Name: mike
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Christians, What Are You Thinking!!!
September 12th, 2009Week one of the NFL has begun and so has the dropping of attendance in most Evangelical churches. Hey, do not get me wrong, I love to play and watch sports. Once upon a time my mind was utterly consumed with thoughts of my favorite sports teams - Denver Broncos, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings - and just about every Muay Thai and MMA fight that was taking place. Then, unexpectedly, conviction came by the Holy Spirit. Praise God, I actually started to learn things about the Lord, memorize Scripture, and know what to say when confronted by seekers, pagans, and heathens. In short, though I still would compete in and watch sports, Jesus became more important to me than anything.
Oh, Christian, what are the things that consume your mind? Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (3:1-2). Believers are exhorted to always be seeking and thinking on things above. The imperative continuous present tense is used for seeking and thinking. But seek and think upon what? The context dictates that we are to think and devote our minds to heavenly things such as our union with Christ, forgiveness of our sins, and our progressive sanctification in receiving nourishment from Christ as the Head (2:19).
Let us take a few minutes of our chaotic, scatter-brained lives and consider just one of these wonderful mysteries of the faith: our union with Christ. In doing so, for the believer, this will naturally bring us to a place of magnifying our Savior for his amazing sovereign grace!
Thinking About Our Union With Christ and it’s Benefits
Paul revealed that it is God who has set apart sinners by his free grace. “But God…even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive” (Eph. 2:4-5). This converting grace that quickens man from the dead is clearly a product of God alone. “And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). This, my friends, is explicit monergism stated here! God does this because of the riches of his mercy, greatness of his love, and his free sovereign grace (Eph. 2:4-5).
At conversion people are not merely saved by grace but brought into union with Christ.[1] This is what Paul was referring to when he wrote, God “made us alive together with Christ” and that believers are “created in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:5, 10).[2] The renowned theologian John Murray (1898-1975 C.E.), in his classic work Redemption Accomplished and Applied, declared:
Nothing is more central or basic than union and communion with Christ. … 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. Indeed the whole process of salvation has its origin in one phase of union with Christ and salvation has in view the realization of other phases of union with Christ.[3]
The implications of union with Christ are incredible. This is the root to which all the benefits of being in Christ grow out of - justification, regeneration, adoption, sanctification, and glorification. Due to the cross-work of Christ, redemption and all its benefits are applied to those who are given the gift of grace. John Calvin, one of the greatest biblical exegetes in the history of the church, also emphasized union with Christ. He wrote that “there is no sanctification without union with Christ.”[4]
Thinking About What God Has Done In Sanctification
Sanctification and union with Christ both take place by grace in a once and for all definitive act, at conversion. Think about the implications here in regards to modern day preachers who teach their flocks that you must “do something” to stay in union with Christ. Christ saves his own by grace and keeps them by that same grace! This initial sanctification, theologians refer to as definitive sanctification.
It is the Holy Spirit who definitively unites us to Christ (John 3:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:13). As Calvin says, “the Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ effectually binds us to himself.”[5] This is what Peter meant when he wrote, believers are “elect …according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood” (1 Pet. 1:1-2).
Paul also wrote about definitive sanctification. “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus.” (1 Cor. 1:2; c.f. Acts 20:32; 26:18; Rom. 12:1; 1 Cor. 6:11). The term “sanctified” is passive signifying it was God who did the sanctifying. This term is also in the perfect tense, meaning the effects, though in the past, continue on into the future.[6] When this is coupled with what Paul says later it becomes an airtight case for this teaching. He writes, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). Here “sanctified” is used in the aorist passive indicative which is speaking of an action that has occurred sometime in the past as a matter of fact!
We also see this asserted in Romans 6-8 where Paul argues that Christians have died to the life of sin and can no longer live in such a way (Rom. 6:1-2). In anticipating people to think that justification by grace alone (which is what Paul had been affirming in 3:20-5:21) would lead to recklessness (like many charismatic synergistic churches today teach), Paul declares that it is impossible for a believer to continue living a lifestyle of sin because of what God has done in salvation.
Thinking About What We Do As A Result Of Our Sanctification
Though there is a definite breaking with the old sinful nature which God accomplishes sola gratia, there is an aspect that involves the believer’s active involvement. This involvement is the natural result of our definitive sanctification and is referred to as progressive sanctification.
