FOUNDATIONS of
GRACE 1400 BC — AD 100 A LONG LINE OF GODLY MEN
S T E V E N J. L AW S O N Foreword by John MacArthur
Afterword by R.C. Sproul
FOUNDATIONS of
GRACE 1400 BC — AD 100 A LONG LINE OF GODLY MEN
S T E V E N J. L AW S O N
A D I V I S I O N O F L I G O N I E R M I N I S T R I E S , O R L A N D O, F L
Foundations of Grace © 2006 by Steven J. Lawson Published by Reformation Trust Publishing a division of Ligonier Ministries 421 Ligonier Court, Sanford, FL 32771 Ligonier.org ReformationTrust.com Printed in Crawfordsville, Indiana LSC Communications US, LLC. August 2016 First edition, first printing on hardcover ISBN 978-1-56769-685-1 (Hardcover) ISBN 978-1-56769-686-8 (ePub) ISBN 978-1-56769-687-5 (Kindle) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher, Reformation Trust Publishing. The only exception is brief quotations in published reviews. Cover design: Brian Bobel for Dual Identity Interior design and typeset: Katherine Lloyd, The DESK Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Reprint ISBN: 978-1-56769-685-1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lawson, Steven J. Foundations of grace / by Steven J. Lawson. p. cm. -- (A long line of godly men ; v. 1) Includes index. ISBN 1-56769-077-7 1. Grace--Biblical teaching. 2. Grace (Theology) 3. Reformed Church--Doctrines. 4. Calvinism. 5. Bible--Criticism, interpretation, etc. 6. Men in the Bible. I. Title. BS680.G7L39 2006 234--dc22
2006022432
To the memory of Dr. S. Lewis Johnson —distinguished professor, eminent theologian, precise expositor— who shocked my world with the doctrines of grace
During my formative years, Dr. Johnson faithfully preached the Word of God—and, specifically, the doctrines of grace—at Believer’s Chapel in Dallas, Texas. Although I initially resisted these truths, the Lord graciously prevailed and opened my eyes to His glorious sovereignty in the salvation of lost sinners. Sunday by Sunday, Dr. Johnson brought masterful exposition of the Scriptures with theological precision. My view of everything was dramatically changed, and I have never been the same. I shall always be grateful to Dr. Johnson for his clear and compelling preaching about our sovereign God. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Rom. 11:36, NASB)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace
PREFACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Continental Divide of Theology
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1. A LONG LINE OF GODLY MEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Servants of Sovereign Grace: From Moses to the Present
2. WHERE THE LONG LINE BEGINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The Lawgiver Moses: Genesis
3. SOVEREIGN GRACE IN THE WILDERNESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
The Lawgiver Moses: Exodus to Deuteronomy
4. STRONG MEN WITH A STRONG MESSAGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Early Leaders: Joshua to Job
5. MONARCHS BOW BEFORE THE SOVEREIGN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Kings David and Solomon: Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes
6. SPOKESMAN OF SOVEREIGN GRACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
The Major Prophets: Isaiah
7. HERALDS OF DIVINE REGENERATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
The Major Prophets: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel
8. MAJOR THEOLOGY FROM MINOR PROPHETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
The Minor Prophets: Hosea to Malachi
9. THE GREATEST EXPOSITOR OF GRACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
The Lord Jesus Christ: Matthew, Mark, and Luke
10. THE MOUNT EVEREST OF THEOLOGY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
The Lord Jesus Christ: The Gospel of John
11. HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
The Apostle Peter: Acts and 1 & 2 Peter
12. BY HIS GRACE AND FOR HIS GLORY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
The Apostle Paul: Romans
13. PREACHER OF THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
The Apostle Paul: 1 & 2 Corinthians and Galatians
14. BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
The Apostle Paul: Ephesians to 2 Thessalonians
15. THE PILLAR AND SUPPORT OF THE TRUTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
The Apostle Paul: 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus
16. EVANGELISM AND DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
The Physician Luke and the Author of Hebrews: Acts and Hebrews
17. SOVEREIGN REGENERATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
James, the Apostle John, and Jude: James, 1, 2, & 3 John, and Jude
18. THROUGHOUT ALL THE AGES TO COME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
The Apostle John: The Gospel of John and Revelation
AFTERWORD BY R.C. SPROUL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Manifest Sovereignty
SCRIPTURE INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
CHAPTER ONE
A LONG LINE OF GODLY MEN SERVANTS OF SOVEREIGN GRACE: FROM MOSES TO THE PRESENT
B
