God's Decree and Man's Freedom

When Governor Pilate looked at Jesus, he did not have the eyes to see the truth of who was standing before him. What's more, he did not have the eyes to see neither the limit nor the true origin of his own power as governor. This was especially demonstrated when Jesus refused to answer one of Pilate's questions - to which Pilate responded in great arrogance: "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have the authority to crucify you" (Jn.19:10)? At this incredibly brazen statement, Jesus broke His silence and put Pilate in his place: "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above" (Jn.19:11, italics mine).

These words of Christ were a sobering revelation to this pagan Roman ruler. For they revealed the truth that no matter what Pilate chose to do, his actions were only carrying out a greater purpose and power that he could not see. Pilate's every decision and the fulfillment thereof was "to do whatever [God's] hand and...plan had predestined to take place" (see Acts 4:27-28). In short, Pilate's choices were simply but profoundly (even mysteriously!) establishing God's decree.

Now it might be asked in the light of this truth: "Well, if Pilate was fulfilling God's decree, then does that make him nothing but a mere puppet with no free will?" This is a typical response raised as a matter of objecting to the truth that God has decreed everything that comes to pass (including the choices of a man who would order the crucifixion of the Son of God). But what must be recognized, is that God's sovereign decree does not violate the will of man, but actually sustains and provides his freedom to choose; while at the same time, God fulfills His sovereign plan by the means of those choices. Consider how God's Word states this truth in the Book of Proverbs:

"The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord." (16:1)

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." (16:9)

"Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." (19:21)

"The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will." (21:1)

"No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord." (21:30)

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord." (21:31)

In each of these passages it should be clear that man makes real choices. He plans and devises to do many things. But none of his choices work against God's decretive will nor do they overturn God's decretive will - but instead, they establish what God has already planned to happen in time.

In the 1689 Baptist Confession, consider the careful and insightful words written to declare this relationship between God's decretive will and man's freedom of choice: "Neither, by reason of [God's] decree, is the will of any creature whom He has made violated; nor is the free working of second causes put aside; rather is it established." We are not puppets with no volition, freedom, or power. Man has genuine freedom which can be defined as "the absence of external coercion." Or, as Sam Waldron put it: "If a man is not forced by any power outside himself to do that which is contrary to 'what he wants to do', then we may properly say that he is 'free'." Bringing greater clarity to this truth, with an important qualification, G.I. Williamson observed:

"The wonder of God's predestination is that God does leave men free in this sense, even though he predestines everything that every man will ever do. Some people use the word "freedom" in another sense, however, which is false in the extreme. They mean, by the 'freedom' of man, that man is able to do good or evil at any moment of time. To say that man is able to do good or evil, is very different from saying that a man is at liberty to do what he desires. We believe that man has liberty but not ability to do what is right. For the truth is that man, while free from coercion from the 'outside' is not free from the control of his own nature. He who is evil by nature must of necessity do evil. Just as we may say that God is good and therefore cannot do evil, so we may say that man (by nature) is evil and cannot (of himself) do good."

So when we talk about man's freedom of choice, we need to be clear about what this means biblically. Man is free to do what he wants but this does not mean that he is able to do whatever he wants. He is free to follow the desires of his nature; and God does not violate that freedom. Thus the Scripture says: "The heart of man plans his way..." (Prov.16:9). Man's "heart" (or nature) is free to choose. There is no coercion here on the part of God, or anyone else for that matter. However, what man chooses to do is not independent of God's sovereign decree. Man's freedom exists under the sovereign rule and reign of God, ordering and establishing the steps of man to fulfill God's eternal purpose. Man therefore is only as free to follow the desires of his heart as God has permitted in His sovereign will.

A good example of this is in Genesis 20, when king Abimelech took Abraham's wife, Sarah, to be his wife (under the false idea that Sarah was Abraham's sister). But before Abimelech could consummate the marriage, the Scripture says that, "God came to Abimelech in a dream by night" (20:3) - in this dream, God declared that this pagan king was a "dead man" for taking another man's wife. In response to this charge, Abimelech protested to God that he was completely innocent in this affair because both Abraham and Sarah told the king that they were siblings. Moreover, at this point, Abimelech had not yet had sexual relations with Sarah.

Now in view of the king's innocence in this matter, God said to him: "Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart..." (20:6a). In this statement, God is not only acknowledging Abimelech's innocence, but even the freedom of what he desired to do by taking Sarah to be his wife. However, the only reason why Abimelech had not yet consummated the marriage, was because God did not permit him. God said to this king: "...it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her." Abimelech followed the desires of his heart to take Sarah to be his wife; but his freedom to do this was entirely under God's sovereign will - thus he was not able to consummate the marriage because God did not let him. "The heart of a man plans his way, BUT the Lord establishes his steps" (Prov.16:9). Man therefore is only as free to follow the desires of his heart as God has permitted in His sovereign will.

Thus, Pilate was free and responsible for the choices he made against Christ (God did not force Pilate to hand Jesus over to be crucified). Yet, all of Pilate's free choices were only the "second causes" for Jesus going to the cross. The "first cause" for Christ to be crucified was God's eternal decree (Isa.53:10; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28). God therefore preordained both the ends and the means that put His Son on the cross.

So then, when we affirm the biblical truth that God has ordained everything that comes to pass - we are not denying that man makes real, responsible choices that have real consequences which he will be held accountable to answer. However, what we do affirm, is that nothing man chooses to do can override or thwart God's sovereign decree. For if in some sense God does not ordain everything that comes to pass, then He is not really sovereign; and if He is not sovereign, then He is not God. Perish the thought!

Is God the Author of Sin?

There is probably very few of us who are comfortable with unanswered questions. If we inquire about something, we simply expect an answer. In most circumstances this would not be an unfair or even arrogant assumption. However, when it comes to the nature and works of God, it is not only unreasonable but insolent to demand an answer for everything that concerns who God is and what He does (e.g., Rom.9:19-21).

First of all, it is unreasonable to demand that God explain everything about Himself for the simple fact that we are finite and He is infinite (Job 11:7). Our understanding is so limited by our creatureliness and marred by our sinfulness, that it is impossible to fully understand God. Even with being divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit to write God's Word, Paul the apostle had to confess: "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways" (Rom.11:33)!

But worse than unreasonable, it is insolent for any of us to put "God in the dock", as it were, and demand answers of His nature and works. One reason for such bold impudence is due to our sinful pride, that expresses itself in the postured attitude that it is "my right" to know all that God is doing (e.g., Job 30:16-31:40). Another reason for such arrogance toward God, is because we think (though foolishly and unintentionally, if we are true believers) that God is just like us (cf. Psa.50:21a), and treat Him as if what He does must be given our approval if it can be signed off as a good thing. And by this kind of arrogance, many people in the visible church react in hostile anger toward those parts of God's revealed Word which they cannot understand and seem to them as either unfair or unreasonable. "My God," they retort, as if they own the Almighty, "would never do a thing like that!"

But the truth of the matter is - God can and does whatever He pleases (Psa.115:3); and He owes no one an explanation for what He chooses to do (Deut.29:29; Rom.9:20,21). Moreover, whatever God does is always right, holy, and just (Gen.18:25; Ex.15:11; Num.23:19), no matter how unthinkable and beyond our understanding it may be (see Hab.1-3).

Now with this said, I want to consider another crucial aspect of God's decretive will, which (with humble admission) we cannot wrap our minds completely around: God's decree does not make God either the author of sin nor responsible for it. Though God has "from all eternity...decreed all that should happen in time" (ref. 1689 Baptist Confession: chapter three, paragraph one) - yet, He has not brought to pass everything in exactly the same way. So then, the sinful actions of men are all according to the counsel of God's will (Eph.1:11); however, God neither tempts anyone to sin nor can He be tempted Himself (see Jam.1:13). What does this mean? It means that God decrees the sinful actions of men in such a way that preserves to the full their freedom of choice, and thus does not at all destroy their responsibility; while at the same time, their wicked deeds serve God's sovereign purpose without making God the author of their sin.

