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. 19 Pastor: Rev. G. Van Baren Phone: (970)
667-9481
Homepage on Internet: http://www.prca.org
Contents:
Perseverance of Saints is the usual name for the fifth of the so-called "Five Points of Calvinism." This is unusual in that it emphasizes our calling and responsibility rather than the power of grace. The rest of the "Points" emphasize God and His grace. For that reason some prefer the name "Preservation of Saints." That name does stress God's sovereign grace.
That we speak of "perseverance" instead of "preservation" does not mean, however, that we deny that our continuing in the way of salvation is "by grace alone." There is no other way we could persevere.
Like the name "preservation" this name teaches the wonderful truth that God's people once saved cannot and do not lose their salvation. They "persevere" in the way of salvation all the way to the end.
It also implies, however, that the way of salvation is full of difficulties and trials. It is not an easy way, but the way of cross-bearing, of suffering for Christ's sake, of fighting against the devil, the world and the flesh, and of enduring affliction. Yet God's people come safely through all these troubles and enter glory with Christ.
We use the name, "perseverance" however, because it is always the complaint of those who believe that God's people can lose their salvation. They say that this doctrine encourages worldliness and carelessness and destroys every motive for godliness.
Both the word "perseverance" and the word "saints" show that this is not so. God's people are made SAINTS - holy ones - by the power of grace and in that way of holiness they continue to the end - not in the way of unholinesss (Heb. 12:14).
We should emphasize this. The way of salvation is the way of holiness and there is no other way to glory than that. It is impossible that one who is purchased by the blood of Christ, renewed and regenerated by the Spirit of God, and in whom the Spirit dwells, should continue in his old sinful ways (Rom. 6:1-2).
There are those, though, who deny this. They suggest that one can be saved and never show any change of life, but continue to live in the same sinful way he did before he was saved. This is the teaching, for example, of those who say that one can have Jesus as Savior without having Him as Lord, i.e., without having his whole life claimed by Christ and brought under His Lordship.
For this reason we do not like the name "Eternal Security." The name itself is not bad, but those who use the name are very often those who teach: "once saved, always saved, and it really doesn't matter how you live." It does matter and matters very much.
The perseverance of saints is a great comfort. It not only assures that God's people will all be in glory with Christ in the life to come, but that they will be holy in this life! And no believer can love and want to keep his sins. He ought to hate them and desire to be fully delivered from them. That doctrine of perseverance of saints guarantees that he shall be and IS delivered! Rev. Ronald Hanko
(Continued from the previous issue)
In the last article we talked about the gospel's affect when it comes to and is heard by the reprobate.
We must now speak of the affect of the gospel on the elect.
* * * *
When the gospel is preached according to the command of Christ, the affect of that gospel upon God's people, while mysterious and wonderful, is nevertheless, not mechanical. God never works with His people in a mechanical fashion. He never works in such a way that a person is a robot who does things unconsciously because God, through the gospel, presses buttons in his psyche.
In general, we must remember that, before a man can respond to the gospel, the Holy Spirit has already begun to work in his heart. If he is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1), then as a dead man he cannot respond to the gospel except to reject it. He must be given ears that hear (Mt. 13:11, 16).
This God-given ability to hear the gospel is what is meant by the inward call of the gospel. The outward call is the preaching; the inward call is the work of the Holy Spirit.
The inward call is never apart from the outward call. But the outward call is always effective in the hearts and lives of the elect because of the inward call.
* * * *
Nevertheless, while all this is true, it is also true that the Holy Spirit continues to work in the hearts of the elect when the gospel is preached.
The Holy Spirit does not make one receptive to the gospel, and then throw man on his own powers and abilities. Every moment that the gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit is also working in the heart. And this continues all the life long of the elect people of God.
How does the Holy Spirit work?
He works in such a way that the gospel is impressed upon the consciousness of the individual child of God so that he not only becomes conscious of what the gospel says, but he understands and believes that gospel in the context of his own life with all its circumstances.
I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough.
* * * *
Let us take a few examples.
Supposing that the minister is explaining a doctrine. Let us, for purposes of the illustration, use the doctrine of total depravity. When the elect child of God in whom the Spirit works, hears the doctrine of total depravity explained, the Holy Spirit so works in his consciousness that he becomes aware, not only of the doctrine itself, but of the fact that he, personally, is a totally depraved sinner, worthy of God's wrath and eternal death.
