Eternal Perspectives

Trying to figure out who is an evangelical and who is not seems to be a popular pasttime these days in the Blogdom of God. Since I’m always a bit late to the party, I thought I’d offer my own thoughts - or, more honestly, thoughts that have been stimulated by Dr. Robert Cook, former professor of systematic theology at Western Seminary. Much of what follows is taken from his systematic theology.

The place to start, Cook says, is with the word “evangelical” itself:

It is derived from the word, “evangel” which is a transliteration into English of the Greek word euangelion. A synonym coming from another etymological background is the word gospel. As is well known to all, these words all mean “good news,” and when used in the New Testament, they have a somewhat specialized meaning of good tidings, coming from God, of salvation through his free favor through Jesus Christ. [Thus], that which is evangelical pertains to the biblical message of good news and its attendant implications.

Cook rejects the idea of a “liberal” evangelical since “one who is evangelical is theologically conserv­ative.” His reasons for this statement will be made clear as this expanded definition progresses.

He also provides the following disclaimer:

Please observe carefully that this is not intended to be a list of things which must be believed in order to be saved. If such were the case, I would be very unevangelical. Rather, I am suggesting that the following items are some of the things which distinguish evangelicals from others within Christendom.

Two things to especially notice from Cook’s statement: (1) all of the following does not have to be believed in order for a person to be saved, and (2) there are other Christians who are genuine believers but are not evangelical.

The foundational fact about an evangelical is this: an evangelical is a person who believes in the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. As Cook points out, this statement is pregnant with an assortment of implications and ramifications that constitute what he calls “evangelical distinctives.” These distinctives are:

1. An Evangelical is Biblical in Orientation. This means that the evangelical uses the Bible as a compass to live life. Scripture is that which provides direction and destiny for the believer; it is also the believer’s source of authority . “This means that the Scriptures stand above the traditions, reasonings, and musings of men. It further means that our authority is external to ourselves. It is derivative from the Scriptures which derive their authority from God himself (cf. 2 Thessalo­nians 2:15). As Paul commended the Thessalonians, they received his message “not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor. 4:5). This recognition of biblical authority is the natural concomitant of the self‑claims of Scripture regarding its own inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21) and inerrancy (John 10:35).”

2. An Evangelical is Trinitarian in Theology. An evangelical is not a modalist (believing that God is one Person who manifests Himself at different times as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit). Neither is the evangelical a unitarian, as many modern theologians and popular Christian musicians are. There is a biblical conviction that God exists as “three persons called the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who possess not a similar but the same numerical essence and the distinction between them is not merely nominal but real.”

3. An Evangelical is Christocentric in Faith. Jesus Christ is not only the Savior, but He is the focal point of history, the beginning and the end of everything. “He is unqualified, undiminished deity and genuine, sinless humanity everlastingly joined together in one person. This one was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a vicarious death, arose bodily from the dead, ascended bodily into heaven, and will return bodily to the earth. Regarding man’s eternal salvation, he is the only worthy and saving object of faith.”

4. An Evangelical is Evangelistic. Believing that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the evangelical is compelled to share the good news to a world that is under judgment and presently destined for eternal punishment. “But the evangelical’s concern arises not only, nor primarily, from man’s need. It is supremely prompted by the revelation of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Apart from the operation of the grace of God no Christian man will be properly motivated and no lost man will be saved.”

(”Surely a consideration of God’s character will give the evangelical a concern for social justice; a consideration of his providential dealings with men will move him to goodness; and, observation of the life of Christ will provoke him to love and compassion; but, these things although certainly biblical are not distinctively evangelical, since they are also manifested by groups for social action and by other segments of the organized church.”)

5. An Evangelical is Ecclesiological in Ministry, that is, the evangelical is committed to the ministry of the church, which is the Body of Christ. This commitment is true of both the universal church (all true believers everywhere) and the local church (which likely consists of true believers and some unbelievers). “The evangelical recognizes that there is one body and that he is to maintain and manifest the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He realizes that this unity is organismic rather than organizational; that it is essential rather than external or numerical (cf. John 17:22, 23). The church is seen to be a communion of saints wherein God is corporately worshiped and the believers are individually equipped for the work of ministry both within and without.”

6. An Evangelical is a Supernaturalist in World View. When the world began is anybody’s guess, but for the evangelical there is no question how the material universe came into being: it is a creation of God. On a more specific level, Adam and Eve are a special creation of God, not the result of evolution. Being supernatural also means that evangelicals believe in miracles and the spiritual world, including (but not limited to) the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in believers. Such a view results in the evangelical seeing “man, the image of God, as a creature of dignity and responsibility in the purposes of God.”