There really is no argument against the fact that man must do something to make progress in sanctification. We are told to “walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25), to work out our salvation “with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12-13), and to “put to death therefore what is earthly” in us (Col. 3:5). The problem is that some misunderstand these verses and believe man is the sole active agent or that man’s works bring God’s favor in sanctification.
God is definitely involved in the process of progressive sanctification as well. To say otherwise is to separate the twin graces of justification and sanctification, to misunderstand union with Christ, and to eclipse God out of the process that he started by grace. The cooperation of the saint is simply the evidence of the grace of God in definitive sanctification.
Progress in our sanctification comes only by the strength and grace of the Holy Spirit. Believers are able to “live by the Spirit” and “put to death what is earthly” because as the apostle John so tenderly put it, “we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). John is assured that because of the new birth by the Holy Spirit the Christian will become like Christ. After essentially declaring definitive sanctification, “we are God’s children now”, and connecting it to future glory, “we know…we will be like him”, he speaks of progressive sanctification in the next verse. The apostle John writes, “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). The child of God hopes in Christ and “purifies” himself. Since it is in the present active indicative mood, it denotes a continuous action, in progress, in the present time.
Adopted children of God, i.e. those in union with Christ, will purify themselves because of his grace. Adoption is rooted in grace and all sanctification is within adoption. In other words, progressive sanctification, though cooperative, is by grace and naturally flows out of definitive monergistic sanctification. This is an amazing truth that the believer can rejoice in! The very same grace that saves a person is the same grace that sanctifies that person.
Thinking About Pastoral Implications On “Thinking Things Above”
Some pastors have never even attempted to teach their congregations to think, let alone to think on this wonderful truth. It is an outrage to withhold such a glorious reality from the people of God. This is a doctrine, when considered and meditated on, brings hope in times of despair, and strength in times of weakness. In addition, to know and teach about our union with Christ is to encourage believers to depend upon our gracious Savior for nourishment for the purpose of good works.
There are many remodeled Galatian heresies out there that explicitly teach that you must do works to stay in a right standing before God. To them Paul’s rhetorical questions are still applicable:
Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:2-3).
But there are those who implicitly teach the same thing by stressing community and love at the expense of sound biblical doctrine. Others redefine “gospel ministry” and leave out the preaching, teaching, and proclaiming of the gospel of grace. Biblical Christianity, and those pastors who teach, preach, and proclaim it, will not trade in their pulpits and teaching ministries. In fact, they will exhort their churches to grow as they unpack the whole counsel of God faithfully, and bring a sense of the reality of God’s presence in their preaching. Think about what the Evangelical church needs. We need pastors who will be faithful to equip and edify the sheep, and to teach them the riches of God’s grace in seeking and thinking on things above - these glorious mysteries of the faith.
Soli Deo Gloria
Mike Sarkissian
[1]The New Testament is replete with passages that speak of the doctrine of union with Christ. The following verses indicate that believers are now in Christ (Eph. 1:3-4; 1 Cor. 1:4-5; 2 Cor. 5:17; Phil. 3:8-9; 1 Thes. 4:16). There are also verses that say that Christ lives in believers as well (John 6:56; 15:4-5; 2 Cor. 13:5; Gal. 2:20; Col. 1:27).
[2] Two other times in this section the apostle Paul speaks of believers being “in Christ” (2:6-7). “In Christ” is a common phrase that speaks of union with Christ.
[3] John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans, 1955), 161.
[4] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion. Edited by John McNeill. Trans. By Lewis Ford Battles (Philadelphia, PA.: Westminster, 1960), 3.14.4.
[5] Ibid., 3.1.1
[6] The Greek word is a perfect passive participle.
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David, Absalom, the Irony of Our Sin, and the Divine Warrior in Our Corner
July 19th, 2009Depression in the Life of a Believer
Every person is familiar with heartache, sorrow, and difficulties. For some, struggling with anxiety and depression is customary. Yet, how should we as Christian’s respond to the angst that we face? Do we merely heed the voice of the charismatic who says, “Oh, just have faith” or do we simply go and get a prescription for meds?
First, it should be pointed out that some of the godliest men and women in church history have been gripped by depression. We should be comforted that David, a man after God’s own heart, when he was undergoing major depression (eventually) responded in an ideal biblical manner. May this be an encouragement (and a warning) to all the saints in Christ Jesus our Lord!
