A Different Gospel?
One of the questions we get a lot is about how I as a Protestant in general and a Calvinist in particular can share space amicably with those in traditions that don’t believe in justification by grace through faith alone.
Don’t Catholics and the Orthodox deny this doctrine and thus place themselves outside the true church?
Can they be saved believing in a “different gospel” ?
The ages have clouded the importance of this doctrine to the church…the material principle of the Reformation was justification, the formal principle was biblical authority and the two were linked together in the minds of the Reformers.
Luther called it the doctrine by which the church stands or falls and the rest of the Reformers said amen.
I affirm the the doctrine with the same zeal as my forefathers and teach it and believe it with all the faith I have.
I believe those who do not teach and believe it are in gross error.
Justification by grace through faith is a hill I would die on.
The question then becomes why do you call Catholics and the Orthodox brothers and sisters in the faith?
I do so because I believe the Gospel that saves is about the person and work of Christ, not about the mechanics of salvation.
Saving faith is about placing your trust in Jesus…believing in His incarnation, sinless life, death for your sins, resurrection, ascent, and return to judge the quick and the dead.
When the Ethiopian eunuch asked “what must I do to be saved?” the answer was simple…believe on the One you’ve been reading about.
“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
(Romans 10:8–9 ESV)
I believe that there are those in all the Christian traditions that have made that confession with their mouths that reflected the faith in their hearts that Jesus is Lord and they will indeed share in His resurrection.
Justification by grace through faith is a hill I would die on…but not one that I will slay others on.
If we are saved by grace through faith that covers their gross doctrinal errors…and mine as well.
We’ll be talking about this on the next episode of Calvin’s Corner as well.
“……. the Gospel that saves is about the person and work of Christ, not about the mechanics of salvation.”
Yes. How thankful I am for that truth!
Love this.
Now I have three categories for my beliefs:
A hill to die on. A hill not to die on. A hill to die on yet not slay others on either.
Beautiful.
….justification by grace through faith is the perfect example of that third category.
I know I must not be reading the words properly but … are people in this scenario saved by “a different gospel”? or is it they are saved by the true gospel even though they reject the true gospel and also teach this “other” gospel?
I know we want to be nice. but come on.
We are all saved by faith in Christ…not all the doctrines we formulate beyond that Him.
Greg Laurie, Bob Coy, James MacDonald, Mark Driscoll, Joel Osteen, Ed Young, Steven Furtick and insert-your-millionaire mega-pastor here are all modern examples of the “Rich Young Ruler”
Millionaires via the Gospel and Jesus. Hard to be a “servant” raking in millions and living in million dollar homes etc.
Please forgive the technical difficulties.
I’m trying to move the site to a more secure, faster server.
It appears we’ve accomplished that but lost some content.
I like the distinction between salvation and the mechanics of salvation. If I hear you correctly, we get caught up in the mechanics and miss the salvation piece.
Nice avatar Steve! Should we call you Ben?
We have more in common with Catholics and Orthodox, and some Arminians. 🙂
Its like that joke about a the two guys who find out that they are both Christians and drill down until they finally find something that they disagree about, then one calls the other a heretic and pushes him off the bridge.
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” John 17:20 – 23
And just found (another) book to put on my wishlist:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Assurance-Salvation-Studies-John/dp/1433540517
What’s there to “forgive”? This site is free of charge, offered as a ministry. Now if I was paying a subscription…
Neo,
I greatly appreciate the times that people take to read and comment here.
This blog has lasted for more than a decade because of the participation of all of us, not because I’m a profound thinker or writer.
I need people to know that and that I value their contributions.
You’ve displayed the truth that often a question is really a statement. Can they be saved? Ummm…..to state the obvious, those two groups (O and C) are the two branches of the Original Church (the one that Christ promised to protect and lead into all truth). It’s really those two groups that should be asking if anyone else can be saved.
It’s sad that others came along, totally changed the church, and then have the audacity to ask if those who stayed faithful to the original Church can be saved.
But to the point, you’re misinformed if you think the Orthodox believe in a works based salvation. As I’ve explored Orthodoxy in recent years, I’ve seen there a far greater belief (and I do mean real BELIEF) in God’s grace than I ever did in my Calvinistic church that talked about grace all the time. The Orthodox simply see grace and works as two sides to the same coin. You can’t have one without the other. That’s what they’ve believed now, oh, for the last 2,000 years. One of the (many) tragedies of the Reformation was that for the first time in the 1,500 year history of the church, we saw the pitting of these two things against each other. I won’t list the verses that talk about grace, only because you know all of those (and I of course affirm them). But for the other side of the coin, try James 2:24-26, Phil 2:12, 2 Peter 1:5 (make every effort….).
Bob
You can call me Mr. Hendrix. My brother drew that with a pencil.
Michael. Got it. I was just trying to relieve you of pressure.
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“One of the questions we get a lot is about how I as a Protestant in general and a Calvinist in particular can share space amicably with those in traditions that don’t believe in justification by grace through faith alone.”
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Luke 9:48-56 gives us an insight into the actions and reactions of James and John.
“…And whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for he who is least among you, this is the one who is great.”
And John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to hinder him because he does not follow along with us.”
But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.”
We all receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
We all serve Him as such.
We all share this in common.
Therefore we do not “hinder” each other in our ministering and share “space amicably” here and elsewhere.