Thoughts of a Pastor-Historian

The great 16th Century German Reformer, Martin Luther, called it “the article upon which the church stands or falls.” The article in question is that of justification by faith alone. To Luther, whether this doctrine was believed and preached or not was the basis by which we judge if it is a true church! A church ceases to be a church when it ceases to declare that sinners are reconciled to God by no other way than by faith.

We live in a day of religious tolerance, when truth, it is said, should be sacrificed on the altar of relationships. May our voice sound with the noble martyrs of generations of the true church who say with the apostle Paul, “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.’

The doctrine of justification by faith alone is essential to the gospel. The gospel ceases to be ‘good news’ if it ceases to declare that Christ alone has accomplished our salvation. Theologians have always understood that when we say we are justified by faith alone, we are really saying we are justified by the work of Christ alone. That’s why this doctrine is so important. If we contribute anything more to our salvation than simply believing what Christ has already done, we cheapen His work of grace and declare it insufficient. Now let’s look at Romans 5:1 and may we stand in awe of what Christ has done for us.

We will break down this verse into three parts.
1. The Means of Justification ‘. . . having been justified by faith . . .’
2. The Result of Justification ‘. . . peace with God . . .’ and,
3. The Person of Justification ‘. . . through our Lord Jesus Christ:’

But let’s begin by defining justification:

Justification is God’s act of pardoning sinners and accepting them as righteous for Christ’s sake.

• It is a forensic, or legal, term meaning that sinners are declared righteous.
• It is a positional term meaning that we are declared righteous positionally before God, even though we are still practically speaking sinners.

1. The Means of Justification “justified by faith”
What did we do to merit such a divine pardon? Nothing! What is the means by which this pardon is received? By Faith and Faith Alone! Not by our good deeds. As Titus 3:5 states,

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us . . .

Nor is it as may false religions teach, that it is faith plus human effort or faith plus sacrifices or faith plus confession to an earthly priest. No, the reformers were right when they said in the face of Rome in the words of John Calvin,

Let it therefore remain settled . . . that we are justified in no other way than by faith, or, which comes to the same thing, that we are justified by faith alone!

Is this what Scripture teaches? Let’s look at Romans 3:20-24, and 28.

(20) For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (21) But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it– (22) the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus . . . (28) For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Yet some of us still try to take credit for our own salvation. “Yes, we’re saved by faith,” we say, “but I supplied the faith.” No! God the Holy Spirit knew you would say that so He inspired Paul to write in Ephesians 2:8-9,

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that (faith) not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.

Likewise, Romans 4:16 tells us that salvation “is of faith, that it might be by grace.”

2. The Result of Justification “peace with God”
This is the ‘good news’ of the gospel. This is the glad tidings of great joy of which the angels spake in Luke 2 as they announced the Saviour’s birth. With the coming of Christ into the world, comes peace. This is the good news that we have to proclaim to a lost and dying world. We are to go into the world and ask, “Sinners, why do you still war against the Almighty? He has delivered us from the thing that caused us to be separated from Him.”

This is Paul’s view of our ministry as seen in 2 Corinthains 5:18-21,

[18] And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; [19] To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. [20] Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. [21] For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Now we can rejoice with David who said in Psalm 32,

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

In Romans 4:6, Paul interprets David as describing the blessedness (or happiness) of the man “unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works” which is the same as “justification by faith alone”

3. The Person of Justification “through our Lord Jesus Christ”
Now we move to the primary cause for our justification that results in our peace. It is the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, which is alone sufficient to satisfy God, thereby giving us peace with Him.

There are three key words that are important when we speak of the atonement. These words are the words: Substitution, Propitiation, and Reconciliation.

First, Christ is our substitute. If we do not believe this, then we have no reason for believing that God will not punish us for our sins. Our great confidence lies in the fact that God has already punished our sins on His cross. That’s why God can be both just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus (Rom. 3:26)!

Christ is our propitiation. It is only because He is our substitute that He is able to be our propitiation. This word won’t mean much to you if you think of God as only having love with no wrath toward sin. But if you believe in the God of Proverbs 6:16, who hates sin, and if you believe in the God of Psalm 7:11, who is angry with the wicked every day, this word will be of great comfort to you.

