REVISITING CHRIST’S MESSAGE TO TODAY’S EVANGELICALS

Part III: Christ’s Appraisal Of Evangelicals As Two, Offensive, Judging Factions

B. Christ’s Evaluation Of Evangelicals Detailed

2. Christ’s Exposure Of The Factions’ Errant Beliefs Behind Their Errant Judgments

c. The Errant Views On Faith And The Atonement And Their Harmful Effects

(Revelation 3:14, 17b[c])

 

I.                 Introduction

A.    Having critiqued the errant judgments of today’s evangelical Calvinist and Arminian factions, Christ detailed how they arrived at this troubling state by the influence of their respective errant BELIEFS!

B.     In Rev. 3:17b[c], Christ exposed their errant views on faith and the atonement and their harmful effects:

II.              The Errant Views On Faith And The Atonement And Their Harmful Effects, Revelation 3:14, 17b[c].

A.    In Rev. 3:17b in the Greek text, the words “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, naked” are inter-related, for they are linked by 4 conjunctions (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 845; A. T. Robertson, A Gr. of the Grk. N. T., p. 777).

B.     Similarly, Calvinist theologian Loraine Boettner (The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, p. 59) wrote that Calvinism’s five points of belief are “not isolated and independent doctrines, but are . . . inter-related . . .”

C.     In viewing the Rev. 3:17b five words in order, we note that Christ critiqued Calvinism’s five points in order AND their opposing Arminian views, with insight on the harmful effects each view has had on believers:

1.      Calvinism’s third point is “Limited Atonement,” that since the unsaved are totally depraved so that God must give them the gift of faith so they can believe, and because He chose some people to trust in Christ, Christ’s death atoned only for the elect, not for those God “predetermined not to save,” Ibid., p. 61-161.

2.      Arminians hold that any human being can contribute faith to cooperate with God to be saved, so the atonement is unlimited, atoning for every person (Bettenson, ed., Docs. of the Chr. Ch., 2nd ed., p. 377).

3.      Nevertheless, Christ critiqued both views and their harmful effects on believers in Revelation 3:17b[c]:

                             a.  Christ’s third critique is that the Laodiceans were “poor,” what translates the Greek word ptochos that literally means “beggarly” (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 845; Abbott-Smith, Man. Grk. Lex. of the N. T., p. 393).  The solution to this destitute state, given in Rev. 3:18, is “gold tried in the fire,” and elsewhere in Scripture, ONLY in 1 Peter 1:7 does this “gold tried in the fire” concept exist, and there it refers to faith (Moulton & Geden, Conc. to the Grk. Test., p. 1019).  Thus, ptochos in Rev. 3:17 means destitute of faith!

                            b.  Ptochos in Rev. 3:17 does not itself define the extent of the atonement, but since Calvinists developed the limited atonement point by LOGIC to ALIGN IT WITH their OTHER FOUR POINTS (Ibid., Boettner, p. 59, 61-161), Christ in Rev. 3:17 critiqued Calvinism’s errant view of FAITH, for that view is the CAUSE of Calvinism’s errant views on ALL of its FIVE POINTS going back to Augustine (as we will document in our future salvation security lesson)!: (i) Calvin and Augustine taught that God’s gift of faith can never leave a believer destitute of faith (Beveridge, trans.,Ins. of the Chr. Rel., v. I, p. 482-485 [Bk. Thrd., ch. II, 15-17]; In “Predestination 3,” Augustine wrote, “‘The faith by which we are Christians is the gift of God,’” W. Walker, Hist. of the Chr. Ch., p. 165; emphases ours).  However, though destitute of faith, the Laodiceans as God’s true sons were about to be disciplined by Christ (Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:6-8), what counters Calvin’s and Augustine’s view of faith!  (ii) Arminians hold that since one contributes faith to be saved, if his faith lapses, he loses his salvation (Chafer/Walvoord, Major Bible Themes, p. 220; Ibid., Bettenson, p. 378).  However, though destitute of faith, the Laodiceans as God’s true sons were about to be disciplined by Christ (Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:6-8), what counters the Arminian view of faith!    

                             c.  In grand summary, (i) the unsaved can author faith, but faith is powerless to contribute to help one be saved, for only God can save.  (ii) Since anyone can believe in Christ, Christ’s atonement is unlimited!

4.      The errant views on faith and the atonement have had harmful effects on believers: Calvinists have not responsibly trusted God due to their view that He predestined them to persevere in God’s gift of faith, and Arminians have relied on the power of an impotent faith, leaving both groups living destitute lives!

 

Lesson: (1) Calvinists hold that God gives faith only to the elect, so they have held to a limited atonement belief to fit God’s alleged will to save only the elect.  This has left Calvinists relying on predestination to retain their faith versus trusting in God for living.  (2) Arminians hold that faith helps save the soul.  This has left them believing in an unlimited atonement but also made them impotent as they trust in a powerless faith and not God for living.

 

Application: May we hold to unlimited atonement and initiate faith in Almighty God for spiritual power for living!