What kind of things make us feel like we just can't keep going in this Christian life? what steals our joy and motivation to persist on this faith journey? Hi, this is the Hymn We Proclaim podcast. Today, John Fonville addresses the doctrine of persistence and how to keep from falling into one of the oldest traps of earning our way back to God after we sin as a believer. The good news is, Christ has already made a way for us, and will hear our prayers.
Let's wrap up our miniseries called How to Keep Going. Here's John with never let the doctrine of persistence become the covenant of works. The question that we're looking at is how do you keep going? In other words, how do you continue to persevere? We've looked at four insights so far.
The first one is this: we saw that. You have to have this realistic understanding of the Christian life, this side of the new heavens and the new earth. Christian perfection does not come until death or until Christ returns. The second thing we looked at was: you have to consider the mixed nature of the lives of believers throughout redemptive history. That was the famous Jerry Springer sermon that I took everybody through.
That everybody will always remember: you came to church for a Jerry Springer show. We looked at the different lives of the so-called superheroes, super saints in the scriptures, and we saw from the biblical account that all believers, at their very best, are simultaneously justified and yet sinners. As we're struggling with our sin, it is comforting and encouraging to know that even the best of the super saints in the Bible, you know, King David, Abraham, Moses. You just name it Peter or the Apostle Paul. All of them at their very best were just simultaneously justified and sinners.
Just like we are. Third, we saw this: be assured that grace abounds to Christians who sin. Let us never lose sight of the comforting truth that Christ's death saves even Christians from their sin, that there's room at the cross for Christians. Christians as well. Then the fourth truth we looked at last week was from Psalm 6.
Psalm 6 is a Psalm of David, where David is actually at some point in his life, because of some unspecified sin that he had committed. He was actually experiencing a dark night of the soul. And so Psalm 6 is all about a dark night of the soul. And so, what we saw from Psalm 6 is that we have to learn, like David, how to respond properly when we find ourselves in a dark night of the soul, crying out to God continuously on the basis of his mercy to save us from our sins. And so, we looked at that in depth.
That brings us to a fifth insight this week. Which is this: is that when you're walking in darkness and you're just struggling with your sin and you just don't feel like you can keep going, and that the scales are tipping further and further in favor of your failures versus your qualifications and the fruit of your light that you know should be there, but seems so strangely absent and painfully absent. Here's the fifth insight that I think will be helpful to you. Never allow the doctrine of perseverance. to be turned into a covenant of works.
So, we're going to look at that today in detail.
So, what do I mean by this?
Okay, so just Hang tied with me and I think by the end you're gonna Lord willing, the light bulbs would be going, oh, yes, okay.
So. What do I mean by turning the doctrine of perseverance into a covenant of works?
Okay. First. We have to understand the difference. But what's called the covenant of grace. In the covenant of works.
Let me make this just as simple for you as I can. The covenant of works. Which is the law. says this to you. Do this.
In live. All right. Jesus teaches us this principle of the covenant of works, the law, in Luke 10, 25 through 28, when he encounters an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic covenant. All right, sometimes in scripture it's in Luke 10, he's called translated as a lawyer. A lawyer stood up to Jesus, verse 25, to put him to the test, saying, teacher, listen to this.
Now listen to the contradiction here. What shall I do to inherit? Yeah. Do you see the immediate contradiction there? An inheritance is a gift.
It's not something you merit or do to get it. An inheritance is something that you just go sit down and have somebody else read to you the terms of your inheritance, which is a gift to you, which you've done nothing your whole life to deserve or earn yourself. And so this expert in the Mosaic covenant says I'm going to test Jesus here and put him to the test What shall I do? to inherit Eternal life. Jesus said to him, He says, Okay, you want to talk about the covenant of works?
You want to talk about the law? Let's talk about not inheritance, which is the gospel. Let's talk about the law. Because that's your question. Jesus says to him, What is written in the law?