eginning with the ancient prophet Moses and spanning the past thirty-five hundred years to this present hour, there has marched onto the stage of human history a long line of godly men, men who have faithfully upheld the royal banner of the doctrines of grace in their generations. These standard-bearers of the sovereignty of God’s grace form a noble procession that has remained unbroken and uninterrupted for millennia. They stand as one man— one in truth, one in the faith, one in the doctrines of grace. While differing in secondary areas of biblical understanding, they nevertheless have spoken with one voice in chief matters of doctrinal concern, namely, the supreme sovereignty by which God has appointed saving grace to undeserving, yet chosen, sinners. What is more, each man has appeared in history precisely at his God-appointed time and faithfully testified to God’s sovereignty in man’s salvation. Who are these great men of history? These are the most God-entranced preachers of their day, the most Word-saturated teachers of their hour, the men who, for the largest part, most marked their times for the glory of God. These are stalwarts of the faith, the sturdiest pillars of the church, the men who impacted nations and influenced continents for Christ, the men who sparked reformations and ignited spiritual awakenings. These are the valiant warriors of God’s kingdom, men who translated the Scriptures into the mother tongues of their people—and were burned at the stake for doing so. 21
22
F O U N D AT I O N S O F G R A C E
These are the men who founded biblically based denominations and launched gospel-propagating missions—men who left a lasting eternal impact upon the life of the church. These are among the most esteemed pastors, distinguished theologians, and prolific authors of their generations. These are the most passionate evangelists, scholarly professors, and venerable presidents of Bible colleges and seminaries—men who have upheld the standard of sound words. These are the men who have championed the doctrines of grace. We witness them marching onto the stage of history, the world being their theatre and Scripture their rehearsed lines. Countless numbers of these men appeared during the most demanding moments in the divine script, in the days when the church was at its weakest. It was in such times that this long line of godly men grew most thin. Yet amid dark days of doctrinal error, these men remained faithful to God’s Word and stayed true to its message, even daring to march out of step with the theological cadence of the times. These resilient couriers of truth were, of sorts, the small hinges upon which the large doors of redemptive history turned, inevitably leading the church back into the rising sunlight of a bright tomorrow. Similarly, in the times of the church’s greatest reformations and spiritual revivals, these men stood resolutely at the forefront, heralding the glorious truth of God’s sovereignty in man’s salvation for all to hear. Century by century, this unbroken succession of spiritual stalwarts has increased its ranks to become a swelling parade—a long line of godly men, uninterrupted and intact. A HIGH VIEW OF GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY What is the distant drumbeat by which these men march? What compels them to move out and move forward for God in their generations? What drives them to capture their hours for Christ? What ignites their souls to burn with passion for Him and be the brightest torches of truth in their times? The answer is clear and compelling. To a man, they are overwhelmed by a high view of the sovereignty of God. With a transcendent and triumphant vision of God ruling supremely over all things, these men comprise an army of expositors and teachers, trumpeting the unrivaled reign of God over heaven and earth. This is what makes them so unusually great. It is that they preach and proclaim an infinitely great God, One who is great in holiness and great in sovereignty. Their greatness is not found in themselves, but in the One who has called them into His glorious employ. These are the men who believe that God is God, not merely in name but
A Long L ine of G odly M en
23
in living reality. These are the faithful messengers who hold fast to the core truth that God speaks and it is so. They proclaim that God purposes and it comes to pass. They declare that God calls and it happens. They herald that God plans and so does. There is no force that can resist Him, either in heaven, on earth, or under the earth. He pronounces the end from the beginning. His purpose will be infallibly established. Their message is founded on the unmistakably clear testimony of Scripture that God is sovereign over all things. To this end, the psalmists write: “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” (Ps. 33:10–11); “The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting” (Ps. 93:1–2); “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Ps. 103:19); “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Ps. 115:3); and “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps” (Ps. 135:6). Could anything be clearer? Whatever God wills, He does. The wisdom of Solomon resounds with this same inscrutable dominion of God. Solomon writes: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Prov. 19:21); “A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way” (Prov. 20:24); “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Prov. 21:1); and “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord” (Prov. 21:30–31). The prophet Isaiah declared God’s unconditional sovereignty over all events, all circumstances, and all peoples. God Himself spoke through Isaiah, saying: “Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?” (Isa. 43:13); “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’. . . I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it” (Isa. 46:9–11); and “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it. . . . My glory I will not give to another” (Isa. 48:11). There can be no misunderstanding these verses: God will do everything He plans, and His every purpose shall be fulfilled.
