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NASB | Exodus 1:1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Exodus 1:1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; each came with his household: |
Subject: What is your identity in Christ? |
Bible Note: Bill: I agree with Spurgeon completely here. However, he is speaking of forgiveness. That is justification, not sanctification. Undoubtedly, we are justified by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Works play no part of our justification. My justification is complete. However, in certain senses my sanctification is not. When I was justified at conversion, I was also "set apart" for SERVICE to God. Salvation is not and end in itself, but rather God's means of glorifying Himself both in our redemption from sin, but also in the fruit that we will bear. Works are not the basis of our justification, but they very much play a part in our sanctification. Note what I am saying here: we are not saved BY our works, but we are saved UNTO good works which glorify God. You may continue to dismiss the tri-partite view of sanctification I and most believers in church history have held, but the fact is that sanctification is presented in Scripture in one sense as a past event, in another as an ongoing event, and in yet another as a future, completed event. I have already cited many verses which point to sanctification as a goal of the Christian life, not merely a "done deal" like our justification. Again, how do you explain those verses in light of your view that sanctification is complete in every sense? Justification and sanctification are not the same thing. My salvation is assured when I was justified, and I was "set apart" when i was sanctified, but God gave me the Spirit to enable me to submit to God's law (not my words, but His -- Romans 8:7) and to be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2 -- our transformation is not yet complete). All of this is designed to glorify Him, to accomplish His purposes. My salvation has benefits for me, but it is only a means to God being glorified in his mercy and grace (1 Peter 2:10). The whole ball of wax is about Him, not me. I am God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), created in Christ Jesus for GOOD WORKS which are in keeping with his law. Every time we see the gospel mentioned and the blessings we have received, the passage continues to define a larger purpose for why we were chosen and regenerated. The will of God is that we live a holy life which testifies to the excellencies of God and silences the ignorant talk of foolish men (1 Peter 2:15). This comes from following God's moral law, which among other places is demonstrated in the Ten Commandments. We are free from the curse that comes from our non-compliance with the law, because Christ has fulfilled it completely for us. God's moral guidelines that are reflected both within and outside the Mosaic Law still are moral guidelines for us. If you ignore these guidelines, saying they are not applicable to the believer, what exactly are the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit uses in your life "to conform us outwardly to the image of Christ"? Any commandment from God forms part of His moral Law, and it is from His commandments that we have a standard on what righteous living is. This is what is known as the law/gospel distinction. God's law shows us what is good and what the Lord requires of us. From the gospel do not come guidelines for obedience to Christ, but rather grace and mercy despite our rebellion against God and His perfect law, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit for us to honor and glorify Him by following His moral law. Incidentally, for Spurgeon's take on the uses of law in the life of the believer, you can read some of his sermons online. These two in particular address the issue in question: www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0128.htm www.spurgeon.org/sermons/3418.htm Don't dismiss what we can learn from the heroes of the faith. They are certainly not infallible (and I myself disagree with some of what they have to say, just as they disagree with each other on some points), but one should weigh seriously what they have to show us from the Word before a summary dismissal is made in favor of "just God, me, and the Bible!" Thanks for your comments --Joe! |