The Historic & Academic Protestant Position: On the Relation of Faith and Works

The Order of Light recognizes the Historic Protestant position.

On the Relation of Faith and Works

The Bible clearly states that we are saved by grace through faith apart from the works of the law.¹ The Bible also clearly warns that if we practice lifestyles of sin we will not inherit the Kingdom of God.² Protestants affirm both statements as true, applying regeneration³—and, at times, sanctification—instead of justification in their interpretation of the “practice verses.”⁴ In other words, the transformative process is seen as God's work in you, rather than an effort on your part to earn or merit salvation. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit, not human decision and efforts,⁵ as a consequence of your new nature.⁶ In essence, “works‑fruit” not “works‑salvation.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again [regenerated³], you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (New Living Translation, 2015, John 3:3).

In contrast, a legalist applies the concept of justification to the “practice verses,”⁴ and rejects justification by grace through faith apart from works.¹ Meanwhile, an antinomian denies the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles altogether on the “practice verses,”⁴ adhering instead to a distorted interpretation of faith alone (i.e. a faith that is dead, disingenuine, and fruitless)⁷ which has no historical basis within Protestantism.

Legalist
🚫Applies Justification to practice verses.4 🚫Denies Justification by any faith.1

Protestant
✅Applies Regeneration to practice verses.4 ✅Accepts Justification by faith (trust) and assurance by living faith.1

Antinomian
🚫Denies practice verses.4 🚫Accepts Justification by dead faith (assent).1

1. Eph 2:8-10; Gal 2:16,21; 3:10-12; 5:4; Ro 3:20,28.
2. Gal. 5:19-21; 1Cor. 6:9-11; Eph. 5:5-6; Matt. 18:3; Luk. 9:62 (cf. Q87).
3. John 3:3; 1Jn. 3:6-10 (cf. A7.41).
4. 1Jn. 2:3-5; 3:9-10; 5:18; Gal. 5:19-21; 1Cor. 6:9-11; Matt. 3:8,10; 7:21-23; Heb. 10:26-31; 6:4-6; Lk 9:62; Rom. 6:1-2,15; 3:31; Jd 4 NET; Mt 10:38; Lk 9:23; Lk 14:27.
5. Ga 5:22-23 NLT; Jn 15:4-5; 1Cor 3:6-7.
6. 2Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15.
7. Jas. 2:14-26; 2Cor. 13:5 (cf. 2 Peter 1:5–10), John 15:4-5 (cf. Q86.3, A7.41, A12).

I. Consensus Among Historic Creeds and Confessions of Protestantism

1.1 Reformed Baptist & Presbyterian

1.1.1 John Calvin (1509-1564) was the first and most influential theologian in the Reformed tradition.

Therefore Christ justifies no one whom he does not at the same time sanctify. … Thus it is clear how true it is that we are justified not without works yet not through works (Calvin, 1960, 3.16.1).

It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone (Calvin, 2014, Canon 11).

1.1.2 Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) is the doctrinal standard for Presbyterian and Reformed churches.

11.2: Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification: yet is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all the other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love (Schaff, 2022, 3.2.16 “Confessio Fidei Westmonasteriensis”).

1.2 Lutheranism

1.2.1 Formula of Concord (1576) the great summary and consensus of Lutheran doctrine.

III. & VIII. We believe, also teach, and confess that Faith alone is the means and instrument whereby we lay hold on Christ the Saviour … after that man is justified by faith, then that true and living faith works by love, and good works always follow justifying faith, and are most certainly found together with it, provided only it be true and living faith. For true faith is never alone (Schaff, 2022, 3.1 “FORMULA CONCORDIÆ”).

1.3 Anglican and Episcopalian

1.3.1 Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England (1571) doctrinal standard for Anglican and Episcopalian churches.

XII. Of Good Works: Albeit that Good Works, which are fruits of Faith, and follow after Justification… do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith… by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit (Schaff, 2022, 3.2.10 “ARTICULI XXXIX. ECCLESIÆ ANGLICANÆ”).

1.4 Baptist

1.4.1 New Hampshire Baptist Confession (1833) Statement for Baptist churches.

VII. & VIII. Regeneration … is effected … by the power of the Holy Spirit … its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance, and faith, and newness of life. … We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy (Schaff, 2022, 3.3.2.2 “THE NEW HAMPSHIRE BAPTIST CONFESSION”).