24
F O U N D AT I O N S O F G R A C E
The prophet Daniel and the mightiest rulers of his ancient day affirmed this same towering sovereignty of God. Daniel recorded these words of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon: “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Dan. 4:17). Nebuchadnezzar humbly confessed: “For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Dan. 4:34–35). Darius, king of the Medes and Persians, extolled: “For he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth” (Dan. 6:26–27). With breathtaking grandeur and jaw-dropping splendor, this is the great and awesome God whom these great men proclaimed. They thundered about a God so sovereign that He cannot be resisted successfully, not by heaven or hell, not by Satan or fallen demons, not by man or elect angels. They reported a God who is Maker, Controller, Sustainer, and Determiner of all. In short, they proclaimed a God towering in supremacy, ruling over history, and ordaining the end from the beginning. This is the God they upheld before the watching eyes of the entire world. They faithfully fulfilled the psalmist’s urgent plea: “Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’” (Ps. 96:10). Is it any wonder that God so wonderfully blessed their endeavors? GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IN SALVATION The doctrines of grace are a cohesive system of theology in which the sovereignty of God is clearly displayed in the salvation of elect sinners. Not only is God acknowledged to reign over all of human history, both micro and macro, but He is also seen to be sovereign in the dispensing of His saving grace. From Genesis to Revelation, God is emphatically represented in Scripture as being absolutely determinative in bestowing His mercy. He is shown as choosing before the foundation of the world those whom He will save and then, within time, bringing it to pass. The Apostle Paul clearly announced God’s sovereign grace in man’s salvation. He wrote that, from eternity, God chose, willed, decided, and planned to save some sinners. To elect is to choose, and God chose who would be saved. Paul wrote: “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have
A Long L ine of G odly M en
25
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Rom. 9:15–16). This is to say, God decides whom He will save in order to display His glory: “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Eph. 1:4–5); “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you” (1 Thess. 1:4); “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13); God “saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Tim. 1:9); and “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect” (Titus 1:1). The Apostle Peter and John taught precisely the same supreme authority of God in the salvation of His elect. Peter wrote: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1); and “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). The Apostle John wrote: “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come” (Rev. 17:8). THE GLORY OF GOD IS PRIMARY In this system of theology, the glory of God is central. As every planet revolves around the blazing sun, every truth of sovereign grace rotates around this one fixed point—the glory of God. The unrivaled pre-eminence of God stands at the focal point of this theological universe. That God is to be the chief object of praise in the display of His grace is what energizes this solar system of truth. As the compass always points north, so the doctrines of grace constantly point upward toward the lofty heights of the glory of God. What is God’s glory? The Bible speaks of God’s glory in two primary ways. First, there is the intrinsic glory of God, which is the sum total of all His divine perfections and attributes. It is who God is—His infinitely vast greatness. Glory in the Old Testament (kabod) originally meant “heaviness,” “importance,” or “significance.” It came to represent the stunning
26
F O U N D AT I O N S O F G R A C E
magnificence of certain objects, such as the blazing sun or the regal majesty displayed by a king. Hence, glory came to be used to describe the magnificent splendor and awesome radiance of God Himself revealed to man. In the New Testament, the word for “glory” is doxa, which means “an opinion” or “an estimate” of something. When used of someone’s reputation, it means “importance,” “greatness,” “renown,” or “significance.” God’s intrinsic glory is the revelation of the greatness of His divine attributes to His creatures. It involves God’s greatness and grandeur being manifested to sinners, especially in the salvation of man from sin. No one can add anything to God’s intrinsic glory. God is who He is, never diminishing, never increasing, forever the same, the sovereign Ruler, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, all-true, allwise, loving, grace-giving, merciful, righteous, and wrathful. It is this intrinsic glory that God delights in making known to His creatures. Second, the Bible also speaks of the ascribed glory of God, or the glory that is given to Him. Doxa also has to do with expressing praise to God based upon the revelation of His supreme majesty. The only rightful response to the display of God’s perfections must be to give Him glory. Man must bring the praise due His name. Man must give the worship that belongs exclusively to Him. The display of God’s intrinsic glory causes man to give ascribed glory to God. The more man beholds God’s intrinsic glory in salvation, the more man ascribes glory to God. This, then, is the centerpiece of God’s saving purpose in the universe— the revelation and magnification of His own glory. This is what is at the very center of God’s being—the passionate pursuit of displaying His own glory for His own glory. This is what should be at the center of every human life—the promotion of the glory of God, that is, beholding and adoring His glory. This is what is primary in the salvation of every lost sinner—the revealing of the glory of God so that sinners might rejoice in the glory of God. No wonder Paul writes: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36). DISPLAYED IN THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE This resplendent, intrinsic glory of God, awesome and magnificent, is most fully displayed in the doctrines of grace. And in this order of truth, ascribed glory is most freely and fully given to God. Here all three members of the Godhead—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—work together as one Savior, indivisibly united in rescuing radically corrupt sinners.