How do you read it? And he answered, and you just heard the law read to you this morning. Listen, he answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. The Great Commandment, right? And Jesus said to him, listen carefully.
You have answered correctly. Do this. And you will live. That's where it comes from, you see. This is what the law says to us.
Do this. and live. Do this and you will live. Love God Perfectly in thought, word, and deed, from the moment of your conception in your mother's womb. And love your neighbor in thought, word, and deed.
perfectly from the moment of conception. Never having for one split millionth of a second deviated from that, and you will live. In contrast, the covenant of grace, which is the gospel, says something totally different. The covenant of grace comes to us and says, Christ did it for you. With exclamation point.
Come to life. Be a new creature. Have your sins forgiven. Your sins are forgiven, Jesus would say to people. Take heart, your sins are forgiven.
Right. Therefore, go and do this. That's totally different from do this. And you won't live versus live. Therefore, because you're alive by grace, now go do this.
Do you see the difference here? Is everybody tracking with me? This is vitally critical for you to get. Paul makes this clear, the covenant of grace clear in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 through 10. He says, for by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
It's an inheritance, it's a gift. Faith salvation is not from works, so that no one can boast, take credit for it, and say, I did this. Then listen, here come the good works. For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus. Four good works.
Unto good works. Listen, the preposition here is not... Bye. Good works. Listen, that God prepared beforehand so we can do them.
And so, this is vital for you to get. I want you to get this. Listen carefully. As believers, we. Postfall.
Right? Post-fall, after Genesis chapter 3. We do not live under a covenant of works. Let me say it like this. We do not relate to God on this principle where he says to you, do this and you will live.
Is everybody tracking? We don't live under a covenant of works. Do this. In you will live. Rather, post-fall, we live under a covenant of grace where God says to all of us, live exclamation point.
Come to life. Right. Have your sins forgiven. Your sins are forgiven.
So live, therefore. in light of the fact of who you are in Christ, because now you're living. Do this. Does everybody see the difference? Let me give you an example of how the doctrine of perseverance has turned into a covenant of works.
How the doctrine of perseverance, what is perseverance? It is God's power and grace. That sustains us to the very end. Despite our temptation and sin and our failure. Everybody got that?
Here is an example. of the doctrine of perseverance that has turned into do this and live. into a covenant of works for the Christian life. Listen to what this popular author and conference speaker, he's an evangelical or professed evangelical, listen to what he writes in a very famous book that he's written. This comes from page 249 of his book.
Quote. He says, I am hard pressed to imagine something more important for our lives. Man fulfilling the covenant that God has made with us for our final salvation. End quote. Did you hear that?
I'm hard pressed to imagine.
something more important for our lives They are in fulfilling the covenant that God has made with us For our final Salvation, end quote. This is a crystal clear example of how you take the doctrine of perseverance and turn it into a covenant of works. Let me paraphrase what this author is saying. God did his part. to get you started.
Now you must persevere by your performance in your obedience and do your part to obtain final salvation. Does that sound like good news to you? Let me ask you a simple question. that I think all of us could answer without having to spend the next 10 minutes explaining the answer to it. Who can fulfill any covenant in Scripture that God has made?
Please raise your hand. Who in Scripture What person in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation has fulfilled any covenant that God has ever made? That's what I'd like to ask that author. Let me just go through a couple covenants in Scripture just to make this very clear. Adam.
Who is called the Son of God? Failed to keep the covenant of works pre-fall in the Garden of Eden, Genesis chapters 2 and 3.
Well, actually, Genesis 1 through 3, but we see it in Genesis 3 when he actually broke the covenant. This is what the Apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 5, verse 12. He says, sin came into the world through one man. And death through sin, and so death spread to all men because. Oh Sinned.
All of us broke the covenant of works. It's pretty clear, isn't it?
So I don't think Paul's saying it, but there are some of you who have done your part and cooperated with God and you fulfilled the covenant, so you're going to obtain your final salvation. No, all have sinned.