Two of the greatest examples to this truth in Scripture are seen in the suffering of Joseph and the crucifixion of Christ. With Joseph, remember what he told his brothers in Genesis 50:20 - "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it [the evil] for good." The term translated "meant" is a Hebrew word that carries the idea of planning, devising, and inventing. Joseph's brothers planned and devised evil against him; but God was behind their evil plan to overrule it for good. Commenting on this amazing revelation from Genesis 50:20, consider R.C. Sproul's observation and application:

"[God] used the brothers' treacherous activity in order to save lives, sanctify Joseph, and bring his plan to pass. One of the most comforting passages in the New Testament is Paul's statement that 'all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose' (Rom.8:28). We must be careful here. Paul does not say that everything that happens, considered in and of itself is good. Nor is our theme song Que Sera, Sera, 'whatever will be, will be.' We do have the astounding promise, however, that everything will work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. This means that even from the bad things happening to us, God is bringing about good. This glorious concept means that we should trust God - even in the midst of tragedy, pain, disease, and suffering of all kinds. God assures us that he is working all things together for our good."

Now it should be very plain to us that Joseph understood what Paul would write centuries later to the church at Rome. The principle truth that would be later expressed by Romans 8:28 was no mere theory to Joseph, it was a living reality. God gave him the eyes to see that what his brothers did to him was God's plan all along, which was fulfilling a redeeming purpose in the end. Think about this and take it in: God ordained the evil carried out by Joseph's brothers. But Joseph's brothers were still accountable and responsible for their sin. God did not force them to do harm to Joseph, but He gave them freedom to do harm by their own will - yet, their actions all along were bringing to pass what God had already decreed. Hence, Joseph could confess that his brothers' evil intentions was the good intention of God.

The other biblical example which proves how God decrees evil and yet is not the author of it, is the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, this example is the greatest of all, since there has never been a greater sin committed by man, yet God ordained this for our redemption. Consider how this truth is expressed in a prayer recorded in Acts 4:27,28 -

"...for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontious Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place."

In this passage we see both the responsibility of man and the sovereignty of God in the same sentence, contradicting neither. First, we see the enemies of Christ mentioned by name and held accountable for their opposition to the Lord. "they gathered against your holy servant Jesus." They "gathered against" Christ of their own free will, uncoerced, not forced, but by the liberty of their own desires. In Acts 2:23, the apostle Peter indicted the Jews for this opposition against Christ, when he said: "...you crucified [Jesus] and killed by the hands of lawless men." "You did this," Peter said. "This is what you are guilty of." So then, man is responsible for his sinful actions.

But in the crucifixion of Christ, the Son of God was not nailed to the cross only because sinful man willed this to happen. There was a far greater and infinitely more powerful will at work which brought Jesus Christ to die on the cross: it was God's will to crucify His Son. Therefore, in Acts 4:28, the early church confessed that what the enemies of Christ "gathered together" to do against Jesus was in fact the fulfillmemt of a greater plan and purpose: it was "to do whatever [God's] hand and [His] plan had predestined to take place." Now think about this. Remind yourself of all the wickedness done against Jesus. He was betrayed, slandered, blasphemed against, beaten within an inch of His earthly life, given over to a kangaroo court and a blood thirsty mob, and finally nailed to a Roman cross to hang there in all His nakedness and humiliation, till He died. Nevertheless, all this wickedness was carried out against Christ by one ultimate cause: "to do whatever [God's] hand and [His] plan had predestined to take place."

No Jew or Gentile living in the first century could lift a finger, utter a word, or make plans against Jesus apart from "whatever [God's] hand and [His] plan had predestined to take place." As John MacArthur rightly affirmed based on the testimony of Acts 4:28 - "It reminds us that God is the supreme historian who wrote all history before it ever began. Having done their worst [i.e., the enemies of Christ], they merely succeeded in fulfilling God's eternal plan (cf. Acts 2:23). As the psalmist expressed it, 'The wrath of man shall praise Thee' (Psa.76:10)."

But the preeminent principle that we are attempting to see from the examples of Joseph's sufferings and Jesus' crucifixion, is that while God ordained both events and the evil in those events; yet, God remained neither the author of that evil nor responsible for it. God was the First Cause of this historical events, as He is the First Cause of all history, but He cannot be accused of being the creator and author of the sin which takes place in history. God willed sin to be here but He is not sin's author. How can this be? No one knows and no one should foolishly attempt to find out, because God has left that in His secret counsels (cf. Deut.29:29a). But what we do know is this: God is holy and there is no sin in God whatsoever. Secondly, God is sovereign and there is nothing in time that takes place apart from His sovereign decree. Thirdly, man is a sinner and responsible for his sin. Fourthly, the free sinful actions of man fulfill and carry out the divine sovereign decree of God. And finally, because man's sin carries out God's purpose, God will overrule man's sin to bring about good. Therefore, even man's sin will ultimately display the glory of God.

A Baptist Confession and God's Decree

The most well known and widely published Confession of Faith in Baptist history is The Second London Confession of 1689. It was the adopted confession for the very first Baptist Association in America in 1742 (i.e., the Philadelphia Association, est. 1707). The Charleston Association (1767) also adopted it as their confession for Baptists in the South; and in 1839, Jesse Mercer (1769-1841), republished the 1689 Confession to run as a series in The Christian Index (the Baptist state paper for Georgia) - calling it, "our Old Confession." Moreover, the 293 delegates who met in Augusta, Georgia to form The Southern Baptist Convention (May 8, 1845), all came from Baptist churches and associations who held to the 1689 Confession in its adopted form as the Philadelphia/Charleston Confession of Faith.

Now among the 32 chapters which frame this confession, the third chapter, handles with the greatest care and most well chosen words, the biblical truth of God's decree. In the first paragraph of this chapter, the overall truth of this doctrine is affirmed:

"From all eternity, God decreed all that should happen in time, and this He did freely and unalterably, consulting only His own wise and holy will. Yet in so doing He does not become in any sense the author of sin, nor does He share responsibility for sin with sinners. Neither, by reason of His decree, is the free working of second causes put aside; rather is it established. In all these matters the divine wisdom appears, as also does God's power and faithfulness in effecting that which He has purposed."

Now to just begin wrapping one's mind around this mammoth truth of Scripture, it would be helpful to simply paint with a broad brush a few central truths which are expressed in this paragraph. First, God's decree is His eternal sovereign purpose over all things in the universe. This means that we are not speaking here of what has been called "God's revealed will." The revealed will of God is clearly pronounced commands in Scripture (e.g., the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:1-17). God's will, in this respect, can be obeyed or disobeyed by man. However, God's decretive will is not "revealed" in every respect (Deut.29:29) nor is it a moral command God has given us to obey. Rather, God's decree is His eternal sovereign purpose that encompasses everything that happens in the universe. Hence nothing happens in the universe apart from God's decretive will (see Isa.46:10; Dan.4:34,35; Eph.1:11).

Second, God's decree cannot be frustrated or thwarted by man. Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." In Isaiah 14:24-27, God's decree concerning His judgment on Assyria is couched in terms which bespeak of His sovereign will as irresistible: "The Lord of hosts has sworn: 'As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand...For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who shall annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back' (vv.24,27)?

Finally, God's decree is not conditioned by anything outside of Himself. The Confession states that what God decreed, "He did freely and unalterably, consulting only His own wise and holy will." God does not wait for man to act and then decide what He should do. Never! When God decreed all things to come to pass, He did so as an act of sheer sovereign will. The universe and all its events, great and small, bow the knee to the decretive will of a holy, all-wise God who says: "it will be done."

Deism: The Denial of God's Decree

If I were to ask the typical pew-sitter in any given evangelical church in America, "Are you a deist?", I'm certain that the answer I would receive would be - "no" - and then in the same breath they would inquire, "What is a deist?" My purpose behind raising such a question is due to the fact that most Americans, combined with many professing Christians are fundamentally deistic in their thinking. I would not say they are consciously of this conviction, but it is by and large the native air many people breath in when talking about God.