A Long L ine of G odly M en
27
Before time began, the Bible teaches, God the Father chose a people for Himself to be worshipers of His glory by becoming the objects of His grace. As an expression of His infinite love for His Son, the Father gave His elect to Christ as a love gift, a people who would praise Him forever and ever. The Father then commissioned His Son to come into this world in order to redeem these chosen ones through His sacrificial death. The Father, along with the Son, also sent the Spirit into this world to apply the saving work of the Son to this same group of elect sinners. This vast number of redeemed saints—those elected by God, purchased by Christ, and called by the Spirit—will never fall from grace. They all shall be transported safely to heaven and glorified forever. This is the God-honoring triumph of sovereign grace. Biblically speaking, these truths have been stated in five main headings that showcase the glory of God in man’s salvation. Each of these truths is deeply rooted and solidly grounded in the rich soil of God’s Word. When the Bible is rightly exegeted, carefully expounded, and properly explained, it clearly teaches these truths, which have been identified as total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints.1 These doctrines were first enshrined in confessional form at the Synod of Dort (1618–1619) in the seventeenth century Netherlands. Known today as the five points of Calvinism, the Canons of Dort were a response to the Remonstrants (1610), the followers of Jacob Arminius, who formulated what are now known as the five points of Arminianism. These five headings of thought, the complete antithesis of biblical Calvinism, read as follows: partial depravity, conditional election, universal atonement, resistible grace, and the possible falling away of the saints. These two systems of thought represent two distinct ways of thinking about the roles of God and man in salvation. The first system, Calvinism, is a God-centered, Christ-exalting way of viewing salvation. God alone is the Savior and, thus, God alone is the object of praise. In the other system, 1 The origin of the acronym TULIP to describe these five truths seems to be from the early twentieth century and was popularized by Loraine Boettner in his book, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1932). While Reformed theology consists of more than five points, these teachings encapsulate the Reformed doctrine of God’s sovereign grace in salvation and provide a summary of the Canons of Dort. On the origin of TULIP, see Kenneth J. Stewart, Ten Myths About Calvinism: Recovering the Breadth of the Reformed Tradition (Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2011), 75–96. For a study of the five points of Calvinism, see Joel R. Beeke, Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism (Orlando, Fla.: Reformation Trust, 2008), 3–150.
28
F O U N D AT I O N S O F G R A C E
Arminianism, a completely opposite perspective is presented. Arminianism, also known historically as Semi-Pelagianism and Wesleyanism, divides the glory between God and man in the salvation of the human race. As a result, it diminishes the glory given to God. In the first system, that of the doctrines of grace, salvation is completely of the Lord. God alone supplies all that is necessary, both the grace and the faith. But in the latter scheme, salvation is partly of God and partly of man. Here God supplies the grace and man supplies the faith. Man becomes his own co-savior. In the first system, all glory goes to God alone. But in the latter, praise is shared by God and man. The only problem is that God will not share His glory with another. MAN’S DEPRAVITY AND GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY The first main heading of the doctrines of grace is total depravity, or radical depravity. This is the doctrine of man’s ruin in sin, and it serves as the black velvet backdrop upon which God’s saving grace is displayed. All mankind is born spiritually dead in trespasses and sin. Fallen man is totally depraved. Sin has radically affected the total man. That is, each part of man—his mind, emotion, and will—is defiled by sin. His mind is darkened, rendering him unable to see the truth about God, Christ, or himself. His heart is defiled and does not desire God, but instead loves his sin. His will is dead and cannot choose what is right. Plagued with this total inability, sinners are in bondage to sin, unable to change and become good. Being dead in sin, man does not even desire to pursue what is right. In short, unregenerate man is totally unable to do any spiritual good, can do nothing to remove his sin, and can make no contribution toward his salvation. Worse, left to himself, fallen man will never seek God or His grace. The second main heading is unconditional election, or sovereign election. Because no sinful man can choose God, God must choose man. The Bible teaches that before the foundation of the world, God chose certain individuals to be the objects of His saving grace. From the fallen sons of Adam’s race, God selected His elect, those whom He would save. This choice was not based upon any foreseen good works or faith. Rather, this election was made exclusively by the gracious choice of God. Having chosen His elect, the Father then gave them to the Son as an expression of His love, and commissioned the Son to enter the world and purchase their salvation. Further, the Father, along with the Son, charged the Holy Spirit to regenerate these chosen ones. Before time began, this was foreordained and predestined by
A Long L ine of G odly M en
29