So Adam, who was the son of God, he failed. He didn't keep the covenant of works. All right, let's look at the next son of God. Who is the next son of God in Scripture? It's called the nation of Israel.
Deuteronomy chapter 1, verse 31, Hosea 11, verse 1. The scriptures call Israel God's Son. What did God's Son do throughout the entire Old Testament story?
Well They failed to keep the Mosaic Old Covenant, which was simply a republication of the original covenant of works in the Garden with Adam. And so here's the question. If no law The Mosaic covenant could not give life and salvation. Why did God give Israel the Mosaic Old Covenant? Why did he give them the law?
Turn to Galatians chapter 3. And Paul answers this for us in great detail, beginning at verse 19.
So take your Bibles if you have it and begin reading with me in Galatians chapter 3 verse 19. I'm just going to give you a paraphrase of the argument that Paul is giving here. Galatians chapter 3, verse 19, Paul begins this. He says, Why then the law? Why did God give the law?
What does he mean by the law here? In this context, he's talking about the Mosaic covenant, the old covenant. Why did God give the Mosaic Old Covenant? He says, it was added, the Mosaic covenant was added because of transgressions. Look in verse 21.
Is the Mosaic covenant contrary to the promises of God? What is he talking about? He said, is the Mosaic covenant contrary to the Abrahamic covenant? You see, throughout the book of Galatians, when Paul, almost in every instance, not quite, but almost in every instance, when Paul uses the term law in Galatians, he's saying the Mosaic covenant. And when he says promise, In the book of Galatians, he's talking about the Abrahamic covenant.
So listen to what he says. He says, is the Mosaic covenant contrary to the Abrahamic covenant? Because in Galatians chapter 3, verse 8, Paul actually calls the Abrahamic covenant, Galatians 3 verse 8, the gospel beforehand, the gospel in promise.
So that the Abrahamic covenant was a free promise about an inheritance that God grants as a great king to those who don't deserve it based on his performance, not their performance. But the Mosaic covenant was a principle of law based on you must do this to get this. And Paul says, when God gave salvation, justification by grace through faith in Christ alone, when he gave the Abrahamic covenant, the gospel, on the basis of grace and free promise, and then 430 years later, he gave the Mosaic covenant, which said, do this and live. Paul is asking this. He says, Is the Mosaic covenant then changing the Abrahamic covenant so that salvation is no longer by grace through faith in Christ alone?
But now salvation is God gets you in, but you got to cooperate to be finished. And Paul says, certainly not. The Mosaic and Abrahamic covenants are not. Contrary. He says, if law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law, by the Mosaic covenant.
He says, but verse 22, the scripture, what is the scripture here? He's talking about the Mosaic covenant. He says, but the Mosaic covenant imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ given in the Abrahamic covenant might be given to those who believe, not to those who do this and live. Look in verse 24. He says, then.
The Mosaic covenant was our guardian, our strict disciplinarian. Until Christ came.
So that, in order that, we might be justified by faith as promised in the gospel beforehand, the Abrahamic covenant. Do you see Paul's argument? What Paul is saying is that why did God give the Mosaic covenant? He gave it to serve as this strict disciplinarian. to show Israel and to show us.
That no man can be justified by works of the law. You cannot be justified and saved initially or finally by do this and live. It's impossible. He gave the Mosaic covenant to show us that without a doubt there's none righteous, no, not one. All have turned aside.
No one does good, not even one, Paul says in Romans chapter 3. You see, the strictness of the Mosaic covenant, the old covenant, which was the law. Was intended by God to point us not to our ability, but to our sin, so that we would look to Christ.
So that Israel will turn and look to Christ. To the Son of God, because who is Jesus? He is the Son of God. Who was Adam? He was the disobedient son of God.
