It is capable of demonstration that every great expansion in Christian history has been a product of some type of re-thinking of fundamental ideas. It is necessary to remember that too frequently old truths, losing their vitality, have become a hindrance to the progress of the gospel. Not the least hindrance to the gospel has been the manner in which the old truths have been entombed in archaic language misunderstood by succeeding generations. Thus there is the constant need to come to grips with fundamental truth—sometimes to abandon archaic ways of speaking, and sometimes to rediscover the old emphases. The purpose of this paper will be to consider four fundamental truths. It is not suggested that these are the only “fundamentals.”
Sin
In our day it is relatively seldom that books are written, or sermons preached, on the subject of sin. The story in told of a former president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge. As was his custom, he had attended church on a particular Sunday, but his wife had been indisposed. Upon his return, she asked him what the sermon had been about. In typical laconic fashion, the president replied, “Sin.”
“What did the minister have to say?”
“He was against it!” Perhaps the president’s comments were more penetrating than we may imagine.
It is quite common to find that many are confused about the difference between “sin” and “sins.” This confusion is increased by the Roman Catholic doctrine of baptismal regeneration whereby “original sin” is purged away. In fact, the true meaning of sin in all its seriousness is not likely to be understood until we make a new and honest approach to the biblical teaching on the subject. We may then begin to recognize the non-biblical sources of such dogmas as “original sin” and “baptismal regeneration.” At these basic points some have not managed to get free from the wrong turns taken in the thinking of Christians who came long after the New Testament writers, and who seriously misunderstood those writings.
Not the least of the grave difficulties came out of the thinking of Augustine—or perhaps out of the thinking of those who proceeded to interpret Augustine. Suffice it to say that Augustine’s doctrine of “original sin” came to light when he was in a debate, and when—with the typical tricks of rhetoric of which he was a master—he was more anxious to make a point than to state ultimate truth. Once having fathered a catch-phrase, it was difficult to reconsider the issue. It is doubtful if the Christian world would ever have heard of “original sin” if Augustine had not been involved in debate with Pelagius. It is a tragedy that modern understanding of the nature of sin is clouded by a fourth century debate. Let us therefore try to get back to the Scriptures, and see what is there stated.
First we need to recognize that sins are the symptoms, while sin is the disease. We know a good deal about the symptoms, but it is too easy to overlook the real nature of the extremely grave disease from which we all suffer. We need only look at the state of the world today to make us realize that there is something radically wrong with man’s moral and spiritual nature.
In the Augustinian concept of “original sin,” we suffer the guilt of another person’s sin—the sin of Adam! This is an immoral idea! Ezekiel wasn’t an Augustinian! There is no playing with the idea of “original sin” in Ezekiel 33:1-9. It can be shown that Augustine was trying to emphasize the seriousness of sin, but he continued to make sin a mechanical thing instead of a moral thing.
Any superficial diagnosis of sin is dangerous. Society deals with crime, that is, wrong-doing as it affects the community. The moralist goes deeper and considers vice, wrong-doing as it affects individuals. But God deals with sin: that is, man’s fundamental wrongness as He, the Creator, sees it.
The Genesis account of man’s fall into sin does not present a glaring example of crime, nor yet a lurid manifestation of vice: it does describe man’s decision to go his own way. In Genesis 3:5 the tempter is recorded as saying, “Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Man aspired to be his own god, and to judge good and evil for himself. Man’s reaction when he was given the opportunity to choose was to say no to God, and yes to his own will. At the root of his sin lay his decision to rule his own life. This involved him in rebellion against God, the root of all sin. Each man faces the same choice, and all, except One, have fallen before the same temptation. I sin when I, the creature, forget or refuse the purposes of Him who created me. I sin when I say no to Him, and yes to my own desires.
What are the consequences of this sinning? In the first place, sin is seen in man’s determination to make his own appetites the purpose of his life. This produces the obvious sins of selfishness, covetousness, gluttony, sloth, lust and all their foul brood.
But at a deeper level, sin appears in man’s determination to make his own thoughts, his philosophy, his “religion,” to be the measure of what he calls “good.” The ultimate in goodness is limited by the measures of man’s mind. This produces, on the one hand, the gross evils of corrupt religion and godless ideologies. On the other hand, it produces the disorders of secularized life, in which religion is not so much denied as considered irrelevant. Thus, the life which men call “respectable,” even “good,” may be profoundly sinful in God’s sight simply because His purposes are neglected. The man who stands aloof, sneering about the hypocrites in the church, may in fact live a more ethical life than do certain “hypocrites” whom he despises. But he lives such a life to please himself, erecting his own will as his highest good. He has said that radical no to God and yes to himself. Meanwhile, the poor hypocrite in the church who may be making a poor record as a follower of Christ is nevertheless a man who knows that ultimately he has to do with God. He recognizes himself as a sinner who needs salvation: he is trying to say yes to God. His condition is immeasurably better than that of the man who is indifferent to God’s demands.