The word means “to satisfy wrath.” Every religion in the world believes in some form of propitiation. They believe that they must attempt to satisfy the wrath of their god(s) by their works or sacrifices. But Biblical Christianity is the only religion (if you want to call it such) that says that God has satisfied His own wrath! We were helplessly deserving of God’s wrath toward us for our sin, but God set forth Jesus to be our propitiation or satisfaction. Romans 3:25-26 declares concerning Jesus,

[25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [26] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Christ satisfied the wrath of God for us on the cross of Calvary. He is our substitute that He might be our propitiation that He might be our reconciliation.

Romans 5:10 tells us that “when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.” In Colossians 1:20-22, Paul says that Christ made peace by reconciling us to Himself. Christ alone is our reason for peace with God and our state of declared righteousness before Him! Again let me say that to be justified by faith alone is to be justified by Christ alone!

Let me close this post by sharing with you how this truth of justification by faith alone changed one man’s life and through him the course of history.

In the sixteenth century a young man studied to become a lawyer. As a part of his studies, he studied the law of God. As he studied the demands of this holy God, he was filled with dread for he knew he could never meet those righteous demands. In his fear of God’s wrath, he sought to appease God by giving up his desired profession and becoming a monk. As a monk he subjected himself to many discomforts, trying to punish himself for his sins against God. He deprived himself of food and other comforts. He struggled daily with the question of how a holy God could not punish him for his sins and that God to remain just.

One day, he discovered what Paul said in Romans 1:17, “the just shall live by faith.” As he saw we do not have to satisfy God to be declared just, but only believe what Christ has already done, he said it was as if the doors of paradise swung open.

On October 31, 1517, exactly 488 years ago from today, this same young man marched up steps to the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany. There he nailed his “95 Theses” for discussion of disagreements he found in Scripture with the Roman church. As the blows of his hammer echoed, they reverberated with the sound of chains falling from long burdened hearts that had been bound by a system of works-righteousness for salvation.

Martin Luther’s discovery of the gospel began what we call the “Protestant Reformation” and we are still today reaping the benefits of what was accomplished in that tremendous work of God that led to the recovery of the authority of the Scriptures and we are the descendants of that great heritage. “And now,” as Paul Harvey used to say, “you know the rest of the story.”

Happy Reformation Day!!!

“Lord, teach us to pray!” This request from the disciples to Jesus during his earthly ministry echos in the hearts of all true believers. We, like the disciples, recognize our weakness in the area of prayer and we long to pray effectively.

In Romans 8:26-27, the Apostle Paul offers great encouragement to the Christian who struggles in prayer. This encouragement is found in the intercession of the Holy Spirit for us.

As we look at our text this morning, we will ask of it three questions:

1. Why do we need the intercession of the Spirit?

2. How does the Spirit intercede for us?

3. What is the result of the Spirit’s intercession for us?

Let’s now look to the Word of God in Romans 8:26-27.

Here we see the necessity of the Spirit’s intercession for us. We need the Spirit’s intercession because of “our infirmities” (v. 26a). This is a reference to our weakness in our mortal bodies that we experience even though our souls have been saved. There are many weaknesses in our natural bodies that burden us as we await our glorification. One of the most troubling weaknesses for the Christian, however, is our ineptness in prayer. This is the specific weakness that is in view in this morning’s text. As verse 26b explains “our infirmities”: “we know not what we should pray for as we ought”. This is not a matter of style or manner, but of content. We’ve been given a basic outline for prayer by Jesus in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. This model prayer instructs us on the kinds of things for which we should be praying. We should pray for God’s name to be regarded as holy, for God’s righteous kingdom to come, for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. The problem is that we don’t know how to pray this way in our specific circumstances. Should I pray for this sickness to be healed to show God’s glory or for grace to endure this sickness in order to show God’s glory? This is our primary weakness in prayer. We don’t know God’s will! This is why we need the intercessory work of the Holy Spirit. Since He is God, He knows God’s Will and is able to make intercession in us for God’s will, even when we don’t know what that will is.

I believe there is encouragement in this passage because the apostle Paul includes himself as one who shares our weakness in prayer. He calls it “our infirmities” and says that “we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” Misery loves company and there is comfort in knowing that we are not alone in our struggles in prayer. Even the great apostle Paul struggled in this area. Remember how in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, Paul describes an unanswered prayer for relief from a “thorn in the flesh”. The text says,

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

The apostle Paul didn’t get the answer he wanted, but God’s will was done. Likewise, we often don’t know what God’s will is in our specific situations. This is why we need the intercession of the Holy Spirit. That leads us to our next question: “How does the Spirit intercede for us?”

