The Plan of Salvation: Man's Divergences from God's Plan I. Introduction A. We have been examining the God's plan of salvation as demonstrated in the Bible: hear, believe, confess, repent, be baptized, and be obedient 1. We saw that it is necessary to hear the Gospel in order to accept its message and be obedient, and for people to hear, there must be a presentation of the Gospel, and someone to preach it 2. We saw that we are to be the ones to preach the Gospel to others 3. We also saw that "to believe" was to give mental assent to Jesus and to trust Him, but that belief, faith, demands obedience and following the standard of the One trusted 4. We saw that confession was proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, both by our mouths and also in our deeds 5. We recognized that repentance was the expression of sorrow for past sins, but also a complete change of mind, the mental determination to no longer walk in the futility of the past but to strive to do what is right 6. Furthermore, we saw that immersion in water is necessary for the remission of sin, and baptism represents the point at which one enters into a relationship with God and can be rightly considered a Christian 7. We saw also that the plan does not really end at baptism, for the Scriptures demand continued obedience and development in the faith C. Now that we have looked into the truth of the Scriptures regarding God's plan for salvation, we can spend some time looking at man's divergences from it 1. Unfortunately, man has many times gone away from the plan God has intended 2. There are many competing "plans of salvation" out there 3. Let us look into some and compare them to what the Scriptures say II. Salvation in the Church A. One ancient divergence that remains today involves the relationship between one's salvation and the church B. As "catholicism" developed over the first millennium, the church took on a greater role and began to be seen as an institution above and beyond the collective of God's people 1. The "church" begins to be perceived as a "mother" 2. More stock is put into the metaphor of Christ as bridegroom and Church as bride 3. The church turns into something which people enter and leave, and is less about the people themselves C. This emphasis upon the church leads to a divergence in God's plan of salvation 1. As the role of the church becomes emphasized more, so it gains a greater position in the view of the catholic plan for salvation 2. One now must be in the church, specifically, the Catholic church, to be saved 3. Passages like Ephesians 5:23 begin to be used to justify such a position D. The entire question hinges on whether one is saved and then is added to the church, or whether one is added to the church and thus is saved 1. The Scriptures never speak of the latter 2. The former, however, is seen in plenty of conversion accounts (cf. Acts 2:41, etc.) where people are converted and thus establish a church E. Since, then, the Scriptures attest that one is saved and then is added to the church, the church is not the source of salvation at all 1. One is saved and then added to the church 2. The church then, is not something that you enter into and thus are saved, but exists as the collective of all who are saved in Christ Jesus F. It is manifest, then, that the role of the church is not as emphasized in the Scriptures as it is in some denominations of today, and is only indirectly involved in the plan of salvation III. The Background of Protestant Divergences A. The rest of the lesson will focus on many of the divergences of the Protestants, particularly those seen often in discussions with such persons B. To understand the divergences fully, however, requires an understanding of their origin C. Luther and the Origin of the Reformation 1. Martin Luther was the monk who nailed his theses on the door of Wittenberg and incited the firestorm of the Reformation 2. While his original intentions did not include a complete separation from Roman Catholicism, that's how it eventually ended up 3. Many of Luther's concepts represent reactions to Roman Catholic excesses 4. To this end, it is difficult to look at his theology without seeing a bias against Catholicism and therefore a tendency toward being reactionary 5. This is manifest in the conception of "justification by faith alone" and many of the other distinctive doctrines of Luther D. Parallel Developments of Calvin 1. Meanwhile, Calvin in Switzerland returned to Augustinian theology and developed his conception of God's sovereignty 2. By being far more faithful to Augustine than even Roman Catholicism would dare to be, Calvin's system of God as only actor and man as only acted upon has become extremely pervasive in many forms of Protestantism E. All of them shared a condemnation of the idea of baptism for remission of sin as an adult for salvation, as is evidenced in their