To be proficient in a game of Snooker there are a number of
factors that contribute to the success of a play. Certainly the decision of what to strike and
where is decisive. But the place,
weight, and quality of the cue stick is also critical. The speed of the hit and the follow-through
are also important. If someone asked you
why you made that shot in the game, to be honest, you would have to somehow
convey all the contributing factors that made it so.
Philosophically, Aristotle understood this
about life in general. In physics if a
ball is struck there is indeed a decisive cause that moves that ball. But if we fail to see the adjacent causes we
will fail to understand the complexities of moving a ball from 'A' to 'B'. Aristotle noted that there were four causes to explain
movement. If one thinks of striking a
snooker ball with the cue ball and a cue you can see that several causes are in
place.
In the comprehension of salvation, A.W. Pink explained
concretely that this idea of multiple causes is also in play in redeeming an
unbeliever to glory. Note:
"First,
the originating cause of salvation is the eternal purpose of God, or in other
words, the predestinating grace of the Father. Second, the meritorious cause of
salvation is the mediation of Christ, this having particular respect to the
legal side of things, or, in other words, His fully meeting the demands of the
Law on the behalf of and in the stead of those He redeems. Third, the efficient
cause of salvation is the regenerating and sanctifying operations of the Holy
Spirit, which respect the experimental side of it; or, in other words, the
Spirit works in us what Christ purchased for us. Thus, we owe our personal
salvation equally to each Person in the Trinity, and not to one (the Son) more
than to the others. Fourth, the instrumental cause is our faith, obedience, and
perseverance: though we are not saved because of them, equally true is it that
we cannot be saved (according to God’s appointment) without them."[1]
None of these causes can be dismissed,
demeaned or rendered irrelevant. They
all contribute to the salvation of a soul.
Each cause is distinguishable and distinct but cannot be divided from
the big picture. The decisive, determining cause – the vital cause – the uncaused
cause behind all other causes is the sovereign, electing purpose of God. One
might say, it is the chief or ultimate cause. But the Second to Fourth causes are no less
crucial. Although they are not determinative
they are essential. By definition they
form the penultimate causes of salvation.
Today, if we are asked, "How were you saved?" As Arthur
Pink notes "It may be shown from Scripture that the cause of salvation is
not a single one . . .."[2] But having said that, there is a decisive,
determining cause that cannot be diminished for the sake of the others. It is this:
“… because God chose you as the
firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the
truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14, ESV)
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