We must also consider the judgment on sin. It is not sufficient to say that sin is its own punishment. We see the havoc wrought in this world by sin, but this is only the earthly penalty. The essential judgment on sin is in complete keeping with its nature. If man has been given by God freedom to choose, it is a freedom which carries consequences. The full horror of the eternal penalty on sin is the fact that the man who persists in his no to God excludes himself eternally from the realm of God’s blessing. God sends no man to hell—man, by his own choice, sends himself to that horrible destiny. But if man gives his yes to God, God’s gifts of grace are able to do their work in and through his life. Thus the true penalty of sin is eternal death, just as the true blessing of God’s grace is eternal life.
Grace
The consequences of man’s sin are met by God’s grace. Grace is not defined in the Bible. For that matter, the Scriptures do not offer definitions of any major doctrine, though there are descriptions and inferences to be drawn. From the manner in which the word is used we are able to see that it contains at least four radical ideas. First, grace is that which God gives; second, it is of His free mercy, and not from any necessity; third, man cannot discover or earn it for himself, he has no natural right to it, and can only receive it as a gift; and fourth, it confers on man something wholly other than anything he possesses by nature.
Grace may be seen in operation in the Old Testament in many places, but a few illustrations will suffice. When Adam and Eve sinned and fell under the curse, God gave them a promise (Gen. 3:15) which was essentially gracious in character. Likewise Abraham received the promises by grace (12:1-3). The choice of the children of Israel to be God’s elect nation was entirely of grace (Deut. 9:4; 14:2; Ezek. 16:1-14). This in an entire reversal of the understanding of the nature of Deity as was to be seen in the heathen nations of those times. They regarded their titular deities as being bound to them by various ties, and under some kind of obligation to them, whereas Israel knew herself to be entirely under obligation to God.
There is considerable extension of the understanding of the meaning of grace as we study the New Testament. While God demonstrated His grace to men before the coming of Christ, He revealed the full measure of His grace in the gift of His only begotten Son. This complete revelation was manifested in at least six major elements connected with the coming of Christ.
1. The Eternal Son “was made flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14). The fact of the Incarnation is the basic emphasis of the fourth Gospel (see Jn. 1:1-18; 20:30-31). By word and deed He revealed God to men (14:9). In this regard the self-imposed limitations of His humanity are singularly important. The two earliest heresies concerning His Person could have destroyed the essence of the revelation had they been accepted. The one heresy, Docetism, made Him entirely deity, and stated that anything human about Him was merely a phantom. The other early heresy, Ebionitism, emphasized His humanity and denied His deity, thereby reducing Him to the status of a prophet who obviously, then, was deluded at certain important points. The Docetic heresy made nonsense of the assertion, “We have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).
We must always remember that divine revelation must be capable of being apprehended by man. The unique authority of the revelation in and through the Incarnate Son is in the fact that He enters our society recognizably as a man and speaks and acts as a man. His uniqueness as Godman (to use Anselm’s great phrase) is seen only as we look back from the vantage point of the resurrection and ascension.
2. He gave His life on the cross as a ransom for many (Mt. 20:28). Whatever theory of the atonement we accept, no theory is big enough to explain all that God has done for us. But no understanding of the cross can be reached which does not involve a recognition of who it was that died there.
3. He rose to be “the first-begotten of the dead” (Rev. 1:5) and “Head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:22). The focal point of the NT is the resurrection, as Paul strongly asserts in 1 Corinthians 15, especially verses 13-20. Paul emphasizes this point in one way; John emphasizes it in another (Jn. 20:26-31). It is only as we face the fact of the resurrection, with its proof that Jesus of Nazareth is uniquely the Son of God, that we are able to understand anything of the significance of the cross. It is as we take this view of the cross, and what happened there, that we recognize the significance of Paul’s assertion that Christ is the Second Adam. As the first Adam fell before the temptation, choosing to go his own way, so the Second Adam reversed the tragic process by being perfectly obedient to the will of God. “Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Mt. 26:39): and ultimately there comes the cry of victory, “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30), which is the final answer to the sin of Adam.
4. He ascended into heaven to be our High Priest before God (Heb. 4:14). Just as the resurrection demonstrates the significance of the cross, so the ascension comes as the inevitable and essential crown of glory to all of the incarnation. After His resurrection He withdrew from the self-imposed limitations of His incarnation, yet He did not cast off His manhood. He went from this limited physical contact with His disciples so that He might be always present with them.
5. The Holy Spirit, who “proceedeth from the Father and the Son” has come to complete the work of grace in the believer’s life (Jn. 15:26; 16:7-15). Upon this particular point more must be said later.
While all of these matters are connected with our Lord’s earthly ministry, we cannot ignore the end and purpose of grace. The Scriptures constantly place before us the coming time when the whole creation will be redeemed, and the new heaven and new earth will be given by God (Rom. 8:22; 1 Cor. 15:47-54; Eph. 1:10; Rev. 21:1-5; 22:1-5).
