Read William Craig’s “No Other Name”: A Middle Knowledge Perspective on the Exclusivity of Salvation Through Christ

This refers to the papal bull written by Pope Leo X on June 15, 1520. The bull intended to bring an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther and his rebellion to a halt by the threat of excommunication from the Church. In it, the demand was made that Luther retract 41 errors within 60 days. From the first paragraph, “Arise, O Lord, and judge your own cause. Remember your reproaches to those who are filled with foolishness all through the day. . . . The wild boar [Luther] from the forest seeks to destroy it and every wild beast feeds upon it.” On December 10, 1520 Martin Luther burned the bull in front of his students at Wittenberg. It is reported that he uttered these words at the burning, “Because you have confounded the truth [or, the saints] of God, today the Lord confounds you. Into the fire with you!” Some would suggest that this is the formal day on which the Great Reformation began. On January 3, 1521, Leo excommunicated Luther issuing another bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.

Read the Exsurge Domine.

(Greek hagio, “saint” + Greek graphe, “writing”)

Hagiography refers to a writing about a saint who is revered in the Christian community. The early centuries of the church saw glorified biographies written to honor those saints who had died a martyr’s death. The term also has a pejorative nuance describing those who write biased histories intent on glorifying their subjects at the expense of historic objectivity. The early hagiographies served as one of the many steps in the veneration of saints.

Along my travels I met a dear woman by the name of Susan who I now call my friend.  I quickly recognized that Susan had a heart for evangelism but also had a keen discernment for spotting phonies.  What do I mean by that?  Well, people who by all accounts appeared Christian, went to Bible believing churches, could even quote Scripture and would readily profess they were Christians…they believe in Jesus.  I will admit that there were people I engaged in dialogue with that had me fooled, too.  They said they were believers and perhaps that was good enough for me.  Of course, after some time engaged in a topic that is considered an essential component of Christian faith, I have discovered that some will diverge and that’s where I’ll begin to question.  I admire Susan for being able to pick this up a lot quicker than me and her boldness in pointing it out when needed.

So  how do we know who is a true believer?   And who are we to judge what is in a person’s heart?  After all, if a person says they are a Christian, which is saying they are in Christ, isn’t that enough?  Shouldn’t we just take their word for it?  I’ll come back to these questions because I think they will bear import for where I think I’m going with this series of posts.

It does occur to me that the blogging community is but a mirror of our churches.  That probably in most, if not all congregations, you have non-genuine believers mixed in with genuine believers.  But the ungeniune believers will be so mixed in with the genuine believers that it is not likely distinguishable who is true and who is false.  There are really folks who go to church every Sunday, who participate in church activities, who raise their hands during worship, who read their Bibles and who even serve in our churches that while making a Christian appearance, do not know Christ.  Or rather, are not known by Him.  It is this group of people that I believed Jesus referred to in Matthew 7:21-23 that claim to call Him Lord.

Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?  And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness

Not everyone who is immersed in the business of being a Christian actually is one.   Jesus also makes mention later on in the 13th chapter of Matthew, that there will be the tares mixed in with the wheat in reference to the fact that in every body of believers exist those that are not His and are implanted to reak havoc in the body of Christ.  But this fact will not be so noticeable.

I think this is a very sobering thought.  The most signficant reason is that those who do not know Christ as Savior can mislead those who do simply because they are believed to be Christian and even spiritual.   Even worse, that there are those who are in fact pawns of the enemy to surreptitiously plant deceptions. It is sobering because it should give us great cause to examine our hearts and our faith, and see if we are actually believers as Paul urges in 2 Cor 13:5.

So I wanted to explore the marks of a true believer, what does Jesus mean by those who do His will and why this is important.   I’m not sure how deep I intend to go in the soteriological issues but at minimum there has to be a general discussion in order to understand a genuine salvific process.  We need to be aware that there are enemies at the gate and without careful introspection, that enemy could be us.

Founded in the sixteenth century by Ignatius of Loyola, the Jesuits are a Roman Catholic monastic order that reports directly to the Pope. During the Reformation, the Jesuits were influential in responding to the Protestant movement. They distinguish themselves through their work in education, intellectual pursuits, cultural engagement, and missions as well as their military-like discipline.

The work of God which comes from his essential character that is not mediated through sin. These are works that are natural to who God is, such as creation, grace, love, providence, mercy, and justice. This is in contrast to the opus alienum (the work of God, alien) which are God’s works that are mediated through sin.

The works of God that seem to militate against his proper character, but which are nevertheless an act of his decree as he uses secondary means. We see the opus alienum when God works through sin to accomplish his will (see 1 Kings 22:20-23). God is not the instrumental cause of the sin, but uses it to accomplish his will.

Contrast with opus propritum.

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The theological belief about the existence of evil normally associated with St. Augustine. In this belief, evil is not an entity or a substance, but the (de)privation of a substance, namely goodness or righteousness. Therefore, God did not create evil since evil is not an actual “thing.” As darkness has no substance in itself but is a privation of light, so also evil is a privation of righteousness. God allowed for this privation in his allowance for freedom.

Read Augustine on the privatio boni.

The Libellatici were those Christians who, during the persecutions of Decius (A.D. 250-251), purchased certificates (libelli) which (falsely) indicated that they had made the proper sacrifice in order to avoid persecution and martyrdom. The Libellatici were admitted back into the church after repentance was made. The sacrificati were those who did offer a sacrifice to idols and the thurificati were those who had burnt incense on the altar of the gods.

Theotokos is a historic designation given to Mary in relation to her role as the mother of Christ. Theotokos means “God bearer.” This designation was approved by the third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431. Nestorius apposed the use of the term theotokos, preferring christotokos (”Christ-bearer), believing that Mary was the mother of the human nature of Christ, not the divine nature. Most, however, felt that this would divide Christ into two persons. Led by Cyril of Alexandria, the council chose theotokos to acknowledge a belief in the dual-nature of Christ. It is important to note that this designation was not meant to venerate Mary, but to make a theological statement about Christ. He must be fully God and fully man if man is to have redemption.

Read Cyril’s letter to Nestorius defending theotokos.

Describes the life of self-denial, primarily in the abstaining from life’s pleasures that might distract from a life of devotion to God. Vows of abstinence from sex, marriage, foods, alcohol, shelter, wealth, and many other “mundane” pleasures accompany the ascetic life. Monks and nuns are among those in the history of the Church who have vowed themselves to such lives. Many Christians, while advocating self-discipline and periods of abstinence, believe that the ascetic life is not only contrary to the will of God, but follows a dualistic worldview, believing the material pleasures of the world are evil. These Christians would say that all things are from God and can be enjoyed in their proper place and time so long as God is acknowledged and glorified (1 Cor. 10:31). Simeon Stylites (c. 390) was perhaps the most famous of the early Christian ascetics, living for 37 years on top of a pillar in the desert, abstaining from, among other things, the pleasure of any physical or visible contact with women. It is said that Simon would not even allow his own mother to come see him.