Matthew 7:21-23 ( NKJV ) 21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
2 Corinthians 13:5 ( NKJV ) 5Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
For me, there is no more glorious a thought than to know that I rest in the saving hands of God (John 1:28). And for many years I rested in this one solid dimension of God’s faithful grace until while reading Romans 9:4-13 I saw that the elective purposes of God stood as the foundational and paramount truth to my position in Christ. I realized that when we are told that it “is not of works but of Him who calls” (vs.11), I stood solely by the grace of God and that “not of works” meant exactly that. I saw new and afresh that I was saved “to the praise of the glory of His grace” (Ephesians 1:4), and “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7).
But the “exceeding grace” of God found in the gospel has been co-opted by a gospel message that proclaims;” You don’t have to give up anything, come as you are.” It is a gospel message that bases it invitation on; “Ask Jesus into your heart,” or “Invite Christ into your life”, and even worse; “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” In each of these statements, including the first double phrased statement, there is a measure of truth but if they stand alone they are completely and wholly inadequate and often base the gospel invitation solely on the perceived benefits accruing to the hearer. It is a gospel message for the welfare of men and not preeminently to the glory of God. The emphasis on the saviorhood of Christ is purely relational and ignores or plays down sin and is silent regarding Jesus as Lord of the life. Christ is not divided (I Corinthians 1:13). He is savior and Lord. The modern gospel message calls the lost to Christ without addressing sin, the depravity of man and the true nature of justification that sees it as a result of regeneration leading to sanctification. James Montgomery Boice in his preface to MacArthur’s book, “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ” states;
“It reduces the gospel to the mere fact of Christ’s having died for sinners, requires of sinners only that they acknowledge this by the barest intellectual assent, and then assures them of their eternal security when they may very well not be born again. This view bends faith beyond recognition – and promises a false peace to thousands who have given verbal assent to this reductionist Christianity but are not truly in God’s family.”[1]
When we read the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) from the book of Matthew we get a clear picture that belief in Christ meant discipleship. There is no distinguishing mark between new birth and a disciple in this passage. Our Lord had in mind a holistic salvation that not only looked at forgiveness and payment of sin but also a call to discipleship, a call to follow Him, a call to sanctification (1 Corinthians 1;30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2). This meant that there was to be death to the old life and sin (Romans 6:6-11), a denial of self (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; Romans 12:1-2; Titus 2:11-14), and a life given over to holiness (Matthew 5:6; Ephesians 1:4; 2:21; 4:30; 5:27; Colossians 3:12; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:8; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 2:24; 2 Peter 3:11; cf. Matthew 5:20) with the goal of conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29). Christ’s work on the cross liberated us from sin. We are no longer under its bondage so that we can live a life under the power and grace of the Holy Spirit to the honor and glory of Christ. This is exactly what Paul reminded Timothy; 7Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17 NKJV ).
In 1 Corinthians 1;30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2 there is a direct and inescapable connection between election, regeneration and sanctification. When a person is regenerated by the Spirit of God he is called to sanctification by the Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13). I Peter 1:2 states that we are elect in sanctification of the Spirit. It has been argued that these two passages refer only to our position in Christ as a called-out people. But sanctification does not only look at our position but also the full and effectual call of God in sanctification. John Calvin puts it this way, “Christ came endowed with the Holy Spirit in a special way: that is, to separate us from the world and to gather us unto a hope of the eternal inheritance. Hence he is called the ‘Spirit of sanctification’ because He not only quickens and nourishes us by a general power that is visible both in the human race and in the rest of the living creatures, but he is also the root and seed of heavenly life in us.”[2] Calvin regarded the work of the Holy Spirit as evidence of regeneration; “it is not enough for people to claim that the Spirit of God dwells in their hearts, for he is not idle; if he is there, his presence will reveal itself.”[3] It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul says; “who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 1:22 note also Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
It must also be remembered that classical reformed Protestant theology calls the security of the believer, “The Perseverance of the Saints.” The hallmark of the efficacious grace of God is that the saint perseveres to the end (Matthew 10:22; Hebrews 3:14). There is no contradiction here. Jesus put it this way; “You shall know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16,20). Because salvation is a work of God from beginning to the end, perseverance ultimately depends upon God.
SO…
There is no security of the believer that is based in a gospel message that looks to the felt need and personal fulfillment of man (Matthew 5:3; 16:24). This is a man center gospel not a Christ exalting gospel of the exceeding grace of God that reconciles man to God (Romans 5:10).
There is no security of the believer that denies holiness of life (2 Timothy 2:19). Historical Protestant theology teaches the truth that practical righteousness is an essential and inevitable result of saving faith.
There is no security of the believer that is based on a gospel that avoids repentance from sin (Luke 13:3,5; Acts 11:18; 20:21; 2 Corinthians 7:9-10; 2 Peter 3:9).
There is no security of the believer that is based on a faith that merely mentally ascends to the propositional truths or facts concerning the redemptive work of Christ. The demons have that kind of faith (James 2:19).
There is no security of the believer that has a faith with no Holy Spirit empowerment, resulting in evidence of works (James 2:18-20,26). This is a faith that is dead or of no saving use or value.
-Michael Holtzinger
[1] James Montgomery Boice, John MacArthur, “The Gospel According To Jesus Christ”, Zondervan Publishing House, 1988, pg. ix
[2] John Calvin, “Institutes of Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill; trans. Ford Lewis Battles; Library of Christian Classics, XX-XXI (Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox, 1960), 3.1.1
[3] John Calvin, “Sermon on Galatians”, trans. Kathy Childress (1533; repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1997) 560