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. 4 Pastor: Rev. G. Van Baren Phone: (970) 667-9481
Homepage on Internet: http://www.prca.org
The
efficacious calling is sometimes referred to as the internal calling
because it involves the sovereign and irresistible work of the Holy Spirit in
the hearts of God's people. It
is then distinguished from the external calling, i.e., the preaching of the
Word.
Scripture makes it clear that not
all who hear Christ calling in the preaching of the Gospel hear Him calling
internally by the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Thus, not all are saved under the preaching
of the gospel.
In other words, that some are saved
under the preaching of the gospel and others are not is not due to some
difference in them, but to a difference in God's work! That is why Matt. 20:16 and 22:14 say,
"For many are called (outwardly), but few are chosen."
They do not say, "Many are
called, but few respond," for that would leave the impression that the
difference lay in us. Instead, the
difference lies ultimately in God's choosing some and not others, according to
which choice He also calls some both outwardly and inwardly and not
others.
However, though Scripture uses the
word "call" to refer to both an outward and an inward call, we must
remember that the inward call comes through the outward, that is,
through the preaching. Indeed, that is
why the same word is used to describe both.
We see this in Romans 10:17;
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of
God." And this verse is summing up
what vss. 10-14 say. There an inseparable
connection is made between believing unto salvation and hearing a
preacher.
This is the great reason why the
church has the calling to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. It is the means by which God calls those
whom He has chosen to salvation and by which He through the Spirit works
inwardly in them.
We would emphasize, too, that
because the Holy Spirit works through preaching, the preaching of the gospel is
its own power. It is "the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom. 1:16, cf.
also I Cor. 1:18, 24). It does not
require eloquence, begging, or other sorts of gimmicks to make it effectual.
Because Christ speaks in the
preaching (as we saw last issue) and because the Spirit works through
preaching, the preaching of the gospel is always a power, though not
always a power unto salvation. Where
Christ speaks and the Spirit works it is impossible to remain unaffected. Either one is saved or one is hardened
under the preaching of the gospel (cf. II Cor. 2:14-17). No one can be neutral!
Thus through the preaching of the
gospel God's purpose is realized and the merits of Christ made effectual. Not one of the elect is lost nor one drop of
the precious blood of Christ wasted.
It is, therefore, a very serious
thing to come under the gospel. Even
those of us who are already saved by it should "give the more earnest heed
to the things we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip"
(Heb. 2:1-3). The gospel will always be
either a savor of life unto life or of death unto death. Rev. Ronald Hanko
Turning
God’s Grace into Lasciviousness (1)
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 4.
One of our readers sent in a rather long but important paragraph with the question attached. I quote the entire paragraph. “Of course, this verse is one of the relatively few times the NT mentions reprobation. My question is about the phrase, ‘turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.’ I have seen this phrase used to teach that God’s sovereign grace is resistible when shown to the wicked reprobate. I know that that explanation is in error. But what does the phrase mean? And why is the phrase used in a verse about the reprobate? Were the false teachers antinomians who were perverting the truth of salvation by grace to excuse immoral behavior? Does the ‘grace of our God’ refer to the grace God has shown to the Christians in the church, which the false teachers were distorting, rather than grace that was actually shown to the false teachers (since they received none)?”
Not only is the text to which the
reader refers an important one – also for the church today, but the issues
referred to in the paragraph quoted above are important. We will probably spend more than one article
discussing these matters.
Before I actually get to the
question itself, a question which concerns especially the meaning of the clause,
“turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness,” a few remarks about some
other aspects of the verse are important.
Jude is speaking here of a
particular class of people in the church.
They were in the church to which Jude writes; they are always in the
church. They are described as those who
creep in unawares. What Jude means is
that these men come into the church under false colors. Their entrance into the church is not itself
undetected; that would not even be possible.
But they claim to be in agreement with the doctrine and calling of the
church, when, in fact, they do not agree at all. They hide their true beliefs and do not make it evident that they
do not love and serve Christ Who is the King of the church. And they enter the church in order to
corrupt it.
They are not necessarily men who
come into the church from outside; they can also be born within the
church. But as they come to maturity
they discover that they do not love the Lord Christ, nor do they believe the
truths which the church teaches. They
nevertheless remain in the church, and they do so without revealing their true
feelings about matters because they are intent on corrupting the church. To those Jude refers.
