← Doctrine Matters with Kevin DeYoung
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Hello, I'm Kevin DeYoung, pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, and you are listening to Doctrine Matters. Each week on Doctrine Matters, we explore the rich doctrine of the Christian faith. We'll pull from the church's long history, complex debates, and over the course of the year, the hope is that we'll begin to frame out what is a clear, accessible, systematic theology. We'll be looking at different Christian doctrines and their relationship to each other. And the hope, Lord willing, is we will grasp more and more the riches and the beauty of God's Word. Thanks for listening. Let's turn to this week's Doctrine Matters. We turn our attention now to the doctrine of salvation soteriology, this great salvation that Hebrews 2 says we have through the Lord Jesus Christ. When we talk about the doctrine of salvation, we often are walking through what's called the Ordo Salutis. That's Latin. You can hear the words there. The order of salvation soteriology. There's a lot of different ways to look at it. We can trace the great themes of creation, fall, redemption, consummation. We can look at different biblical ideas of land or temple or presence or covenant. But one of the best ways and classic ways is to walk through this order of salvation. That phrase itself may be only 300 years old or so, but the concept can be found throughout the history of the Church. In fact, we can find support for the idea in the New Testament itself. Ephesians talks about salvation. Ephesians 1 talks about predestination, adoption, faith, perseverance. Or the classic text in Romans 8 says predestination, calling, justification, glorification. Those whom he predestined, he called. Those he called, he justified. Those he justified, he glorified. That is, in miniature, the Ordo of Salutis. We're talking about this golden chain. Now, not everyone finds this helpful. Some critics argue that Scripture doesn't spell out an elaborate order in detail and then talk about salvation in concrete steps. And it is true we would give the wrong impression if we thought there was a tidy temporal sequence to all of this. And we do want to look at the great themes of redemptive history. And yet surely there is room to talk about the story of salvation and the order of salvation, to explain the logical distinctions in salvation without understanding them to be strictly temporal. I'm going to say that several times. That's an important distinction, meaning we're thinking of logically how to conceive of various aspects of our salvation, not necessarily that this happened. And then an hour later on your watch, this happened. They're not all temporal. That's what we mean. The Ordo Salutis helpfully reminds us that salvation is a unitary process. So there are various aspects, movements, and we may not be conscious of each step, but it's one work of salvation. We can distinguish between what man does, faith and repentance, what God alone does, regeneration, justification. And we can distinguish between judicial elements like justification, or filial elements like adoption, or elements of moral renewal like sanctification. There's a lot of different ways to look at what it means to be saved. The Westminster Confession of Faith works through the various aspects of salvation in nine chapters. Effectual calling, justification, adoption, sanctification, saving faith, repentance unto life, good works, perseverance of the saints, and assurance of grace and salvation. We're going to move through those categories and a few others, and some maybe we'll just have to mention. We don't have that many weeks to go through each one individually. But we'll try to work through these various elements of the Ordo Salutis. Start here with the doctrine of union with Christ. In recent years, there's been some controversy where union with Christ fits into the Ordo. Some say union with Christ ought to supplant the Ordo and not even talk about an order of salvation, just talk about all the gifts we have by virtue of union with Christ. Others are nervous that an over emphasis on union with Christ might undermine the central role of justification in the Reformation tradition. I don't think we have to choose between an appreciation for the Ordo Salutis and appreciation for union with Christ. I already mentioned the Westminster Confession lays out the Ordo Salutis, but it doesn't mention union with Christ. And yet the same basic order of salvation is explained in more detail in the Westminster Larger Catechism. And there it starts with union with Christ. So confession of faith. It doesn't mention it explicitly. Larger Catechism. It starts with union with Christ. John Murray, his great book Redemption Accomplished and Applied, places union with Christ after perseverance and before glorification. So it's one of these elements. Is it mentioned? Sometimes not. Is it everything? Sometimes that's the way it's described. Does it come first? Does it come almost last? We are looking at it first because I want to insist, but that the other benefits of salvation belong to us in Christ. Union with Christ is not a single specific blessing we receive in our salvation. Rather, it's a phrase to describe all the blessings, whether in eternity. That's Election in history, like redemption in the present, like effectual calling or justification and sanctification, or in the future, which is glorification. Think about some biblical metaphors. Union with Christ is like a marriage. Church is the bride, Christ is the groom. It's like a body. Christ is the head. We are members of that body. It's like a plant. We are grafted into Christ and we receive from him vitality, life, power, growth. Every blessing in the order of salvation flows from our union with Christ. I mentioned John Murray, Scottish born theologian, labored at Westminster Seminary in his book. Here's what he writes. It is not simply a step in the application of redemption. When viewed according to the teaching of Scripture in its broader aspects, it underlies every step of the application of redemption. Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation, not only in its application, but also in its once for all accomplishment in the finished work of Christ. It is one of those doctrines so prevalent you can almost miss it in the New Testament. Here's what I mean. Over 200 times in Paul's letters and more than two dozen times in the writings of John, we have expressions like in Christ, in the Lord, in him. It's all over the place. We are found in Christ. Philippians 3 preserved in Christ. Romans 8 saved and sanctified in Christ. 1 Corinthians 1 we walk in Christ, labor in Christ, obey in Christ. Revelation 14 we die in Christ. Galatians 2 We live in Christ. Romans 8 We conquer in Christ. We could go on and on. There's another 32 times Paul speaks of believers participating together with Christ in some aspects of redemption, whether it's being crucified with Christ, buried with Christ, raised with Christ, seated with Christ. You can see the whole of the Christian life from election to justification to final glorification is made possible and is expressed through this doctrine of our union with Christ. Think of Jesus final request in the high priestly prayer that I may be in them. That's union with Christ. And Paul says in Colossians 1, Christ in you is what the hope of glory. So the first step in the order of Salutis is not really a step, but is an all consuming concept to understand how and in which and by which we enjoy these blessings. It is because we are in with Christ, in union with Him. One other doctrine in this Ordo before we wrap up this week and that's to talk about general calling. We'll come next week to effectual calling. So first big category in the Ordo, union with Christ now we're thinking about concretely, how does this salvation get effected? General calling refers to the free offer of the gospel announced to all sinners. It's called general, not effectual because it is not automatically effectual in everyone who receives the call. It's external, not necessarily internal. It is visible rather than invisible. The church is told to go into all the world to make disciples. We should bear witness to the ends of the earth. God commands people everywhere to repent. The gospel is meant to be an aroma of life wafting out into the world, a fragrance of death to some and life to others. Same gospel perfume, different noses. That's the general calling. Throughout the New Testament we see many references to the sin of unbelief, namely that there are many who will be called and few that are chosen. There will be a great banquet and not all of those who received an invitation ended up coming. So Jesus taught there would be a general external call of the gospel that would often not correspond with a special internal effectual call. Now this is really important. This general call is a bona fide gospel call. That is, there is a true promise. This is not a bait and switch. Come to Jesus. But ha ha, you're not elect. We know you can't come to Jesus. No, the promise of forgiveness and etern life is equally true. It is true for all people. The promise if you would repent and believe and come to Christ, your sins would be forgiven, even if God has not purposed, according to his secret will to effectually give to all people the gift of faith. Some Calvinists, they're often called hyper Calvinists, have denied that we ought to preach a universal call. They have argued, trying in their minds to be consistent to Reformed theology. They have said, well, if there is a decree of election and reprobation, then it must mean that God does not truly desire all to come to faith in repentance. His desire is to prepare the reprobate for damnation. And so preaching is simply a presentation of the facts of the gospel. But it is not actually an invitation or an earnest plea to repent and believe, because that's not God's purpose for the reprobate. Now that logic does not fit with the example of Scripture, nor does it actually arise from the teaching of the Reformed confessions. Now most important is Scripture. I mean, Paul preached his heart out wherever he went. And even though he was stoned and people tried to kill him, he was willing and eager to make a bonafide gospel call and appeal to all people, but not only the scriptural example. And Jesus himself calling men unto himself, and he says he will not turn away anyone who comes. But the Reformed Confessions, the canons of Dort, that high point of Reformed confessional identity, says, quote, this promise of the Gospel, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination to all nations and people to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel. See, the Arminians believe God could not seriously call sinners to salvation if some were unconditionally chosen and some were already chosen to be passed over. Arminian said, well, then you can't really give an earnest call. That's why Dort uses the language there of a serious. That's the word, serious gospel call. The promise is still true, the invitation is still sincere. That famous line from Spurgeon when they ask, well, if you're a Calvinist, why do you preach the way you do? He said, because the elect don't have yellow stripes down their back. I don't know who of the people I'm speaking to are, elect or not. So I make a general call. God will make the effectual call, a bona fide gospel appeal and promise, I am the bread of life. Jesus says, whoever comes to me shall not hunger. Whoever believes in Me shall never thirst. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. That is the general call. An effectual call is also necessary. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. But because an effectual call is necessary doesn't mean that the general call doesn't also need to go out. And that when it goes out, preachers can announce it with all earnestness and all belief, trusting that God will always be true to his promises. You've been listening to Doctrine Matters with me, Kevin DeYoung, your host and teacher. If you'd like to learn more about the topics we talked about today, you can check out my book, Daily Doctrine. It's available in print or audio from Crossway.org and you may want to talk to your pastor or a trusted friend who can recommend other good resources. The Doctrine Matters podcast is produced by Crossway, a nonprofit ministry that exists solely for the purpose of proclaiming the truth of God's word through publishing gospel centered content. To learn more, visit Cross Crossway.org until next week. I'm Kevin DeYoung, and this has been Doctrine Matters. Thanks for joining us.