, except by the most discerning and biblically knowledgeable.

2.I do recommend studying the biblical doctrine of Justification by Faith, just as the FBI reputedly studies real money, in order to quickly identify the counterfeit.

There are many good books on the subject. A thorough classic is by James Buchanan, The Doctrine of Justification.  Another good one, perhaps easier to read, is James White’s The God Who Justifies.

An excellent sermon by Charles Spurgeon can be read at:
www.spurgeon.org/sermons/3392.htm

Scriptural support for Justification by Faith can be found at:
www.carm.org/doctrine/justification_verses.htm

3.If you accept true biblical Justification by Faith, have courage to say so. And don’t be afraid to mention names.

Too many Protestant believers and teachers have been "returning" to Roman Catholicism. While for some there may be an inherent attraction to the ancient religious trappings of Romanism, in many cases it’s simply an abandonment of the great truth that God justifies us, declares us righteous, forever, when we believe in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be all the glory.

My Late Mother's 80th Birthday

Today would be my dear Mother's 80th birthday.  The following is a post from October 2004, the month we began the Grace For Life blog. 

At the end, in her honor, I've added a video, picked by Michele, that my Mom would have really enjoyed when she was on this Earth (she probably now considers it rather mild, being face-to-face in the presence of Jesus Himself!).  Hope you enjoy it too.

From October 26, 2004:
==========================================
Her name is Mary Ann [B. 26 Oct 1930, D. 16 Sep 1994].

Today, October 26, 2004, my mom would have been 74 years old. She went to be with her Lord about 10 years ago Complications from leukemia.

She was an amazing testimony to God's grace. Full of love for the Lord. Full of love for His people. And always praying for the lost to come to Jesus Christ. She was a selfless person, who readily would sacrifice to help someone in need. Her thousands of pages of journals are a passionate work of art.

This isn't the place to go into great detail, but I'm reminded of two lessons from her life.

1. The power of God to change a heart, even in the midst of a mostly pagan upbringing. He shall save His people from their sins.

2. The importance of a newborn sheep being fed with the truth of Jesus Christ. I say this because although my mom came to Christ in 1950, the year I was born, my dad did not. And so we seldom ever darkened the door of a church. My mom was left to rely on bits and pieces of good teaching here and there, mixed with quasi-Christian bad literature influences.

Without a strong biblical foundation, she was tossed by winds of doctrine (as we all can be at times) for 26 years. But she always loved the Lord, as best she knew Him, and she always prayed for me and my sister Jan to be saved.

In 1976, I was saved, as was my sister shortly thereafter. When I told my mom, she wept with joy. I began picking her up for church every Sunday. We attended a precious bible-teaching church, and she, and I, and my sister grew like weeds.

Regrets are a waste of time, but I sometimes think, "If only she had been grounded in a good knowledge of biblical truth and life in Christ from the beginning . . ."

Yet God "restored the years the locusts had eaten", and there is no Christian lady I admired more than my new mom. If you knew her, you would agree, and you would glorify the Lord for what He did.

The Subtleties of Legalism - A Case Study From Oswald Chambers

I'm not writing this to pick on Oswald Chambers, author of the famous and beloved My Utmost For His Highest.

He was by every account a wonderful Christian man, greatly appreciated by those who knew him and learned from him.

But because of his apparent close walk with the Lord, and the multitudes of readers of his teachings who have been challenged and touched by them, it makes a perfect case study for how legalism can creep into the teaching of even the most trusted teachers.

Chambers was Scottish and lived from 1874 to 1917.  For what it's worth, he actually only wrote one book himself.  His other 20 or 30 books, including the devotional My Utmost For His Highest, were actually put together by his wife, Biddy.  She outlived his 43 years by another 30.

Although Mrs. Chambers was a skilled stenographer who captured Oswald's teachings on paper, I think it would be fair to say that it is possible that some of what is recorded in his books might not fully represent the content and context of what he originally taught.

Regardless, for this case study I will put here word-for-word excerpts from the original October 10 devotional entry from My Utmost For His Highest, and then make comments on it relating to the subject of legalism.