King David was at an extreme high point in his life where he appeared to be very secure. The enemies of the people of God had been decisively defeated and the kingdom of Israel had extended from the Red Sea to the Euphrates River (1 Chron. 18:3, 14). It was a political golden age for Israel, in which they were becoming a very prosperous nation. But, oh how quickly the trials of life came upon David…as they do you and I.
The Snowballing Effect of Our Sin
Yet, in just a short amount of time David’s firstborn son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar (2 Sam. 13:14); and Absalom, Tamar’s full-brother, responded by having Amnon murdered (2 Sam. 13:28-29). David, no doubt, knew that God brought this tragedy into his life because of his own sin. David had sought to gratify his flesh and defiled another man’s wife (the wife of Uriah) and even shed innocent blood to cover it up (2 Sam. 11). Now the word of the Lord was coming to pass (as it always does).
But in 2 Samuel 3:3 there is a valuable piece of data that also brings light to David’s present darkness. Absalom’s mother was, “Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur.” Yes, it was a custom back then to marry the daughter of a king for alliance reasons. But David violated the word of God in marrying a woman of the Geshurites. She was a pagan. The Lord was clear that the people of God were not to mix with idolatrous nations of the Gentiles (Deut. 7:3). Yoking with unbelievers results in trouble!
The snowballing effect of sin brought David to a place of tremendous heart wrenching depression. His own flesh and blood, his son whom he loved dearly had wickedly conspired against him, winning the hearts of the people. Absalom was now pursuing David with the intent to murder him. The anxiety and fear caused David to flee Jerusalem to preserve his life, even stopping to weep at the Mount of Olives (2 Sam. 15:30).
In addition, when we look at the character of Absalom we can see that he was influenced by paganism. Though it would be nice to think the mighty King stayed home and read him the Torah every day, it is more likely, in looking at Absalom’s character, that he stayed with his pagan mom and learned the stories of Ashtaroth and Baal.
The Character of Absalom
Though Absalom’s name means “Father of Peace”, he was the furthest thing from that. He was a violent, deceitful, and arrogant man. Thus, it seems certain that he was, at the very least, mildly influenced by paganism given that after he murdered his half brother Amnon (who raped his full sister Tamar) he fled to grandpa’s house in Geshur, where he would stay for three years (2 Sam. 13:37-38).
He was a very handsome feller (2 Sam. 14:25), who, when he came back to Jerusalem was praised and loved by the people. This was not due to his character but because of his appearance (my how things don’t change).
Absalom’s Glory was in Himself
He had to cut his hair annually “because it was heavy on him,” weighing close to five pounds (2 Sam. 14:26). The word heavy (kaved in Hebrew) can mean heavy, rich, severe, or important. It is also related to the word honor and glory. This is very interesting for we know that Absalom’s hair was, no doubt, his glory and was held in high esteem by him. This popularity from his good looks helped propel his ego causing him to become a self-idolater.
Human nature has not changed. People love themselves more than they love God. Absalom demonstrated this when he built and named a pillar after himself (2 Sam. 18:18). King Saul did the same thing (1 Sam. 15:12). What significance does this have? Besides the obvious loving of himself more than Yahweh, Absalom was participating in a pagan practice that believed one could receive eternal life when a monument was built for him.
He dishonored his father by undermining him through false repentance (2 Sam. 14:33), by wickedly forming a conspiracy against him (2 Sam. 15:10-12), attempting to take over the throne publically by going to his fathers concubines (2 Sam. 16:21-22), and pursuing his father with the intent of murder.
The Response of David to the Flower of His Sin
Over twenty years later David’s sin in marrying a non-believer would have devastating effects as he fled from Jerusalem weeping at the Mount of Olives (2 Sam. 15:30). The hurt he experienced from the life of his son Absalom along with the sin that resulted from the seeds of lust on that haunting night on the roof of his palace (2 Sam. 11) brought him to one of the lowest points in his life. David’s response is recorded in the third Psalm.
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah
From David’s perspective (the human perspective) the conspiracy was growing stronger and there were more and more people aligning with Absalom (2 Sam. 15:12). Even Ahithophel, one of his trusted advisor’s turned against him (2 Sam. 15:31). David quotes the wicked who cursed him, possibly reminiscing about Shimeah, who came out cursing and throwing stones at him (2 Sam. 16:5-8). Given the dreadful circumstances David could have easily believed that God abandoned him during his time of need.