II. How Does the Spirit Intercede for Us?, v. 26 a, c
The answer to this important question is found in verse 26 as well. The verse begins by stating that “the Spirit … helpeth our infirmities.” Then after describing our weakness in prayer, the apostle explains how the Spirit helps us in prayer. He “maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Here we are told that we are not alone in our prayers. The Spirit is with us. He is within us! Not only do we have the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25-26; 9:24), we also have the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, here with us making intercession for us. We have two intercessors when we pray. One with the Father and One with us! What a glorious privilege this is!

But how does the Spirit make intercession for us? The Bible says that it is “with groanings that cannot be uttered.” These are unspoken (Gk. alaletois) groanings that “cannot be uttered”. I don’t believe this verse means literal groans, but metaphorical groans as in verses 22 and 23 which refer to the groanings of creation and the redeemed. Also, verse 27 specifically says that God “knoweth the mind of the Spirit” (the unarticulated), not the groans of the Spirit.

So what does all this mean? I believe it means that while we pray audibly (often times ignorantly), the Spirit is making intercession for us inaudibly (without words). In other words, the Spirt translates for us by praying for us what we should be praying.

Just this morning, Hannah (our 5 year old daughter) came into my office and handed me one of her toy earrings in two pieces. She told me that Isaac (our twenty month old son) had handed them to her and told her that he found it in two pieces (In other words, he didn’t break it.) The problem is that Isaac is not articulate enough to say that. So I asked, “How did he tell you that?” Hannah answered, “He told me in baby language. I can understand baby language.” She then said, “I told it to you in people language. Do you know why? So you could understand it.” This is something like what the Holy Spirit does for us in our prayers. We speak people language, but the Holy Spirit understands us and He speaks God’s language and He speaks to God on our behalf.

That leads us to our final question of this text, “What is the end result of the Spirit’s intercession for us?”

III. What is the Result of this Intercession of the Spirit? v. 27
The answer to this question provides the really good news of this text! The good news is that God knows the mind of the Spirit and therefore understands His unspoken groanings. Those unspoken groanings of the Spirit are intercession for us according to the will of God!

Let’s look at the verse in more detail. God is “He that searcheth the hearts.” In Jeremiah 17:10 God declares,

I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

In 1 Samuel 16:8 the Lord said to Samuel, “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” This God who looks on the heart, knows “the mind of the Spirit”. What is the mind of the Spirit? The mind of the Spirit always makes intercession on behalf of the saints according to the will of God! The point is that since the Spirit intercedes in accord with God’s will, His prayers are always answered! Although our spoken prayers are not always answered, the unspoken intercession of the Spirit which accompanies our prayers is always answered! God’s will is not thwarted by our weakness in prayer. There is great encouragement here! God’s will is going to be fulfilled in our lives despite our weakness in prayer.

So we pray, to the best of our ability, according to the will of God. But even when we don’t pray correctly we can take comfort in the fact that God’s will is being accomplished through our prayers by the accompanying intercession of the Holy Spirit.

Now, also we see the connection to verse 28. All things are working together for our good because the Spirit is translating our prayers into prayers prayed according to the will of God and God’s will is infallibly being accomplished! Talk about a powerful prayer life. We have one through the intercession of the Spirit. There’s a sense then in which all my prayers have been answered! After the Holy Spirit is finished with my prayers, all my prayers have been answered affirmitively!

So, let us pray to the best of our ability according to the will of God. We must have the attitude of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane who prayed, “Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done.” But when all is said and done let us pray with confidence knowing that the Holy Spirit is interceding for us according to the will of God even when we pray for the wrong things!

We arrived home from Florida yesterday afternoon after having spent 10 days in the not-so-sunny state. The first week was a good week of relaxation for our family. This week was spent at the Ligonier Pastor’s Conference. It was a great conference of solid teaching and encouraging fellowship. If you are a pastor, I strongly encourage you to attend next year. The dates are October 23rd-26th. This year’s cost was only $100.00 and that included four nights in 4 star hotel, three meals a day and a $300.00 gift certificate to any products sold by Ligonier (including Soli Deo Gloria). My notes from the conference are readable below. Enjoy!