Historically, deism was a movement of rationalistic thought from the mid-17th century to the mid-18th century. It basically taught that though God was the Creator of the universe, yet His purpose was to create it to run on its own. Thus, God had no personal intervention at all in the universe He made. Like a great clockmaker, deism taught that God built the clock, wound it up, and then left it to run by itself. Hence, the universe is nothing more than a great big machine run by natural laws which work independently of their Creator. Moreover, man is completely autonomous in the deistic world: he creates, determines, and fulfills his own destiny while God sits by as merely a distant spectator of man's self-determination.

Now if I raise the question again, "Are you a deist?", what would your answer be? When hurricane Katrina basically wiped out New Orleans - was God involved? When the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 were struck by blood-thirsty Muslim terroists - did God have a hand in that tragedy? What about wars, famine, disease, and death - do these things all come to pass by a sovereign God who has decreed for His own holy purposes such events? I am quite certain that questions like these posed to most professing Christians would receive a swift deistic confession. "No!," they would cry. "It is never God's will for any of these things to take place. He has nothing to do with such things." I actually heard a local preacher make such a confession by saying: "God's will is never done on earth, but He has given the earth over to the power of men." This preacher was unwittingly but foolishly teaching his congregation the ideas of deism.

The real problem with deism is that it is on a collision course with biblical Christianity. For it outright denies the plain truth of Holy Scripture that God has not only created the universe, but He also sustains it, governs it, and is in fact working all things in the universe according to the counsel of His own will (Job 12:13-25; Psa.33:8-11; Acts 17:24-28; Rom.11:36; Eph.1:11; Col.1:16,17; Rev.4:11). God is not therefore a mere spectator of events. His sovereignty means more than His knowledge of what is going to happen, but He has actually ordained what is happening.

Thus wars (Hab.1:5-11), famine (Psa.105:16), disease (Lev.14:34), weather of every kind (Job 37:1-13), food (Acts 14:17), habitations (Acts 17:26), seasons (Dan.2:21), existing authorities (Rom.13:1), physical handicaps (Ex.4:11), calamities (Isa.45:7), national sufferings (Lam.3:37,38), death (Heb.9:27), and even the little sparrow that falls from its nest (Matt.10:29) - all of these things, with the rest of what we see in the world, come to pass by God's holy decree (Isa.46:10). And though God does not bring these things to pass in exactly the same way, yet nothing happens in this world apart from His sovereign eternal will. The "god" of deism then is simply a false god. The true and living God is always ruling, reigning, sustaining, and governing His universe. Moreover, if God were otherwise, He would not even be God.

God's Decree and a Flight of Stairs

There is a story often told by many preachers, of a man who after falling down a staircase, shakes his head in relief, saying, "I'm sure glad that's over." The point of this story is to make a mockery of Christians who believe that God has preordained everything that comes to pass - including a tumble down a flight of stairs. It paints a picture of such Christians as being both foolish and fatalists. In other words, this fictional story is aimed at denying (unwittingly) the biblical doctrine of God's eternal decree as worked out in God's providence. Thus the preacher who tells the story typically says in a snide way: "God may be sovereign but He's not the cause of or in control of everything in the universe." And many Christians who hear this usually affirm it with a hearty, "Amen!"

But, I wonder if we should be so quick to agree that such a confession like this is true? I grant that the story of the man's staircase fall presents some problems if left without a biblical context. However, if we place this story in the light of Scripture, some things begin to emerge about God and man which the story alone does not tell. In the first place, the man's relief that the fall was over should be fanned out to say much more - if biblical. On the one hand, there is nothing wrong in his initial satisfaction that the tumble has ceased. For he recognizes that this fall was no mere accident of purely human carelessness; but rather, it was ordered by the sovereign purpose of God. What would inform him of this? Psalm 139:16 which affirms that in God's "book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me." Then there is Proverbs 20:24, "A man's steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way?" These two verses (along with a host of others) simply teach us that nothing happens to us by chance or even blind fate - but our "steps" and "days" have been determined by God's sovereign will.

On the other hand, this man's confession must say more: not only is he glad the fall is over, but what is God teaching him by the fall? This is the difference between God's providence and blind fatalism. Fatalism says everything is determined with no rhyme or reason, it's just impersonal force making things happen. God's providence however is God Himself ordering and governing all things with a holy purpose. Thus the man thanks God for the fall and asks God to teach him what he is to learn from the fall.

We see this in Joseph when he says to his wicked brothers: "As for you, you meant evil against me (i.e., selling him as a slave to Egypt), but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Gen.50:20). Joseph did not deny his brothers' evil actions, but he understood that God was working even this together for the good of Joseph and others (cf. Rom.8:28). In other words, the evil actions of Joseph's brothers were not the only cause for his going to Egypt. They simply established the first cause which was God's sovereign will and purpose (see Eph.1:11). This doesn't mean that God was the author of the brothers' sin nor that they were not culpable before God for what they did. But rather, God ordained through their real free choices that He would bring Joseph to Egypt for the outworking of His great and glorious plan.

So then, the man who has fallen down the steps should not only see his fall as physical clumsiness - but a loving, sovereign, wise, and holy God who ordained even this for His people's good and the display of His own glory.

Assurance in Suffering: part three
The Knowledge of God's Design for our Sufferings

Looking again at Romans 5:3 along with verse 4: "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings...knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." Why should we rejoice in our sufferings as Christians? Our joy, our boasting in pain has to have a foundational, legitimate reason - what is it? According to Romans 5:3-4, it is a "knowledge" God has revealed to us concerning His providential design for the tribulations, trials, and hardships we are going to face. The basis therefore of our rejoicing when we suffer, is knowing what this suffering is actually working out for us by God's sovereign plan. Moreover, based on the larger context of Romans 5, this knowledge of God's design for our sufferings works to bring about a greater assurance of our salvation - and thus, a greater cause for rejoicing.

So, what then should we "know" about our sufferings which God has purposed as the basis for joy and a reason for salvation-assurance? There are three things that are plainly stated here in Romans 5:3-4.

Suffering produces endurance. We rejoice in our suffering because we know that our suffering is producing endurance. But what does this mean? What is endurance? The Greek word used in this text is upomone - which means "patient endurance" or "perseverance." Taken in the present context of suffering, it means to live under difficult circumstances without trying to wiggle our way out from under them. It therefore carries the idea of "constancy." It is the ability to go on in our suffering - patiently, steadfastly enduring.

But of course, the question for us is how does suffering produce endurance? All our sufferings, under God's providence, work to make our faith in Christ stronger because they drive us more to Christ where we realize (again and again) that He is our life, our sufficiency, our all. And the outworking of this is endurance. We therefore do not become bitter, resentful, and complaining when we suffer but rather we increase in strength, steadfastness, and perseverance.

In other words, our hardships are God's means of grace to grow our faith in Him, to remain more patient and enduring as we are suffering. And by this fruit, we are assured that we are saved, that God is keeping us - because we are not denying Him but running to Him for the grace to remain faithful and carry on. Hence, knowing this we can rejoice in our sufferings...[because] suffering produces endurance.

Endurance produces character. The word translated character comes from a Greek term that simply means "proof." This word was used originally to describe the testing of metals such as silver and gold to demonstrate their purity. The idea is that when you put metal through a fiery testing and it comes out on the other side persevering and enduring, what you call that metal is "proven" or "authentic" or "genuine." And this is the sense of what we're being told here in Romans 5:4, "endurance produces character."

How can we be sure we're saved? Here is one test: do our sufferings make our faith in Christ stronger? Do they produce endurance? Perseverance? Steadfastness? If the outworking of our hardships is greater faith, love, and obedience to Christ - then we're only proving the greater truth that we are genuine believers in Jesus Christ. Endurance produces character for the authentic Christian.