7. An Evangelical is Eschatological in Outlook. History is linear, not circular, and is moving toward a predetermined end. The goal of history is a singular Person: the Lord Jesus Christ.
God has made promises regarding the future; God will keep all of His promises. A Day of Judgment is coming when unbelievers will suffer eternal torment and believers will enter into the presence of God in a new heaven and new earth. “Those who have trusted him throughout the ages will be raised to a new phase of the eternal life that they now possess, while those who have rejected him will be raised to a new phase of the damnation they are now experiencing. Consequently, the evangelical rejects every form of universalism, including its modern manifestation which views all men as finally reconciled and in Christ whether they realize it or not.”

Obviously, these distinctions are going to anger and offend some people who consider themselves to be evangelical but do not subscribe to some or all of the above. This is not unexpected; this is not necessarily undesirable. If the term is to have any meaning whatsoever, it must be exclusive to some extent.

Over the past several decades, evangelicalism has attracted a large number of people who will strongly disagree with this definition. The term has begun to lose its initial theological meaning and now teeters on the brink of being associated with a particular political philosophy at the expense of its far-more-important theological sense. But a definition of “evangelical” can not be determined or shaped by the world.

If this definition - which is what the term originally meant - is applied, it will result in “thinning the herd” quite a bit. While it is not the Christian’s place to judge other people, it is our responsibility to clearly declare our beliefs and allow people to decide whether they belong inside or outside of the camp.

In my previous post, I examined Adrian Warnock’s The Simple Gospel in 10 Points, concluding that I did not believe that it was necessary to believe all of his points in order to be saved. I also emphasized - and believe that Adrian would agree - that faith is in a Person and not a set of doctrines or creeds. I also provided illustrations from the life of Abraham and the experience of Peter and Cornelius to support my contention that it is faith in God that is salvific.

The purpose of this final post is to present what I believe to be the essence of the gospel message. It is found, I believe, in Rom 4.5:

“But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness . . .”

What follows is but a mere peek into the riches of this verse. I would encourage you to study it for yourself to see much more of the riches and truth packed therein. At the outset, however, let me provide two quick definitions:

To be “righteous” means to be in conformity to a standard. Theologically, it means that the person is at all times fully doing and being that which is right and never that which is wrong. This includes all thoughts, feelings, and behaviors: everything must conform to God’s original design and purpose for that particular aspect of his creation.

“Justify” or “justification” means to declare righteous. Throughout the history of the orthodox church, justification is understood forensically: people are not made righteous but are declared righteous. God’s righteousness is His righteousness; it is not ours. It is credited to us, but it remains His.

Rom 4.5:

“But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness . . .”

1. Note first of all the kind of person that God is said to justify: the ungodly. Ungodly people are not merely unlike God or different from God; ungodly people are opposed to God and enemies of God. Unsaved people are not morally neutral or ambivalent: they are hostile to God and aligned against Him. These are the kinds of people that God is said to justify.

It should also be pointed out that God does not justify Baptists. He does not justify Bible Church members. He does not justify Reformed people whether Charismatic or not. God justifies one type of person only: the ungodly. They are the objects of His grace. To be ungodly is to be in a perfect position to be saved.

2. It is also significant that the kind of person God saves is described as “one who does not work,” that is, someone who does not believe that by his or her own individual efforts salvation can be accomplished or merited. God does not save people because of what they do or who they are; God saves people because of who He is and what He has done.

Requiring or offering works in order to be saved is putting the cart before the horse. Works follow faith and are a natural consequence of being born again of an imperishable seed (1 Pe 1.23), but our works having nothing to do with our salvation. Absolutely nothing (Tit 3.4-7). Even faith is a gift from God, not a work that we produce (Eph 2.8-9).

3. Finally, it is the individual’s faith that results in righteousness being credited to his or her account. The verse also identifies the content and object of faith: belief in Him. Again, it is a Person that is trusted, not a doctrine or an event. It is the blood of Jesus that makes salvation available to us, but it is our faith in Jesus that accomplishes it. And, as stated above, even our faith is a gift from God. We can take no credit; all credit goes to God.

What, then, would my gospel points be? They might subsist of this:

• A recognition that I am ungodly and estranged from God;

• An awareness that there is nothing I can do to save myself;

• A desperate belief that a Person - Jesus Christ - is the One who will declare me righteous based solely on my trust in Him.

