Hudsonville Protestant Reformed Church
5101 Beechtree
Hudsonville, MI 49426
Services: 9:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Vol. 5, No. 8
Homepage on Internet: http://www.prca.org

Contents:
  Faith and Trust
  God's Agency and Man's Sin: A Concursus?
  Turning God's Grace into Lasciviousness (5)

Faith and Trust

 That saving faith includes different "acts" is clear from the different ways faith is described in Scripture. In these descriptions we can see, too, that there is a certain development and growth of faith as it is given to and exercised by believers (Lk. 17:5).

Thus, though Christ is always the object of faith, faith involves looking to Him (Is. 45:22), coming to Him (Matt. 11:28), fleeing to Him for refuge (Heb. 6:18) receiving Him (Jn. 1:12), puttingon Him (Rom. 13:14), and giving oneself up or yielding oneself to Him (II Cor. 8:5).

All these, however, describe especially a second activity of saving faith, that of trusting in Christ. We have already said that one principle act of saving faith is "knowledge." Trusting is another. These two elements of saving faith are mentioned in relation to one another in II Timothy 1:12; "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

As the word of God in II Timothy 1:12 points out, trust or persuasion is founded on knowledge. The very word "persuasion" emphasizes this. One is persuaded by truth and by reasonable and sound arguments.

Nor can we trust or be persuaded if we do not know. We cannot trust Christ for salvation, unless we know that He is God manifest in the flesh (I Tim. 3:16), the one who gave His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28).

This second element of saving faith, however, emphasizes its personal nature. It is this trust, in fact, that makes the knowledge of faith not just a "knowing about" but a matter of really "knowing" God Himself personally as He reveals Himself through Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Father.

Without this element, there would be no difference between saving faith and the "faith" of demons (Jas. 2:19), for they "believe" that there is one God and tremble. Nor do only demons believe in this sense. There are many who have been taught the truth of the Word, can find no argument against it, and yet never know God or Christ.

As persuasion, confidence or trust, saving faith not only allows one to see that the Word is true, but that it is true "for himself." Trust, therefore, can be described (as above) in terms of yielding oneself to Christ or in terms of resting in Him (Matt. 11:28). It involves the complete abandonment of self and the surrender of the soul to Him by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.

There are those who wish to speak of faith solely in terms of knowledge or of intellectual assent. We, too, believe it necessary to emphasize knowledge over against the reliance on "feeling" and the resistance to sound doctrine that is so popular today.

Nevertheless, in light of Scripture's own teaching we do not believe it is adequate to describe faith solely in terms of its intellectual activity. It is also, as Paul says in I Timothy 1:12, a matter of committing oneself to Him and so finding peace and rest. Without that we are nothing and have nothing. Rev. R. Hanko

God's Agency and Man's Sin: A Concursus?

We have the following question that we would like to answer in this issue: "God's agency regarding man's sin: is there a concursus?" This is a brief question, but important and difficult.

There are those who believe that God has nothing to do with the presence of sin in the world and no control over it. This is, however, contrary to Scripture and a denial of God's sovereignty.

Scripture teaches several things about God's agency with respect to sin.

(1) Scripture says that God eternally decreed sin (Prov. 16:4, Acts 2:23, 4:26-28, Rom. 9:21, I Pet. 2:8, Jude 4).

(2) Scripture also shows that God brings sin to pass (II Sam. 16:10, 24:1, I Kings 22:19-23, Is. 63:17, Amos 3:6, Rom. 9:17, Eph. 1:11) - He does not just permit it to happen. He does this not only by outward circumstances, but even by working in the hearts of men (Ex. 4:21, Prov. 21:1, Rom. 9:18).

(3) We learn, too, from Scripture, that God sovereignly controls and uses sin to His own ends (Gen. 50:20, Rom. 9:17, 22, Phil. 1:12-14).

Scripture also teaches that in all of this God maintains man's accountability for his sin and is Himself not tainted with the guilt or pollution of man's sin (II Sam. 24:17 -in light of verse 1, Hab. 1:13, Acts 2:23 - note the emphasis on wicked hands, Rom. 9:17-21, Jas. 1:13-14). To think otherwise is blasphemy.