Our patient perseverance under trial is only working to prove what we are claiming to be as Christians. And because this is God's design for our pain, then we can rejoice in our pain - since this is giving us greater assurance that we are really saved. Commenting once on this matter, Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) said:

"Tribulations also work in this way, that they not only bring out God's love to me, but at the same time test my love to God, and prove it. If I only love God when everything is going well. I am not truly Christian. It is the man who can say with Job, 'Even though he slay me, yet I will trust him', who is truly Christian."

Are we truly Christian? When our world is falling apart all around us is our faith, love, and obedience to Christ proving true or is it all just a sham? This is where we need to really pause and think about our character in the face of suffering. I have known many people who have once professed loudly their faith in Christ, only now to deny it all because of some experience of suffering and pain. Their adversities only proved what they really were all along: they were not Christians but hypocrites.

Where are we going to be when we face tribulation? Or, when we finally come through on the other side of a great trial - will our professed faith and love to Christ stand under the pressure of that fiery test? Listen again to our text: "suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character." For the Christian who knows this, he can rejoice, because this is God's way of sealing to His child's heart that he really belongs to the Lord. But there is one final product in God's design for our suffering which Romans 5:4 rounds off at the end:

Character produces hope. Now this should be no surprise to us. If all our suffering makes our faith, love, and obedience to Christ only greater, which in turn, brings greater proof to the authenticity of our Christian testimony - then the end result will be hope. Hope in what? Go to Romans 5:2: "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." What is this? Our "hope in the glory of God" is our certain and sure confidence that we will reach our final destination as believers in Jesus Christ. And that destination is being perfected in the image of Christ (see Rom.8:29-30). So then, we can rejoice in our sufferings because we know what God has designed them ultimately to bring in our lives: it is the hope that we really do belong to God and His promise to us of final glorification, on account of Christ, will indeed come to pass.

Therefore all our sufferings as Christians only work to assure us that we really belong to God through Jesus Christ. God's grace for us in Christ is real because it is actually working to establish us in greater faith, love, and obedience to Christ - and the fruit of that work is seen in how we go through tribulation, hardships, and trials. Rather than hatred, bitterness, or anger, there is a genuine rejoicing in our sufferings. We do not deny Christ but we love Him even more. Why? It is due to this: "[our] sufferings produce endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." And this is one of God's ways in giving His people the sweetness of salvation-assurance. So, in light of this, I leave you with one great searching question: what are your sufferings producing in your life - are they proving you to be a Christian or are they proving you to be an unbeliever?

Assurance in Suffering: part two
God's Design in Suffering

Why do we suffer as Christians? Why is pain, hardship, and adversity so woven into the fabric of the Christian life, that it would be abnormal not to suffer? In short, what is God's design in our suffering?

Among the answers that God's Word gives in response to such questions (an answer that is one of the clearest and most comforting), is found in Romans 5:3-4. The general context behind this chapter as a whole is concerning the certainty and security of final salvation. In other words, Romans 5 is establishing the truth that if God has saved us, He will keep us saved. And one of the saving realities which is mentioned as a means of God's grace to this glorious end is - our "sufferings". Think about this: our sufferings as justified believers in Jesus Christ (cf. Rom.5:1-2) is one of the great reasons we can be sure that God will keep us saved!

This means that anything which makes life harder and threatens our faith in the goodness and power and wisdom of God - God has sovereignly designed to work in our lives as a means of assuring us that we are saved. This is the teaching of Romans 5:3-4.

But how can Christians really appreciate and savor this design of God in their sufferings without caving in to the carnal anger and bitterness of remaining sin which seeks advantage of God's people during times of trouble? Romans 5:3-4 answers this question by affirming on the one hand, the attitude that glorifies God most when we suffer; and on the other hand, the knowledge we need of God's design for our sufferings, which fosters the aforementioned godly attitude.

The Attitude that Glorifies God most when we Suffer

In the opening words of Romans 5:3, it says: "More that that, we rejoice in our sufferings..." This is one of the most amazing statements in all the Bible. Consider this: we're being told that, as Christians, we rejoice in our sufferings. We do not complain, murmur, or become bitter - but we rejoice in our sufferings. Our sufferings then are an occasion for joy. More literally though, the verb translated rejoice means "to boast" or "to glory in." Thus, it carries the idea of having a "triumphant confidence" in our sufferings.

In addition to this, we must understand that it is in our sufferings that we have this sense of jubilation. In other words, it is not in spite of our sufferings that we rejoice or even in the midst of our sufferings - but in...our sufferings that we rejoice. We therefore rejoice because of or on account of our sufferings. Hence, the God-glorifying approach to suffering is to rejoice because we are in fact suffering.

And this same attitude of joy in our sufferings is seen elsewhere in God's Word. For example, in Matthew 5:10-12 and Luke 6:22-23, Christ commands us to "rejoice and be glad" and "leap for joy" on those occasions when we are hated, reviled, excluded, and slandered for the sake of Christ. In James 1:2, we are commanded again to "count it all joy...when you meet trials of various kinds." When we are facing trials of any kind, the response that glorifies God most, according to James 1:2, is to look on this matter as an incident for joy! So then, in concert with the affirmation of Romans 5:3, God's Word teaches in other places (see also I Pet. 4:12-13) that when we suffer as believers our attitude is expected to be one of rejoicing.

But as we contemplate this attitude of joy that the Word of God calls for in every Christian when they suffer - what is it about this attitude that is so remarkable? Or what is it about this imperative in Romans 5:3 that makes it one of the most amazing statements in all the Bible? One of the fundamental answers to this question is, that to rejoice in our sufferings flies in the face of the most common non-Christian approaches to human suffering. That is to say, a Christian rejoicing when he suffers stands apart from how a non-Christian reacts to their trials. In fact, for a non-Christian, their most typical response to human suffering can be described from one of two ancient philosophical perspectives - either Epicureanism or Stocism.

Epicureanism approaches suffering by teaching that since there are some bad experiences, which cannot be avoided, the way to handle them is by loading life with more pleasure than pain so that the bottom line is always positive. I've seen this played out in people who, for instance, have lost their job, and in response to this painful experience they take a vacation. Now understand this: they don't have the money to go on vacation, but in spite of this "harsh" reality, they go anyway. They want to avoid the pain of having lost a job and having no money - so they go take a trip they can't afford! That is a small but real example of epicureanism. "Let's fill our life with as much pleasure as we can so we can avoid the pain." There are many people in the world who approach human suffering from that perspective.

But certainly the most popular non-Christian approach to suffering is Stocism. This is the attitude we have heard in such expressions like, "keeping a stiff upper lip," or "just grin and bear it." It is nothing more than a mere resignation to unavoidable pain. And for many people in the world, they greatly admire the Stoic, who simply puts up with pain and gets through it no matter the cost. Some people call this "having courage" - but however you describe it, stocism is not the Christian approach to suffering.

Instead, the Christian "rejoices" in his sufferings. He does not avoid the pain nor does he merely grin through gritted teeth and bear it - but he "counts it all joy when he meets trials of various kinds." This is the attitude that glorifies God most when we suffer. And this is the plain meaning of Romans 5:3, "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings..."

But at this point, an important question must be raised: why should we rejoice in our sufferings as Christians? It is one thing for us to affirm the imperative of Romans 5:3, but what is behind this command that would give us the motive for joy when we suffer? Answering these questions will draw us into the heart of Romans 5:3-4, as we look at the knowledge of God's design for our sufferings. I will take up this exposition in my next post.

Assurance in Suffering: part one
Suffering: A Basic Reality

God's Word communicates a basic reality in the Christian life called suffering. In fact, the Word of God actually teaches us that suffering is a divine calling for all Christians. This means that God has purposed for His people to experience hardships, tribulations, and trials as a vital distinguishing characteristic of their lives in this world. For example, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of suffering as an inevitable part of the Christian life, and even pronounced judgment upon us if there was no such suffering - particularly in the form of persecution. Consider Matthew 5:10-12 and Luke 6:26 in this regard:

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you...[But] woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets."

On another occasion Jesus promised suffering (again) in the form of persecution when He first commissioned His original disciples to be sent out into the world. In Matthew 10:16-25, Christ gave these solemn words about impending suffering:

"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles...A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household."