First, who should evangelize? The task of sharing the good news is not limited to the apostle Paul or to the first disciples. It is not only for preachers. It is for all believers. Evidence for this is found in Acts 8 where all believers are scattered by persecution from Jerusalem except the apostles and they are said to be spreading the gospel wherever they went. Further evidence is found in the example of Phillip, a deacon in the church, who is seen in Acts 8 evangelizing the Ethiopian Eunuch. In 1 Peter 3:15, we are told that we are to be “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Likewise the lives of believers in community with one another is a powerful evangelistic method per John 13:35 which says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1. Share the gospel honestly. Don’t hide the fact that it is costly to follow Christ. Don’t be like Robert Schuller who said,

I don’t think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to makepeople aware of their lost and sinful condition.

Instead, we are to be like Peter who is in sermon in Acts 2 publicly indicted the Jews for crucifying the King of glory. Jesus said that in order to follow him we must take up our cross. The cross was not ornamental in that day, it was an instrument of death! We must be honest in our presentations of the gospel!

Second, we must share the gospel with urgency! The first point made all the Calvinists happy, now it’s time to make all the Arminians happy. We must stress that unbelievers must respond. They shouldn’t put it off waiting for a better deal. There is no better deal coming. The gospel is not like a cellular phone plan that you can wait a couple of weeks for a better offer. No, the gospel is God’s final and only offer. Time is limited. Time is uncertain. There are opportunities now that one may never have again. Stress the urgency of the gospel!

Third, we must share the gospel with joy! We must tell sinners that if they repent and believe the gospel they will be saved. It’s worth it to follow Christ! As Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose.”

Fourth, we must use the Bible. Not because, as it was fifty years ago in America, people will take it as an authority. Whether, in order to show that the gospel message which we proclaim is not idea.

Fifth, we recognize that the lives of Christians are a powerful complement to our sharing of the gospel. The church can and should be “a confirming echo of our witness.” A church full of regenerate people loving one another as John 13:35 indicates can be a powerful witness to the world. We should ask ourselves not, “How can we be like the culture?, but, “How can we be distinct from the culture?”

Sixth, we must pray. If we recognize that fundamentally salvation is a work of God, doesn’t it then follow that we must pray to God for the conversion of sinners!?!?

Third, what is evangelism? Evangelism is not imposition. When you evangelize you do not impose your views on someone else, but you seek to present the Good News accurately. We cannot coerce people into becoming Christians.

Nor is evangelism personal testimony. Instead, evangelism is objective statments about God, the state of all men, sin and righteousness.

Evangelism is not social action or apologetics. It is not the results of evangelism. In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul’s proclamation of the gospel has two very different effects on two different types of people. We cannot predict what kind of people will be reached by the kind of music that we use (contrary to a popular book).

Positively, evangelism is to declare on God’s authority what He has done in Christ while calling on men and women to believe the gospel and repent of their sins.

This mission cannot fail! If there are no results, there is no failure as long as the message is faithfully proclaimed.

Finally, why should we evangelize? Some motives for evangelism can be wrong. You can have the motive of wanting to be right, to win an argument, to look spiritual, to increase your reputation. But here are three good motives for evangelism:

1. Desire to be Obedient

2. Love for the Lost

3. Love for God – this is the only sufficient motive. “Only a deep love for God” will sustain your evangelism when all other motives fall flat.

In conclusion Dr. Dever described the sales technique used in soul-winning by C.S. Lovett. Reading from one of his books, Dever said that we should take a firm grip on the potential convert’s shoulder. In a semi-commanding tone we are to tell him to bow his head. Don’t look to see if he bows his head, bow your head first. But out of the corner of your eye you will see him hesitate at first, then he will bow his head. You will feel his heart yeild by your hand on his shoulder. Then, lead him to repeat a “sinner’s prayer.”

Dever finally and passionately argued that instead of viewing God as the gentleman who would not force his way on anyone and the soul-winner as the one who is to use all his manipulative powers to persuade the sinner to pray a prayer, we should ourselves be the gentleman who simply proclaims the gospel message and calls on the sinner to believe and repent, then step out of the way and allow God to use all the resources of his power to impart life to the soul of the unbeliever.

