Covenant Protestant Reformed Church

Ballymena

Rev. Angus Stewart

Lord’s Day, 8 November, 2009

"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and

things wherewith one may edify another" (Rom. 14:19)

I. The Fact

II. The Blessedness

III. The Purpose

Psalms: 48:1-2, 11-14; 41:1-6; 68:18-20; 47:1-9

Evening Service - 6:00 PM Prof. Hanko

I. The Meaning

II. The Manner

III. The Urgency

Psalms: 145:1-6 [AOS]; 41:7-13; 46:1-5; 122:6-9

Contact Sean Courtney (covenantreformedaudiostore@yahoo.co.uk) for CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services.

CPRC website: www.cprc.co.uk

CPRC YouTube Site: www.youtube.com/cprcni

J. C. Ryle: "In reading the Bible and hearing sermons, everything depends on the spirit in which we read and hear. A humble, teachable, childlike frame of mind is the grand secret of success. Happy is he who often says with David, ‘Teach me thy statutes.’ Such a one will understand as well as hear."

Prof. Engelsma: "An especially destructive weakness is the introduction into our families of hatred, strife, and evil speaking, whether against the neighbor, or against some authority, or against the Church. Walking in such ways, we cannot expect happiness in our families. We have, in these cases, given place to the devil, the destroyer of happiness. What is worse, God Himself will bring judgment upon our houses. He brought judgment upon David’s family: ‘the sword shall never depart from thine house’ (II Sam. 12:10). He will not spare our families, if we despise His ways."

We welcome Prof. & Mrs. Hanko into our midst for the next four Lord’s Days. If anyone would like to meet up with the Hankos, please contact them to arrange a date and time (manse phone: 25 891851).

On the back table are free CDs of the "Calvin vs. Darwin" lecture, a bi-monthly letter of Rev. Stewart to the PRC and a new pamphlet by Prof. Engelsma entitled "The Gift of Assurance."

Catechism will resume after Rev. Stewart returns from Limerick, with classes starting again on Monday, 23 November.

Midweek Bible study meets on Wednesday at 7:45 PM at the manse. Prof. Hanko will lead a discussion on the role of women in the church.

The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day (8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846MW) is entitled "In Praise of Sovereign Grace: Preservation of the Saints" (John 17:11-12).

Our church visitors from the PRC, Prof. Dykstra and Pete VanderSchaaf, are coming from 8-18 January, 2010. The congregational dinner will be held on Friday, 8 January, at the Ross Park Hotel (£10 - adult meal, £5 - kids meal).

Limerick, Friday, 13 November - "The Last Days"

Limerick, Thursday, 19 November - "The Glory of God"

South Wales, Thurs., 26 November - "Corporate Responsibility" (Prof. Hanko)

Offerings: General Fund: £475.80. Building Fund: £340.01. Donations: £1,831.84 (from Wellington PRF in New Zealand), £200 (DVDs), £50 (lecture).

Website Additions: 1 Italian and 1 Dutch translations were added.

PRC News: Byron Center called Rev. Haak. Trinity will call from a trio of Revs. Koole (Grandville), Marcus (Edmonton) and Eriks (Hudsonville).

Of greatest interest to Reformed Christians today is that the men of the Federal (Covenant) Vision, denying the Reformation and confessional doctrine of justification by faith alone, take Rome’s side in the crucially important matters of explaining James 2 and, in the course of the explanation, of harmonizing James 2 and Paul. The men of the Federal (Covenant) Vision affirm that James and Paul speak of justification in the same sense, but have different works in view.

Because not all of the members of the Forum have access to the literature and because the religious press for the most part is significantly silent concerning this recent, dangerous attack on the gospel of grace from within the reputedly-conservative, Reformed churches, I briefly demonstrate this.

A leading spokesman for the Federal (Covenant) Vision (hereafter, FV) is the Orthodox Presbyterian/Christian Reformed theologian Norman Shepherd. Writing in the religious journal, Reformation and Renewal Journal (Spring 2002) on justification, Shepherd said, "As evangelicals we often try to dodge this attack [of Rome against the Reformation’s confession of justification by faith alone] by saying that these verse [in James 2] are not talking about justification by faith in the forensic, soteric sense that Paul talks about it in Romans and Galatians. The Westminster Confession, however, does not use this dodge [sic!]. Instead, the Confession acknowledges that James is talking about faith and justification in the same sense that Paul uses these terms when he denies that justification is by works."