Yet, he calls on Yahweh and points out that Yahweh is a shield, his glory, and the lifter of his head. These three specific things Yahweh is to every believer who is in crisis, not just David. The prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, commented on this passage saying,
“What a divine trio of mercies is contained in this verse!–defence for the defenceless, glory for the despised, and joy for the comfortless. Verily we may well say, ‘there is none like the God of Jeshurun.’”
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
Yahweh is a shield whose protection surrounds the entire person. As Spurgeon wrote, “He wards off the fiery darts of Satan from beneath, and the storms of trials from above, while, at the same instant, he speaks peace to the tempest within the breast.” It is God himself, and only God, by his grace who does this. What a great shield our God is for us in giving complete protection!
Yahweh is our glory (kaved). He is our honor, and glory. It wasn’t the riches and power that David longed for. Maybe prior to these awful circumstances David was setting his heart upon riches and success? Now with these temporary things aside he recognized that the eternal God was his glory. Whatever occupied David’s mind prior to these conditions, God Himself had now overshadowed them. What an interesting contrast between David’s glory - Yahweh, who would spare David’s life; and Absalom’s glory - himself, which ironically would be the cause of his death (2 Sam. 18:9).
Yahweh is the lifter of our head. David, no doubt, was in a state of anguish, probably weeping and yet he recognizes this wonderful truth. The only person who can truly lift us up out of the mire of depression and bring us joy is the Sovereign Lord. This is why David calls on the Lord in prayer.
5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
The greater the loss, the greater the depression; and David, no doubt, was in deep despair. However, despite his sorrow; despite the fact that he is quite possibly laying down in an open field under heaven with his enemies drawing near, he is able to sleep. The peace of God that transcends all understanding is what enables him to sleep in the midst of such trouble. Peace is the result of David going to God in prayer. He “slept happily beneath the wing of Providence in sweet security, and then awoke in safety,” as Spurgeon declares. Regardless of the innumerable amount of people who seem to be coming against him, he is sure that the sustaining hand of Yahweh will care for him.
7 Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah
The mighty King David’s only hope is in Yahweh. Salvation, he says, is only in the hands of his God. Here we see the doctrine of salvation by grace alone. Sola gratia was one of the pillars of the Reformation. From first to last, beginning to end, salvation belongs to God. As Spurgeon openly declared, and synergists must note,
This verse contains the sub and substance of Calvinist doctrine. Search Scripture through, and you must, if you read with a candid mind, be persuaded that the doctrine of salvation by grace alone is the great doctrine of the word of God… This is a point concerning which we are daily fighting. Our opponents say, “Salvation belongeth to the free will of man; if not to man’s merit, yet at least to man’s will;” but we hold and teach that salvation from first to last, in every iota of it, belongs to the Most High God. It is God that chooses his people. He calls them by his grace; he quickens them by his Spirit, and keeps them by his power. It is not of man, neither by man; “not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
This experience David went through is extremely instructive for every child of God. In light of the difficult circumstances we will go through we must ask ourselves whether our anxiety, fear, and depression can compare with that of David’s? Can we recognize the Lord as our shield, our glory, and the one who lifts our head? In the thick of the battle do we set aside quality time in prayer before venturing in? Though the irony of David’s sin had fully blossomed before him, he was a man after God’s own heart by the grace given to him by the Father. Praise God that regardless of our circumstances, by His amazing grace, He is the Divine warrior who stands in our corner!
Mike Sarkissian
Soli Deo Gloria
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From Whitefield to Ragsdale
April 29th, 2009The Anglican Descent into Disgrace
It was said by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones that George Whitefield (1714-1770) was “the greatest preacher that England has ever produced.” Yes, as a matter of fact, he was an Anglican preacher and evangelist. However, if soul sleep were a biblical teaching then Whitefield just might have woken up in his grave to the damning heresies that continue to pick up speed in the very church that ordained him![1]
Anglican Roots
Many of us have forgotten how the Anglican Church once was an admirable tree rooted in sola fide. This tree once bore plentiful fruit and its branches spread across continents. As it approaches 500 years of existence (It was between the years of 1529 and 1536 when the Acts of Parliament marked the beginning of the Church, so there is still another 20 years until their birthday), the beacon of light which the Anglican Church once was has been dimmed dramatically by the pressures of postmodernism.