When the minister is preaching on the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit so impresses that upon the consciousness of the elect sinner that he sees the sacrifice of Christ as the only way of salvation; but he sees it also as the only hope of salvation for him.
So it is with all the truth. When the minister is talking about the wonder that God uses afflictions to save His people, the child of God hears that word in such a way (because of the Spirit's work) that he finds peace in his afflictions, knowing that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that awaits him.
There is more, but our space is used up for this time.
Prof. Herman Hanko
What is Reformed Evangelism? (2)
In this issue we continue to give a Reformed perspective on evangelism. We emphasize this time the important truth that evangelism is nothing more or less than preaching the gospel! If we are preaching the gospel we are faithfully doing evangelism.
As obvious as this seems, many have forgotten it. Thus they talk endlessly about evangelistic methods and spend a great deal of time drawing up complicated and expensive evangelism schemes for their church. It never seems to enter their mind that evangelism means preaching.
Believing that evangelism is preaching the gospel we reject the dreadful, though long-established, practice of setting aside every Lord's Day evening for an evangelistic message - teaching in the morning, evangelism in the evening. There is nothing Biblical about this practice.
Apart from the fact that such evangelistic services tend to degenerate into services where the same message is heard week after week, but "hung" on different text each time to the utter boredom and frustration of those who desire to learn the truth, this practice has forgotten the simple truth that all gospel preaching is evangelism. No matter what passage of Scripture a person is preaching upon, if he is preaching properly he is preaching the gospel. There is no such thing as a special "evangelistic" message.
Perhaps, however, Christians and Christian ministers have forgotten or do not understand that all Scripture reveals Christ and is therefore the gospel in the fullest sense of the Word (Jn. 5:38-39). If the Scriptures are properly preached, Christ is preached. If Christ is being preached, the gospel is being preached. And if the gospel is being preached, then sinners will be saved by it. It is God's appointed means for their salvation.
We are afraid that the practice of having evening "gospel" services betrays a lack of trust in the gospel as the means God has chosen to use for the salvation of His own. Thus, such services tend to become attempts to arouse emotions, to frighten people, or to produce some kind of "decision." Certainly there is very little of the Word of God expounded in such services and even less dependence upon the Holy Spirit for fruit.
But there are other reasons why devoting a service each Sabbath to preaching to unbelievers is wrong. It betrays a wrong view of the church, as if the church is ordinarily a place for unbelievers, and it overlooks the teaching of in I Cor. 14:23. There the Word suggests that it is not a normal but an exceptional thing that an unbeliever comes into the worship services. The church is for believers and their children.
There is another problem here as well. That is the idea that the work of evangelism ceases as soon as someone "gets saved." If evangelism is preaching the gospel, and if preaching the gospel is preaching and teaching "the whole counsel of God," then the work of evangelism has only begun when a person repents and believes. At that point he still needs by gospel preaching - evangelism - to have the way of God expounded more perfectly (Acts 18:26) and to be rooted and grounded in the truth (Col. 2:6-7). This aspect of evangelism is almost entirely neglected today.
This does not mean, however, that there is not a difference between preaching the gospel in the church and to those who are outside the church, or that Reformed people believe only in preaching the gospel within the church. The gospel must be preached everywhere that God in His good pleasure sends it! Rev. R. Hanko
For those who have not yet taken advantage of our offer, we would invite you to write for the "Three Forms of Unity," (Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dordt, and the Belgic Confession).
(Calvin comments on I Tim. 2:4): "The other texts adduced are not declarative of the Lord's determination respecting all men in his secret counsel: they only proclaim that pardon is ready for all sinners who sincerely seek it (Ps.145:9). For if they obstinately insist on its being said that God is merciful to all, I will oppose to them, what is elsewhere asserted, that 'our God is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased' (Ps. 115:3). This text, then, must be explained in a manner consistent with another, where God says, 'I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy' (Ex. 33:19). He who makes a selection of objects for the exercise of his mercy, does not import that mercy to all. But as it clearly appears that Paul is there speaking, not of individuals, but orders of men, I shall forbear any further argument...."
(Calvin's Institutes, Book III, Chap. 24, XVI)
Last Modified: 13-Jul-1999