To me, this is the heart of the gospel; this is what must be communicated when explaining the good news to a unsaved person. It is about a Person who will save them, not because they are good or because they promise to be good, but because they realized that they are ungodly, that they are without hope if left to themselves, and that God will do for them what they cannot ever do for themselves.

Adrian Warnock, the British psychiatrist and self-described Reformed Charismatic - which is not at all the same as a reformed charismatic - has posted The Simple Gospel in 10 Points, which he contends is the essence of the gospel message. He also provides a link to one of his sermons drawn from Acts 2 (download) that elaborates on this assertion.

Having a great admiration and affection for Adrian, I would like to respond to his Simple Gospel. Let me make clear at the beginning, however, that I agree doctrinally with much of what he states and that, with regard to our differences, I do not believe he is completely wrong and I am absolutely correct. We look at the biblical data through different interpretive lenses (hermeneutics) and thus come to different conclusions. Such differences, however, should not create distance between believers: differences may distinguish us from one another, but they should never unnecessarily divide us.

In the two-part response that follows, I will interact with his ten points, analyzing them as I go, making observations, and suggesting my own perspectives. I will conclude (in the second post) with what I believe to be the essence of the gospel, i.e., the answer to the jailer’s question, “What must I do to be saved?”.

Here are Adrian’s 10 Points:

1. Everyone has Sinned
2. God hates sin
3. Sin must be punished
4. Jesus took the punishment instead of us on the cross
5. Admit you have been naughty
6. Believe that Jesus took your punishment
7. Say sorry to God
8. Ask God to be in charge of your life
9. Be baptised (note the order here)
10. Receive the Holy Spirit

This list is certainly specific and involved: there is much theology here reflecting Adrian’s tradition and beliefs. The central point in the present discussion, however, is this: Must a person believe all of these points and go through this process in this particular order for salvation to occur? I would argue that they do not.

Salvation is from beginning to end a work of God. As people who are dead in sin, an unbeliever is completely unable to contribute to his or her salvation: God does it all, from calling to conviction (our experience of repentance) to the provision of faith and, finally, to glorification (this list is not exhaustive). God enables us to believe; the Holy Spirit is the Agent of salvation. With all of this, I think, Adrian would agree.

And, although I do not want to put words in his mouth, I believe he would also agree that the gospel does not ultimately consist of a set of principles, doctrines, or beliefs that must be accepted or to which a person must submit themselves. The gospel is about a Person: Jesus Christ. It is about faith in God, a living Being who has made it possible for us to be saved. Salvation is a relationship with Him and not adherence to a set of theological constructs.

This is not to disparage systematic theology, doctrines, or creeds: knowledge of such things is important for growth and maturity in the Christian life. These truths are incidental, however, to the gospel message that leads to salvation.

For the sake of brevity, allow me to illustrate my point with two examples, one from the Old Testament and one from the New. (I am not attempting to build my argument on illustrations or historical records, but only trying to provide windows through which a little illumination might shine.)

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”
Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.”
Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”
And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. - Gen 15.1-6 (NASB)

What was it that Abraham believed? If you go back to Adrian’s list, how many of his points appear in this passage? I do not see any. It is possible, of course, that God took Abraham aside at some point prior to this moment and explained all of those things, but (1) it would seem that God would include such an important conversation in the biblical record and (2) this would be an argument based on eisogesis, i.e., reading into the text what is not there.

The second illustration comes from the Book of Acts when Peter goes to Joppa in answer to the prayer of Cornelius, a Gentile:

Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
“The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all) — you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
“We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.
“God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
“And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
“Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.

- Ac 10.34-44

In comparing record of salvation with Adrian’s list, we find more correspondence with his points and the experience of Cornelius’ household. But what is also evident is that not all his points were present and that salvation occurred before Peter even had an opportunity to call for repentance and faith! There does not appear to be any mention of substitutionary atonement, either, or an admission by the people that they were sinners.

I believe it was the last sentence Peter uttered just prior to being interrupted by the Holy Spirit: “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” The people believed in God, i.e., Jesus Christ. It was faith in a Person once again. The people were saved because the Holy Spirit was at work convicting the people of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn 16.8-11). Were they consciously aware that they were repentant or exercising faith at that moment? The text does not say. I would argue, though, that the object of their faith was Jesus Christ.

The verse that I would present as providing the essential answer to the question, “What must I do to be saved?” is found in Rom 4.5. An exposition of that verse will be the subject of the next post.