1.5 Methodist

1.5.1 John Wesley (1703-1791) the founder of Methodism.

We are, doubtless, justified by faith. This is the corner-stone of the whole Christian building. … So that if good works do not follow our faith, even all inward and outward holiness, it is plain our faith is nothing worth; we are yet in our sins (Wesley, 1872, see Discourses I–II; Sermons 35–36).

1.6 Pentecostal

1.6.1 Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths (1916) one of the oldest and largest Pentecostal denominations.

Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life (Assemblies of God USA, n.d., sec. 5 “Conditions to Salvation” section).

The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness. (Eph. 4:24; Titus 2:12) (Assemblies of God USA, n.d., sec. 5 “The Evidences of Salvation” section).

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II. Consensus Among Academics

2.1 Study Bible Scholarship

2.1.1 ESV Study Bible Scholars

Turn to page 2433 in the ESV Study Bible (2008). The notes for 1 John 3:6-10 ESV read as follows:

3:6–7 No one who abides … keeps on sinning. True followers of Christ do not recklessly and habitually violate what their anointing (2:20, 27) has planted within them (see note on 3:9–10). Those who do habitually sin have neither seen him nor known him. They are not genuine Christians. On “abides,” see also notes on John 8:31; 15:4.

3:8 The reason the Son of God appeared restates v. 5 but here specifies the connection of sin to the devil. Knowing Christ means becoming involved in an all-out war against the works of the devil, that is, the practice of sinning.

3:9-10 born of God. See John 3:3–8. God’s seed. Some take this to be the Word of God that brings about the new birth (cf. James 1:18, 22; 1 Pet. 1:23, 25). Others see it as a way of speaking of the Holy Spirit in his regenerating and transforming presence within the believer. Since the Holy Spirit works through the Word in regeneration, both of these ideas are likely intended here. In other words, because the Word is present in the believer’s heart through the work of the Spirit, the believer cannot keep on sinning. Thus the hearts of genuine Christians (those who are truly children of God) have been so transformed that they cannot live in a pattern of continual sin—though this does not mean that Christians are ever completely free from sin in this life (see 1 John 1:8–10). By this it is evident. Or, as Jesus said of false prophets, “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16). does not love his brother. John returns to the ethical dimension, the true barometer of what people really believe, whatever they may say (1Jn. 3:6-10 ESV).^†

† The ESV Study Bible has over 200+ biblical scholars (100+ ESV; 95 Study); 9 countries, 20 denominations, 50 seminaries, colleges, and universities, Many distinguished scholars from Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, London, Japan, California, MIT, Duke, Westminister, Dallas, etc. 20,000 study notes, 80,000 cross-references, 200+ charts, 50+ articles, 240 full-color maps and illustrations. Textual Basis: Masoretic Text BHS ‘83, DSS, LXX, SP, S, Vg; UBS5, NA28.

2.1.2 NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible Scholars

3:6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. The claim that one can remain in Christ while continuing to indulge in sinful behavior is ridiculous, if not blasphemous, for “in him is no sin” (v. 5). See note on v. 9.

3:8 the devil has been sinning from the beginning. This is an allusion to Genesis 3, where the devil tempts the first couple to disobey God (cf. John 8:44). destroy the devil’s work. The devil seeks to turn people aside from doing God’s will, causing them to sin, so that he may accuse them before God and demand judgment upon them. By his death Jesus atoned for human sin, thus removing the basis of the devil’s accusation and so destroying his work.

3:9 God’s seed. A daring metaphor employing the word “seed” (Greek sperma) to depict the Spirit’s work in believers. Unlike the children of the devil (in this case the secessionists), the children of God do not go on sinning because the Spirit dwells within them. There is an apparent contradiction in 1 John concerning sin in the believer’s life: those who claim not to have sinned are liars (1:10); those born of God do not and cannot sin (3:6, 9). A possible resolution is that, in context, 3:4 defines the latter sin as “lawlessness” (Greek anomia). In the NT this word refers not to breaking the law but to rebelling against God (like the devil’s rebellion). If this is the case, John is saying that those who claim to know God and yet sin in this way certainly do not know God and are, in fact, in league with the devil. This is the sin that those born of God do not and cannot commit. It is possible for believers to sin in other ways, as 1:8—2:1 indicates (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, 2018, 1Jn. 3:6-10 NIV).^‡

‡ NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, 165 scholars (100+ NIV; 65 Study); Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Yale, California, London, Belfast, Claremont, Denver, Westminister, & Dallas.