Here is the opening of the October 10 devotional, entitled "Whereby Shall I Know?":

"I thank Thee, O Father...because Thou has hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." Matthew 11:25

In spiritual relationship we do not grow step by step; we are either there or we are not.  God does not cleanse us more and more from sin, but when we are in the light, walking in the light, we are cleansed from all sin.  It is a question of obedience, and instantly the relationship is perfected.  Turn away for one second out of obedience, and darkness and death are at work at once.


Here's the problem.  Is Chambers talking about a Christian or a non-Christian?  If a Christian, then how can he say that we don't "grow step by step"?  If we don't grow step by step, then we don't grow at all!  Yet that's not true, is it?  We DO grow ("...long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow..." 1 Pet. 2:2 -- "...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." 2 Pet. 3:18).

On the other hand, if he's talking about a non-Christian, then he can't rightly talk about "walking in the light".  And if he's talking about a non-Christian, what sense does it make that "it is a question of obedience"?  Obedience is certainly not a requirement for salvation.

But going back to the other hand, if he's talking about a Christian, can he seriously say that turning from obedience for one second ushers in darkness and death?  If a Christian is completely forgiven of his sins (and he is), if "it is finished" (and it is), and if God is causing all things to work together for good to the Christian (and He is), what warrant is there to declare that a Christian who sins is (1) no longer in relationship to Christ, (2) not being cleansed from all sin, and (3) with "darkness and death" at work in him?

This is virtually a total denial of the New Covenant, having moved from the ground of grace to the ground of law!

Chambers goes on to say:

All God's revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience.  You will never get them open by philosophy or thinking.  Immediately you obey, a flash of light comes.

This is almost opposite the truth!  With a base of legalism.

The obedience is not the CAUSE of the revelations.  On the contrary, obedience comes FROM the revelations of God to the spirit and mind of the believer.

As we learn of Him, and learn His truth, and respond to the wondrous things He has done for us, and grow in understanding the height and depth and breadth of His love for us, "the love of Christ constrains us" (2 Cor. 5:14) to walk in obedience to Him.

As He lives His life in us (Gal. 2:20), He works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).  He does so by His truth and His Spirit.  He doesn't require the doing first and then give the truth!

And while Chambers says that you will never get God's revelations by "thinking", the Bible on the contrary says to "think" or "meditate" on His Word, specifically that we may understand it and renew our minds.

Then Chambers, whom we may begin to think is indeed talking about Christians, surprises us by saying,

The only way you can get to know is to stop trying to find out and BY BEING BORN AGAIN.  [Terry's emphasis]  Obey God in the thing He shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up.

So to add to the confusion, he seems to be saying that the one who is not born again should get born again by obedience?!

But wait, maybe he is talking about Christians after all:

You can understand them now.  It is not study that does it, but obedience....God will never reveal more truth about Himself until you have obeyed what you know already.

This kind of legalistic thinking always prompts the question, "How much obedience?  Perfect obedience?  80% obedience?  90%? Obedience for an hour?  A day?  Obedience in everything always?  In everything most of the time?  Or most things all of the time?"

Absurd!

And the thinking believer is confused on how much he has to measure up to really be in God's favor.  And he sees the Christian life as primarily an hourly and daily tally on how well he is scoring.

He becomes self-centered, trying to earn God's love and favor, instead of fellowshipping with Jesus, resting in what He has already done, thankful and cheerful that God is not holding His truth hostage to one's obedience, but encouraging obedience through the "grace and truth" that He is full of (John 1:14).

He has "fallen from grace" (Galatians 5:4), because he has set obedience first and grace second, thereby demeaning the Gospel.

Again, I'm not intending to pick on Chambers.

But legalism is subtle.

And the Gospel, the New Covenant itself, is far more radical in the Grace of "it is finished" than to put "obedience" as some kind of Golden Key to open the truths of God.

"For the law was given through Moses.  Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ." - John 1:17

"Sanctify them in the truth.  Your Word is truth." - John 17:17

"Are you so foolish?  Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" - Galatians 3:3