What Is Saving Faith?

Recently Matt Tully from Crossway Books interviewed John Piper on his new book, What Is Saving Faith?, from Crossway in a podcast entitled Can Affectionless Faith Be Genuine?  Here are some quotable quotes from the interview.

“A lot of people think that the people who have been born again out of the most horrific lives of sinning have the clearest idea of what depravity means and what salvation means. I think that’s wrong because I don’t think experience can come close to teaching us about the nature of our depravity that we find in Scripture . . . We have to see in the Bible what our condition was before we were saved, what our condition is after we are saved, and we get from the Bible that line in between, which is what we want to talk about—What is the saving thing that happened in our hearts?”

“What I’ve come to see is that I think the church, especially in certain parts of it, has many unbelievers who think they’re saved. It’s why the church is weak, it’s why the church is ineffective in so many ways, it’s why worship is so flat—because there are a lot of unregenerate, non-born-again people in the church who have been taught that they are to make a decision, so they decide to believe some doctrines, to believe that they are going to heaven, and nothing has changed in their heart.”

“The will, when it inclines vigorously with all of its force, we call affection. I prefer my wife over all other women. That’s not a small preference. I prefer life over death. In other words, the will can act without affection, and the will can act vigorously with affection.”

“America is a free will driven culture, meaning I have ultimate control over my destiny. I’m the captain of my fate! That’s all heresy. We don’t have ultimate control over our fate; God does.”

“Faith is affectional, and so it does rest on knowing and believing that I have a treasuring of Christ that ranks him above mother and father, because Jesus said, If you don’t love me more than your mother and father you don’t belong to me. I can’t get away from that. That’s real. I have to fight for that. I have to treasure him more than I treasure my wife and my children and my mother and father. Otherwise, I’m not a Christian. That’s truth from Matthew 10:37.”

“When we believe and do not work for our justification, we glorify the grace of God. We glorify grace by looking away from ourselves to the all-sufficiency of his justification by imputing Christ’s righteousness to us. However, God aims to get more glory than being a sufficient sin-forgiver, or an efficient righteousness-imputer. He means to get glory for being an all-satisfying treasure, so he built that into saving faith as well. Saving faith embraces Christ as my righteousness, embraces Christ as my Lord, embraces Christ as my treasure. In doing that it is satisfied in him, and so we arrive at the basic statement of Christian hedonism: God is most glorified in me when I, in my saving faith, am most satisfied with all that he is for me in Jesus.”

Stay In-Bounds!

2 John 9 (NIV),

⁹ Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

John provides 3 scenarios whereby the local Christian fellowship ought to be concerned.   The first one is found in verses 7-8.  Verse 9 provides another situation that the Church ought to beware of.  I think the first case includes those who have left the Church and are preaching a Gnostic heresy.  The Church is not to capitulate to them, nor silence their true proclamation of the Gospel.  This verse describes another type of person -- a person who goes beyond the limits of the Gospel. 

"Goes on ahead probably refers to “new” teaching that amounted to rejection of the apostolic faith." [1].  This seems to be more a threat in the Church than outside.  We are not to "add to" the message of Christ. The question is, "What message is that?"  "Now the standard by which the false teachers are to be tested is called the “teaching,” which is another technical term to denote the message or preaching of the apostles." [2]  Or as MacArthur states, "A failure to be faithful to the fundamental, sound doctrines of the faith (a proper view of the person and work of Christ, love, obedience) marks a person as having never been born again (1 John 2:23; 3:6–10; 4:20, 21; 5:1–3)." [3] 

The person that adheres to this body of instruction has "both the Father and the Son," ergo, they are true believers. 

When Paul wrote his first letter to Corinth, he suggested a similar issue.  He wrote, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.” (1 Corinthians 4:6, NIV). We are to stay "in-bounds", namely within the prescribed apostolic tradition.  As soon as we add to this by prescription we endanger ourselves and others. Someone who lives outside of the message of Christ is not his.

Father, I sure get the concern of Paul.  I know what it feels like to think that you know more than the New Testament -- to think that I have insight others don't.  What abominable pride.  How weird it is that we struggle to remain in the clear boundaries of Scripture.  There really is a lot that You don't teach us about.  There really is a lot left unsaid.  But Father there is so much within The Teaching of Your Word that is ignored by me.   There is so much I pay little attention to.  Yes, it is sinful, hell-deserving pride that ignores what You do write in order to embrace what You don't address.  Keep me "in bounds" Father.  There is more in the fence than I can handle without moving outside the fence.  For the sake of Christ and the eternal health of Your Church.  Amen.

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1.  Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (2441). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

2. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (2643). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

3. The MacArthur Study Bible. 1997 (J. MacArthur, Jr., Ed.) (electronic ed.) (1977). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

Have You Met "The Chosen Lady"?

One of John's devices during times of persecution was to use cryptic language (e.g. The Book of Revelation).  So an non-Christian gets a hold of this letter and reads these opening words, “The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth—” (2 John 1, NIV).