Part 2: The Simple Good News

Old Testament

1. a
2. c
3. b
4. e
5. b
6. c

7. f
8. e
9. i
10. d
11. b
12. a

13. T
14. T
15. F
16. F
17. T
18. F
19. T
20. T

21. c
22. d
23. a
24. e
25. b

26. Psalms
27. Exodus or Deuteronomy
28. Esther
29. Ecclesiastes
30. Judges
31. Daniel
32. Exodus
33. Job
34. Malachi
35. 2 Samuel
36. Proverbs
37. Jeremiah
38. Song of Songs
39. Jonah
40. Genesis

New Testament

41. a
42. d
43. d
44. c
45. d
46. b
47. e
48. a
49. a
50. b
51. d
52. d

53. T
54. F
55. F
56. T
57. T
58. T
59. T
60. F

61. h
62. b
63. g
64. f
65. a
66. c
67. e
68. d

69. Romans
70. John
71. Acts
72. Galatians
73. John
74. Luke
75. 2 Timothy
76. 1 John
77. Revelation
78. 1 Peter
79. Romans
80. 1 Corinthians

Theology/Apologetics

81. a
82. a
83. b
84. c
85. b
86. d
87. b
88. d
89. c
90. c
91. a
92. d
93. b
94. a
95. a

96. F
97. F
98. T
99. F
100. T

I am astonished sometimes by my doubts. Not the content of my doubts, mind you, but the contradiction or illogic of them. Here’s what I mean:

I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To be more theologically precise, I believe in the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. I don’t question this: to me, it is an established fact based on reliable, eye-witness, historical evidence.

I believe that God created the physical realms - what we label the universe and all it contains - from absolutely nothing. He spoke them into existence. It wasn’t magic; it was power. I’m not sure when He did it, but I know that He did it and how He did it. And I also believe that, before He made the visible, physical world, He had already created the unseen, spiritual world.

I believe that Jesus Christ, during His Bible-recorded earthly ministry, changed water to wine, walked on water, healed the blind, and raised people from the dead. He could do any of these things and much more. After all, He created the universe and sustains it: how hard can it be for Him to heal or give life to one of us?

I believe that Jesus Christ’s death on a cross paid the penalty for my sins, and that by faith in Him - a faith that is intellectual, emotional, volitional, and (consequentially) behavioral - I am forgiven, made a child of God, and placed into the Body of Christ. I believe I’m locked in for good: I can’t give back or lose my salvation.

I believe not only that my sins have been removed from my account and charged to His, but that His righteousness has been credited to me. I seem to misplace it from time to time, but He’s got it recorded in the heavenlies.

All this and more I believe without doubting.

But here’s where I get tripped up (it’s embarassing to admit this): I have a hard time imagining Jesus Christ returning with the saints to set up His kingdom on the earth, and picturing Him actually, physically ruling on the planet for 1,000 years, including leap years.

This is not a theological struggle for me: I believe that this is what the Scriptures teach. I have read the reasoning of amillenialists and postmillenialists alike; I have great respect for them and do not doubt or question their sincerity or commitment to Christ in the least. They look at the evidence and come to their conclusions, and I look at the same evidence and come to my premillenial conclusion. So it’s not about doctrine.

I just can’t envision it. I can’t get my mind to go there.

“Well”, you might reply, “you just have a problem with prophecy. You believe what has already happened, but you don’t believe that God can predict and then fulfill what has yet to happen but has already been determined.” No, I don’t think so. I believe Jesus Christ is going to return, that He will raise the dead and transform the living, that He will create a new heaven and a new earth. So it’s not about prophecy in general. And I’m not a believer in so-called “Open Theology,” which is perhaps more accurately called “Indeterminate Theology” or “Open-Ended Theology.”

I just have a hard time envisioning Jesus Christ sitting on a throne ruling over the earth for 1,000 years. What is that going to look like?

But my bigger problem - the “meta” problem - is this: why is this such a problem for me? If I can believe all the other things (and I do), then why not this? And then what concerns me is that I may not be altogether different than those people who were walking around in Judea when He came the first time. I’m looking for something else, or something different, or I can’t believe that it’s going to be what it is, and so I don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear. Psychologically, I cannot assimilate this truth (i.e., put it in pre-existing categories) and don’t seem able to accommodate it, either (create new categories for it).

Is this where faith comes in? Is faith believing in what I can’t believe? Should I cry out to God, as did the father of the demon-possessed boy in Mk 9, “I do believe; help my unbelief”?