Who was Israel? He was the disobedient son of God. None of them kept the covenants that God had made, that none of them fulfilled them so that they would obtain final salvation. None of them. Only one son of God who eventually came did this.
This is why the Mosaic covenant points us to the only Son of God who did fulfill the law's demand of do this and live, Leviticus 18:5, which says do this and live. That's where Jesus gets that from in Luke 10, verse 28. This is why the Apostle Paul in Galatians chapter 3, verse 13, listen, he says, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. He fulfilled the penalty of the law. He fulfilled the curse for.
Uh This is why Paul says in Galatians chapter 4, verses 4 through 5: But when the fullness of time came, God the Father sent forth his Son, born of a woman. Listen, born under the law. Why?
So that he might redeem those who were under law which said, do this and live. And we haven't done this and lived. We've actually done the opposite and we've died. And so Jesus came and did for us what we could never do. He lived the kind of life in conformity to the entire law of God.
And He did this and lived for us. You see, here's our problem. As fallen human beings, we think That we can save ourselves, or at least we can contribute something to our salvation by fulfilling the covenant that God has made with us for our final salvation.
Somehow, we think that we can pull this off. Self-justification is deeply woven into the fabric. of ourselves. We're tempted to think in our self-righteousness that we can do this and live, at least partly. But you see, this kind of wrong thinking is precisely why God gave the Mosaic covenant.
Listen to what this one Bible teacher writes about that. He says, God demanded of his son Israel obedience to his law to merit the blessings of the covenant. If Israel could earn the earthly blessings by their obedience, then there might be a chance for fallen man to earn his way to heaven. Yet generation after generation failed. They failed miserably.
Israel was barely off the shores of the Red Sea when Aaron had already made the golden calf. They had already broken the Ten Commandments before they even got them. In Judges, each generation intermarried with the Canaanites and worshipped their gods. Regarding the Davidic covenant, every single king fell in Israel. Every son of David was a miserable failure.
Despite all his wisdom and riches, Solomon lusted after the gods of his many wives. Then every king, one after another, kept sinning against the Lord.
Some were better than others. But none of them could prevent the curses of the Mosaic covenant. from coming. Israel could not stay in God's presence by means of the Mosaic covenant, the law. They could not earn life with God.
Even after such a powerful lesson as the exile, Jesus came and found Israel led by a brood of vipers, where even the teachers of the Mosaic covenant were called whitewashed tombs. Without a doubt, the Mosaic covenant paints across history the lives of real people that no man can be justified by works of the law. Rather, none is righteous. And then they asked this question: Do you think that you can, in some way, ever so small, Earn something from God. It's a good question.
He says, if you think this, think again and look at Israel. Even the impressive piety of Moses and David is not good enough. Moses struck the rock and he died outside the promised land. David slept with Bathsheba and commanded the census and was punished. As the fallen children of Adam, we need to become the righteousness of God to have everlasting life in heaven with God.
But there's no way we can do this ourselves, even with the help of God's grace. Rather, this is what he says. He says, we need one. to do it all for us. And he says, and this one we find in Jesus Christ, he is the righteous one.
He is the true Adam. He is the Son of God. Listen, who was born under the law? And of woman. He is the true Israel who remained obedient to death, even death.
on a cross. And so the purpose of the Mosaic covenant Was to lead Israel to trust in the free promise of grace and salvation that they received through the Abrahamic covenant, which was the gospel. in promise before Christ came. And the scriptures then are crystal clear that no man has fulfilled any covenant that God has made in order to achieve final salvation. No man has ever done that.
That is absolutely impossible. And so here's my point. We must never allow the doctrine of perseverance to be turned into a covenant of works. Yet, how often Are believers threatened with the form of the covenant of works? Let me give you an example here.
Uh I'm sure you've heard this verse. How many times have you had this verse quoted to you as a threat? Hebrews chapter 12 verse 14, without holiness no one will see the Lord. How many of you had that quoted to you? Without holiness, no one will see the Lord.