On the night before Jesus was to be crucified, as He shared His last supper with His disciples, He gave them many instructions to prepare them for their life following His resurrection and ascension. He was priming them for their ultimate mission in the world as His witnesses. Among these instructions, Christ reminded His disciples of what will be the ear-mark of their lives as His followers in the world: it would be suffering. In John 15:18-20, Jesus said:

"If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you."

Finally, on this same occasion, Jesus gave His disciples a solemn promise (John 16:33) which is meant for all believers in every age: "In the world you will have tribulation...but take heart; I have overcome the world."

So then, according to the words of our Lord, we can expect tribulation, persecution, being hated by the world, and slandered for the sake of Christ - all of which is a part of the most basic reality in the Christian life. No promises here then for health and wealth, but rather suffering for Christ's sake by the very design of God.

Now as we read further in the New Testament, this promise for tribulation, trial, suffering, and hardship continue by both example and teaching. For instance, in Acts 3-5, we see the early church suffering at the hands of the Jewish leaders for the sake of Christ. In Acts 6-7, we see Stephen being persecuted and then killed for his faithful witness to the glory of Christ. In Acts 9:16, Jesus speaks of His calling Paul to serve Him as an apostle; and as a part of that calling, Christ says: "For I will show him [Paul] how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

And we might ask the question: how much did Paul suffer for the name of Christ? In II Corinthians 11:24-28, Paul himself gives a catalog of his sufferings for the sake of Christ, an index that simply leaves one speechless:

"Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from the Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night; in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my care for all the churches."

Needless to say, both Paul and the rest of the early church experienced great suffering in various forms by God's purpose to glorify Christ. But not only do we see New Testament examples of this kind of suffering, but there is also teaching on how we must suffer as Christians. In Acts 14:22, we're told that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." In II Timothy 3:12, we're promised: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted." In James 1:2, we're exhorted to "count it all joy...when you meet trials of various kinds." In I Peter 2:20-21, we read: "But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is precious in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps." And again in I Peter - this time in 4:12-19, we're encouraged:

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed...Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."

Now the great overarching point of all these passages is that the Christian life is a life of suffering. Suffering "according to God's will" (I Pet.4:19) "for the name of Christ" (I Pet.4:14). Moreover, it is suffering (as already mentioned) which comes to us in different forms. In fact, Paul gives a digest of Christian suffering in II Corinthians 12:10, out of his own personal experience - which every Christian will be afflicted with to a greater or lesser degree. Paul refers to "weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities." Such terms describe what can be rightly called "the normal Christian life."

The Kind of People God Uses

Recently I have been reading for a second time Walter Chantry's wonderful book, entitled, Signs of the Apostles. This morning I read a section that was both comforting and convicting. It is a much needed word of rebuke to all of us as Christians (especially preachers) who think that God can only use those people who are exceptionally gifted or talented for the purpose of advancing His kingdom. Muse carefully on these timely words:

"In our biblical desire for revival, we must refuse to seek any experience which proposes to eliminate our natural weakness. God did not spread the gospel of Christ through the world by means of extrovert personalities. Christ did not choose the apostles for their native strength of character. The church was not begun by twelve emperors but by twelve political slaves of Rome. Our Lord had no special use for scholars. Most of the apostles were far from learned. His choice of evangelists included no warriors, nor 'Madison Avenue' publicity men. As a group, the apostles had no outstanding personal strength which can explain their impact on the world.

In various ways Christians reveal their suspicion that only extraordinary men can be used for great works of God. Some place a great emphasis on academic skills. They think, 'If we send men with respected academic honors through the world, the nations will recognize genius and come to Christ.' Others advertise football players, theatre stars, and politicians, expecting that the world will run to their meetings. Unfortunately, though the crowds come they are not changed. Why should they not remain worldly after this appeal to human greatness?

At times we may say too much of Whitefield's eloquence and Edwards' scholarship. We sometimes romanticize the lives of leaders in revivals. John Knox, so remarkably used in the Reformation of the 16th century, declared before his death, 'In youth, mid-age, and now after many battles, I find nothing in me but vanity and corruption.' Such was Whitefield's sense of personal unfitness that he said he could not enter a pulpit but for the imputed righteousness of Christ. The last words of that burning light, William Grimshaw of Yorkshire, were, 'Here goes an unprofitable servant.' It was grace which made these Christians what they were, and had it not been for the Spirit of God attending their ministries they would have remained as obscure as many another who was equal to them in natural ability.

Some of the most profound acts of witnessing and successful evangelism have been performed by the most unlikely, and unprepossessing individuals. Great numbers believed on Christ through the immoral Samaritan woman on the day she first met the Savior. God did not wait until she had established a super-holy reputation among them. The blind man of John 9 was called upon to witness before the greatest Bible scholars in the world during the week of his conversion. God did not need someone who had mastered sound doctrine. The young believer bore a fine testimony.

God does not need your talents, wisdom, holiness, and strength. But rather you, in weakness, desperately need the power of his Spirit in your labors. You need not be wonderfully transformed by a second work of grace to be a suitable instrument of God's Spirit. The Lord delights in exalting his gracious power by using weak instruments."

A Biblical Alternative to the Unbiblical Altar-Call

What I have sought to establish in these past three posts is a very careful and critical evaluation of the altar-call. It has been my intention to hold up this "sacred cow" of modern evangelism, in the light of both Scripture and church history, to prove that it is purely a practice of man's invention driven initially by pragmatic motives without the warrant of God's Word. Moreover, its theological construct actually robs God of His glory in redemption, by positioning man's will as the determinate factor for why anyone is saved. Hence, the altar-call does not "call" sinners to look only to Christ for their salvation; but rather, their focus is fixed on what they must do (e.g, walk an aisle, pray a prayer, sign a card) in order to secure themselves in God's favor. The fruit however of such misguidance are largely false conversions instead of sinners truly casting themselves solely upon Christ and His saving work. Suffice it to say, the altar-call should be abandoned as an unbiblical method which undermines both the gospel and the redeeming work of Christ.

Now with such a strong condemnation for the altar-call, what kind of evangelism should then be practiced? If we take the altar-call away, what are we left with? In the first place, to remove the altar-call we will reestablish the sufficiency of the gospel. This means that the gospel will again be seen as "the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom.1:16), and thus what God has ordained for bringing sinners unto a saving faith in Jesus Christ (Rom.10:14-17). Furthermore, the gospel-commands to "believe" and "repent" will take their rightful place as the only biblical responses necessary to salvation (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21); as opposed to the unbiblical commands to "raise a hand", "repeat the sinner's prayer", "walk an aisle", or "sign a card." In short, the gospel has its own built-in invitation to all sinners that is sufficient for their salvation, without the confusion and benighted notion of "coming to the altar to be saved."

In the second place, to remove the altar-call we will reestablish the necessity of the Spirit's work of regeneration. To call sinners to an altar for salvation takes away from the fundamental urgency to be "born again" (Jn.3:3-8). If a mere decision and a "coming forward" is all we need to be saved, then why must there be a new birth? But the truth is, we have "stoney hearts" which God in His sovereign mercy must replace with "new hearts", so that we will be savingly converted to Christ (Ezk.36:26; Tit.3:5,6). With no altar-call the doctrine of the new birth can be proclaimed without obstruction, and the sinner will be impressed with the fact that a "change of heart" is the very core and essence of his salvation. As Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) once declared: "I speak advisedly when I say that the doctrine of 'believe and live' would be a very dangerous one if it were not accompanied by the doctrine of regeneration." Remember what Christ said to Nicodemus: "You must be born again" (Jn.3:7, emphasis mine). Without regeneration there is no faith or repentance (Jn.1:12-13).