2.1.3 NET Bible: Full Notes Edition

Turn to pages 2333-34 in the NET Bible: Full Notes Edition (2019). The notes for 1 John 3:6-10 NET read as follows:

k in book, b in link. 1 John 3:6 NET tn The interpretive problem raised by the use of the present tense ἁμαρτάνει (hamartanei) in this verse (and ποιεῖ [poiei] in 3:9 as well) is that (a) it appears to teach a sinless state of perfection for the true Christian, and (b) it appears to contradict the author’s own statements in 2:1-2 where he acknowledged that Christians do indeed sin. (1) One widely used method of reconciling the acknowledgment in 2:1-2 that Christians do sin with the statements in 3:6 and 3:9 that they do not is expressed by M. Zerwick (Biblical Greek §251). He understands the aorist to mean “commit sin in the concrete, commit some sin or other” while the present means “be a sinner, as a characteristic «state».” N. Turner (Grammatical Insights, 151) argues essentially the same as Zerwick, stating that the present tense ἁμαρτάνει is stative (be a sinner) while the aorist is ingressive (begin to be a sinner, as the initial step of committing this or that sin). Similar interpretations can be found in a number of grammatical works and commentaries. (2) Others, however, have questioned the view that the distinction in tenses alone can convey a “habitual” meaning without further contextual clarification, including C. H. Dodd (The Johannine Epistles [MNTC], 79) and Z. C. Hodges (“1 John,” BKCNT, 894). B. Fanning (Verbal Aspect [OTM], 215-17) has concluded that the habitual meaning for the present tense cannot be ruled out, because there are clear instances of habitual presents in the NT where other clarifying words are not present and the habitual sense is derived from the context alone. This means that from a grammatical standpoint alone, the habitual present cannot be ruled out in 1 John 3:6 and 9. It is still true, however, that it would have been much clearer if the author had reinforced the habitual sense with clarifying words or phrases in 1 John 3:6 and 9 if that is what he had intended. Dodd’s point, that reliance on the distinction in tenses alone is quite a subtle way of communicating such a vital point in the author’s argument, is still valid. It may also be added that the author of 1 John has demonstrated a propensity for alternating between present and aorist tenses for purely stylistic reasons (see 2:12).sn Does not sin. It is best to view the distinction between “everyone who practices sin” in 3:4 and “everyone who resides in him” in 3:6 as absolute and sharply in contrast. The author is here making a clear distinction between the opponents, who as moral indifferentists downplay the significance of sin in the life of the Christian, and the readers, who as true Christians recognize the significance of sin because Jesus came to take it away (3:5) and to destroy it as a work of the devil (3:8). This argument is developed more fully by S. Kubo (“I John 3:9: Absolute or Habitual?” AUSS 7 [1969]: 47-56), who takes the opponents as Gnostics who define sin as ignorance. The opponents were probably not adherents of fully developed gnosticism, but Kubo is right that the distinction between their position and that of the true Christian is intentionally portrayed by the author here as a sharp antithesis. This explanation still has to deal with the contradiction between 2:1-2 and 3:6-9, but this does not present an insuperable difficulty. The author of 1 John has repeatedly demonstrated a tendency to present his ideas antithetically, in “either/or” terms, in order to bring out for the readers the drastic contrast between themselves as true believers and the opponents as false believers. In 2:1-2 the author can acknowledge the possibility that a true Christian might on occasion sin, because in this context he wishes to reassure his readers that the statements he has made about the opponents in the preceding context do not apply to them. But in 3:4-10, his concern is to bring out the absolute difference between the opponents and his readers, so he speaks in theoretical rather than practical terms which do not discuss the possible occasional exception, because to do so would weaken his argument.

c in book, e in link. 1 John 3:8 sn The person who practices sin is of the devil. 1 John 3:10 and John 8:44 might be cited as parallels, because these speak of opponents as the devil’s “children.” However, it is significant that the author of 1 John never speaks of the opponents as “fathered by the devil” in the same sense as Christians are “fathered by God” (3:9). A concept of evildoers as “fathered” by the devil in the same sense as Christians are fathered by God would imply a much more fully developed Gnosticism with its dualistic approach to humanity. The author of 1 John carefully avoids saying that the opponents are “fathered by the devil,” because in Johannine theology not to be fathered by God is to be fathered only by the flesh (John 1:13). This is a significant piece of evidence that 1 John predates the more fully developed Gnosticism of the 2nd century. What the author does say is that the opponents (“the one who practices sin”) are from the devil, in the sense that they belong to him and have given him their allegiance.