For the most part, Evangelicals are unaware of the mighty preachers, theologians, and godly people who have come out of this Reformational strand of Evangelicalism. During the reign of King Edward VI, Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), the first Archbishop of Canterbury, was a leader in the English Reformation. Cranmer was pivotal in turning the Church of England away from Rome and to the teachings of the Reformers. The Anglican Puritans were in fact, the first Puritans. Men like Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, James Ussher, John Newton the hymn writer (Amazing Grace), Charles Simeon, and J.C Ryle were Anglican clergymen and Evangelical preachers who stood firm on the doctrines of grace. Even more so, The Westminster Confession of Faith, one of the greatest documents ever written, was written specifically for the Church of England. Quite possibly, the most well known of all these godly Anglican preachers was George Whitefield. Whitefield in many ways was the product of these Evangelical Anglicans who preceded him.
George Whitefield
The “Great Itinerant” was born in Gloucester in 1714 and was ordained in the Church of England one year after his conversion in 1736. Two years later he would make his first of seven visits to America. It has been said that he became so popular that he was compared to George Washington. He was an American culture hero and his powerful preaching, which he was notorious for, rubbed pulpits the wrong way back in the Motherland which resulted in his banning. This led to his open air preaching ministry which at times had crowds of twenty to thirty thousand people in attendance!
His emphasis in preaching was none other than the saving sovereign grace of God and the experience of the new birth. Like the Reformers before him, he was conscious of original sin and the devastating consequences of our fall in Adam. Moreover, Whitefield rejoiced in the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ for the elect of God. He was a man who had a high view of the sovereignty of God and a great devotion for holiness. Though he downplayed denominational distinctives to win people to Christ he was nonetheless a staunch Calvinist, even stating, “I embrace the Calvinistic scheme, not because Calvin, but Jesus Christ, has taught it to me.”[2]
Whitefield, unlike many faith teachers and mega-church pastors, never shied away from speaking about sin and never compromised the Gospel of grace. He was truly concerned for lost sinners who were in danger of everlasting damnation in hell. The Congregationalist minister Cornelius Winter, who traveled with Whitefield said, “He seldom if ever got through a sermon without tears.” Whitefield, who preached approximately 18,000 sermons before he died, was truly one of the most passionate evangelists of the Great Awakening. And there is no doubt that these sermons rested upon the foundation of Scripture alone.
Ragsdale
We fast forward three hundred years from Whitefield. Enter one Reverend Katherine Ragsdale who was recently appointed the Episcopal Divinity School’s sixth president and dean. Though she has no direct relation to Simon Episcopius, when one looks at her theology and ethics, there is evidence of the Episcopian Curse (See The Episcopian Curse).
Don’t send that hate mail yet feminists; No, I am not bashing a woman president of a seminary. Nor am I criticizing the seminary, which is an easy target, considering that in September 2006 they offered a blasphemous class on Love and Wisdom - Buddhist Meditations to Illumine Christian Understanding.
I am not even speaking against the fact that she is an avowed lesbian (which is absolutely contrary to Scripture) who conveniently hid her lesbianism all throughout seminary.[3] She expected “the church to have superior moral ethics” and since they didn’t (from her perception) she demonstrated her ethics by lying to get ordained. By the way, is that biblical?
No, I am not even trying to bring up the fact that she was ordained in the early 1990’s by another Anglican, Bishop John Shelby Spong. Spong is supposed to be a Christian yet he challenges the virgin birth, the resurrection and deity of Jesus, and biblical inerrancy. To top that off he believes that humans emerged from the evolutionary soup and that Christianity is not about rescuing the fallen but empowering people to become more human. When in Church history has that ever been considered Christianity?