To sum up this matter of grace, we need to remember that the New Testament repeatedly denies that man can of himself gain or earn forgiveness of sin or anything else pertaining to the spiritual life. The one thing he can earn for himself is the wrath of God (Rom. 6:23). But the fact that man cannot earn the blessings of God does not mean that he cannot receive them. In fact, the emphasis of the NT is that any man, no matter how sinful he may be, can receive all these blessings as the gift of God. The only barrier which can prevent him from receiving them is pride: that is, self-confidence before God. The only attitude which opens the way for man to receive all these gifts is humility and a willingness to receive as a penniless beggar what God offers in grace. If we would be enriched by God’s supreme gifts, we must always beware of all forms of dependence on our own works or capacities (Lk. 17:7-10; 18:9-14; Rom. 4:4; 11:6; Gal. 3:21; 5:4).
Faith
What is faith? This question is asked by many, and asked with urgency, since the Scriptures indicate that salvation is connected with faith. The non-Christian man is liable to say that “faith” is credulity. Others suggest that faith is a kind of “faculty” given to some but not to all—just as some have marked artistic talents, while others lack such gifts. We can reject both of these ideas forthwith, because if faith were not connected with profound spiritual realities it would have been forgotten long since; and because all who have any experimental knowledge of faith declare that it is within the reach of every man. Experience proves that the scriptural “whosoever” is true.
Faith is more than intellectual assent to some statement of fact. It is more than simple belief. I believe that the world is round, but that belief does not transform my life. Likewise a man may believe in God and yet lack faith (Jas. 2:19). Some people therefore ask: Is faith a spiritual activity within myself by which I effectively lay hold of a divine blessing? If it is this, then we must always be haunted by the doubt: Have I sufficient faith? But this question is not raised in the NT in respect to the faith required to receive salvation. On the contrary, people who appeared to be little developed spiritually were able to enter instantly into the blessing. (Note Mt. 8:5-13; Mk. 5:25-34; Lk. 23:39-43; Acts 16:29-34.) In the case of Cornelius (Acts 10:44) faith is not even mentioned, but it is said that “the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”
It is quite clear in the New Testament that “hearing” and “faith” are connected. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). This gives us a clue to the true understanding of faith. God speaks to man; man hears the Word of God; that Word begets faith in him. Faith is not something which we possess of ourselves: it is our humble yes to that which we recognize to be the Word of God. Thus faith is the true opposite of sin. As sin is our no to the Word of God, so faith is our yes to His Word.
Many of us heard God speaking to us the word of condemnation on our sins. Perhaps He spoke through the Scriptures, or through some other writing, or by the spoken word of a preacher or friend. However the word came to us, we knew that God had spoken, and that we were condemned sinners. Then we heard His word of mercy through Christ. His Word declared that Christ had borne our sins in His own body on the tree, and that for His sake we were forgiven. Again, and in the same way, we heard God’s Word to us, and knew it to be true—true for us—and humbly answered with our yes. That hearing was faith. Now we go forward in confident trust, knowing that everything depends on the truth of the word which God spoke to us. Likewise, we enter into all of the rest of God’s gifts and promises, by hearing His Word to ourselves, and knowing that He speaks the truth. So, in faith, we move into all the richness of God’s gracious gifts, becoming His children: heirs of all His glory, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ!
The Holy Spirit
As mentioned above, the Holy Spirit completes the work of grace in the believer’s life. The essential work of the Spirit is to glorify God and bring to fruition God’s work in the individual. As the fullest manifestation of God is in Christ, it is thus the Spirit’s task to bring us into vital relationship with God through His Son. The Scriptures indicate a number of the functions of the Spirit. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn. 16:8-11); He strengthens and directs them in temptation, adversity and opportunity (Jn. 14:16; Mk. 13:11; Acts 13:2; 16:6; Rom. 8:26); He sanctifies—makes saints of—believers (Rom. 5:5; 8:13; 15:16; 1 Cor. 6:11; Gal. 5:22); and He gives such special powers as are needed for the service of the gospel and of His Church (1 Cor. 2:4; Eph. 4:11-13).
We are so used to thinking of the more striking manifestations of the Spirit’s power that we tend to overlook how completely the whole life of the believer is conditioned by His presence. The whole development of the believer’s life is the work of the Spirit.
A variety of gifts were discerned in the experience of the Church, and it was recognized that they were distributed at the will of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:1-11; 28-30) for the purpose of spreading the gospel and building up the church. These gifts are given as He sees the need for them; perhaps we already possess something which we are neglecting (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6); but anxious, self-centered striving for our own glory has no place in the Christian life. As we give ourselves to serve Him according to His will and for His glory, we shall unfailingly be given powers to accomplish even the seemingly impossible (Mt. 19:26; Phil. 4:13).
Paul uttered an extremely significant word when he said: “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9). If we are His, we will partake of His Spirit. People who have to deal with us will be able to recognize His Spirit in us. If I have said my serious no to self, to my own will and purposes, and my serious yes to God through Jesus Christ, it must follow that day by day I will become more and more what He would have me be and His Spirit will be ruling my every deed, word and thought.
So here they stand, like four massive pillars on which rest God’s unerring truth: sin and its consequences, grace and its enrichment, faith and its response to God’s voice, and the marvelous ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Written by E. P. Y. Simpson