[The following declaration is posted at The Trinity Foundation. I strongly encourage all who are opposed to the erosion of biblical truth and the five solas of the Protestant Reformation to read and sign this document online. You can view the original webpage at The Reformation Day Declaration.]
The Reformation Day Declaration
We, the undersigned, urge all Christians to stand boldly against those who are not being "straightforward about the truth of the gospel"(Galatians 2:14).
We repudiate the expressions of the doctrine of justification contained in the North American documents "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" and "The Gift of Salvation," and the European document, "The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification," all written and endorsed by those who, in the interest of organizational unity, are willing to compromise between the Roman Church-State and the Reformation. In these documents Rome actually concedes nothing, while the Biblical and Reformed doctrine of justification by faith alone is either abandoned or ignored.
We reject the "New Perspective on Paul," advanced by writers such as James D.G. Dunn, E. P. Sanders, and N. T. Wright, that argues that Martin Luther and John Calvin at the time of the Reformation misunderstood what the Apostle Paul taught about justification and so constructed an erroneous and misleading doctrine of justification that Protestantism has unwittingly followed to this day.
We denounce the new perspective on covenant and salvation variously styled "Federal Vision," "covenantal nomism," " Neolegalism," and the "Auburn Avenue Theology." This theology, based on the false doctrine of Norman Shepherd and others, contradicts the doctrine of justification as enunciated by Scripture and the Reformed confessions. Instead of doing the honorable thing, that is, leaving their communions, many Ministers and Elders in Reformed communions are perverting the Gospel and causing division within their communions with their false teaching that the Christian's justification is not by faith alone in the all-sufficient work of Jesus Christ, but is rather the eschatological result of the believer's lifelong faithfulness to Christ as seen in his imperfect works of obedience.
These teachers have rejected the clear Biblical teaching that justification is an act of God's free grace alone in which, forgiving believers of all their sins, He irrevocably imputes to them the perfect righteousness of his Son Jesus Christ as the ground of their justification. In no way do the imperfect works of the regenerate effect, augment, or change their justification before God. Justification is an act of God whereby He declares those for whom Christ died legally righteous forever the moment they place their faith in Christ. (See John 15:4-6, Acts 13:38-39; Galatians 2:16; Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-22, 28; 4:4-15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 2:4-5.)
These teachers, either minimizing or denying the imputation of Christ's active obedience to believers, teach that justification is not a purely forensic declaration but a transforming activity in which the believer's obedience also plays a significant role. This false doctrine of justification includes within it the lie of Satan that Christ's righteousness is not sufficient for salvation and that an earned righteousness on the part of the believer is necessary for his justification before God.
For these reasons, it is necessary to protest and oppose this widespread false teaching within Reformed churches and to warn these errant Ministers and Elders, as the Apostle Paul declares, that those who would intermingle the believer's obedience with Christ's obedience as the ground or instrument of their final justification before God stand under God's own anathema (Galatians 1:8-9). They have made Christ's life and death of no value to them (Galatians 5:2), they have alienated themselves from Christ (Galatians 5:4a), they have annulled the grace of God (Galatians 2:21), and they have fallen away from grace (Galatians 3:10; 5:4b), because they are trusting in a "different gospel that is no gospel at all" (Galatians 1:6-7).
In order that what Christ said of the Philadelphians — you "have kept my word, and have not denied my name" (Revelation 3:8) — he may also say of us today; and
In order to preserve the doctrinal purity and unity of the Reformed churches; and
In order to urge these false teachers to remove themselves from their offices, or be removed by faithful Christians if they do not repent of their errors, we urge that all who love the one true Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ join with us and sign this Reformation Day Declaration.
Adopted at Nottingham, Pennsylvania, October 31, 2004.
| Robert L. Reymond Professor Emeritus, Knox Theological Seminary | Mike Oliver | Johnnie Oliver |
| Dr. Clinton S. Foraker Pastor, Calvert Reformed Presbyterian Church Calvert, Maryland | Tanya Foraker | Olga Foraker |
| Dr. Jeffery Sheely, Pastor Grace Presbyterian Church Hanover, Pennsylvania | Arlyn Wilkening | Paul M. Elliott |
| Carol Lewis | Pat Lewis | Virgina Steenstra |
| Beverly Sheely | Betty Bange | Suellen Renley |
| John W. Robbins | |
The Collect.
O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom though hast given an hearty desire to pray, may by thy mighty aid be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Charlie Ray--I see this statement gives a blanket condemnation to the Federal Vision. Having looked at the beliefs of the Federal Vision in greater detail recently there are certainly things I find objectionable (particularly the borrowing of certain errors from NT Wright among at least some of its propenents). It appears, though(looking very briefly at the Auburn Avenue link which you provided) that the statments's primary cause for denouncing the Federal Vision has to do with its affirmation of the Historic Christian teaching on the efficacy of Baptism and in particular the danger of Christians losing their Salvation. They imply that such a teaching is a denial of Christ and His Gospel. In your endorsing of their statement you seem to throw your lot in with them.
ReplyDeleteI want to respectfully ask the following questions.
Continued below
William, the possibility of apostasy is never to be doubted. However, HOW we theologically understand what apostasy IS is quite another matter. Our justification is by faith and faith alone and ANY compromise with justification by merits is unwarranted from Scripture no matter how you look at it.
ReplyDeleteYou can misquote and misrepresent the Anglican position all you wish but Scripture stands firm. God justifies the "ungodly"!
" What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”" (Romans 4:1-8, ESV)
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[1] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.