response to the Anabaptist movement of the day F. This is the source of the suspicion of works in the Protestant movement 1. While the original reformers understood the need for obedience, the tension between the reactionary theology of the Reformation and the message of the Scriptures regarding the need for obedience in salvation would eventually lead to the de-emphasis of the latter 2. This is manifest today, where obedience is manifestly not promoted heavily at all in such churches, nor is anything that would seem to be as a "work" for salvation G. Having seen these things, let us explore some of the arguments used to justify Protestant divergences IV. The Principle of Exclusivity A. Often in discussions regarding the plan of salvation, particularly with baptism, Protestants will try to use a principle of exclusivity to make their argument B. They will look at Acts 16:31, and declare that since Paul says belief saves and does not mention baptism or other things, that only belief is necessary for salvation 1. Likewise, they will look at Romans 10:9-10 and speak only of belief and confession as necessary for salvation, since those are the only things mentioned in that passage 2. Hence, the principle of exclusivity: since in some verses, only certain aspects of the plan of salvation, God saves on the basis of those exclusive aspects C. Is the principle of exclusivity a legitimate principle? 1. The principle of exclusivity is hard to reconcile with a view of Biblical infallibility and inspiration 2. Psalm 119:160: the Psalmist declares that the sum of God's word is truth 3. The problem with the principle of exclusivity is that it willfully emphasizes some parts of the Bible and entirely neglects or rejects others 4. To that end, any belief system which must reject a part of the New Testament message to be legitimate is most likely not legitimate D. Therefore, neither the principle of exclusivity nor the idea that certain passages demonstrate what God requires of salvation by what is said and not said are valid 1. After all, could not this same type of argumentation be used against them? 2. Could we not say, using the same argument, that since Acts 2:38 mentions repentance and baptism, and not belief and confession, that only repentance and baptism are necessary for salvation? 3. Or from 1 Peter 3:21, that mentions only baptism in terms of what saves, that therefore baptism is all that is necessary for salvation? E. Protestants, of course, would reject those arguments, and rightly so: that is also why their argument must also be rejected 1. If God says in one place that belief is necessary for salvation, in another confession, in another repentance and baptism, and another obedience, one has two choices 2. One could try to elevate certain passages over others, as the Protestants have done, but in so doing you introduce contradiction into the text, and such does not correlate with an infallible, inspired source 3. Or, one can see that all are necessary for salvation, harmonizing the text and seeing the sum of what God has said as truth 4. The principle of exclusivity, then, is not valid in these matters V. The "Finished Work" of Christ A. Another argument advanced is the idea that the work of salvation was done on the cross, and therefore, there is nothing you can do for salvation 1. The language generally used for this belief is the belief in the "finished work" of Christ 2. It also involves the concept that Christ's blood at the moment of His death atoned for the sins of all those who would be saved, so that for the majority of those who would be saved, Christ's blood was applied to their sins even before they sinned those sins! 3. Do we see this in the Scriptures? B. The Scriptures do speak of Christ's work being done on the cross, and that He did die once for all (John 19:30, Hebrews 7:27) 1. Yet does this necessitate that Christ's blood was then applied to all sin of all time? 2. If that were the case, how could we explain conversion? Would it not be more properly an epiphany than a conversion? 3. How could the Apostles and others preach that people needed to obey the Gospel to obtain the remission of their sins if their sins have already been remitted (Acts 2:38, etc.)? C. The idea from the Scriptures regarding the application of Christ's blood is spoken of in terms of "prevenient grace" 1. God's grace has been shown to us already, and Christ did die once for all sin... 2. ...yet the application of the blood for remission of sin comes when one repents of that sin and is immersed in water for the remission of that sin/asks for forgiveness for that sin (Acts 2:38, 1 John 1:9) 3. This better explains why people are called upon to engage in God's plan for salvation to gain the remission of sin (Acts 22:16, etc.) 4. It is not spoken of in the perfect passive (your sins have been forgiven), as would make sense in the standard Reformist perspective 5. Let us not then be slavishly literal to the concept of Christ's death as once for all remitting sin, but recognize that the application of such is done on the basis of one following the plan of salvation and being pleasing in God's sight D. It is manifest from the Scriptures that man does have a role in his salvation: the acceptance in faith of the work Christ has done 1. Ephesians 2:8: salvation by grace through faith 2. Romans 3:24-25: justified by grace as a gift...received by faith 3. 