The RBF Rejects the 1689 CoF’s Order of Salvation
RBF: Our immediate response is that we disagree with an order of salvation that differs from the one that is revealed in the scripture and which is held by the 1689 Confession. We cannot agree also with a doctrine that dichotomizes the effectual call of God and regeneration from the ministry of the Word or the preaching of the gospel. We, too, cannot accept a doctrine that separates believers’ faith in Christ from regeneration and justification. The following are the reasons why we cannot agree with Pr Lau’s new position:
SL: I suggest that you come up with better reasons for disagreeing. With all due respect to you esteemed brothers of the RBF, if these are the best you can come up with, I suggest that you abandon your ‘standard reformed position’ and return to the ancient position held by the Particular Baptist forefathers as summarized in the 1689 CoF. You are the ones who hold to an order of salvation that rejects the teaching of Scriptures as understood and summarized by the Particular Baptists. You are free to disagree with them. But don’t misrepresent the forefathers. Let us proceed and ascertain who are the ones who have departed from the Scriptures and the 1689 CoF! Making careful distinction of God’s gracious acts in salvation and the elects’ response to it is not to dichotomize the various aspects of the application of salvation. It is rightly dividing the word of truth. It is when we fail to make distinctions that cause all the confusion and contradictions.
Basic Confusion on Effectual Call to Life and Gospel Call to Faith
RBF: 1. What is the order of salvation? It is also known as the order of application of redemption. It is clear that there are several aspects in the application of redemption, namely, calling, regeneration, conversion, faith, repentance, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, and glorification. It is true that all of them are about redemption, but all are distinct, and therefore we must not confuse the one for the other. We believe that the application of redemption takes place in a certain order, and that order has been established by divine appointment, wisdom, and grace. The divine order would indicate which application is prior and also provide a context for each one’s definition. When the order is ignored, then the definition of each application of redemption would be confused. We have in Romans 8.29-30 the order as “foreknowledge, predestination, God’s calling, justification, and glorification,” and the Confession follows the same order (10. Effectual calling & 11. Justification).
SL: I heartily agree with the principle on the order and the necessity of the order. They are indeed established by divine appointment, wisdom and grace. So, it is a serious matter to mess up this order in our theological understanding. It is helpful to know that the framers of the Confession were not only able theologians – they were also trained logicians. You can be sure that you can’t beat the framers in their appreciation of the orderliness and logic in the application of salvation. They can be too orderly and logical for the comfort of some who are less orderly and muddled in their thoughts.
The fundamental problem here is that you have made a grave and serious mistake of confusing the effectual call to life as the gospel call to faith. 1689.10 speak of the effectual call unto eternal life, not the gospel call unto conversion. If you insist that the calling in Rom 8:30 refers to the outward gospel call made effectual to conversion, and followed by justification by faith, then your exegesis is self-contradictory and self-discrediting. Think hard. With this serious and fundamental confounding of the effectual call unto life and the gospel call unto faith, your order of salvation is founded on chaos and confusion. You have rejected the order established by divine appointment.
Concerning Romans 8:29-30, the Scriptures declares this:
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” This is monergistic – of pure and unadulterated divine grace in our eternal salvation.
The ‘standard reformed’ folks make the passage to read thus:
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also sent the gospel preacher and outwardly called: and whom the preacher outwardly called, them the Spirit also effectually called: and whom the Spirit effectually called, them He also gave spiritual abilities: and whom the Spirit gave spiritual abilities, them He also brought to faith: and whom the Spirit brought to faith, them He also give eternal life: and who the Spirit brought to faith, them God also justified: and whom He justified, them He also kept in holiness and faith: and whom He kept in holiness and faith, them He also glorified.” This is synergistic – divine grace plus human works in our eternal salvation.
The first basic point to note concerning Romans 8:29-30 is that the people embraced here includes every single elect. The exact number predestinated is the same number effectually called unto eternal life through free grace justification based solely on the righteousness and blood of Jesus Christ. Every single elect predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s Son God called... God justified... and God glorified… all by God’s free grace, without any human co-operation. Not a single elect of God missed this call. So, what is this call? Is it the gospel call to faith, or effectual call unto eternal life? This call cannot be the gospel call to conversion - because the gospel call to conversion does not reach every single elect who are effectually called unto eternal life, see 1689.10.3. The call here is the divine effectual call unto eternal life - and this is true of every single elect, with no exception whatsoever, 1689.10.1. Every elect is called unto eternal life by the direct and immediate and efficacious call of God through His Word (life-giving Christ) and Spirit. This He did by justifying them, i.e. He removed the just condemnation upon them, and imputed to them the righteousness of Christ, all by pure free grace, not on condition of faith. One is gravely mistaken in understanding that the call in Romans 8:30 has anything to do with the gospel call. It is classic eisegesis by the ‘standard reformed’ folks.