To the casual reader there is little doubt that John is writing to an individual woman.  However it is more probable that John is writing to a local congregation.  This word lady used here is kyria; and is the same word as “Lord” in the New Testament -- except that it is feminine here (and in verse 5: “And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.” (2 John 5, NIV)).  So the normal word for lady and the normal word for Church is not used.  What is used is the feminine form of lord.  Interesting?

The letter is also addressed to her children.  If the "lady" is the local congregation, then her children are significantly her members.  This metaphor is extended to the end where greetings are sent from another local church, referred to as her "chosen sister." “The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.” (2 John 13, NIV)

 

"The English word “church” has its roots in the Greek word kuriakon: 'that which belongs to the Lord.'" [1].  So John the Elder is communicating with a local congregation and its members and in essence he writes to:

To the people who belong to God (κυρίᾳ), whom God has chosen (ἐκλεκτῇ) and her members (τέκνοις).

This opening phrase should inspire, assure and inform our life in the Body of Christ, the Church today.   This opening phrase exalts the preeminence of Christ in God.  It highlights His desire and His purposes for the Church today.   The Church and its members are the Lord's.  They are His by election and by possession.  Paul wrote elsewhere:

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, NIV).

Whether we are talking about the local congregation or its members (as regenerated participants in the Body), we are talking about men and women who are not their own; and are called to honor God, preeminently and ultimately.  John uses this metaphor intentionally.  By employing the notion of family (children/sisters) he is emphasizing the organic bond between believers and churches.  On the contrary, if one is not "born from above" they neither belong to God, nor are they members of the local church.

One can also presume the the line between the individual member and the local body is very thin, when it comes to apostolic thinking.  There seems to be a convergence of categories in the Bible so that the individual never forgets that he or she is part of the larger whole. And alternately, the local church never forgets that it is made up of important and significant individuals.   The Bible does not discount one for the other.

What an amazing life that I get to live, Father!  I was chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world and now I'm part of a community of people chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world.  Together we are a chosen congregation of believers -- elect from every nation; all belonging to God, for the purpose of bringing Him glory and honor.  And this community of elect people that meet together and serve together have a bazillion sister congregations all over the world.  Born-again, blood bought, called-out ones, all chosen in Christ, by God, for His supreme glory.  This is the "purpose driven life" -- to magnify and glorify the risen Lord in all His glory.  My purpose today is to make much of Jesus.  Every breath is to expel the matchless glories of our merciful Savior.  Every decision of the will and every act of the body is to be a road-sign of His glory.   Every thought and every feeling is to be raptured into joy unspeakable and full of glory.  You, Father, are worthy of this and much more.  May Your Spirit cause this to occur in me.   For Jesus sake,




 



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1. Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

 

The Sum and Substance of the Letter.

Paul has exposed the motives of those who would lead the Galatian Christians away.  They were trying to avoid persecution and they were trying to gain "brownie points" -- score some converts to their new religion of "Christ+plus".  Paul also unmasked the real problem with "Christ+plus".  It robs the Cross of its glory and power.  He had already said that in Galatians 2:21 (NIV),

²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

So now he says, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.” (Galatians 6:14–15, NIV).  This is the crux and the summary of the whole argument.  "It is striking how much of the gospel is involved in this statement. The cross speaks of the atonement necessitated by man's sin. The full name of the Savior speaks of the significance of his person and the role he played, meaning literally "God who saves, the Messiah." Finally, the pronoun "our" speaks of the personal aspects of Christ's redemption, for it becomes "ours" through the response of faith." [1]

"This is a wonderful kind of speech which Paul here useth, when he saith: “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth anything.” It may seem that he should rather have said: Either circumcision or uncircumcision availeth somewhat, seeing these are two contrary things . . . When works are done, they bring indeed a new shew and outward appearance wherewith the world and the flesh are delighted, but not a new creature: for the heart remaineth wicked as it was before, full of the contempt of God, infidelity, &c.  [2]  

"The only thing that is important is to be a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son hath not life” (1 Jn 5:12)." [3]

This then becomes the sum and the essence of the argument.  Works, good deeds, religious performances are nothing.  What a person needs is the transforming work of the Spirit, called the New Birth and belief in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.   

Father by works I am condemned.  By lack of works I am condemned.  There is no Gospel in religion. There is no hope in ritual.  Only Christ saves.  Only the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Only faith in Christ alone justifies. There is no other boasting, except in the Cross of Christ.  He alone bore our sins on His own body on the tree.  Thank you Lord Jesus.  Thank you Father for the regenerating, renewing, resurrecting power of the Spirit.  Apart from You I can do nothing.  Fill my heart with Your grace today that I might serve You in all that I do.  For the glory of Christ and the glory of the Cross, I pray.  Amen.

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1. Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Galatians/Exposition of Galatians/Conclusion (6:11-18), Book Version: 4.0.2

2. Luther, M. (1997). Commentary on Galatians (Ga 6:15). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

3. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (2402). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.