h in book, j in link. 1 John 3:9 tn The problem of the present tense of ποιεῖ (poiei) here is exactly that of the present tense of ἁμαρτάνει (hamartanei) in 3:6. Here in 3:9 the distinction is sharply drawn between “the one who practices sin” in 3:8, who is of the devil, and “the one who is fathered by God” in 3:9, who “does not practice sin.” See S. Kubo (“I John 3:9: Absolute or Habitual?” AUSS 7 [1969]: 47-56) for a fuller discussion of the author’s argument as based on a sharp antithesis between the recipients (true Christians) and the opponents (heretics). sn Does not practice sin. Again, as in 3:6, the author is making a clear distinction between the opponents, who as moral indifferentists downplay the significance of sin in the life of the Christian, and the recipients, who as true Christians recognize the significance of sin because Jesus came to take it away (3:5) and to destroy it as a work of the devil (3:8). This explanation still has to deal with the apparent contradiction between the author’s statements in 2:1-2 and those here in 3:9, but this is best explained in terms of the author’s tendency to present issues in “either/or” terms to bring out the drastic contrast between his readers, whom he regards as true believers, and the opponents, whom he regards as false. In 2:1-2 the author can acknowledge the possibility that a true Christian might on occasion sin, because in this context he wishes to reassure his readers that the statements he has made about the opponents in the preceding context do not apply to them. But in 3:4-10, his concern is to bring out the absolute difference between the opponents and his readers, so he speaks in theoretical terms which do not discuss the possible occasional exception, because to do so would weaken his argument.

i in book, k in link. 1 John 3:9 tn Both the first and second ὅτι (hoti) in 3:9 are causal. The first gives the reason why the person who is begotten by God does not practice sin (“because his seed resides in him).” The second gives the reason why the person who is begotten by God is not able to sin (“because he has been begotten by God)” (1Jn. 3:6-10).^§

§ NET Bible: Full Notes Edition is a completely new, non-sectarian and “inter-denominational,” translation of the Bible with 60,932 translators’ notes, completed by more than 25+ of the world’s foremost biblical scholars from Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Sheffield, Columbia, Dallas, etc. This is the largest set of translators’ notes ever created. Textual Basis: Masoretic Text BHS [B19^A(L)], DSS; NA28, UBS4.

2.1.4 NLT Filament Study Bible Scholars

Under construction.^‖

‖ NLT Filament Study Bible has over 90+ Scholars in translation from Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, Columbia, Westminster, Dallas, etc. The study brings even more to the table. In addition to the NLT being the most readable Bible version on earth according to quantitative linguistic comparison of Bible translations using computerized statistical analysis.

2.1.5 The New Oxford Annotated Bible Scholars

3.1–10: God’s children are holy. 1–3: As God’s children, believers become like Christ (Jn 1.12–13; 13.15–16; 17.16–19). 4–6: Jesus’s coming has taken away the sin of those who remain faithful (1.5–2.2). 7–8: Those who are deceived about sin (2.1) become children of the devil (cf. Jn 8.44). 9–10: God’s seed: the Holy Spirit (2.26–27) and mutual love (Jn 13.35) distinguish God’s children (The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, 2018, 1Jn. 3:4-10).^¶

¶ New Oxford Annotated Bible, Fifth (NOAB), the study Bible from Oxford University. Over 50 years of students, and professors, relying on The New Oxford Annotated Bible as an unparalleled authority. Contains Secular, Jewish, & Ecumenical Scholarship.

2.1.6 The Jewish Annotated New Testament Scholars

6–10: No one who abides in him sins, the author sets a very high standard of behavior (see vv. 8–10). The main forms of sin, however, seem to be the failure to love their brothers and sisters and denial of God and the Son (2.22). 8: Child of the devil, perhaps a reference to those who withdrew (2.19); there is no indication here of the identification of Jews as children of the devil, as in Jn 8.44. 9: Seed, perhaps the Holy Spirit; one’s “seed” is one’s offspring, here the deeds of love and faith in God (The Jewish Annotated New Testament, 2011, 1Jn. 3:6-9).^Δ

Δ

2.1.7 NKJV Thomas Nelson Study Bible Scholars

Turn to page 2048 in the NKJV Thomas Nelson Study Bible (2014). The notes for 1 John 3:5-10 NKJV read as follows:

3:5, 6 if christ is sinless and the purpose of his coming was to remove sin, then whoever abides in Him does not sin. habitually sinful conduct indicates an absence of fellowship with christ. thus if we claim to be a christian but sin is our way of life, our status as children of God can legitimately be questioned.