The justification spoken here is the justification applied at effectual calling unto eternal life, spoken of in 1689.11.1. This is the justification applied to every single elect. This is not the justification experienced at initial conversion through the gospel call - because not all the elect will receive the gospel call and experience justification by faith. The justification spoken of here is justification prior to faith; i.e. justification applied when an elect was condemned, dead and a child of wrath. This passage does not support the view of gospel call leading to justification by faith. There is no gospel call here. There is no justification by faith here. There is effectual call unto life... effectual call unto life requires the removal of condemnation, i.e. it requires the justification secured by Christ to be applied to the elect personally. There is justification by divine free grace through the righteousness of Christ. When condemnation is removed, eternal life is bestowed; yes, eternal life is bestowed... thus guaranteeing glorification. Effectual call unto eternal life guarantees glorification regardless of the amount of salvation blessings one will experience through the ministry of the word.
There is no gospel call here. Apostle Paul did not say, “whom the preacher called God justified.” The preacher issues a gospel call to conversion. But what did Christ say about the call to life? John 5:25 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” Please note, this does not say the ministry of the preached word, nor the preached words of Christ, it is not the voice of the preacher, but the ‘voice of the Son of God’. How easy it is to usurp Christ in the effectual calling of the spiritually dead elect to eternal life with the preachers’ gospel call of the regenerated elect to belief in the truth.
Apostle Paul said to the believers in Ephesus, ‘If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus,’ Eph. 4:21. Is this ‘if indeed you have heard the preacher or heard about/of Christ through the preacher? Is this ‘if indeed you have been taught by the preacher or taught by Christ? Is Apostle Paul saying, ‘If indeed you have heard about Christ through me the preacher and have been taught about Christ by me the preacher?’ or ‘if indeed you have heard Christ and have been taught by Christ’ in the effectual calling unto life in the direct and immediate power of God by ‘His Word and Spirit’? Let each preacher be careful lest he usurps Christ’s work and robs His honour upon himself.
Isa. 55:10-11 “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” You would insist that it is your preached word that goes forth out of your preaching mouth to accomplish what pleases God. But how very often your words that go forth from your mouth return unto you void? Not so with God’s word that goes forth from His own mouth… it shall accomplish that which God is pleased. It shall be efficacious, always efficacious to bring each spiritually dead elect to eternal life. Prophet Isaiah differs with the RBF and says, like Christ, that it is the voice of the Son of God that brings eternal life to whomsoever whereto God sent it, not where the preacher’s word from the preacher’s mouth. A preacher’s word from the faithful preacher’s mouth brings a regenerated elect to faith in Jesus Christ.
Please don’t be too selective and just pick and choose from the Confession the bits that suit your fancy. This is the order delineated in the Confession: effectual calling > justification > regeneration & adoption > further sanctification through gospel call leading to faith, repentance and works. Read it again. Don’t misrepresent the 1689 CoF!
A brother who holds to the ‘standard reformed position’ put the order like this. He said, “ The order of salvation or application of redemption to the elect is: Free offer of salvation in the gospel - general call >> ‘Regeneration’ - creating spiritual ability in hearer >> Conversion - repentance and faith >> Born Again – receives eternal life >> Justification - declare the person righteous >> Adoption >> Sanctification >> Glorification.”
In the biblical order summarized in the 1689, justification, regeneration, and adoption are subsumed under the divine effectual call to eternal life. Justification is the direct act of God in the effectual call unto eternal life. This is justification by God’s free grace. The ground of justification is the finished work of Christ. The condemnation is the first thing dealt with in the effectual call to eternal life. This is followed by regeneration – dealing with the problem of spiritual deadness. That which is born is adopted into the family of God. With the condemnation removed and the life given, the elect is adopted and bestowed with gifts.
In the ‘standard reformed’ order espoused and defended by the RBF the divine effectual call unto life is conditioned upon human gospel call. Eternal life is conditioned upon man’s believing. Justification is also conditioned upon man’s faith – man must believe to secure his justification. The ground of justification is the finished work of Christ. This order of salvation implies that an elect under the just condemnation of death can be ‘regenerated’ with spiritual abilities, enabled to hear and receive the gospel while the condemnation of death still remain upon him.
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