The second point to which the reader
refers is the question of reprobation in this article. The reference is to the expression: “... who
were before of old ordained to this condemnation....” It is important that we are aware of the fact that not all
commentaries agree by any means that the reference is to reprobation. The problem lies in the meaning of an
important Greek word which can be translated “written before” rather than
“ordained before.” The meaning then
would be that these wicked men were written about before Jude wrote and it was
predicted that there would be such men in the church.
We see no reason to reject either
idea. Certainly the Scriptures are,
from Genesis on, full of references to men who do the same thing these wicked
men do and who have “crept in unawares.”
Scripture repeatedly also warns the church against such men.
And it would be well that the church
today remember this. Such men are always to be found in the church. They are born into the church or they come
into the church from outside. Their
hearts are empty of the love of God and His Christ, and their reasons for being
in the church are evil. Although as
long as they keep their hatred of the church to themselves no one can do
anything to them, nevertheless, sooner or later they reveal themselves for what
they truly are. And as often as not
they do what these evil men did in Jude’s day, they turn the grace of God into
lasciviousness. When the church
nevertheless tolerates such people in her ranks, the church signs her own death
warrant.
The church must be constantly on her
guard.
We will save additional comments on
this verse for our next issue. Prof.
H. Hanko
Our question this time is: "How should a Christian change society,
i.e., Christian participation in politics?"
The part of the question dealing
with a Christian's involvement in politics we have answered in a previous
issue. In that article we showed that
Scripture does not forbid a Christian's involvement in politics. So we are left here with the question
concerning changing society by politics or other means.
We do not believe that it is a
Christian's responsibility to change society or even to try to do so. Nor do we believe this is possible. Note the following, none of which can be
reconciled with the idea that it is our calling to change society:
(1) Those passages of Scripture that
speak of the Christian's life in the world clearly show that his calling is to
be a testimony against the world and society in which we live (Eph.
5:11-13, Phil. 2:14-16).
(2)
Among other things he is to do this by separating himself not
only from wickedness, but from wicked men and from their "world" (II
Cor. 6:14-18, I Jn. 2:15-17).
(3)
Thus, though there will be individuals whom it pleases God to save by
the Christian's witness, the general result will be that he suffers persecution
(Rom. 8:16-17, II Tim. 3:12).
(4)
Not only that, but the society in which we live cannot be improved. It is thoroughly corrupted and estranged
from God and will only increase in wickedness (II Tim. 3:13, II Pet. 3:3-4,
Jude, 17-19).
The idea that it is the Christian's
calling to change society is usually connected with the idea that the kingdom
of Christ is to be identified with a future Christianized world. For this there is no Biblical basis at all. First, Christ makes it clear that His
kingdom is heavenly (Jn. 18:36); and, second, insofar as that kingdom is
manifested in this world it is manifested in the inward work of grace in the
heart of every believer (Lk. 17:20-21).
Matthew 5:13 is the passage that is
usually used to support the idea that the Christian even by his presence in the
world has a preserving and enlightening influence on society. This interpretation, however, is wrong for several
reasons.
First, the doctrine of total
depravity forbids it. As someone once
said, "Salt has no preservative value on rotten meat." Second, though the passage speaks of a
positive fruit that is the result of this salt and light - it is not a general
influence on society that Jesus has in mind, but salvation. There is nothing in the passage about
changing society in any other way.
Indeed, most older commentators do
not even refer the passage to believers in general but to the ministers of the
gospel (J. Calvin, D. Dickson, M. Henry, A. Pink). According to that interpretation, if there is any good effect
mentioned in the verses, it is wrought by the preaching of gospel in the
salvation of men and women.
That the preacher or Christian is
salt and light refers, then, to the fact that he is this in distinction from
the world. They are darkness, he is
light (II Cor. 6). They are without
savour, he has savour with God through the work of Jesus Christ (and never
apart from Him). Let us be light and
salt in that true sense.
Rev. Ronald Hanko
As another millennial period
approaches, many are fascinated with the events which shall take place. Some are frightened. Others are making fantastic arrangements for
the coming of feared events. But many
do not seek answers in the right places.
They are to find answers not from computer “geeks”; not from
fortune-tellers; not from Wall Street analysts. But answers can be found.
The last book of the Bible,
Revelation, presents the answers also concerning end-time events. We would like to offer free to you an
interesting study of these last days.
In a booklet “A Study in Eschatology,” Rev. Jason Kortering, minister on
loan to the Evangelical Reformed Churches in Singapore, examines pertinent
passages of Revelation to see what God has said in Scripture. Send your name and address with your
request, and we will forward a copy to you.