the sovereign will of God. This is the saving grace of God the Father in eternity past. REDEMPTION ACCOMPLISHED AND APPLIED The third heading is limited atonement, or definite atonement. Having received the names of the elect from the Father in eternity past, Jesus Christ came into this world to purchase their salvation. Upon the cross, Jesus did not make the entire world somehow potentially savable. Rather, He actually saved. Jesus actually secured eternal life for His sheep. He really purchased the church with His own blood. Jesus redeemed a select group. Dying for all who had been entrusted to Him by the Father, He propitiated the wrath of God. All for whom He died were truly saved through His death. Not one will perish. This is the saving grace of God the Son two thousand years ago. The fourth truth is irresistible grace, or irresistible call. The Father and the Son have sent the Holy Spirit into this world to convict, call, and regenerate all the elect. As the gospel is proclaimed throughout the world, the Spirit issues a special inward call to those chosen by the Father. The Spirit regenerates spiritually dead souls. He raises the lost sinner from the spiritual grave. He grants repentance and faith. The Spirit opens spiritually blind eyes so they may see the truth. He opens deaf ears so they may hear the truth. He opens closed hearts so they may receive the truth. He activates dead wills so they may believe the truth. He applies the saving death of Christ to the hearts of all the elect. This is the saving grace of God the Holy Spirit within time. SAFE AND SECURE FOREVER The fifth truth is the perseverance of the saints, or preserving grace. The Bible teaches that all the elect are kept by the power of God. None of the Father’s chosen ones will ever be lost. None for whom the Son died will ever perish. None who are regenerated by the Spirit will ever fall from grace. All the recipients of the saving grace of God will be ushered into glory, forever protected and preserved. This broad sweep of salvation now stands complete. Reaching back to eternity past and reaching forward to eternity future, salvation is rightly seen as one work of grace. Those whom God chose before time began are those who will be saved forever when time is no more. All the elect will persevere because God Himself will persevere within them—and cause them to stand faultless before His throne. This biblical understanding of salvation clearly reveals that salvation is
30
F O U N D AT I O N S O F G R A C E
all of grace. From start to finish, every aspect of saving grace is the free gift of God, sovereignly bestowed upon undeserving sinners. Each member of the Godhead works in perfect unity and harmony in this saving enterprise. First, God the Father chose His elect by Himself and for Himself in eternity past. Second, God the Son redeemed all these chosen by the Father and entrusted to Him. Third, God the Holy Spirit regenerates these chosen and redeemed ones. Together, all three persons—Father, Son, and Spirit—save sinners. The five points of biblical salvation all merge together to form this one dominant point—God saves sinners by His grace and for His glory. What fallen man cannot do for himself, God does. What sinful humans do not even pursue, God pursues and accomplishes. Our triune God activates, accomplishes, and applies saving grace to His elect. In this scheme, salvation is seen to be “from him and through him and to him” (Rom. 11:36). When salvation is seen in this light, and only then, may it be said, “To him be glory forever. Amen.” THE LONG LINE STARTS HERE Is this really the teaching of Scripture? To be sure, these God-centered truths were recorded in the pages of the Word by holy men of God, beginning with the rugged prophets and anointed kings of Israel. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, and he taught most clearly the sovereignty of divine grace. These same truths were penned by the writers of the historical and wisdom books of the Old Testament—Joshua, Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, David, the other psalmists, and Solomon. The prophets all spoke with one voice regarding these precious truths—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Each one made a significant contribution to the inspired record of the doctrines of grace. Then, in the New Testament, the long line continued with the teaching of the Lord Jesus in the four Gospels, as well as with that of Peter, Paul, Luke, the author of Hebrews, James, Jude, and John. The teaching of sovereign grace literally stretches from cover to cover in the Bible. These God-exalting truths also were the well-studied, firmly held position of a vast army of strong men over the centuries. Those who embrace these truths today may be in the minority, but the doctrines of grace were the conviction of those who led the early church. Following the biblical authors were the early church fathers—men like Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Athanasius, Augustine, and Jerome. They taught the doctrines of grace, believing they were written in Scripture. After these men came many
A Long L ine of G odly M en
31
shining lights in the Dark Ages—faithful servants such as Gallus, Gottschalk, Peter Waldo, Anselm, and Thomas of Bradwardine. Then, before the dawning of the Reformation, there were such notable forerunners as John Wycliffe, John Hus, Savonarola, and William Tyndale. All these men trumpeted the doctrines of sovereign grace. THE REFORMERS JOIN RANKS In the unprecedented days of the Reformation in sixteenth century Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there were spiritual giants who walked the Continent, men skilled in the Scriptures and taught by the Holy Spirit—Reformers such as Martin Luther, Martin Bucer, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, Francis Turretin, and those saints who convened at the Synod of Dort in the Netherlands. To a man, they were strong predestinarians. Without wavering, they were firmly committed to the doctrines of sovereign grace. Only a message as catalytic as these truths could have