On the first day of 2012, we begin with the first chapter from Book 1 of Calvin's Institutes. We will see how John Calvin emphasizes two essential doctrines in Calvinism:
1) Law / Gospel Distinction
2) The Two Righteousnesses
These two essential doctrines are rarely heard from today's so-called Presbyterian & Reformed churches. Instead, heresies like Lordship Salvation and Federal Vision have replaced the teachings we find in Calvin's first chapter of his magnum opus.
Lordship Salvation wrongly teaches the Gospel is a demand for our obedience, a set of Laws we must obey, requirements and conditions we must meet with our works. Such an evil teaching mixes Law and Gospel and destroys Justification by Faith Alone.
Lordship Salvation teaches that the object of Saving Faith is our own obedience. This is the Roman Catholic view of Saving Faith, and it necessarily results in the Roman Catholic view of repentance (contrition, faith, and pennance). True Saving Faith, according to the Bible alone, consists only of contrition and saving faith.
Lordship Salvation teaches men to look to their own works for salvation and assurance. Lordship Salvation leaves men with no certain assurance, but only a fearful dread--for it teaches the Roman Catholic view of conjectural assurance (Catholicism denies that men can have certain assurance by faith alone, so it claims we can only conjecture / guess when it comes to our salvation!).
The heresy of Federal Vision teaches all the vile poison of Lordship Salvation, yet it adds the heretical notion that anyone who is sprinkled or dipped (sacrament of water baptism) is a true Christian--as long as he stays in good standing with the particular institutional church!
To the Federal Vision heretic, salvation is completely conditional. Like Roman Catholicism and Lordship Salvation, they teach that our good works are necessary for / to salvation!
In contrast, Calvinism, which is Biblical Christianity, teaches that salvation is unconditional. Jesus Christ met all the conditions necessary for salvation--and He did this for us! The Gospel is ONLY about who Jesus Christ is and what He did for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)! Calvinism teaches the Gospel is a set of propositions to be believed, a report--the Good News of the radical free grace of God in Christ alone (Isaiah 53:1)!
The Gospel is about the perfect righteousness of Christ our Surety imputed to our accounts, received by faith alone (Romans chapter 4)! The Gospel is NOT a set of demands, not a set of requirements, and not a set of Laws we must obey. The Gospel is only about what Jesus Christ did for us in the past--NOT what we must do today. Grammatically speaking, the Gospel is indicative, not imperative.
In Calvinism, certain assurance of salvation is NOT conjectured on our imperfect sin tainted performance (our works), but rather, our certain assurance of salvation is based on believing the Gospel--by faith alone (Sola Fide: Romans 5:1; Acts 13:48).
In Calvinism, we do not look to our selves for assurance; we do not look to our works for salvation nor assurance: we look to Christ alone (Solus Christus) for salvation and certain assurance! In Calvinism, we reject the Roman Catholic teaching that our good works are necessary for salvation! We teach and believe that only the vicarious works of Jesus Christ alone is necessary for our salvation (1 Corinthians 3:11) .
The substitutionary life and death of our Surety Jesus Christ is all that is needed for God's elect! We are saved by God's sovereign grace alone (Sola Gratia--Romans 11:6)! To claim our good works are necessary to save us (even in part) is to reject salvation by grace alone.
We are not saved by being sprinkled by a minister. Water baptism does not save us. Christians are saved by the Gospel--not "holy water." See Mark 16:16.
Our salvation does NOT depend upon our good standing with the local Presbyterian church. Our salvation does NOT depend upon us joining the local Presbyterian church. A sinful group of men, call them elders if you wish, cannot save us by accepting us into their assembly. We are saved by being in Christ alone--not a particular institutional church.
Our good works are necessary, but not for our salvation! Our good works are necessary to glorify God and to help our fellow man (Matthew 5:16; Titus 3:8)!
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"The Glory of God" by Dr. John W. Robbinsby RedBeetle74 views
We who are in Christ ARE His righteousness!
heartuvgold 1 month ago
There is NO OTHER Systematic Theology available to man, known by any other name, that can teach these truths, as can Calvinism!
In ALL other Systematic Theology, said to be based on the Bible, there comes a time when truth is cut off. In Arminianism, which is the grand daddy of every heresy, cult and false religion known to man, it is man who "reaches up to God". In TRUE Biblical Christianity, it is GOD who reaches down to miserable, helpless, dead man and performs HIS act of Grace.
Sola Fide!
Afrikitty 1 month ago
It is wrong to decry the New Birth as an "ism", UNLESS it is being preached as the narrow gospel. This is happening far too often today.
When Christ Jesus taught the New Birth in John 3:3, He taught in the IMPERATIVE. You MUST be Born Again. Of all laws given to man by God, this is one we cannot begin to fathom, how to obey it. Titus 3:5b says it perfectly: "according to his mercy HE (God) saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
Calvinism is Christianity!
Afrikitty 1 month ago