Luther cut off Rome’s attempt to harmonize James and Paul by "inserting" the word "alone" in Romans 3:28: Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith alone, without the deeds of the law. The word "alone," which is not explicitly in the Greek text, but is warranted by the thought of the text cuts off the possibility of explaining the text as merely ruling out ceremonial works from justification. The word "alone" both in Luther’s translation of Romans 3:28 and in the confessional Reformed doctrine of justification ("justified by faith alone") is decisive that all works of the sinner himself are excluded from justification and that Paul and James must be harmonized some other way than that proposed by Rome.

Note now what Norman Shepherd, representative of the FV, has to say about the "word" (and thought!) "alone" in Romans 3:28: "Luther inserted the word ‘alone’ into his translation of Romans 3:28 to make it read ‘For we hold that one is justified by faith alone apart from works of the law.’ This is the origin of the dogmatic formula, justification by faith alone. However, his insertion actually distorts Paul’s meaning" (Reformation and Revival Journal, Spring 2002).

According to Shepherd, Luther was wrong. The Reformation was wrong. The Reformed creeds are wrong. Justification is not by faith alone. Justification is by faith and by good works, just as Rome as always taught.

The men of the FV harmonize James and Paul by explaining "works" and "works of the law" in Paul exactly as Rome always has, namely, as referring only to certain kinds of works. When Paul denies that justification is by works or by works of the law he has reference, say the men of the FV, to ceremonial works. The FV will add that the reference is also to works done with the intention of meriting salvation. But Paul does not intend to exclude the genuinely good works that a believer performs by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Writing in the book put out by the men of the FV to explain and defend their theology, The Federal Vision (2004), FV proponent Steve Schlissel denies that Romans 3:28 has any and all human works in view. Rather, the reference is to "Jewish" deeds. Other works of the believer, works done out of love for God and by the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, are included in justification, are included in justification in the sense of Romans 3 and 4: forgiveness of sins and a right standing with God.

Here I may at least mention another powerful theological movement with which the FV is closely allied: the New Perspective on Paul, of which the Anglican bishop N. T. Wright is a leading and influential spokesman. The New Perspective on Paul teaches that the Reformation got justification wrong. It misunderstood Paul. It misunderstood Paul on justification. In fact, rightly understood, Paul teaches justification by faith and works, as James teaches plainly. Rome was right on this fundamental issue. There is, therefore, very little really separating Rome and even the most conservative Protestant churches.

No, let us be forthright. The Reformation was a mistake. All that struggle and suffering and martyrdom were for nothing. In fact, Luther and all the Reformers were heretics and schismatics, as Rome has always charged. For the issue was justification by faith alone, and the deeper truth of salvation by sovereign grace alone. And the Reformation was mistaken.

And let us then be honest. We must live in the terror of never knowing whether we have worked enough to satisfy God the judge! We must live and die without assurance of justification and salvation, as Rome has always correctly inferred from its damned doctrine. And let us lift our crest of pride. The day I should be convinced of the Roman/Arminian/FV doctrine of justification, I will do just this: My work along with Christ’s is my righteousness with God! My work is decisive! I will arrogantly stride into the divine judgment hall waving my pitiful, sin-tainted deeds as the ground of my claim to eternal life! And be damned eternally!

What Christian can abide these notions?

What Christian can abide the doctrine of justification by faith and by his own good works?

Against this heresy, as vigorous as ever it was, but now operating within the camp, we confess that the elect sinner is justified by faith alone without any works of his own whatever—ceremonial or moral, meritorious or non-meritorious, performed in his own strength or performed with the help of the Spirit. Whether the word is inserted into the translation (which is perfectly acceptable) or understood by the thought of the text, Romans 3:28 teaches that one is justified by faith alone.

How then must James 2 be understood?

And how are Paul and James to be harmonized?

These questions, I will answer next time.

Warm greetings to all, and the prayer that you prosper under the blessing of God.

Cordially in Christ,