turned Europe upside down. Following in their wake were the Scottish and English Reformers—John Knox, John Foxe, John Rogers, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, and the like—men who held high the torch of truth on the British Isles. The testimonies of many of these men were sealed with their blood, for these frontline British Reformers believed in the sovereign grace of God. After them came the Puritans, stalwarts such as Thomas Goodwin, Richard Sibbes, Jeremiah Burroughs, John Owen, Thomas Watson, and Matthew Henry. These Scots and Englishmen proclaimed a God who freely dispenses His saving mercy upon whom He wills. At this same time, there were Particular Baptists raised up by God who also sounded the note of sovereign grace—John Bunyan, Benjamin Keach, and John Gill. THE LONG LINE CROSSES THE ATLANTIC In the providence of God, the truths of the doctrines of grace were soon carried across the Atlantic by men searching for religious freedom. The Pilgrims were distinctly Calvinistic, as they brought with them and preached from their Geneva Bibles. The early Colonial leaders were staunchly Reformed. Those who founded the early states—men such as John Winthrop, Thomas Hooker, Roger Williams, Increase Mather, and Cotton Mather—were all Calvinistic. The first American colleges, Harvard and Yale, were Calvinistic, established to train Reformed ministers who would preach Reformed doctrine.
32
F O U N D AT I O N S O F G R A C E
As the Colonies became more settled, the flames of revival burned brightly in New England. In the lead of this movement, which was known as the Great Awakening, were Calvinistic pastors, evangelists, and educators. William Tennent, Sr., and his sons, Gilbert and William Tennent, were leading Presbyterian pastors who established the Log Cabin College to train Bible-preaching pastors. Jonathan Edwards of Northampton, Massachusetts, was the leading pastor of the time and a strict Calvinist of the highest order. George Whitefield of Bristol, England, was unquestionably the most distinguished evangelist of the day, perhaps of any day, and was Reformed to the core. When Harvard and Yale succumbed to the slippery slope of Arminianism, Princeton was raised up to become the new bastion of Calvinism. Other colleges were established that were distinctly Reformed—Rutgers, Dartmouth, and Brown. The rich truths of sovereign grace saturated the soil of the early Colonies. Calvinism was the dominant worldview of the day. With the coming of the Revolutionary War, Reformed thinkers continued to lead. The representative form of government drafted into the Constitution was simply the Reformed truth of elder rule expanded and applied to the nation. Many of the founding fathers were Calvinistic, including John Witherspoon, the only pastor to sign the Declaration of Independence. After the Revolutionary War, the Second Great Awakening blazed across New England, with key men such as Timothy Dwight, president of Yale, and Asahel Nettleton, both strong Calvinists, among its leaders. THE TRIUMPHANT PROCESSION IN AMERICA As the young nation emerged, Princeton Seminary was soon founded on the campus of the college. For more than one hundred years, Princeton Seminary would be the leading influence for evangelical truth in America. On the faculty of Princeton was a virtual army of biblical scholars, each man strictly Calvinistic. This line began with its founder, Archibald Alexander, and extended to its last strong voice, J. Gresham Machen. In between were such theological giants as Charles Hodge, who next to Jonathan Edwards was America’s leading theologian; J.W. Alexander; J.A. Alexander; A.A. Hodge; and the luminous Benjamin B. Warfield, the arch defender of the faith and a towering Reformed theologian. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the Southern Baptist Convention was founded. This missions-minded evangelical group, formed in Charleston, South Carolina, was destined to become the largest Protestant
A Long L ine of G odly M en
33
denomination in the world. It was a body of Bible-believers founded by men immovably committed to the doctrines of grace. Every president of the convention for the first fifty years was Calvinistic—William B. Johnson, R.B.C. Howell, Richard Fuller, Patrick Mell, and others. The founders of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the denomination’s first seminary, believed and openly taught the doctrines of grace. Among them were James P. Boyce and John Broadus, who both attended Princeton, and later Edwin Dargan. The Abstract of Principles was—and remains to this day—the doctrinal standard of Southern, and it is an avowedly Calvinistic document. The founder of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, B.H. Carroll, was another man who expounded the unconditional election of God. The very foundation of this great association of Baptist churches was laid upon the solid rock of sovereign grace. During the same nineteenth century, the Presbyterians were gaining a strong strategic foothold in the South. Distinguished theologians and pastors such as William S. Plumer, Daniel Baker, Robert L. Dabney, James Henley Thornwell, Benjamin Palmer, and John L. Girardeau left their mark upon their churches and students with the truths of sovereign grace. Because they had adopted the Westminster Confession of Faith, there was no disputing where these pastors and churches stood theologically. In the North, William G.T. Shedd, a powerful theologian of Reformed dogmatics, wrote substantive tomes of theology and anchored these Reformed truths for years to come. THE LONG LINE SPANS THE GLOBE The greatest outreach movement in the history of the world, the modern missions movement, saw missionaries sent to the corners of the earth in the nineteenth century. These mighty men were largely Calvinistic. William Carey, who has been called the father of this movement, was one who embraced sovereign grace. He believed there were elect people in every tribe and nation around the world, and that Christ’s servants must go to reach them with the gospel. Other men of Reformed persuasion were leading figures of this historic movement as well. Missionaries such as Luther Rice, Adoniram Judson, David Livingstone, Henry Martyn, Robert Moffat, and John Paton were to follow—all believers in sovereign grace. Back across the Atlantic in Scotland and England, the nineteenth century church had a strongly Calvinistic flavor, especially among its leaders. In Scotland, some of the most faithful pastors, theologians, evangelists, and
