Loveland Protestant
Reformed Church
709 East 57th Street;
Loveland, CO 80538
Services: 9:30 a.m. and
6:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. June through August)
Vol. 5, No. 2 Pastor: Rev. G. Van Baren Phone: (970) 667-9481
Homepage on Internet: http://www.prca.org
We begin our study of the "Order of Salvation" by looking at regeneration. Since regeneration means "rebirth," we believe that it describes the beginning our new life as Christians and ought to be first in the "Order of Salvation."
In
describing this first work of grace as a rebirth Scripture is emphasizing the truth
that it is wholly a work of God, done without our aid - even without our first being aware
of it. No more than a new-born infant has
anything to do with its birth into the world do we with our rebirth into the new world.
In fact,
Scripture does not just imply this, but plainly teaches it (Jn. 1:13): "Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God." Note the fact that neither the
sinful will (the will of the flesh) nor human will-power in any sense (the will of man)
has anything to do with this rebirth.
Without
this first work of grace no one can even see the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:3). Jesus does not say "no one will,"
but "no one can." It is as
impossible for the unregenerate sinner to have anything to do with the kingdom of God as
it is for the fish of the sea to live on the dry land.
Scripture,
however, not only describes this first work of grace as a rebirth, but as the gift of a
new heart (Ez. 36:25ff.), a circumcising of the heart, i.e., a cutting away of sin in the
heart (Col. 2:12-13), a baptism, i.e., a washing away of sin (Tit. 3:5), a spiritual
quickening or making alive, i.e., a resurrection from spiritual death (Eph. 2:1), a new
creation in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:10), and a translation from the kingdom of darkness to
the kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13).
Each of
these descriptions reminds us both that this is a sovereign work of the Almighty (who else
can raise the dead and create things?) and that it is wonderful! As one of the Reformed creeds says, "It is
evidently a supernatural work, most powerful, and at the same time most delightful,
astonishing, mysterious, and ineffable (incomprehensible); not inferior in efficacy
(causative power) to creation, or the resurrection from the dead" (Canons of Dordt,
III, IV, 12 - free copy on request).
Perhaps
the most wonderful description of regeneration, however, tells us that it is the gift of
Christ to the a lost sinner (Gal. 2:20, Col. 1:27). That
new life which is given us in regeneration is the new, resurrection life of Christ
Himself! a life that cannot die again (Jn. 11:25-26).
But the
new life is just that. One who has it cannot
possibly continue to behave and speak like one who is spiritually dead. Death only lies there and rots, but life breathes
and moves and speaks. We must, therefore, in
spite of the continued presence of sin and of the old nature "reckon ourselves to be
alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" and yield ourselves unto God as those
who are alive from the dead" (Rom. 6:11-13).
Do you?
Rev. R. Hanko
Remission Of
Sins On Earth and In Heaven (2)
Whose
soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they
are retained. John 20:23
In the
last article we began an explanation of this verse. We
called attention to the fact that the same idea as is contained in this vs. is also found
in Mt. 16:19 and Mt. 18:18. Our readers are
asked to consult these two passages from Matthew.
We also
pointed out that all three passages speak of Christian discipline, which discipline is,
along with the preaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments, a mark of
the true church of Christ to distinguish her from the false church.
But
Christian discipline is not only a mark of the true church; it is the church's calling,
her marching orders, given her by Christ her Head.
In giving
the command to exercise discipline to the apostles, Christ gave this command to the entire
new dispensational church, for the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles
(Eph. 2:20).
The
passages in Matthew speak of binding and loosing; and tell us that the binding and loosing
which is done on earth is also done in heaven: "Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth,
shall be bound in heaven . . . ."
We may
well ask the question: What specifically is meant by "binding and loosing?" The Scriptures give us the answer in the vs.
quoted at the top of this article, John 20:23. It
is the power to remit sins and "retain" sins.
Or, to put this in language more common among us, it is the power to forgive sins
or not to forgive sins.
This is
the power given to the apostles and to the church.
Christian
discipline is the spiritual power to forgive sins or to withhold forgiveness.
We ought
to pause here a moment to notice a couple of elements about this which, while not
specifically mentioned in the text, are taught in other parts of Scripture.
In the
first place, this whole matter has to do, as we said, with Christian discipline. And discipline is exercised upon those who, in
the congregation, commit gross sin which is an offense to the church and which will, if
unconfessed, bring God's judgment upon the church.
In the
second place, as the elders admonish and instruct such a sinner, their goal is to lead the
sinner to repentance and confession. The
words of Jesus to the apostles refer to forgiving sin and not forgiving sin upon
confession, or lack of it.