In the third and final place, to remove the altar-call we will reestablish a context of integrity for both conversions and church membership. This is probably the greatest need of the hour for the local church. The altar-call has bloated so many churches with members who have no fruit to prove the credibility of their conversion. But if the altar-call is taken away, then greater time, patience, and care can be given to sinners who "seem" to be under conviction for their sin and are asking questions about Christ. This means that conversions will not be rushed or forced for the sake of "numbers" or "results" - but instead, the gospel is faithfully preached, sinners are called to believe and repent, and God is trusted for the work which He alone can do, namely, save sinners! In time, we must be assured that if God has brought salvation, then the fruit of that conversion will eventually manifest itself (Matt.13:18-23); and the result will be a church membership with integrity. This, above all, must be recovered in our day.

The Theology Behind the Altar-Call

There is a definite theology which drives the practice of the altar-call. Though many may argue today that theology and methodology are separate issues; yet, the truth is, we only practice what it is we believe. Thus how we "do ministry" is determined by our doctrinal convictions. And the method of altar-call evangelism is no different in this respect.

So, for the early Methodists and the evangelist Charles G. Finney, it was essentially their theology of salvation which inspired them to use this novel method of calling people to come forward and be saved. For Finney, it was the heresy of Pelagianism (circa 412 A.D.) which moved him to comfortably embrace the altar-call. For the Methodists, it was their affirmation of the aberrant teaching of Arminianism (circa 1618). However, what is peculiar in both cases, is that it was their belief in man's will being the determining factor in salvation which really formed the core doctrine behind the altar-call.

Thus, whether you're considering Arminianism or Pelagianism, what both of these doctrines share in common is that man's will is sovereign in salvation. Albeit, Pelagianism denies the necessity for God's grace in Christ to save (hence, it is heretical teaching), while Arminianism contends that without God's grace man will not be saved - yet in the end, both the Pelagian and the Arminian reward the will of man with the credit for why he is saved; rather than the sovereign grace of God.

This is the fundamental reason why so many people have attributed their salvation to "walking an aisle", "praying a prayer", or "making a decision for Christ." The sole object and reason for their salvation is centered in the exercise of their will to choose. And should we be surprised that this would be where they give the credit for being saved? If you've grown up all your life in church hearing that, "If you take the first step God will do the rest" - then it is only inevitable that under this teaching you will believe that it was your decision which initiated salvation. In other words, God has provided salvation and made the offer, but without man making his move to saved, God is left helplessly wondering if anyone is going to be accept what He has done. Why? Because the theology behind the altar-call is a man-centered view of salvation. God's will is impotent while man's will is omnipotent. Is this biblical?

No, the truth of Scripture is that man by nature is sinful to the core (Psa.51:5; Jer.17:9; Rom.3:9-18). He cannot save himself nor does he want to be saved (Mk.10:27; Jn.5:40; Rom.3:11; Eph.2:1-3). Left to his own decisions, bound up in his sinful nature, man will run at breakneck speed and bust hell wide open. For there is no natural affection for Christ iin the lost sinner (Jn.3:19-20; Rom.8:5-8). Moreover, when he hears the gospel, his natural understanding reasons that it is foolish and stupid (I Cor.1:18a; 2:14). In this condition, we cannot look to the sinner to "take the first step" for salvation - for no such "step" will ever come!

How then is man to be saved? It can only be by the sovereign mercy and grace of God (Rom.8:30; 9:15-18; Eph.2:8-10). God must take the first step! God must work in the sinner a new life, recreating a new heart, a new nature (Ezk.36:26; Jn.3:3-8; Eph.2:5) which brings about new desires that cry out, "Lord, save me and make me right with you!" God must give the faith to believe on Christ and the repentance to flee from sin (Eph.2:8; II Tim.2:25). In short, salvation, from first to last, is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9; Eph.1:3-14; II Thess.2:13). This is the theology of the Bible: God ALONE saves sinners by His grace and for His glory!

The History behind the Altar-Call

How and why did the altar-call ever become a part of mainstream evangelism? The actual history behind the altar-call began in the late 1700s with the first generation of American Methodists in America. Being concerned not to admit anyone prematurely into church membership, the Methodists began to "count" the number of their converts. The system they came up with for securing this knowledge of true conversions was what they called "the invitation to the altar." The Methodists referred to the "altar" as the end of the building in front of the communion table, which was derived from their roots in the Church of England. Their intial practice of this method was simply bringing individuals to identify themselves publicly to be prayed for and given instruction as new converts to Christ. No one, at first, claimed the altar-call as a means of salvation. However, very soon, and inevitably, "coming to the altar" came to be confused with actual conversion to Christ. Methodist preachers would be heard calling people to "come to the altar and be saved."

It wasn't until the 1820s though, that this innovative practice of American Methodism would become the mainstream of American Evangelicalism. And the introduction of the altar-call to the rest of Protestant America would not come from a Methodist - but a lawyer from New England who was ordained in the Presbyterian church. His name was Charles G. Finney (1792-1875). Finney has been hailed as "America's Greatest Revivalist" and "the premier evangelist of the nineteenth-century." It is beyond dispute that his methods and theology changed the whole course for how evangelicals in America would approach the meaning of revival and the techniques of large-scale evangelism. But what should be in dispute is if following the methods and theology of Charles Finney is conforming to the wisdom and truth of Scripture concerning conversion and evangelism.

You see, for Finney, hijacking the altar-call from the Methodists needed no adjustments for his doctrinal position. Calling people to come forward and giving them immediate assurance of salvation for their public response, was a logical fit for what Finney believed to be a true conversion to Christ. In his theology, all that a sinner needed to be saved was a decision of the will, rather than a regeneration of his nature. In other words, Finney did not believe in the necessity of the new birth (Jn.1:13; 3:1-8) because he did not believe in the reality of the sinner's depraved nature (Jer.17:9; Eph.2:1-3).

Charles Finney was in fact a Pelagian at heart. His entire theology of salvation embodied the fifth-century heresy known as Pelagianism (412 A.D.). Therefore Finney denied the biblical doctrines of original sin, salvation by grace alone, justification by faith alone, and even, the penal substitution of Christ's death. Needless to say, Finney was a bona fide heretic - who dazzled his generation with persuasive arguments that pitted reason over revelation, emotional tactics to manipulate the crowds, and quick conversions - which were documented over a period of several years and proven false by the apostasy of most people who "came to the altar" in his meetings.

Sadly though, "Finneyism" is still alive and well in many churches today. Conversions to Christ are still counted as people answering the altar-call, rather than seeing the evidence of genuine spiritual fruit (Gal.5:22-23). And the determining factor for salvation is still attributed to man's will rather than God's sovereign grace (cf. Rom.8:30). Finney would be proud. But what should matter most for us is this: is God glorified by a method not sanctioned by His Word in which man is given the credit for salvation? We know the answer...but will we obey?

Altar-Call Evangelism: Is it biblical?

"What mean these dispatches from the battle-field? 'Last night, fourteen souls were under conviction, fifteen were justified, and eight received full sanctification.' I am weary of this public bragging, this counting of unhatched chickens, this exhibition of doubtful spoils. Lay aside such numberings of the people, such idle pretense of certifying in half a minute that which will need the testing of a lifetime." This lamentation combined with sage counsel was given over a hundred years ago by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892). It was communicated in a public lecture to his ministerial students and then published in his classic book, The Soul Winner. Spurgeon's grief was over a style of evangelism that was all the rage in his day because of how quickly so-called results could be counted, secured and then reported publicly as a mighty "gospel" success. We know this kind of evangelism today as "altar-call" evangelism. During Spurgeon's generation this type of evangelism was very novel, but in our day (a hundred plus years later) - its the norm.

But not only is it an accepted practice for churches in the 21st century, it is revered as the only sure and sacred means of aquiring conversions to Christ. Or, as one church-goer put it to me several years ago: "Without the altar-call no one will be saved." In fact, along this same line of thinking, there is even a local pastor I know, who recently said: "Without the altar-call no church will grow in the South Georgia." For me personally, over the past fourteen years, I have greatly questioned the legitimacy and even integrity of altar-call evangelism. Though for many years as an itinerant evangelist I too had faithfully practiced this manner of "getting people saved." However, in 1995, by a series of illuminating discoveries, I gradually abandoned altar-call evangelism for good.

