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ICT540Introduction to Christian Theology

Session XIIISanctification and Faith

Introductory Comments

-Here again we face a difficult question. How are justification and sanctification related? The role of faith is once again crucial to our answer to this question. There is a real danger here of lapsing into a works righteousness.

-The role of the Holy Spirit as Sanctifier is the missing link in many attempts at the doctrine of sanctification.

I. Sanctification defined

a)The meaning of Sanctification; hagios – to be holy or set apart.

-That is, holiness is seen in terms of likeness to God. Sanctification is the process whereby we are transformed from a broken image, to the image of God’s own Son for the sake of glorification. Rom. 8:1-31. As such, it builds on justification but is not to be confused with it. It begins from the point of the Spirit’s dwelling in us at justification. It is the application to the believer of the finished work of Christ by the Holy Spirit.

b) The senses of Sanctification

i)We are sanctified in terms of being set apart from the profane and mundane. (O.T.) We are also sanctified in terms being set apart as a people of God, I Pet. 2:9. The term “saint” therefore applies to all the “living stones” of God’s “temple”, I Cor. 1:2.

ii) We are also sanctified in terms of moral transformation by the Holy Spirit. This sense is secondary to the first and follows as an effect of the first. In the power of the Spirit we are transformed into righteous and pure individuals. Where justification is instantaneous and declarative, sanctification is position and process. Sanctification is a life long process and will not be completed here. Justification as a position is assured, while sanctification varies in intensity, though it to is assured in the eschaton.. Justification is God’s objective declarative statement regarding our position before Him. Sanctification is the subjective work of the Spirit bringing to fruition Christ likeness

c) Characteristics of Sanctification – How can we identify it in our lives?

i)It is first and foremost a supernatural work – God is the one who works in us. I Thess. 5:23; Eph. 5:26; Titus 2:14; Heb. 13:20-21

ii) It is progressive, Phil. 1:6; I Cor. 1:18, that is, “from glory unto glory”

iii) It aims at likeness to the person of Christ, Rom. 8:29, “to be conformed to…”

iv) It is supernatural in terms of the Holy Spirit’s agency; Gal. 5:16-25; Rom. 8:1f

v)It is at first passive and then active; God commands and empowers, we obey; Phil. 2:12-13; Rom. 12:1-2, 9, 16-17.

d) Sanctification cannot be completed in our present state.

-The concept of “entire sanctification” is a pipe dream and cannot happen in this lifetime. The idea of entire sanctification has its roots in Pelagianism. If you claim one can finally achieve sinless ness, I say, “Show me who.” Wesley and Finney were very wrong here and have caused theology much grief. Entire sanctification is based on texts taken out of context; e.g. Matt. 5:48, “be ye perfect…”; c.f. I Thess. 5:23; Eph. 4:13; Heb. 13:20-21. Clearly the Scripture tells us we will struggle with sin for the rest of our natural lives; I Jn. 1:8-10; Rom. 7. The reason is that we can never achieve Christ likeness in our fallen world. Sin is pervasive in terms of omission and commission preventing our final perfection here. When Jesus calls us to be “complete” he has an eschatological view in mind. The standard to aim at is to be made into the image of Christ. We can move toward completion now in full expectation of future finishing. While sin will persist, we can and will persevere in the power of the Spirit. The true Christian is continually molded into the likeness of Christ despite sin.

II. Perseverance: Kept by the Power of God

a) Will we be “kept by the power of God” or is salvation unsure?

-Does eternal security necessarily imply ethical laxity? Hebrews tells us that we are to “preserver” until we are received into the kingdom and experience the final rest of God. Heb 4:11-19. But there are two interpretations of Hebrews here. Heb. 6:11-12

b) The Calvinist view as opposed to Arminus.

-Both agree on the sanctifying power of God and His faithfulness. Both agree that salvation is not of works but of grace. Both agree that the Holy Spirit is the agent of sanctification, and both are convinced that salvation is the complete and effective work of God. But they disagree on two crucial points related to faith. Calvinists affirm that since God has elected us out of the mass of fallen humanity, the elect will necessarily receive eternal life. To lose ones salvation is to say the God’s election is ineffectual. Thus, the Saints must “persevere” through to salvation.