And believers are continually threatened with that. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. You better be holy, or else you're not going to see the Lord. And so believers are threatened with texts like this that becomes a form of the covenant of works. I'm going to discuss this with you because I receive questions about Hebrews 12, 14 on Facebook constantly.
I get questions from people all the time. And it's either about Matthew 7, the Lord, Lord morning passage, which I clarified a couple weeks ago, or it's this passage, without holiness, no one's going to see the Lord. Oh, Pastor John, you know, I mean, I'm just sitting and I'm not holy. I mean, I mean, am I going to make it? Am I going to be saved?
Am I going to see the Lord? What do I do with this? Yes, we are called to be holy. Absolutely. We've already established that we are saved for or unto good works.
Paul makes this crystal clear throughout his letters. Titus chapter 2, verses 11 through 14. He says, The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. The grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and No, um The grace of God teaches us to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present age. The grace of God, he says, teaches us to be looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
The gospel teaches our hearts to look for and yearn for the second return of Christ. The gospel, it says, verse 14: Jesus gave himself for us, substitutionary atonement, the heart of the gospel. Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from, listen, every lawless deed. He died to save us from our licentious lifestyle. Listen, he died to purify for himself.
His own special people who are zealous. for good works.
So, we're not saying that the gospel is a license to just go out and just indulge in your sin. Yes, we're called to live a holy life. But here's the key point to understand. The good works that we are called to do are done out of thankfulness of heart by the believer who has been saved. Not by one who is trying to be saved.
Listen, we do not do good works to fulfill the covenant that God has made with us for our final salvation. Rather, listen carefully, we do good works because our final salvation has already been given to us in Christ. Who has fulfilled the law for us? Why do folks like this author Why did they remodel the gospel and turn the gospel on its head by turning the doctrine of perseverance into a covenant of works? Why did they do that?
They do it because they think that only a doctrine of salvation by works. will motivate people to live a holy life.
So, to correct what they perceive as anti-immunism. False assurance, licentiousness. Listen to what they do, they make obedience. They make holiness the condition for salvation or for final salvation, obtaining final salvation. But this approach to holiness turns the gospel on its head and is contrary, actually, ironically, to living a holy life.
If we have to fulfill the covenant that God has made for us for our final salvation, this makes the practice of holiness the means or the cause of eternal life rather than the effect or fruit of it. Listen carefully how it works out.
So believers are threatened. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Be holy, do this and live. Be holy and you will obtain final salvation. Do you see how the covenant of grace has turned into a covenant of works so slyly there?
In this viewpoint, holiness becomes the means to the end. Do this, be holy, and you will see the Lord. Do this and live. That's not what this passage is saying. That's not how you treat these passages to those who are in Christ.
When you tell people, be holy and you'll be finally saved. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. So you do this and live. When it comes across to you like that, perseverance is turned into a covenant of works. This viewpoint turns the gospel on its head.
It remodels the gospel. Because it requires you to be holy first.
so that you can obtain final salvation last. Is everybody tracking with me? And so achieving holiness, be holy. becomes the means rather than the effect of salvation. Holiness, yes, is an absolutely necessary part of our salvation.
Without holiness, you can never see God. This is true. But make sure you don't misunderstand this. Holiness in your life is not a means to an end. Your attempts at being holy do not obtain your salvation initially or finally.
Holiness is part of the end of salvation itself. This is what Paul says. You are saved in order to do good works. that God prepared in advance that you should walk in them. Holiness, your holiness, your meager attempts, my meager attempts at holiness, does not achieve initial or final salvation.
Listen, our holiness is the fruit and result of our salvation.
So, those who are in Christ are what's called sanctified. That means set apart, that means you have been made holy. If you're in Christ, you are holy. Why?
Because Jesus, his sacrifice, has been reckoned to you. Listen to Paul, 1 Corinthians 1:30. Jesus has become to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sacrifice. sanctification, holiness, and redemption. All who are in Christ are sanctified because Christ's holiness is imputed to the believer.