The first great challenge to me over this practice was simply a question of its biblical warrant. Did Christ or the Apostles or the early church as a whole employ this method of calling people to come forward at the end of a worship service, make a decision for Christ by repeating a prayer, and then be given immediate assurance of their salvation? The answer is an emphatic - NO! Nowhere in Scripture is there either a model or sanction for the altar-call. Rather, what we see is an aggressive, clear, faithful proclamation of the gospel with God blessing His Word with conversions (e.g., Acts 2:14-47; 3:11-26; 17:16-34). To say it another way, biblical evangelism believes in the sufficiency of the gospel (Rom.1:16; I Cor.1:18-2:5). This means the gospel is enough for sinners to hear in order to be saved. Furthermore, it is the gospel alone which God has ordained as the means He uses to bring sinners to Himself (Rom.10:14-17; I Cor.3:5-7). Thus the mandate of the Great Commission is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all people (Mark 16:15; Lk.24:47; cf. Matt.28:19). Nothing more, nothing less. The altar-call however imposes the church to do something more than what God Himself has ordained. In fact, it implies by its very method that the preaching of the gospel falls short as a means of bringing sinners to Christ. In short, the altar-call is nothing more than a man-made addition to the gospel and therefore a denial of its sufficiency.

But what if someone argues that Christ called people to publicly come to Him and believe in Him - would this imply that altar-call evangelism is simply following Christ's example? There are two important points we need to remember in answer to this assumption: first, believing on Christ is the result of being born again with a new nature that hungers and thirsts for Christ unto salvation (see Jn.3:1-8; 6:35; Eph.2:5; Tit.3:5), not with a physical act of going forward and publicly praying a prayer. When Jesus called people to come to Him in the context of salvation, it was not with the idea that they would physical come toward Him. It meant to believe on Him (e.g., Jn.6:35-37) Second, no one can come to Christ (thereby savingly believe on Him) unless they are "drawn" or "granted" this grace by the Father (Jn.6:44,65). Henceforth, true conversions to Christ are the result of God's sovereign power and good pleasure alone, not the methods induced by men (see Acts 2:47; 5:14; II Thess.2:13,14).

But there is a further reason why the altar-call is an unbiblical practice: it creates a false assurance of salvation. This is the most disturbing and dangerous aspect of the altar-call. Tens of thousands of people who have "walked the aisle" and "prayed the prayer" are given immediate assurance that they are saved. And the only evidence proffered for such assurance is the physcial act of walking to the front of a church building and repeating a prayer. What's worse, is that a local church will seal this false assurance through baptism and church membership - and the so-called new convert will be told "never to doubt your salvation again."

Now the problems with this are too numerous to disseminate for what my aim is in this article. Rather, I will offer three major propositions that should be considered carefully as a warning against this practice of giving immediate assurance, and employing the altar-call in general: First, nowhere in Scripture is the assurance of salvation attributed to a physical act. An atheist can "walk an aisle" and "pray the prayer" and still remain an atheist. The power of salvation and the assurance that would accompany it, is not in the sinner coming to the front of a church building and praying a prayer but God alone who saves.

Secondly, the assurance of salvation in Scripture is related to both an objective and subjective spiritual reality. The objective spiritual reality of assurance is Christ and His saving work (see Rom.3:21-4:5). Saving faith is not in what we have done but in Christ alone and what He accomplished to save us. The subjective spiritual reality of assurance is in the fruit of a holy life (see Gal.5:22-23; Heb.12:14). In fact, the entire book of First John is devoted to this biblical aspect of assurance. If you're saved your life will bear out that transformation in desires and conduct that are both righteous and holy. The altar-call produces no such fruit of this kind - only antinominians and legalists.

Finally, the assurance of salvation is given by the Holy Spirit's witness not a preacher who leads you in a prayer. Romans 8:14-16 affirms this truth. Therefore, it is sheer arrogance (though unintentional, I'm sure) for a preacher to confer salvation-assurance on a sinner because they have repeated a prayer. This is nothing more than the Protestant version of Roman Catholic sacramentalism. Only the Holy Spirit can give us the assurance of salvation as He gives us a new heart, reveals to us the truth of Christ in the gospel, and empowers us to live a holy life. The altar-call cannot grant this kind of assurance.

But sadly and tragically, many sinners are led into thinking they are saved because of their response to the altar-call, rather than being truly regenerated by the Holy Spirit and thus drawn to Christ (Jn.3:5; 6:44; Tit.3:5). Is it any wonder then that the greatest problem facing the local evangelical church in America is unregenerate church membership? The altar-call can increase a church-roll but it will never produce a new creation in Jesus Christ (II Cor.5:17-18a).

What are the benefits of Calvinism?

For the past nine posts I have written, my aim has been to answer the most common questions raised about the theology of Calvinism. I trust that the answers given have been helpful. I at least hope that whatever misconceptions may have been lingering in one's mind over Calvinism, have been taken away by these previous articles. Even if I have not convinced you of the truth of Calvinism, maybe when you think about it, there will not be the typical strawman version which is so common in our day. To say this another way, if you're going to disagree with Calvinism, at least disagree with what it really teaches and not a false idea you have about it.

Now for my closing post in this series, I simply want to give a list of eleven reasons that historic evangelical Calvinism is beneficial to the health and progress of Christians, both as individuals and collectively as the church. I will give no commentary to each of the points, but simply let them stand as sufficent statements to declare why every Christian who wears the label of a Calvinist has no shame in this badge of biblical theology.

1. Calvinism promotes the glory of God above all things and humbles the sinner.

2. Calvinism promotes the sovereignty of God over all things and humbles the sinner.

3. Calvinism upholds the authority, sufficiency, inerrancy, and infallibility of God's Word as what alone should be preached and determine all that we believe about God, man, salvation, the world, sin, etc.

4. Calvinism engenders a passion for personal holiness and godliness.

5. Calvinism spreads a passion for God-centered worship.

6. Calvinism spreads a passion for Christ-exalting evangelism.

7. Calvinism motivates a Christian's life to self-denial, cross-bearing, and Christ-following.

8. Calvinism enlarges the heart to trust and depend on God for all things at all times.

9. Calvinism gives a God-centered view of the world as under His control and all events being worked out according to His sovereign plan.

10. Calvinism creates a greater hunger and thirst to know God and love Him for who He is.

11. Calvinism glories in the grace of God through the work of Christ by the power of the Spirit as the only true reason any sinner is saved.

Calvinism's Most Controversial Doctrine: Part Three

It might be very hard for many Christians to believe that a doctrine like reprobation would have any application at all to them. But we must remember what we are told in II Timothy 3:16 about the Word of God as a whole: "All Scripture...is profitable." So with that affirmation we have to ask ourselves: how does the doctrine of reprobation serve me as a Christian? Why would it be useful for me to know this doctrine? I will answer these questions in three different ways:

1. Reprobation teaches us that we too would have suffered eternal punishment had not God stepped in to save us. May we understand this once and for all: left to ourselves, we are no better than any other sinner. What we all deserve is the hardening of God that I covered in my last post from Romans 9:17-18. And this should be the first great truth that grips us about this doctrine. God could have and He should have passed over me. And due to this fact, every Christian should say with George Whitefield (1714-1770) whenever we see or consider the lost state of many men and women in this world: "There but for the grace of God go I." The doctrine of reprobation therefore, if understood properly, should drive us to such thankfulness to God and utter humility before all people everywhere. Had God not stepped in and saved us, we would all face what we actually deserve - eternal punishment for our sins.

2. Reprobation keeps before us the all-important truth that salvation is entirely of grace and that no works of man contribute to it. First of all, the doctrine of reprobation gives us a graphic and terrible picture of what man will do if left to his own will bound up in his sinful nature. He will not seek God (Rom.3:11). He will not have any saving affection for Jesus Christ.