-This is supported by Scripture, I Pet. 7:3-5; Phil. 1:6; Rom. 8:31-39; Heb. 7:25; Jn. 11:42; Rom. 14:4; I Cor. 10:13; Jn. 10: 27-30; II Tim. 1:12, “I know whom …” Calvinists also infer that other doctrines support this, Jn. 15:1-11 relating to the decrees of God.

c) Arminians – Believed one could lose ones salvation. Matt. 24:3-14

-Paul seems to suggest this possibility in Col. 1:21-23a. Arminians see the call to “continue in the faith” as a tacit statement of a soteria; Heb. 6:11-12; Heb. 6:4-6; Heb. 10:26-27.

-But where Scripture shows apostates, they are clearly seen as non-elect, I Sam. 28:6; cf. I Tim. 1:19-20; Hymanaeus, II Tim. 1:19-20. They also say the Calvinist view conflicts with human freedom

d) Can we reconcile these views – do we have to choose one view?

-Jesus makes it clear that those who have eternal life “will never perish”. The Heb. 6:4-6 passage is problematic. Is the person in view 1. Genuinely regenerate 2. Not genuinely regenerate or 3. Hypothetically lost and yet saved.

-The fact that the phraseology is “conditional” does suggest that this is a hypothetical position. The referents in vs. 4-6 who could be lost are those in vs. 9 who are actually saved. While Heb. 6 suggests that we can fall away, Jn. 10 teaches that we “will not”. This preserves our freedom and yet God’s sovereign power to keep us. Without these warnings we would have less of a moral sensitivity. Thus, we persevere through our steadfast faith in the power of the Holy Spirit Rom. 5

-“The practical implications of our understanding of the doctrine of perseverance is that believers can rest secure in the assurance of faith that their salvation is permanent; on the other hand we must be on guard against moral or spiritual laxity.”

-“Assurance of salvation, the subjective conviction that one is a Christian, results form the Holy Spirit’s giving evidence that he is at work in the life of the individual.” (Erickson, 333)

III. Glorification – The Final Position in Christ. Rom. 8:29-31

-Here sanctification and eschatology overlap in terms of the now and not yet. Glorification is both an individual aim and corporate destiny. It even entails the completion of creation. Rom. 8:18-25.

a) The meaning of glory (Heb. Ķābôd) is splendor, greatness and completeness.

-Ps. 24:7-10; Is. 6:1-6. in Old Testament it is God’s alone after the Fall. The New Testament Doxa means brightness, completion, fullness and likeness. Jesus is the ultimate standard. Jn. 1:14-18; 17:1-5; Acts 3:13-15.

b) Glorification of the believer – “We shall be like Him”

-The Scriptures tell us that “those whom He justified He also glorified” and that the new Adam brings the new image – i.e. renewed Adam, Rom. 5:9-10. Then spiritual and moral perfection will coincide, Col. 1:22. We shall be spotless and blameless, Eph. 1:4; Phil. 1:9-11; I Cor. 1:8 Then we shall know him for we shall see him as he is – I Cor. 13:12; I Jn. 3:2. Our whole being, body and Spirit will be involved, Phil. 3:20-21. The mortal will be swallowed up in immortality. I Cor. 15. We will be made glorious, complete, spiritual and yet embodied.

-Ramm suggests, “In short, the attributes of the resurrection body may be equated with the glorification of that body. This glorification is no process, no matter of growth, but occurs suddenly, dramatically at the end of time.”

c) This will also entail the renewal of all creation

-Gen. 3:14-19; Rom. 8:18-25; “The whole of creation groans…” Rev. 21:1-2, 5 tells us “behold I make all things new”. The doctrine of preservation and recreation of creation guarantees salvation will never be lost. Thus we live in the light of “the Hope of Glory”.

THS 540Introduction to Christian Theology

Session XIVThe People of God: The Nature and Mission of the Church

Introductory Comments

-Theology as communal self-description for church and world. The church remains the sole object of Christ in terms of edification, gifting and calling.

-Securing a correct biblical orientation to ecclesiology is central to the task of theology today. How do we talk of the body in terms of community.