I don’t think so - at least, not the first part about believing what I can’t believe. I don’t subscribe to Augustine’s “believe in order that you may understand,” nor even Aquinas’ dictum “understand in order that you may believe.” I think God gives us the ability to believe when we’ve gathered enough information (whether we understand it or not). Once we’ve absorbed a sufficient amount of relevent truth from Scripture and elsewere, He transforms our minds. The Holy Spirit instructs us, enables us to adequately understand, and gives us the settled assurance of things to come. He creates new categories or shows me how it fits in old ones.

When that time comes, I may not have the script all written out in front of me, but I’ll know that I can leave it in God’s hands and allow Him to work out His will in His time and in His way.

If a pastor were ever so desperate as to allow me to speak on Easter morning, Paul’s above charge to the Corinthians would be my text.

Now, I recognize that the overflowing pews on Easter morning are a target-rich environment, a veritable killing field of an opportunity to preach the gospel to all those strange faces that find their way to church for this one Sunday out of the year. And because Easter is such a great social and cultural event in our country, most messages on that Spring morning tend to have an evangelistic thrust to them.

There is certainly nothing wrong with evangelistic messages, and preaching them to unbelievers is a good idea. But is Easter always the time for that? I didn’t become a Christian until I was 25 and, for the most part, only darkened the doors of churches on Easter mornings - if then. To be honest, though, I didn’t think there was much reason to come back on any other Sunday: every time I came to church on that one day out of the year, the message sounded a whole lot like the one I had heard the year before and the year before that and . . .

It made me wondered why people came every Sunday: didn’t they get tired of the same basic sermon week after week?

But now as a Christian (for 30 years) it seems to me that Easter - if it is to be singled out and celebrated on a particular day - should be an in-house event, something to be observed by those who are members of the Body of Christ because they have trusted in Jesus as their Savior. It should be a memorial for believers, not unbelievers.

This, however, seems to get lost in an effort to “get the gospel out” yet again to people who have already heard it so many times that they’re immune to it. For many it has become a yearly innoculation, kind of a spiritual flu shot: come to church on Easter Sunday, hear the gospel (or not hear it, more accurately), make sure nothing’s changed, and then go home with the confidence that you’re good for another year.

That is not what Paul’s command is about, of course: he was not telling the Corinthians to observe Easter and the resurrection of Christ. Nor is it a call to dwell on the true Passover Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world. The feast in view here is not Passover: that feast is over - “our Passover also has been sacrificed” - and the immediately following feast is what Paul is telling the Corinthians to observe.

The question, then, is what feast is he talking about?

To find that out, we have to look at the Jewish calendar and what followed Passover. Moses commands the Israelites in Ex 13.3-10 to observe the week-long festival in remembrance of their delieverance - salvation - from Egypt as a result of the Passover. They were to eat only unleavened bread; not only that, there was not to be any leaven anywhere within the community of believers during this time.

Leaven - or yeast - in the Bible is usually (but not always) a symbol of sin. Grain offerings at the Temple were not to contain any leaven, and when Jesus warned the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod, He was talking about their sinful influence. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a call to eliminate sin in each Israelite’s individual life and in the corporate life of the nation.

Christ did not save us so that we might gorge ourselves with yeast-filled bread. A person might choose to do this as a Christian, but it is unbelievably stupid. It is to remain in the worst imaginable prison after the price for our freedom has been paid and we have been given the keys to the door.

What Paul is saying, and what the celebration of Easter should remind us of and call us to, is a life of holiness and purity. It is because we have been redeemed, forgiven of our sins, given eternal life, and made into a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit that we are to respond by setting ourselves apart from sin. We are not, as Paul says, to live a life characterized by malice or wickedness; we are to live in sincerity and truth.

(The order here is critical. An unleavened life is supposed to follow salvation, not be the means of salvation, and a leavened life affects our fellowship with God and other believers. It does not diminish or negate the efficacy of the blood of our salvation.)

Easter, then, should be a time to look forward and consider what should be our reasonable response to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is a day to examine ourselves carefully, to identify the leaven that may have slipped undetected into our lives, and to turn from it and walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called (Eph 4.1). It is a time to remember that we are not our own, that we have been purchased with a price, and that we ought to therefore glorify God in our lives (1 Co 6.20).

Even as the Israelites were to avoid leaven and to rid their nation of sin, so individual believers must turn from sin and to cleanse the church from sin. This is the feast to be celebrated following salvation.

Our Passover has been sacrificed. Our immediate response should be to celebrate with a life free from sin.