34
F O U N D AT I O N S O F G R A C E
missionaries the church has ever known were raised up by God. Stalwarts such as Andrew Bonar, Thomas Boston, Robert Murray McCheyne, and Robert Candlish pastored churches. Robert Haldane and James Haldane helped see the gospel spread abroad. Thomas Chalmers and James Buchanan were brilliant Scottish theologians, steeped in Reformed doctrine, who also served as pastors. The astute minds of these Scots, combined with their evangelistic and missionary zeal, made them notable men indeed. At this same time, the pulpit power of Calvinistic preachers in England can hardly be overstated. Most prominent of all was “the Prince of Preachers,” Charles H. Spurgeon, an avowed and avid Calvinist. This man’s Reformed influence upon the church was considerable and remains strong even to this present hour through his writings. Surrounding him in other British churches were expositors such as Alexander Maclaren, John C. Ryle, and Charles Simeon, and the noted orphan caretaker, George Mueller. All these men were committed to the sovereignty of grace. In the Netherlands, where the Synod of Dort convened, the proclamation of God’s sovereignty in man’s salvation continued to be strong into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Abraham Kuyper, who became prime minister of the Netherlands, was a leading voice for the doctrines of grace. Noted Dutch theologians such as Herman Bavinck, G. C. Berkouwer, and Louis Berkhof left their mark upon evangelical minds through the printed page. William Hendriksen and Simon Kistemaker, both of Dutch background, also left an enduring body of work in their New Testament Commentary series. THE GRAND PARADE STRETCHES TO THE PRESENT All this brings us to those godly men most recently raised up by God, who have faithfully upheld these biblical truths of sovereign grace. In the first half of the twentieth century, the prolific pen of A. W. Pink was exceptional in spreading these high doctrines. John Murray, president professor of Westminster Theological Seminary, helped train several generations of Calvinistic pastors, authors, and missionaries. Donald Grey Barnhouse, pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, and a firmly convinced Calvinist, became the most popular American expositor of the 1950s. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, pastor of Westminster Chapel, London, became the most popular English expositor of the twentieth century. James Montgomery Boice, Barnhouse’s successor at Tenth Presbyterian, was the most significant pastor and defender of Calvinism in the twentieth century. To this day, these critical ministries have
A Long L ine of G odly M en
35
left an indelible mark upon the theocentric thinking of countless legions of modern-day pastors and church leaders. This present hour is not without its champions of sovereign grace. Among them are valiant warriors of the truth such as R.C. Sproul, founder of Ligonier Ministries, and the late D. James Kennedy, founder of Evangelism Explosion. The worldwide influence of the expository pulpit of John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church, Los Angeles, is incomparably vast as he expounds these truths for all to hear. The passionate zeal of John Piper, former pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, continues to influence an entire generation as he uses his pen and voice to proclaim the supremacy of God in man’s salvation. R. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, looms as a towering influencer of the next generation of pastors, infecting them with a high view of God. These are but some of the noteworthy present-day men who are Calvinistic in doctrine and strong in their influence. GOD RAISES UP HIS MEN How is it that each of these men has come onto the scene of human history? Let us be sure, it is God Himself, the sovereign Lord of history, who raises up each generation of spiritual leaders to join this long line of godly men. God, the Determiner of history, prepares the man for the hour and the hour for the man. As the sole Builder of His church, the Lord Jesus Christ appoints the time when and the place where each man will find himself on the grander stage of history. With infinite genius and perfect design, Christ sovereignly chooses His men (John 15:16), calling them from their mothers’ wombs (Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:15; Gal. 1:15–16) to fulfill the specific work they will do (Eph. 2:10). Even the very success they will enjoy is predetermined by Christ, who alone causes the growth (1 Cor. 3:6–7). Jesus vowed, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). By this irrevocable promise, Christ pledged that He would sovereignly build His church, and even death itself would not impede its progress. That is to say, when one generation passes off the scene, Christ will faithfully raise up the next wave of men to continue His work. Whenever a Luther or a Calvin departs this world, God has the next wave of workers standing in the wings, poised and ready to advance the work. Nowhere is this truth more clearly seen than in the continual supply of His Preacher of the Doctrines of Grace.