I. The Emergence of the People of God in the Scriptures

a) Here we enter the portion of Christian doctrine upon which few agree.

-Because it is a human institution, which is subject to scrutiny, it is often criticized. The question is, is the church as we see it equal to the church as God sees it? The task is to get God’s perspective on the church and keep it in focus. Thus, the place to start is with the Scriptures and there we must endeavor to stay.

-The Biblical concept of church (Gk. Εκκλησια Heb. Qāhāl) simply means the gathering or assembling as an act of “coming together”. In the New Testament it means both the church invisible and the universal; Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4; 5:23. On the other hand it means a localized gathering of believers, e.g. Corinthians.

b)The most important distinguishing feature of the church in the New Testament is unity in the spirit and heart; Jn. 17:20-23; I Cor. 12; Eph. 4:1-16; Phil. 2:2, etc.

-The problem we are presented with here is the reality of church unity today. We love to contravene the command to live in unity both micro and macrocosmically. What do we mean, then, by church unity?

i)Is it spiritual in nature, as some contend? Are we a set of desperate groups who believe the same things but teach and practice them in different ways. Here, unity applies to the universal, invisible church.

ii)Is our unity grounded in a mutual recognition and fellowship? Though we have different denominations and practices, our core message is the same; thus we can enter into fellowship as here at ACTS.

iii)Perhaps our unity consists in a consular way, i.e. ecumenical. Can we witness to our own traditions and message as distinct and yet cooperate?

iv)Is our unity an organic unity? Should we just amalgamate as did the UCC with its roots in Methodism, Presbyterianism and Congregationalist? Of course we have seen how successful this has been! Interestingly, in an era when denominational boundaries are being ignored, ecumenism and organic unity is in decline.

c) What are some of the Biblical images that help us understand the church?

i)The first, and most prominent, is the image of the elected people of God (Father) II Cor. 6:16.

-The church is constituted in the Scriptures as God’s chosen people. Here God is the one who elects all along the line = but election begins with Adam, not Abraham. In the Old Testament, God created a people for Himself. While the instance is Abraham, the process of choosing extends back beyond creation. In the New Testament the Gentiles are seen to be grafted in; Rom. 9-11; II Thess. 2:13-14. Israel is everywhere identified as God’s chosen people in Ex. 15:13-16; Num. 14:8; Deut. 32:9-10; Is. 62:4. Rom. 9:24-26 makes it clear that the calling of Israel includes the Gentiles.

-Indeed the true church is the “spiritual seed” of Abraham - the true church. As the people of God we are the “apple of His eye”, Deut. 32:10. He cares for us as such. We are, furthermore, sealed and identified as His people in spiritual circumcision. We are, as the spiritually sealed, the members of the covenant community. Rom. 2:29. Thus, we are set apart (αγίος) and called to holiness and service. The church is preeminently marked by love as the people of God, Eph. 5:25bf

ii)The Scripture also refers to the church as the Body of Christ. As such the church is the embodiment of the Gospel of Christ. Christ is the head of his body, which consists of the church universal and local; Eph. 1:22-23; I Cor. 12:27. But the image of the Body focuses on the functionality of the church. We are “in Christ” as members of his body – several features are important here.

  1. Christ is the Head of his body, the church; Col. 1:8 (Son). As such all things have their origin and consummation in him. Eph. 1:10. All things in the church are held together and nurtured in him; Col. 2:19. All things in the church come under his authority; Col. 2:9-10
  2. As the Body, the church is interconnected and interdependent. We are all members of one body, I Cor. 12, one faith, baptism, hope, Lord. In our mutuality we edify and encourage one another, Eph. 4:11-16. Thus, discipline is crucial to that body; Matt. 18:8,17; Rom. 16:17.
  3. The Body is characterized by genuine fellowship – koinoneia. Rejoicing with those who rejoice, suffering with those who suffer, etc. I Cor. 12:6 Romans 12: 3-5
  4. The Body of Christ is to be a unified body; both in terms of leadership (I Cor. 1:10-17) and ministry (I Cor. 11-14)
  5. The Body of Christ is both local and universal and is all inclusive of the elect from every tribe, tongue and nation, gender and social class; Col. 3:11; Rom. 11; Gal. 3:28
  6. As the Body of Christ, the church is the instrument of the Spirit for the proclamation of the Gospel, the nurture and edification of the body and the guarantor of the faith; Matt. 23:18-20; Jn. 13:16; Acts and I Cor.

iii)The Church is also referred to as the temple (Spirit).