Amen! You must hear the audio to this one! I can’t do it justice.

In this session R.C. Sproul began by outlining the historic differences between Luther and Calvin on the use of art in worship. Many of the Puritans, who took Calvin’s view to an extreme, choose to die on the hill of what kind of vestments they should wear. Although Sproul is more sympathetic to Luther’s views as opposed to the Puritans, his favorite book on worship remains Gospel Worship by Jeremiah Burroughs. In this work, Burroughs develops the “Regulative Principle” of worship (which Mark Dever has defined as using in worship only what is commanded or can be reasonably inferred from Scripture).

Sproul then argued that this must not be reduced only to the New Testament, but must also include the Old Testament. When we look to the Old Testament, however, we must be careful not to become Evangelical Judaizers (adopting all of the ceremonies, etc. of the OT).

While Evangelicals do not hold to a “dictation theory” of inspiration (contrary to the stereotype of the liberals), there is one place in Scripture where it comes the closest to dictation. That place is in the description of the construction and furnishings of the tabernacle. While Sproul acknowledged that Christ has fulfilled the tabernacle, he asked the question: “Are there principles for us today?”

Sproul believes the purpose for all the detail given by God in the construction of the Tabernacle, furnishings thereof and the vestments for the Levitical priests is, as found in Exodus 28:2 and 40, “for glory and beauty.”

Sproul argues that you cannot escape art. Every art has a form and ever form communicates something. Even those who claim to use no art are communicating something by that choice. The question, then, is not whether or not to use art, but whether it will be good art.

The Methodists used to be known for their refrain of “Fire, Fire, Fire.” The Baptists for “Water, Water, Water.” The Presbyterians for “Order, Order, Order.” Sproul sees the character of God summarized as three legs of a stool: Truth, Goodness and Beauty. Presbyterians are known for emphasizing truth (sometimes at the expense of goodness and beauty). Baptist are known for emphasizing goodness (sometimes at the expense of truth and beauty). Episcopalians are known for emphasizing beauty (sometimes at the expense of truth and goodness). The problem is that in each of these, parts of the character of God are obscured. All that is beautiful points to God.

Dr. Sproul then pointed us to two texts in the Old Testament. First, Leviticus 10 which describes God striking the sons of Aaron (Nadab and Abihu) dead for offering strange fire at the tabernacle. God’s reason for killing these men, “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified (regarded as holy), and before all the people I will be glorified.” Leviticus 10:3. And the Bible says that Aaron held his peace. He shut his mouth without any more complaints! We don’t determine how God is to be worshiped, He does!

Thomas Aquinas addressed the issue of the “seeker” in the Middle ages. He said none seeks for God. They seek the benefits that we know only God can give, but without God. In the “seeker-senstive” movement in America worship is being designed for unbelievers. Bill Hybels (founder of Willow Creek in Chicago) used to spend his summer vacations at Ligonier’s camp in PA. Hybels conducted a survey before starting his church in which he asked former church attenders why they no longer attend. The top two answers given were that (1) Church was boring, and (2) Church was irrelevant. R.C. told him that of all the encounters of God recorded in Scripture there are a variety of responses: some fell down, some laughed, some cried, others were reduced to silence. But no one was bored and no one found their encounter with the living God to be irrelevant!

R.C. believes in the concept of sacred space and sacred time. He appealed to Genesis 28 and its description of Jacob at Bethel. There Jacob received a dream of a ladder reaching from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending. After awaking Jacob declared, “‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.’ 17 And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’” Genesis 28:16-17. R.C. then asked, “Do people talk this way about your church?” R.C. acknowledges the ubiquitousness of God (omnipresence). However, at special times God visits His people. And the place where God meets with his people is “holy ground.” The bulletin at St. Andrews Church contains the following quote:

While here in Orlando at the Ligonier Pastor’s Conference, I’ve run into a couple of friends: Ray Rhodes and David Zavadil. Both of these ministers of the gospel have blogs that I wanted to let you know about. David Zavadil’s blog is called The Official Zavablog. Ray Rhodes’ brand new blog is named the same as his preaching, teaching and writing ministry: Nourished in the Word. I think you’ll enjoy the content of each of these blogs!