Listen to question 60 in the Heidelberg Catechism. How are you righteous before God? I'm not going to read the whole answer, but just listen to this. You're righteous because God the Father, out of sheer grace, imputes to you the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and listen, and holiness of Christ.
So that it is as if I have never had nor committed any sin. And as if I have accomplished all the obedience which Christ has fulfilled for me. If you're in Christ, God sees you as holy. God sees the believer as holy. Therefore, we are called to be holy, not as a means for obtaining final salvation, but as a result of the salvation we have received.
Do you see the difference? Listen to one of my professors and a dear friend, Scott Clark. Does he comment on the believer's perseverance and preservation? First of all, he quotes from the canons of Dory when he says, Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them, and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But God is faithful.
Mercifully strengthening them. in the grace once conferred. on them and powerfully preserving them. in that grace. To the end.
And he says this about that passage from the canons of Doherty. He says, So great are the remains of sin. temptations and the power of the accuser, even the elect. Are utterly dependent upon the grace of Christ for our perseverance and our Preservation. He says, mark those words, but God is faithful.
That's what we saw last week from Psalm 6. He's filled with steadfast love, covenant, faithfulness. God does not give to us the justice we deserve, He gives us mercy. He restrains his judgment against our sin. He strengthens us in his unconditional favor for Christ's sake.
God does not approve of us justification. He does not sanctify us, put to death the old man, and make alive the new man. He doesn't glorify us because we are good enough. But because he is faithful. To the gracious promises to be a God to us in Christ.
And listen to this. I love this, what he writes. He says we make it to the finish line. only because he carries us. Across.
Never allow the doctrine of perseverance. to be turned into a covenant of works.
Because when that happens, the gospel is remodeled into the law. Mm-hmm. You lose the gospel, you lose your assurance, and you lose the motivation to keep going. I just want to finish with this last point of application. This is what we've looked at.
As believers, we do not live under a covenant of works in our relationship to God. We don't relate to God on this principle: do this and live. Listen, we live under a covenant of grace which says, live. Therefore do this. This means that our perseverance isn't based on a covenant of works.
Our perseverance isn't based on do this and live. Why is this important? Knowing this, Knowing that we do not relate to God on the basis of our performance, but rather Christ's performance for us, and here's the application: it frees you to live your life in assurance and to keep going. There's no greater joy, this author says, contributing, there's no greater contributing factor to our joy and comfort as Christians than the reality that God accepts us in spite of the fact that we still struggle with sin and disobedience. This is what this author says.
He says, Knowing that God loves us on account of Christ. protects us from the roller coaster of our own conscience. And emotions. That's why it is just so critical when you're walking in darkness at times in your life and you don't see any light of your own and you're struggling with your flesh and sin. You have to understand that don't let your perseverance be turned into a covenant of works.
Your sin never turns the gospel into do this and live. Isn't that a comfort? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the grace that we have received in Christ. We thank you that we do not relate to you, Father.
on the basis of our good enough performance. But on the basis of Christ's perfect performance for us. We thank you that because of Christ and that we're in Christ by faith. Faith alone. We have received his imputed holiness so that it is as if we have never.
Committed any sin, and that we have never had any sin, and as if we are perfect law keepers. We thank you for this comfort, and so I pray that as we go throughout this week and we fight the world and we fight our flesh and we fight the accuser of our faith. I pray that you would help us to go into this battle with this comfort and with this powerful knowledge. that our perseverance, our holiness, our attempts at obedience are not based upon do this and live. But it's based upon the fact that we have been brought alive in Christ, and therefore, in light of that grace that we've been given.
We are free to obey, not for life, but from it. And so, comfort and motivate our hearts by grace today, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks again for listening to the Hymn We Proclaim podcast. Please subscribe if you haven't already for all our new episodes.
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