3:7 let no one deceive you: evidently the antichrists who were denying the doctrine of christ (2:22) were also claiming to know God, yet were living in unrighteousness (1:6). true believers practice righteousness because the one in whom they dwell is righteous. God’s righteousness is revealed in his children through their conduct. righteous conduct does not produce righteous character, but reveals its presence in us.

3:8 Satan’s sinful nature is shown through the lives of those who belong to him. Jesus’ purpose in coming was to destroy the devil’s works. a person who sins, even a believer, is of the devil in the sense that he is participating in the devil’s activity (2:19). thus John is indicating that it is possible for believers to do that which is of the devil (see mark 8:31–33; James 3:6).

3:9 the seed that remains is probably the divine nature in which believers can participate (see 2 pet. 1:4). But the seed has been variously interpreted as Jesus, the holy Spirit, Scripture, or the gospel message. in other words, this verse is saying that habitual sin is not con- sistent with the christian walk.

3:10 christians manifest their nature by practicing righteousness (2:7). Children of the devil display their basic nature by sinning. Believers who sin are not expressing their nature as children of God; instead, they are following the devil’s pattern (1Jn. 3:5-10 NKJV).^◊

◊ NKJV Thomas Nelson Study Bible has 177 Scholars, and the study includes many others.

2.2 Scientist Theologians

2.2.1 Dr. Alister McGrath (Ph.D., Molecular Biophysics at Oxford; D.D. Theology at Oxford; D.Litt. Intellectual History at Oxford)

Dr. Alister McGrath (2018) articulates the nuances between trust and assent:

Christian theologians have never seen faith simply in terms of intellectual assent to Christian belief. It is a matter of the heart, not simply the mind, involving personal commitment. As the English theologian William Temple (1881–1944) once pointed out: “Faith is not only the assent of our minds to doctrinal propositions: it is the commitment of our whole selves into the hands of a faithful Creator and merciful Redeemer” (p. 1).

Faith is about trust in God, rather than just accepting that God exists (p. 4).

2.2.2 Dr. John C. Lennox (PhD, University of Cambridge; DPhil, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford; DSc, Cardiff University)

Dr. Lennox (2017) articluates on John 8:31–47, he writes:

Real faith in Christ shows itself by its fruit in the lives of those who profess it. It is not a superficial thing. One of its evidences is a deepening commitment to the word of Christ. A disciple is a learner. The hallmark of a true disciple is a readiness to learn more and more of the truth, thereby discovering that knowledge of truth leads to freedom. Genuine faith perseveres (p. 218).

Dr. Lennox (2017) further illustrates genuine faith:

A second way of knowing that we have eternal life is by observing the spiritual and moral outworking of our faith in our behaviour:

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:3–4.)

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. (1 John 3:14.)

Jesus made a similar point when he said, by their fruit you will recognise them (Matthew 7:20). If there is no moral consistency between our lives and our professed belief in God, then our claim to know God will not be credible. It is in this context that Peter exhorts his readers to make your calling and election sure by our development of Christian character and moral virtues. The phrase “making sure” means “confirming”. That is, the development of visible Christian moral virtues in a person’s life confirms the genuineness of their claim to be believers. True faith in God will be evidenced by its moral consequences in the life of a believer (p. 313).

Dr. Lennox (2017) ruminates on apostasy:

Let us see what John has to say about them. So serious is their heresy that John calls them antichrists and says:

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. (1 John 2:19 ESV.)

These people departed in two senses: theologically, they abandoned the true doctrines about Christ; and physically, they left the church community. What did that mean in terms of their spiritual state? John says that their action showed that they were not of us, that is, they never had been genuine believers. If they had been, he adds, they would have stayed; but they left, and that demonstrates that they were not genuine, even though to all appearances they had been. Recall the final part of the parable of the sower:

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. (Luke 8:15.)

The heretical teachers didn’t endure. They had no root. In the end they proved themselves to be unbelievers. John backs this up later in his letter by saying:

No-one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No-one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. Th e reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No-one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. Th is is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:6–10.)