36
F O U N D AT I O N S O F G R A C E
James Montgomery Boice writes: “These doctrines were not invented by Calvin, nor were they characteristic of his thought alone during the Reformation period. These are biblical truths taught by Jesus and confirmed by Paul, Peter, and all the other Old and New Testament writers. Augustine defended these doctrines against the denials of Pelagius. Luther believed them; so did Zwingli. That is, they believed what Calvin believed and later systematized in his influential Institutes of the Christian Religion. The Puritans were Calvinists; it was through them and their teaching that both England and Scotland experienced the greatest and most pervasive national revivals the world has ever seen. In that number were the heirs of John Knox: Thomas Cartwright, Richard Sibbes, Richard Baxter, Matthew Henry, John Owen, and others. In America others were influenced by men such as Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mather, and, later, George Whitefield. In more recent times the modern missionary movement received nearly all its initial impetus and direction from those in the Calvinistic tradition. The list includes William Carey, John Ryland, Henry Martyn, Robert Moffat, David Livingstone, John G. Paton, John R. Mott, and others. For all these, the doctrines of grace were not an appendage to Christian thought but were central, firing and forming their preaching and missionary efforts.”2 The doctrines of grace find their origin not in the traditions of men but in the pages of sacred Scripture. As Charles Spurgeon states: “It is no novelty, then, that I am preaching; no new doctrine. I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines, that are called by nickname CALVINISM, but which are surely and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus. By this truth I make a pilgrimage into [the] past, and as I go, I see father after father, confessor after confessor, martyr after martyr, standing up to shake hands with me. . . . Taking these things to be the standard of my faith, I see the land of the ancients peopled with my brethren; I behold multitudes who confess the same as I do, and acknowledge that this is the religion of God’s own church.”3
2 James Montgomery Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Comprehensive & Readable Theology (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 519. 3 Charles H. Spurgeon, “Election,” sermon on 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14, delivered on September 2, 1855; quoted by David Steele and Curtis Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1963), 8.
A Long L ine of G odly M en
37
FOUNDATIONS OF GRACE: THE ROCK-SOLID WORD This book, Foundations of Grace, is the first title of a multivolume set. The focus of these pages and chapters is upon the biblical authors who laid the sturdy foundation for the doctrines of grace in sacred Scripture. What did they teach? What does Scripture set forth regarding the sovereignty of God in salvation? All that we believe and hold dear about the supremacy of God in the redemption of fallen men must be the truth of God’s Word. Otherwise, it is to be rejected. So, what does Scripture say? Beginning with writings of the prophet Moses and concluding with the Revelation of the Apostle John, we will systematically trace the development of the doctrines of grace through the pages of divine Scripture. In the chapters ahead, we will mark the progressive revelation of sovereign grace throughout the Old Testament, starting with Moses and proceeding to Joshua, Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Job, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, all the way to the minor prophets, from Hosea to Malachi. In the New Testament, we will discover and document the doctrines of grace as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Christ was the greatest preacher of sovereign grace who ever lived. Likewise, we will detail the teaching of God’s sovereignty in saving grace as taught by Peter, Paul, Luke, the author of Hebrews, James, Jude, and, finally, John. This survey from cover to cover in the Bible will lay an immovable foundation for the sovereign grace of God. Each future volume in this series will build upon this biblical bedrock and provide a walk through church history, featuring the noble men who preached and taught the doctrines of grace. But first, let us sound the roll call of these servants who wrote the Scriptures and recorded the sovereignty of God’s grace. Starting with Moses and extending to the Apostles, here is a look at the beginning of the long line of godly men.