Finally, I am not even going to divulge into her position on abortion. What good will it due to harp on the fact that she is committed to transporting young girls for abortions even it were illegal. She boasted about one such occasion where she did this for a 15 year-old when testifying on behalf of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.[4] Her words and deeds do line up when considering the content of her 2007 sermon where she repeatedly stated that “abortion is a blessing and our work is not done.” From her flawed unchristian worldview she argued that if a woman does not wish to bear a child “there is not a tragedy in sight - only blessing.”[5]
Final Words
I simply am writing to declare the obvious. The magnitude of this descent is appalling. The policies and practices of the liberals in Anglicanism - ordaining homosexual bishops, performing same-sex marriages, championing abortion and denying historic Christianity - are driving away many godly people away from the church and embarrassing Christianity. The renowned J.I. Packer, one of the greatest theologians of modern times, left the Anglican Church of Canada just last year because of these abominations.[6] By no means am I declaring the Anglican Communion beyond repair. Though it might appear that it is a rapidly sinking ship into the dismal waters of disgrace, God still has a remnant of his elect who will not compromise the historic Christian faith as John Shelby Spong, Katherine Ragsdale, and much of the Anglican Communion has.
The immensity of this decline from the days of the Anglican Puritans until now is enormous. Anglican Evangelicals of old held firm to the doctrines of grace and were not afraid to call sin exactly what it is. They did not compromise with the culture nor change historic Christian teachings for relevancy. Yes, Cranmer recanted a few times, but he chose death than ultimate denial of Scripture. So did Ridley, Latimer, and many others. We must earnestly pray that Anglicans, as well as those sitting in Christian churches everywhere, would be convinced of their sins; that they would be awakened from their slumber and that they would seek after the holiness of God in repentance.
As George Whitefield did, so may the people of God, the palingenesis, herald the truth of Scripture preaching to awake the souls of men and praying passionately that God would pour out his Spirit and bring revival! May God use us to bring about an overwhelming sense of his glory and power.
Soli Deo Gloria
Mike Sarkissian
[1] Technically, the difference between the Episcopal and Anglican church is that the Episcopal Church is outside of England and took on the term ‘Episcopal’ during the Revolutionary War. Other than that, they are essentially the same and in communion with one another. For all intensive purposes the Episcopal Church is the US branch of Anglicanism.
[2] Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield (Crossway Books, 1990) 69.
[3]Bishop's Crusade: Rev. Spong's Support Of Homosexual Priests Divides Episcopalians (Wall Street Journal., Dow Jones & Co. Inc February 20, 1991).
<http://aidsinfobbs.org/articles/wallstj/91/42.txt>
Last accessed April 19, 2009
[4]Pro-Abortion Groups Seek to Defeat Bill to Protect Girls (6/04)
<http://www.physiciansforlife.org/content/view/425/26
Last accessed April 20, 2009
[5] Remarks of the Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, Birmingham, AL
<http://www.prochoicetexas.org/news/headlines/200708172.shtml>
Last accessed April 20, 2009
[6] Lillian Kwon, “Theologian Packer quits Anglican Church of Canada.” Christianity Today, April 28, 2008
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/theologian.packer.quits.anglican.church.of.canada/18418.htm
Last accessed April 24, 2009
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The Episcopian Curse
March 23rd, 2009Simon Episcopius, Subordinationism, and Modern Church Methodologies
Warning! This article has nothing to do with generational curses or any of those peculiar doctrines displayed on some Christian television networks. There is substance here…
Relatively little is known about Simon Episcopius (1583-1643), the Dutch theologian who was summoned to the Synod of Dort in 1618. Nonetheless, his contribution to theology and example in church history has had poignant parallels that are observed even to this day.
His given name was Simon Bisschop and he was a professor at the University of Leiden from 1612 – 1619. From that time until his death, demonstrating his adherence to Jacob Arminius teachings, he was one of the leaders of the Remonstrants, i.e. the Arminians. (Arminians are those individuals who deny the absolute sovereignty of God and hold to a Greek libertarian type of freedom. They are not to be confused with the ethnic group known as Armenians, of which I am one of.).
Episcopius attempted to defend libertarian free will before the Synod, but to no avail and was banished into the Spanish Netherlands (until 1626) where he would write and defend his version of Arminianism. He took what Arminius questioned to another level and what was obscure, he made definite. In doing this he quite possibly catapulted Jacob Arminius’ followers into places Arminius himself would never have dared to go.
Though Episcopius was a scholar, he shied away from “doctrine” and stressed holy living. Correct living became more important to him than correct doctrine. The Columbia Encyclopedia states, “His avowed aim was to present Christianity in a practical aspect and to liberate theology from the excessively rigid limitations of theory and ecclesiasticism.”[1]
To Episcopius, he merely sought for the peace and unity of Christians and was willing to conceal any of his views on so called ‘unimportant truths.’[2] This was his way to liberate theology. The “let us not argue but just love one another” banner he waved discloses him as the proto-theological liberal this side of the Reformation. The problem was that what Episcopius thought was ‘unimportant truths’ were foundation stones of historic biblical Christianity.