Observe the strong emphasis on the present continuous tense: keeps on sinning. John is not saying that genuine believers cannot sometime act inconsistently, or even give in to temptation. Early on in his letter he makes clear that this is possible and that God has made gracious and merciful provision for it.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1–2 ESV.) (pp. 322-323).

Dr. Lennox (2017) on the true meaning of faith:

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word “faith” derives from the Latin fides (from which we get “fidelity”), so its basic meaning is “trust” or “reliance”. The Greek etymological equivalent is pistis, which is found in the New Testament where it has the following principal senses:

1. belief, trust;
2. that which produces belief, evidence, token, pledge, engagement;
3. trust in its objective aspect, troth, observance of trust, fidelity.

So the main dictionary meanings given to “faith” are: belief, trust, confidence, reliance, and belief proceeding from testimony or authority. It is to be strongly affirmed that the faith in God described in the Bible is “reliance and belief proceeding from testimony or authority”. Biblical faith is evidence-based (p. 136).

2.3 Pastors & Prominent Figures

2.3.1 Pastor Chuck Smith & The Original Calvalry Chapel Distincives

Chuck Smith archives (2015), from his C2000 series commentary on 1 John 3:6–8, writes:

1Jn 3:6 “Whosoever abides in him does not practice sin: and whosoever practices sin has not seen him, neither known him.” Pretty powerful words. It should cause us to examine our own lives. If I am living a life of practicing sin, I really don’t know Him. I really haven’t seen Him. If I really know Him, then I’m gonna be free from the practice of sin.

1Jn 3:8 He that is practicing sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. And for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. So again, don’t deceive yourself. If you are practicing sin, living in sin, you are not of God; you are a part of that rebellion against God, led by Satan. (1Jn 3:6-8).

Chuck Smith short (2023) on assurance of salvation:

Do not be deceived, if you are walking after the flesh and involved in the things of the flesh, you have no assurance of being in the Kingdom of Heaven (00:00).

It will help you to make the distinction between (1) justification, which is by faith alone (Eph 2:8-10; Rom 3:28), and (2) assurance of salvation, which is predicated upon an evidence-based faith (1Jn 2:3-6; Jn 14:15,21).

Conclusion

The Order of Light holds to a monergistic theology, which rejects works based forms of salvation, and holds to the biblically sound concept of sola fide or justification by faith alone, which once justified or saved, always results in obedience to God. Therefore, Christ justifies no one whom he does not at the same time sanctify.

Five Solas
Saved by Grace alone (Sola Gratia)	Eph 2:8-10; Ti 3:5; Gal. 2:21;5:4
Through Faith alone (Sola Fide)	Ro 5:1 ESV; Gal. 3:24 ESV
In Christ alone (Solus Christus)	Jn 14:6; Ac 4:12; 1Ti 2:5
According to Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura)	1Co 4:6
For the Glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria)	1Pe 2:24; Is 43:7

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References

• Assemblies of God USA. (n.d.). Statement of Fundamental Truths. https://ag.org/Beliefs/Statement-of-Fundamental-Truths.
• Calvin, J. (1960). Institutes of the Christian religion (F. L. Battles, Trans.). The Westminster Press.
• Calvin, J. (2014). John Calvin tracts and letters: acts of the council of trent, with antidote to the canons of the council of trent, canon 11. https://godrules.net/library/calvin/142calvin_c4.htm.
• ESV Study Bible (ESV Text Edition: 2016). (2008). Crossway.
• Lennox, J. C. (2017). Determined to Believe?. Zondervan.
• McGrath, A. E. (2018). Theology: The basic readings (3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
• NET Bible: Full Notes Edition. (2019). Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
• New Living Translation. (2015). Tyndale House Publishers.
• NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible. (2018). Zondervan.
• NKJV Thomas Nelson Study Bible. (2014). Thomas Nelson.
• Schaff, P. (2020). The Creeds of Christendom (6th ed.). DigiCat.
• Smith, C. (2015, June 1). C2000 series (Chuck Smith archives). Calvary Chapel. https://calvarychapel.com/posts/c2000/
• Smith, C. (2023, November 2). No assurance in the flesh [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aBG9kH-z8Q8
• The Jewish Annotated New Testament. (2011). Oxford University Press.
• The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (5th ed.). (2018). Oxford University Press.
• Wesley, J. (1872). The Law Established Through Faith. Cassell & Co.

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Fraternitatis Aeternae, Ordo Luminis.