The difficulty is always in explaining how God can be sovereign over sin without being in any way accountable for it. Nevertheless, and that is finally the answer we must be content with - He is sovereign over it and He is not accountable for it.

While Scripture does not give us a complete answer on this matter, therefore, it does say several things that help us to understand.

(1) We learn, for example, that God does not love evil (Ps. 5:4) and therefore does not try to seduce men to sin (Jas. 1:13-14). Unlike Satan He never tells them that evil is good, nor does He seek to persuade them that sin is profitable and pleasant. Rather He speaks plainly of its terrible consequences and warns against it (Gen. 2:17).

(2) Nor does God ever force men to sin against their will (Prov. 1:24-31, Is. 66:3-4, Rom. 1:32). In sinning, they always do exactly what they want to do. In this especially they are guilty before God.

This is very important in repentance for sin. When by God's grace we are finally confronted inescapably with our sin and guilt, we need look no further than our own willful disobedience, depravity, perverseness, and corruption.

Comparing II Samuel 24:1 with I Chronicles 21:1, we learn both that God moved David to number the people and that He used Satan as His instrument in doing so. Nevertheless, when confronted with his sin, David needed to know nothing further than that he had followed the pride and wickedness of his own heart (II Sam. 24:17).

(3) Finally Scripture teaches that God is God. We must believe therefore that He as God can be sovereign over sin and yet not accountable for it.

Beyond that, then, we cannot and need not go. For our comfort Scripture shows us that God is sovereign even over our sins. That we may repent of them, Scripture teaches that we alone are guilty. Rev. Ronald Hanko

Turning God's Grace into Lasciviousness (5)

In our last four articles we were discussing an important question sent in by a reader concerning the passage in Jude 4. I quote the entire question. "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)?"

Because of its importance, we discussed this passage rather thoroughly. I want to make only a few more remarks about the sin itself which is so sharply condemned in this passage.

Our readers will remember that the great sin condemned here is the sin of professing to believe the truth of Scripture while in fact denying it by one's life. It is the sin of antinomianism which denies the validity of the law of God for the sanctified believer. It is the sin of using the truth of sovereign grace as an excuse to sin. It is saying: If we are saved by grace alone without works, then we can live like the devil and be saved anyway. It is the same as Paul's burning question: What shall we then say? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? (Rom. 6:1).

The church always has these people in it. It was true in Jude's day; it is true in our day.

These people walk in the world. They commit the same sins as are found in the world. They live in evil and immorality. They read the world's books, watch the world's television, sing the world's songs, pursue mammon as the world does, so that it is impossible to tell by their life that they are members of the church.

In some instances, rather than live like the world, they teach the philosophies of the world. They may, e.g., teach evolutionism in one form or another as an explanation of the world's origin. Or they may promote homosexuality as a legitimate alternate lifestyle, all the while professing Christianity and even claiming that their defense of homosexuals is true Christianity, for they truly love their brother.
 

They continue to maintain that they are believers. They are insulted and angry when their Christianity is questioned. They are quick to profess their love for Christ and their eager desire to serve Him faithfully.

Two sins are, therefore referred to: 1) A walk in the world which contradicts an outward profession of Christianity; 2) an appeal to Christianity as the justification for their walk. They change the grace of God into lasciviousness by walking contrary to the truth of salvation by grace alone; or they use the very doctrine of salvation by grace alone as an excuse for their sin.

In any case, the condemnation of the text is sharp and uncompromising. In fact, in spite of their profession, they deny both God and Christ. All their pious protestations to the contrary, they are the enemies of God and His Christ.

Nor ought we to overlook the very personal element which Jude includes: they turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness; and they deny our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hence, the people of God who love God and His Christ, who confess His truth and walk in obedience out of fear and reverence, must do battle against these wicked and expel them. The church will be lost if the faithful do not fight.

Or if the church refuses to expel them, for the sake of the God Whom they love and the Christ Whom they serve, they must separate from such a church lest they become partakers of the evil deeds of these wicked men. Prof. H. Hanko

We would call attention of our readers to the recent additions made on our web site. The important book on Calvinism, "Saved by Grace" by Revs. R. Cammenga and R. Hanko has been posted. It contains also the workbook to help guide in a study of this work.  See under "Books."

Last Modified, 07-Feb-2002