I appreciate this approach, that each religion can gather to discuss theology without hate, but with love. I am a convinced Calvinist for many years now. Prior to that I was a Mormon, Seventhday, JW, Pentecostal, Arminian, and Roman Catholic. This was when I was very young and living with my Mother. It was like she was searching for something. Anyway I became a convinced Calvinist (not a Hyper-Calvinist) when a Calvinist friend of mine challenge why I believe what I believe. And I could not answer his question directly, because in my experience in those days. Christians were not studying or asking question in respect to knowing God's word, but receiving what was told to us as truth. He shared Calvinism with me, and after hearing it. I replied that's not in the Bible. It sounded unfair to me. So one day I set out to prove Calvinism false through God's word. And to my amazement everything that Calvinism taught I found in the Bible. So I kept studying it day and night, consumed to seek the truth, I finally found the doctrines of Grace, and finally heard the Gospel of Christ that Paul preached. And I have been a convinced Calvinist ever since.
I recently came across
"THEOSIS" from a friend my met on this forum. Which I never heard that term before; "THEOSIS". And I have been studying it lastly to get a good understanding of it. As I have been studying it, I have come to some conclusions, that it sounds very close to Sanctification, and perseverance of the Saints and Union with Christ. But before I post my findings I want to do more homework.
The Traditional view also believes that transformation is a essential part of salvation. We also believe in the Redemption of sinners, and Christ propitiating the righteous judgement and wrath of God against all law-breakers and wickedness. This sanction of punishment was rendered when the first Adam breached the Covenant of Works, that demanded Perfect Obedience, but instead disobeyed God, and bought sin, death, and condemnation on us all, because all have sinned. And Christ speaks a lot of the wicked being judged for their sins and being cast into the lake of fire. The EOC does not believe in God's judgement against sin. But that we just die. There is no hell or punishment for sin. So that's a major difference between Traditional vs EOC is the doctrine of Original Sin. And the punishment for sin. As far as I know, the traditional view, makes much of our Fallen condition before a Holy God. And the consequences or punishment for sin.
Justification & Sanctification in the Traditional view, teach that they are distinct from one another, but not inseparable. Meaning that when a sinner is Justified in Christ through Faith, the good works/obedience/piety flow from it. Once the sinner is in Christ, in the living vine, that produce good fruit. Justification is one of my favorite topics because it is good works for sinners.
So one of the most essential doctrines in the Traditional View is the Distinction Between Law & Gospel In Relation to Justification By Faith Alone. How a sinner justified before a Holy God?
Understanding the difference between
justification and
sanctification can be as important as understanding the difference between salvation and damnation. Rightly dividing between the two is of crucial importance. When you understand what they are, you can then draw a line in the sand and say, "This is what saves. This is not what saves."
Justification is the work of
God where the righteousness of Jesus is reckoned to the sinner, so the sinner is declared by God as being righteous under the Law (
Rom. 4:3;
5:1,
9;
Gal. 2:16;
3:11). This
righteousness is not earned or retained by any effort of the saved. Justification is an instantaneous occurrence with the result being eternal life. It is based completely and solely upon Jesus' sacrifice on the cross (
1 Pet. 2:24) and is received by faith alone (
Eph. 2:8-9). No works are necessary whatsoever to obtain justification. Otherwise, it is not a gift (
Rom. 6:23). Therefore, we are justified by
faith (
Romans 5:1).
Sanctification is the process of being set apart for God's work and being conformed to the image of
Christ. This conforming to Christ involves the work of the person, but it is still God working in the believer to produce more of a godly character and life in the person who has already been justified (
Phil. 2:13). Sanctification is not instantaneous because it is not the work of God alone. The justified person is actively involved in submitting to God's will, resisting sin, seeking holiness, and working to be more godly (
Gal. 5:22-23). Significantly, sanctification has no bearing on justification. That is, even if we don't live a perfect life, we are still justified.
Where justification is a legal declaration that is instantaneous, sanctification is a process. Where justification comes from outside of us, from God, sanctification comes from God within us by the work of the
Holy Spirit in accordance with the Bible. In other words, we contribute to sanctification through our efforts. In contrast, we do not contribute to our justification through our efforts.
Now, there is one more point of clarification. To sanctify also means to set apart for holy use. Therefore, we can have verses that talk about us being sanctified already because God has set us apart for
holy use.
- John 10:36, "do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?"
- Rom. 15:16, "to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, that my offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
- 1 Cor. 1:2, "to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours."
- 1 Cor. 6:11, "And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God."
- 1 Tim. 4:4-5, "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer."
- Heb. 2:11, "For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren."
All that we need is given to us in Christ. So there is one sense in which we are not yet completely formed into the image of Christ (sanctification of being made like Jesus), yet in another sense, we are because we are seen as "in Christ" and set apart for holy use where all our spiritual needs and purposes are met through Jesus.
Does this mean those justified by grace can sin as much as they want?
Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer in it?"
1 Thess. 4:7 says, "God has called us not for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification."
The Scriptures teach us that we are to live holy lives and avoid sin (
Col. 1:5-11). Just because we are saved and eternally justified before God (
John 10:28), that is no excuse to continue in the
sin from which we were saved. Of course, we all sin (
Rom. 3:23); but the war between the saved and sin is continuous (
Rom. 7:14-20), and it won't be until the return of Jesus that we will be delivered from this body of death (
Rom. 7:24). To seek sin continually and use God's grace to excuse it later is to trample the blood of Christ underfoot (
Heb. 10:29) and to reveal the person's true sinful, unsaved
nature (
1 John 2:4;
2:19). Other verses worth checking out are:
Heb. 12:14;
1 Pet. 1:14-16; and
1 Pet. 2:21-22.
What the cults do with justification and sanctification
The cults consistently blur the meanings of the two terms and misapply the truths taught in God's word. The result is a theology of works' righteousness--of earning their
salvation, which only leads to damnation. This is because by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified (
Gal. 2:16). Man cannot contribute to his salvation (
Gal. 5:1-8). Man is sinful, and even his best deeds are stained and filthy before God (
Isaiah 64:6). Therefore, making a person right before God can only be God's work (
Gal. 2:20).
Typically, in cult theologies, a person is not justified (declared righteous in God's eyes) until the final day of judgment when his works are weighed, and a reward is given; or he is found worthy of his place with God. Thus, a person with this errant theology can not claim
1 John 5:13 as his own which says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God."
Contextually, "These things" refer to loving God, being obedient to Him, belief in Christ, and eternal life in Jesus. Therefore,
1 John 5:13 can be considered a test. If you are believing and doing the right things, then you will know if you have
eternal life. Can a cultist know he has eternal life? No, he cannot; but a
Christian can.
People in cults don't understand the difference between justification and sanctification. Therefore, they must depend upon a cooperative effort with God to have their sins forgiven, which is, essentially, combining the filthy works of man (
Isaiah 64:6) with the holy work of God. They don't mix. They can't. Hence, salvation is by
grace through faith alone. To believe anything else is to miss salvation.
Assurance in the Traditional View, is the same or a synonym for Faith/Trust/Believe. Because our assurance only lies in Christ and what He accomplished according to the Gospel. In the Heidelberg Catechism,
21)What is true Faith?
True Faith is not only a knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in his Word is true; it is also a deep rooted assurance, created in me by the Holy Spirit through the Holy Gospel, that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ, not only others, but I too, have had my sins forgiven, have been made forever right with God, and have been granted Salvation.
Predestination I will address in my next post, because I went way over board with this post, sorry Ladies & Gentlemen.