1 Peter 1:22: purification of souls by obedience E. It is not appropriate, then, to act as if the Scriptures show that man has no role in his own salvation 1. Yes, it is true that man cannot save himself, nor can his works save him 2. We can only be saved through the grace of God shown to us by Christ dying on the cross 3. Yet this does not deny the role of man in accepting that grace and being obedient on the basis of that acceptance F. The idea of man having no role in his own salvation, that God is the only actor, and man only acted upon, is the fundamental difference that leads to all others 1. Many other Protestant doctrines, rejection of baptism for salvation on the basis of it being a "work", belief of God as giving man faith, idea that man cannot lose his salvation once it is obtained, are all based on this premise 2. The problem, of course, is that the Scriptures attest to the role of man in his own salvation, in the need for him to accept that which was done on his behalf 3. Once it is recognized that man has a role, not the entire role, but a role nonetheless, the rest of the arguments fall 4. Baptism is not really a work, but something done to a person, unless submission to baptism is a "work", and therefore can be for salvation 5. Faith as the response of man to God's work reinforces the fact that the gift of God in Ephesians 2:8 is the grace 6. Since man has to accept God's grace to be saved, he has the capability of rejecting it and thus lose salvation (cf. 2 Peter 2:20-22, Hebrews 10:26-31) G. It is manifest, then, that these Protestant ideas are divergences from God's plan of salvation, and should not be accepted VI. Conclusion A. We have examined some of the divergences of man from God's plan of salvation B. We have seen how Catholicism overemphasized the church's role in salvation C. We have seen some of the divergences of the Protestants 1. We saw the origins of these divergences in reaction to the excesses of Roman Catholicism 2. We have seen the fallacy of the principle of exclusivity 3. We have seen that man indeed has a role in his own salvation D. Let us strive, then, to hold to God's true plan of salvation as revealed in the Scriptures, and not fall prey to a false gospel (cf. Galatians 1:6-9) E. Invitation/songbook F. It is our hope that God's true plan of salvation is clear to you, and that you will follow God's plan 1. Hear, believe, confess, repent, be baptized, and obey 2. Come to faith in Christ today! G. Or perhaps you are a Christian and must make your life right, or simply require encouragement to keep on the Christian walk H. However we can help you, let us do so; come to the front now as we stand and sing Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body (Ephesians 5:23). Those in the Church of Christ are the saved. Some may suggest that their presence in the church is what saves them, but in the New Testament it is clear that people are saved and then added to the Lord’s people (Acts 2:47). Let us seek the Lord Jesus and be saved! 2: And they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house” (Acts 16:31). Many will take one verse that talks about one aspect of the plan of salvation and try to make it absolute and the thing necessary to do. Yet Psalm 119:160 reminds us that the sum of God’s word is truth. Belief, confession, repentance, baptism, and faithfulness are not exclusive of each other; they work together. May we do them and be saved! 3: When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished”: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit (John 19:30). Many speak of the “finished work” of Christ, thus suggesting that man has no role in his own salvation. Jesus has done the work necessary for us to be saved. Yet our response in faith is not precluded by Jesus’ work! Let us respond in faith, confessing, repenting, being baptized, and following Jesus as early Christians of the first century did! 4: For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Christians are saved by grace through faith; we do not deserve salvation and can do nothing to earn it. Some take this to mean that we are saved by faith alone despite what James says in James 2:26. The New Testament never suggests as much; for faith to have any value it must be manifest in obedience. Let us respond to the Lord by faith and seek to do His will so as to be saved!