One area Episcopius compromised in was his Bibliology. He departed from the Reformers method of interpretation (Grammatical, Historical, and Christocentric) which was connected to the Antiochene Church fathers and the apostles themselves. He believed that different views about the Bible each contained a truth that was important in the interpretative process. Therefore, he reasoned that a variety of outlooks on truth were healthy to the church. This might be sufficient when speaking about how we would like the church sanctuary set up or whether contemporary or traditional praise music would be better on Sunday mornings. But to take this and apply it to non-negotiable teachings that distinguish Christianity from other religions is profane.
This approach to the Bible is completely subjective and leads to theological relativism. Moreover, it is absolutely foreign to a proper hermeneutic. When approaching the Bible one must seek to discover what the author was trying to communicate to his original readers. As with all ancient literature, this involves observing the history, vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and literary units of context. We are dealing with the very word of God people. Therefore, to simply ‘allow’ for multiple meanings on a text against the dictates of the author cannot be “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
In addition, Episcopius faltered in his Christology as well. Now there are many theologians who are sympathetic to those outside their own denominational lines when it comes to issues such as baptism or church government, but one must never budge nor compromise on a biblical Christology.
While his schoolmaster Arminius held to the biblical doctrine of the Trinity, Simon Episcopius deserted this historic bedrock of Christianity. He believed Jesus was eternal God, and through the influence of his friend, the heretic Socinus, who fully rejected the deity of Christ, he was corrupted. Episcopius would sell out and take the middle ground position on Christ. He held that Jesus was fully God but is less God than the Father. This reduction of the divinity of Christ is commonly known as subordinationism. The main form of subordinationism that has taken place historically is that the Son is not equal in his being and attributes as the Father. To hold the position that any person of the Triune God is inferior to another is erroneous.
These grave errors of Episcopius would move many away from the historic teaching on Christ. In addition, they also reveal a significant connection between the history of Arminianism and theological liberalism. History bears witness that Arminianism has led to Arianism, to Socinianism, and to Unitarianism. Each of these ‘isms’ are outside of the circle of biblical Christianity.
Yes, Episcopius sought for peace and unity among Christians, which is very noble and should be commended. However, we must ask the question whether or not peace can actually exist when truth is destroyed. Can we call it peace when it makes war with the Prince of Peace? Are we not to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints?” (Jude 3) The great Puritan Thomas Watson put it down rather nicely, “We must not be so in love with the golden crown of peace, as to pluck off the jewels of truth. Rather let peace go—than truth. The martyrs would rather lose their lives—than let go the truth.”
Now… here we stand today, with ecumenists and theological liberals in front of us, and the Emergent Church Movement creeping up from behind. These groups, being descendants of Episcopius have traces of the Episcopian curse on their hands as they call out for holy living and relevancy at the expense of proper biblical teachings.
“We must ‘repaint’ the Christian faith if we are to win people to Jesus,” the Emergent Church cries out. In the post-modern paint job they give Christianity there is an avoidance of discussing hell and judgment, and an avoidance to confront sin. They reason that preaching repentance is not nice. It might hurt people’s feelings and doesn’t work in getting people to church anymore. They toss out the ancient creeds and historic teachings for pragmatism; sola Scriptura for sola pragmaticas. Thus, they undermine the Bible as the authoritative Word of God.
How many pastors in attempting to pack their churches with people and gain popularity displace historic biblical teachings that our Reformational forefathers fought so earnestly for us to know? They have watered down clear passages that speak about sin and repentance making their Bibliology barren. They have abused verses that proclaim the deity and supremacy of Christ and him crucified, crippling their Christology.
May we stand with all those who have loved biblical truth, all who have gloried in the cross of Christ, and all who have preached a gospel that does not devalue our Savior. As we have this passion for God and for applying his truth, holy living will necessarily follow.
Soli Deo Gloria
[1]“Simon Episcopius.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (March 14, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Episcopi.html
[2]John Marshall, John Locke, Toleration and Early Enlightenment Culture (Cambridge University Press, 2006), 353.
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