These things need to be pondered by Protestants to-day. With what right may we call ourselves children of the Reformation? Much modern Protestantism would be neither owned nor even recognized by the pioneer Reformers. The Bondage of the Will fairly sets before us what they believed about the salvation of last mankind. In the light of it, we are forced to ask whether Protestant Christendom has not tragically sold its birthright between Luther’s day and our own. Has not Protestantism to-day become more Erasmian than Lutheran? Do we not too often try to minimize and gloss over doctrinal differences for the sake of inter-party peace? Are we innocent of the doctrinal indifferentism with which Luther charged Erasmus? Do we still believe that doctrine matters? Or do we now, with Erasmus, rate a deceptive appearance of unity as of more importance than truth? (Johnson and Packer’s introduction to Luther’s Bondage of the Will).
When Johnson and Packer wrote these things in the late 1950’s things were not as bad as they are now. Of course there has been a small resurgence of sorts in Reformed thinking, but one could question just how deep that resurgence has actually went. It is one thing to adhere to a Reformed creed or confession, but it is quite another to go with the pioneer Reformers to the places they went regarding the sovereignty of grace and the utter helplessness of man in sin. Just how much of modern Christendom really follows the Reformers and the Gospel they preached? How many Protestants still protest against the gospel as preached by Rome? How many Protestants have been swallowed up by the same basic gospel that Rome teaches while they protest against less important things?
The Bondage of the Will is not a metaphysical book that stimulates the intellect with nothing else important to say. Instead, this book gets at the heart of the Gospel itself. It must be made clear that if we do not follow Luther at this point we are not really following him at all in terms of the Gospel which was the most important part of the Reformation. If we do not follow Luther at this point, then we do not follow the pioneer Reformers at this point either. This shows that we are not really the children of the Reformation in our day because almost nobody follows Luther and the pioneer Reformers at this point. The Bondage of the Will, as Packer and Johnson point out, sets before us what the pioneer Reformers believed about the Gospel or about how men and women are to be saved.
The birthright of Protestantism is inextricably linked to the Gospel as set out by the pioneer Reformers. That Gospel is not popular today at all, though some hold to the same terminology. The term “hyper-Calvinist” is now thrown around a lot and addressed to those who hold to the bondage of the will as Luther did. We are told that we are to be gracious and winsome which is to be like Erasmus rather than Luther or Calvin. We are told that we must join hands with those who do Christian things but do not hold to the same Gospel as Luther did. We are told that there are major things and minor things and that the Trinity and justification by faith alone are the major things. Indeed justification by faith alone is a major thing, but only if the terms and doctrines within it are stated as the Bible does. We have more men who are like Erasmus running around than those who are like Luther and Calvin.
Indeed there are many who try to say that we are not to be unkind (state the real issue of differences) with those who differ from us and we are to be quiet for the sake of peace within groups and within denominations. So we end up (as Johnson and Packer state) minimizing and glossing over differences even regarding the Gospel in order to attain to some type of unity. This is to desire an appearance of unity, even though it is nothing more than an appearance, more than the truth and more than Gospel truth. Men claim that it is for the sake of the Gospel that they minimize certain truths, but in fact it is more likely that they minimize the Gospel for the sake of their own positions within groups and denominations. When they do this they deceive themselves and others.
Paul set out the fact that there is only one Gospel. In fact, he was very ungracious and non-winsome when he said that. In Galatians one he was clear: “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (vv. 6-7). He then proceeds to say that if anyone preaches a different Gospel that person is to be accursed. Being gracious and winsome can lead us to the deceptive practice of selling the Gospel for denominational influences and getting along with others. However, as Galatians 1:6 tells us, we are “quickly deserting Him.” If Luther and the pioneer Reformers were right about the Gospel, then when we depart from their teachings we are departing from God Himself. Leaving the Gospel is leaving God Himself.
God Loves... Himself 
July 2, 2010 at 6:29 pm |
It is almost like we need a new vocuabulary. All of the words of our old one have been co-opted, all of the terms have been prostituted, and all of the definitions have been changed. We find ourselves talking and writing to people who have not a clue what we are saying because the words they hear mean different things to them than we intend. Surely an Awakening is needed.
July 2, 2010 at 6:44 pm |
That is correct. So many people are using orthodox words and it is hiding orthodoxy from them. Maybe we need a Reformation of language in order to get back to the theology of the Reformation. I am afraid that until we get back to the theology of the Reformation we will not find the God who sovereignly poured out Himself in the Reformation.
July 2, 2010 at 9:25 pm |
Well, it is certain that we are not going to find Him blessing a theology of cofusion and deceit.