Our monergistic justification
Apr 25, 2017 11:04:15 GMT
Post by Colossians on Apr 25, 2017 11:04:15 GMT
This material is for the teaching of the Body of Christ, however the author reserves copyright over it.
Forward
This work should be read in conjunction with our work: “Understanding the contrast between the teachings of James and Paul”.
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OUR MONERGISTIC JUSTIFICATION
In the life of the mature Christian, the work which accompanies faith will on occasion consist of an omission: when in a certain situation all around are expecting such an one to 'do the (active) Christian thing', the Spirit will (on occasion) prohibit such an one from so doing: there will be a 'check' within which says: "not now".
Given then that anything ordered by the Spirit is alive and not dead, and given that faith if it has not works is dead and that therefore only [faith + works] is alive, we necessarily understand from this that
[faith + the work of omission] = [faith + works].
And so given that
[faith + the work of omission] = [faith + 0] = [faith],
we necessarily also understand that
[faith] = [faith + works],
which inequation tells us that the works of faith are subsumed by faith rather than added to it.
A gloriously-loud silence
In a country where Christians are vigorously persecuted for their faith, a Christian man sits at home one evening, quietly enjoying the solitude, when a group of soldiers bursts in, arrests him for his faith, and takes him to prison.
A few days later the prison authorities offer him one chance and one chance only to gain his freedom: he must then and there declare that Jesus Christ is not his Lord.
He remains silent, and so spends the rest of his life in prison.
Objectively, he has done no more at this point than he was doing while sitting at home: he might as well have been air-lifted to prison on his couch, for there has nothing occurred that might differentiate his state at the one end from his state at the other.
And so given that two things equal to the same thing are equal to each other, we necessarily understand from this that his work of faith in prison is equal to the faith he possessed as he sat in silence in his living room, which in turn leads us to understand that his faith is always at work regardless of context, and that such work will consist of none other than the declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord.
That is, it is in worship that (the state that is) faith, and (the action that is) works, irresistibly converge.
In concluding …
Although at the semantic level the notions expressed by the terms “faith” and “works” are distinct, on the pragmatic axis they are together as one: faith is a work inasmuch as it cannot at any point be separated from that which is spiritually productive.
And so given that one is justified by (the work that is) faith, and given that one’s own works do not result in justification, we necessarily understand that faith is a work of God and not in any way that which might emanate from the Christian himself.
Epilogue
Are we not justified when we are asleep in bed at night, just as much as when we are awake in the day?
Amen.
Forward
This work should be read in conjunction with our work: “Understanding the contrast between the teachings of James and Paul”.
________________________________
OUR MONERGISTIC JUSTIFICATION
In the life of the mature Christian, the work which accompanies faith will on occasion consist of an omission: when in a certain situation all around are expecting such an one to 'do the (active) Christian thing', the Spirit will (on occasion) prohibit such an one from so doing: there will be a 'check' within which says: "not now".
Given then that anything ordered by the Spirit is alive and not dead, and given that faith if it has not works is dead and that therefore only [faith + works] is alive, we necessarily understand from this that
[faith + the work of omission] = [faith + works].
And so given that
[faith + the work of omission] = [faith + 0] = [faith],
we necessarily also understand that
[faith] = [faith + works],
which inequation tells us that the works of faith are subsumed by faith rather than added to it.
A gloriously-loud silence
In a country where Christians are vigorously persecuted for their faith, a Christian man sits at home one evening, quietly enjoying the solitude, when a group of soldiers bursts in, arrests him for his faith, and takes him to prison.
A few days later the prison authorities offer him one chance and one chance only to gain his freedom: he must then and there declare that Jesus Christ is not his Lord.
He remains silent, and so spends the rest of his life in prison.
Objectively, he has done no more at this point than he was doing while sitting at home: he might as well have been air-lifted to prison on his couch, for there has nothing occurred that might differentiate his state at the one end from his state at the other.
And so given that two things equal to the same thing are equal to each other, we necessarily understand from this that his work of faith in prison is equal to the faith he possessed as he sat in silence in his living room, which in turn leads us to understand that his faith is always at work regardless of context, and that such work will consist of none other than the declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord.
That is, it is in worship that (the state that is) faith, and (the action that is) works, irresistibly converge.
In concluding …
Although at the semantic level the notions expressed by the terms “faith” and “works” are distinct, on the pragmatic axis they are together as one: faith is a work inasmuch as it cannot at any point be separated from that which is spiritually productive.
And so given that one is justified by (the work that is) faith, and given that one’s own works do not result in justification, we necessarily understand that faith is a work of God and not in any way that which might emanate from the Christian himself.
Epilogue
Are we not justified when we are asleep in bed at night, just as much as when we are awake in the day?
Amen.