-The temple of the Holy Spirit who brought the church into being; Acts 1:8-2:4. As the temple of the Spirit the church is baptized into one body; I Cor. 12:13. As such we are indwelt by the Spirit; I Cor. 3:16-17, so that he may impart life, giftedness, fruitfulness, purpose and direction. The Holy Spirit gives us power, purpose and a plan; Acts 1:8. He leads the church into all truth; Jn. 14, 16. He is the agent of unity who binds us together into one building. Therefore, the church takes its cue from him, because we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh; Rom. 8:9-10. “The Holy Spirit renders believers who are set in their ways, responsive and obedient to the leading of the Lord.’ As such, he is the Sovereign Lord of the church who sanctifies it and makes it ready to be the bride of Christ.

iv)The church as a temple of the Holy Spirit, contains and matters as “a royal priesthood, a holy nation.”

Implications

  1. The church, though human in our eyes, is God’s agent for change and is grounded in Scripture, visible and invisible.
  2. The church exists as a product of God’s triune relationality
  3. The church is the organ and instrument of God’s ministry to the world in the power of the Spirit.
  4. The church is a mutually edifying, faith preserving, Holy Spirit empowered body.
  5. The church, though ordained of God, is nevertheless inhabited by humans.

II. The Ministry of the Church: Function

a) Evangelism in obedience to the Great Commission is our mission – Matt. 28:18-19

-Here, Jesus issues his one directive to his “assembled” body of disciples. This call to “go” is in the imperative mood and is thus a command. Evangelism then, is a sign of the church’s faithfulness to the gospel. The authority for evangelism is both proclamation and reception is “Christ”. Thus, we have both the command and the power to go. The extend of the commission is all inclusive; Acts 1:8. To accomplish this, therefore, they were also commanded to wait for the Spirit. While no method is sanctioned by Christ, clearly the task is commanded.

b) But the Church also functions to bring spiritual maturity (edification)

-This is a logically prior task because evangelism requires it; Eph. 4:12. Yet, both are carried out simultaneously. Spiritual maturity includes the fruitfulness in the Spirit; Gal. 5:23. It includes the mutual edification through giftedness; I Cor. 12-14 and mutual fellowship and sharing in joys and trials as well teaching.

c) Worship – Rom. 12:1-2; Jn. 4

-Here the mature church turns toward the gracious Lord of glory. Worship includes giving in every aspect; I Cor. 16:2. It includes regular assembly for worship; Heb. 10:25. Its means of worship includes “Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody”, and It includes the whole of our being individually and corporately

d) The church functions in ministry as it ministers to the whole being.

-Love reaches not only up to God, but out to one another and the needy. Luke’s Gospel is a testimony to Christ’s passion for the needy. Matt. 25:31-46 sees whole person ministry as the definition of our Christian character. Social concern for the church includes fighting injustice. We need to gain a new social conscience in Evangelicalism lest we be charged with ministry without integrity.

III. But at its Core, the Church’s Ministry is Proclamation

a) The real task of the church is passionate proclamation of the εύανγελιοη, the good news of the Gospel.

-Jesus claims this as his appointed task in Lk. 4:18. This passage included both social action and gospel proclamation.

b) More than any other Biblical writer, Paul gives full shape to this mission of the church.

-He saw it as both active proclamation, and a safe guarding of the content of the gospel; I Cor. 9:14. For Paul, that content included both his doctrinal and ethical teachings in the sense that they cannot be separated. It was to be protected from those who would compromise it, even Peter and James. It was to be centered in the death and resurrection of Christ. This Gospel has its own power to save and is self proclaiming. Nothing was to be added or taken away; Gal. 2-3. Thus, proclamation is not defense as such, but the sharing of the positive content of the Gospel