The
confessing and penitent sinner is forgiven by the church; the impenitent sinner is not
forgiven. The confessing and penitent sinner
is taken back into the life and fellowship of the church.
The impenitent sinner is put out of the church.
In this way the gates are opened and closed.
To the
church, therefore, is given the authority to forgive sin and to refuse to forgive sin. And that authority to forgive or not to forgive is
done also in heaven.
This is
the meaning of Jesus' Word.
But now we
come to the great question: Is not this exactly what Rome teaches? Does not Rome claim to itself a power to forgive
sins which belongs to Christ alone? Is not
this an arrogant assumption on Rome's part? And
now, you say, that this is what Scripture teaches after all?
We must
answer this question.
And we
ought to answer it first of all by pointing out that Rome did not always hold to its
present position. In the earlier history of
the church in the new dispensation the church pronounced forgiveness of sins (or no
forgiveness) in the name of Christ and as the mouthpiece of Christ. It was a pronouncement of what Christ Himself did.
But as
Rome grew in power and gathered to itself more and more authority which it had no right to
claim, it also changed this whole idea so that it claimed the judicial right to
forgive sins. It was not only declaratory
but judicial. That is, Rome claimed
that as a church it could and did forgive sins.
In this
way Rome claims to itself what belongs only to Christ.
* * * *
But we
shall have to finish this discussion in the next issue.
Our
readers will bear patiently with us in a rather lengthy discussion of the matter because
it is of such vital importance. Prof.
H. Hanko
The question for
this issue: "Should Christians insure? If
so, is all insurance right, or just third party, or should Christians only insure what
they have a legal duty to?"
This is a
question that we have dealt with personally. We
know fellow believers who insist that insurance is wrong, either in all forms or some. And, we ourselves have come to different
convictions on this matter, having once believed that some forms of insurance at least
were wrong for a Christian.
We would
not now condemn insurance for several reasons. First,
it is not something that the Word of God explicitly condemns. Second, it is difficult to see how one can condemn
insurance without falling into a kind of fatalism that rejects God's sovereign use of
means in all areas of our lives.
Fatalism
is a wrong emphasis on God's sovereignty that leads to passivity and indifference and a
refusal to recognize our responsibility. Believing
that God controls everything, the fatalist then makes no effort to preserve his own health
and safety, to labor diligently in the calling God has given him, or to use the means God
provides for the preservation of life and health. He
takes the attitude, "what happens, happens."
We know
the arguments against insurance. Its
opponents say that it is a denial of God's providence (i.e., that He controls and governs
all things), and that it destroys our trust in God by directing our trust elsewhere. With these arguments we do not agree.
We would
add, however, that we do not condemn those who refuse to purchase insurance where the law
does not require it. There certainly is
nothing in Scripture requiring us to have it.
Nevertheless the arguments against third-party insurance or legally required
automobile insurance are the same as for any other kind.
If it is
wrong to make provision for various emergencies by way of purchasing insurance, certainly,
then, it is also wrong to make provision for one's health by being inoculated and by
making use of doctors and medicine, or to make provision for the future by saving one's
money, something Scripture recommends (Prov. 6:6-8, 10:5, etc.).
In fact,
many of the Christians we know who oppose insurance also oppose inoculations, and some
will not make use of doctors or medicines. This,
we believe, is fatalism in that it denies
God's use of means in our daily life, and our responsibility to make use of available
means for the preservation of life, health and prosperity.
Even in
salvation God makes use of means, especially the preaching of the gospel (Rom. 1:16,
10:17, I Cor. 1:21). The sovereignty of God
in salvation does not destroy our responsibility to use the gospel or allow us to despise
it as the means of salvation. Indeed, it is
God's sovereignty that establishes the use of means, both in salvation and in daily life.
Thus, as
long as Scripture does not explicitly forbid insurance, we too, refuse to condemn it. We would only warn, as with so many other things,
that we must not put our trust in insurance policies (or in anything else), but in the
living God Himself who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. And if we are inclined to trust in things, whether
insurance policies or otherwise, then we must understand that the evil is not in the
thing, but in our own hearts, and needs to be dealt with there, through prayer and
repentance before God.
Rev. Ronald Hanko
We have a new supply of a pamphlet which has proved very helpful and instructive
to many—especially in their confrontation with the Arminian. It is titled: “The Bondage of the Will”
by Rev. Steven Houck. A free copy can be
obtained by writing to us at Loveland Protestant Reformed Church.