In fact, what we need to understand very clearly - is that there is no such thing as someone who is knocking on the door of heaven trying to get in, but God is turning them away because He has not chosen to save them. We need to get that picture completely out of our minds. Why? Because there is no such person who exists! Those whom God has chosen not to save He leaves to their own will which is always heading for sin and hell. And what we need to remember is that this is true of everyone in the world - therefore if anyone is saved, it will not be determined by anything man chooses or what man does (Rom.9:16; cf. Jn.15:16; Eph.2:8-9). Salvation is entirely of God's sovereign will and grace! And the doctrine of reprobation keeps this before us, because it reminds us that God chooses to save us based on His mercy and not on our merits. "So, it (that is, God's purpose of election: cf. Rom.9:11) does not depend on human will or exertion but on God, who shows mercy" (Rom.9:16).

3. Reprobation helps us to see the glory of God in His justice. In the same way that the doctrine of election glorifies God in His mercy - reprobation glorifies God in His justice. By this doctrine, we are given a greater and more clearer picture of who God is. He is more than loving, kind, good, and gracious. But God is holy, righteous, and just. Therefore, when He chooses to harden sinners, and thus leave them in their sin to receive the condemnation they deserve for their sin - by this action, God is magnifying the glory of His justice. In fact, it is for this great purpose (magnifying God's justice) that the reprobate will serve for all eternity. The reprobate in hell will show forth the glory and rightness of God's justice against sin.

So, the doctrine of reprobation is very useful and profitable for every Christian. It reminds us of God's sovereign and free grace in saving us. It also reminds us of God's holiness and justice against sin. And it truly humbles us and keeps us from looking down our noses at other sinners. We are no better than anyone else. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom.3:23). It is only God's grace in Jesus Christ that has made any of us to differ. But when we think about reprobation, I believe our ultimate application comes from the wise words of Dr. J.I. Packer, when he wrote:

"The reprobates are faceless so far as Christians are concerned, and it is not for us to try to identify them. Rather, we should live in the light of the certainty that anyone may be saved if he or she will but repent and put faith in Christ. We should view all persons that we meet as possibly being numbered among the elect." Amen.

Calvinism's Most Controversial Doctrine: Part Two

In my last post I simply defined and made clarifications as to the doctrine of reprobation. But in this present article, I want to actually show this truth as it is expounded from God's Word. Specifically, the classic biblical text is in Romans 9:17-18, which says: "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.' So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills."

As we begin considering these two verses, the first thing we must see is that they are an exact parallel to what Paul has written in verses 15-16 of this same chapter. In those verses, Paul illustrates the sovereignty of God's mercy from Moses, and then draws his conclusion that God's purpose of election does not depend on man's choices or efforts but on God's will to show mercy. But now, here in verses 17-18, Paul is illustrating the negative side to God's sovereign action over sinners - namely - His right NOT to save. And his illustration is in the case of Pharaoh.

What Paul is seeking to prove by the historical example of Pharaoh, is God's sovereign determination to pass over sinners He leaves to perish in their sins for the manifestation of His divine justice. Pharaoh is the great historical representation of all reprobates who will eventually face the full expression of God's wrath for their sin.

Now the particular passage Paul cites to establish this is Exodus 9:16. In the original context of this verse, God is sending Moses back to Pharaoh following the first six plagues which God has already sent upon Egypt. The message Moses is giving to Pharaoh in this passage, is to put this powerful Egyptian monarch on notice - that although God could have destroyed him with all of Egypt from the start; yet, God has spared him for one purpose. Pharaoh's life is preserved by God to show forth God's power in judgment on sinners, and thus glorify the name of the Lord.

To fully appreciate what Moses said to Pharaoh on this occasion, let me quote from verses 15-16 together in Exodus 9:

"For by now I could have struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth."

The most important term in this whole passage are the words, "I have raised you up..." What did God mean by that? These words quoted in Romans 9:17 come from a Greek verb that carries the idea of "bringing forward" or "lifting up", and was used of the rise of historical figures to positions of prominence. In this context therefore, God is making it known to Pharaoh that he has been brought upon the scene of history to display the power of God's judgment on sinners.

Now in the light of this, how does Paul explain what happened to Pharaoh - and for that matter, how does Paul explain what happens to all sinners whom God chooses not to save? The answer to this question takes us directly to verse 18: "So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills." This verse is obviously a conclusion. It is a conclusion to what Paul has stated in verse 17 - but it is also a conclusion to Paul's entire answer to the objection set forth back in verse 14. And we could go one step further: verse 18 even sums up what Paul was explaining back in verses 7-13.

You see, what Romans 9:18 is stating with one broad stroke of the brush, as it were, is how God deals with all people in every generation of history. In every generation of history there are those on whom God has mercy and then there are those He hardens. Or to say it another way: God chooses to save some while He passes over others. And Paul has been giving us historical examples of each. There is Isaac, Jacob, and Moses who represent those on whom God shows mercy (see 9:7-15). But then, there is Ishmael, Esau, and Pharaoh who represent those whom God hardens (9:7-13,17). These are the reprobate, the non-elect.

Now seeing verse 18 from this broad context, let's come in a little closer and go back to our leading question: how does Paul explain what happened to Pharaoh and all sinners God chooses not to save? In other words, what is God's action toward the reprobate? Romans 9:18 says that God hardens them. What does this mean? The word translated hardens is the Greek verb skleruno which means literally to "make hard", and metaphorically "to render stubborn and obstinate."

In the account of Pharaoh in the book of Exodus, we are told ten times that God hardened Pharaoh's heart (Ex.4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1,20,27; 11:10; 14:4,8). And in a few places we are also told that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Ex.7:13; 8:32; 9:34). But the predominant testimony of Scripture is God hardening the heart of Pharaoh. What are we to make of this? How are we to explain this? To begin with, we must remember that Pharaoh was already a sinner with an evil disposition bent on rebelling against God. This was Pharaoh's natural inclination (see Jer.17:9). God therefore did not make Pharaoh sin nor did He create in Pharaoh a heart of unbelief. Pharaoh was a natural born unbelieving sinner - which is why he could harden his own heart.

For God therefore to harden Pharaoh's heart was simply to aggravate the unbelief that was already there. How did God do this? He pulled away the restraints of His common grace which were holding Pharaoh back from further evil and wickedness. To put this in the terms of Romans 1:24,26,28 - God gave Pharaoh up to his own sin. In other words, God made the decision to remove His restraining influences; while the wicked part of this process was carried out by Pharaoh himself. Understand this: God did no violence to Pharaoh's will. He just simply gave Pharaoh up to the sinful desires of his own will. This is how God hardens sinners! Listen to how R.C. Sproul explained this:

All that God has to do to harden people's hearts is to remove the restraints. He gives them a longer leash. Rather than restricting their human freedom, he increases it. He lets them have their own way. In a sense he gives them enough rope to hang themselves. It is not that God puts his hand on them to create fresh evil in their hearts; he merely removes his holy hand of restraint from them and lets them do their own will.

So what God did with Pharaoh and what He did with Esau and Ishmael (cf. 9:7-13) - and what He has purposed to do with all those He has chosen not to save, is to give them their heart's desire: that is, to resist and rebel against God all their days. This is how God hardens the non-elect. This is what God does in the act of reprobation. He leaves sinners to their own sinful desires which will eventually drive them to self-destruction and condemnation under the holy wrath and judgment of God.

But of course, the greatest point in all of this from Romans 9:17-18 is that God has every right to treat sinners in this way. God is fully justified to have mercy on whomever he wills, and to harden whomever he wills. You cannot say in either case that God is being unfair. On those He shows mercy He is giving them what they don't deserve; and on those He hardens He is giving them exactly what they do deserve. Neither sinner is being treated unfairly or unjustly. God is therefore free to save whoever He chooses to save and He is under no obligation to save anyone - because all have sinned and have come short of His glory (see Rom.3:9-18; cf. v.23). So then, whoever God chooses to pass over in judgment cannot charge God with injustice. In my next and final post on reprobation, I will answer the question: why would it be useful for me to know this doctrine?