Systematic Theology (Volume 3 of 3)Strong, Augustus Hopkins
Religion
Systematic Theology (Volume 3 of 3)
Strong, Augustus Hopkins
Baptists -- Doctrines; Theology, Doctrinal
Even Luther did not fully apprehend and apply his favorite
doctrine of justification by faith. Harnack, Wesen des
Christenthums, 168 _sq._, states the fundamental principles of
Protestantism as: “1. The Christian religion is wholly given in
the word of God and in the inner experience which answers to that
word. 2. The assured belief that the Christian has a gracious God.
‘Nun weisz und glaub’ ich’s feste, Ich rühm’s auch ohne Scheu,
Dasz Gott, der höchst’ und beste, Mein Freund und Vater sei; Und
dasz in allen Fällen Er mir zur Rechten steh’, Und dampfe Sturm
und Wellen, Und was mir bringet Weh’.’ 3. Restoration of simple
and believing worship, both public and private. But Luther took
too much dogma into Christianity; insisted too much on the
authority of the written word; cared too much for the _means_ of
grace, such as the Lord’s Supper; identified the church too much
with the organized body.” Yet Luther talked of beating the heads
of the Wittenbergers with the Bible, so as to get the great
doctrine of justification by faith into their brains. “Why do you
teach your child the same thing twenty times?” he said. “Because I
find that nineteen times is not sufficient.”
C. Justification is instantaneous, complete, and final: instantaneous,
since otherwise there would be an interval during which the soul was
neither approved nor condemned by God (Mat. 6:24); complete, since the
soul, united to Christ by faith, becomes partaker of his complete
satisfaction to the demands of law (Col. 2:9, 10); and final, since the
union with Christ is indissoluble (John 10:28, 29). As there are many acts
of sin in the life of the Christian, so there are many acts of pardon
following them. But all these acts of pardon are virtually implied in that
first act by which he was finally and forever justified; as also
successive acts of repentance and faith, after such sins, are virtually
implied in that first repentance and faith which logically preceded
justification.
_Mat. 6:24_—“_No man can serve two masters_”; _Col. 2:9, 10_—“_in
him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and in him ye
are made full, who is the head of all principality and power_”;
_John 10:28, 29_—“_they shall never perish, and no one shall
snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who hath given them unto
me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of
the Father’s hand._”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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