Chafer Theological Seminary Journal

Equipping believers for the work of the ministry

Volume 12 Number 2 Fall 2006

Articles

An Open Letter to the Free Grace Community
by Arch Rutherford

Why Confess with Ones Mouth? (Romans 10:913)
by George E. Meisinger

Biblical Theology: An Evangelical Approach
by David J . MacLeod

Is Faith a Gift from God According to
Ephesians 2:8? A Grammatical Analysis
by J ohn F. Hart

Is Belief in Christs Deity
Required for Eternal Life in Johns Gospel?
by Kenneth M. Wilson

Priscillian of Avila: Heretic or Early Reformer?
by Brian Wagner

Biblical Archaeology: Down but Not Out
by Titus M. Kennedy

Orthodoxy, Character, Wisdom, and Witness:
An Open Letter to the Free Grace Community
by Timothy R. Nichols


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8


26


44



58



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An Open Letter to the Free Grace Community
by Arch Rutherford
October 13, 2006
I believe the Free Grace community, in its journey toward greater
understanding and appreciation of the grace and truth of our Lord J esus
Christ, is currently negotiating some very perilous terrain that threatens to
break us apart. In my opinion, we would do well to ask ourselves two
questions which go right to the heart of this serious breach in our fellowship.

First, can we enjoy a caring, supportive fellowship with each other
if we disagree about what a person must believe in order to be
eternally saved?

Second, if we can enjoy such fellowship, what can each of us do to
contribute toward cultivating and encouraging it so that it thrives in
our midst?

These two questions go right to the heart of what brought us together as a
community in the beginning. From the days of the New Testament, and
throughout the history of the church, there has always existed the need to
stand up for the biblical truth that divine grace and human works are
incompatible when it comes to the eternal salvation of a human soul. In recent
years, evangelicalism has been overrun by well-meaning Bible teachers who,
in an effort to shore up the lives of shallow Christians and move the church
toward more holy living, have succumbed to the temptation to make good
works a crucial foundation for finding assurance of salvation. These same
teachers have also impregnated the words faith and believe, which we
would never have to explain in everyday usage, with elaborate definitions that
go far beyond how anyone would have thought to use these words. For these
teachers, faith must be artificially qualified with adjectivessaving faith
or head faith or genuine faith. Simply saying that someone believed and
received eternal life would always be suspect. For them, the faith that leads to
eternal salvation must involve a deep sorrow over sin, a clear determination to
turn from sin, and a genuine sincerity that can only be authenticated by ones
perseverance in good works to the very end of life.
Seeing the biblical and personal folly of such teaching drew many diverse
Christian leaders togetherpastors, teachers, authors, scholars, elders,
deacons, and local church leaders who knew better and who felt the time had
come to stand together against this false teaching that continues to deceive
and destroy the lives of so many, just as it has over the past 2000 years. Those
of us who came together knew there was no way we could enjoy a caring,
supportive fellowship with the false teachers who distort and eviscerate the
truth of the gospel message itself.
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Through the efforts and encouragement of several Christian leaders and
scholars, one man stepped up to the plate and gave himself full time to
spearheading an organization that would help draw our Free Grace
community together and give it a voice in the broader evangelical world.
As this Free Grace organization gradually emerged, an annual conference
was added, which prompted us to come together in one place. Many gifted
teachers and students of Gods Word taught us truth through speaking at our
conferences, writing articles for our journal, and publishing books and other
materials that we could feed upon as we taught and ministered in our
churches. Through this ministry, our own theology was being cleansed of
impurities, refined so that the truths we loved could be appreciated even more,
and expanded with new insights and understanding that prodded us to think
outside our theological box.
The outcome of all the messages, workshops, articles, books, tapes, and
even informal conversations was changed minds, changed lives, and changed
ministries. The ministry we have all helped grow has forever changed the
Christian world, even as far away as Moscow, where a troubled Christian
leader, having discovering that I was a pastor, asked me a question that
seemed to come out of nowhere. He said, Pastor Rutherford, have you ever
heard of Lordship Salvation? Needless to say, I had the opportunity of
encouraging him as he sought the freedom that comes only with a full
appreciation of the grace of our Lord J esus Christ.
Lastly, and sadly, we have taken something away from our coming
together as a Free Grace communitycommunity! Before this community
existed, many of us had difficulty finding fellow Christian leaders with whom
we could identify and communicate at the deepest level. The Free Grace
community has been a respite for all of us, as we struggle to be heard and
minister in an increasingly skeptical and indifferent world. For most of us
who have been part of this community, the last twenty years as Christian
leaders have been especially memorable and satisfying because of the
camaraderie we enjoyed. Every year we looked forward to our annual
conference because of the good teaching, but also because of the caring,
supportive fellowship we shared. We have built valued friendships that we
knew would stand the test of time, but will they stand the test of the bare
minimum?
The bare minimum in Free Grace jargon refers to what is absolutely
essential for a person to believe in order to cross over from death into life. To
illustrate, we have been challenged to think of an island in the middle of the
ocean where people are truly lost, not just on a Wednesday night sitcom, but
eternally lost. A capsule washes up on shore with only one verse of Scripture.
What verse would we want in that capsule which could lead these people to
eternal salvation? What verses in the Bible would be sufficient alone to
CTS Journal 12 (Fall 2006) 4
convey the truth a person needs to believe in order to be eternally saved?
Outside our fellowship, some would immediately opt for Acts 2:38 or J ames
2:14, 24, or 26. For many who are in our fellowship or who have not yet heard
about our fellowship, J ohn 3:16 would do the job; for others J ohn 6:47 gets
right to the point; still others are satisfied with 1 Corinthians 15:34, Romans
10:910, or Ephesians 2:89. While this exercise has value, it falls short,
because every verse needs some explanation. Even in the case of J ohn 6:47,
the unbeliever would need to know who the apostle was speaking about in
order to believe in Him and what He promises.
The point, however, needs our reflection. What is the bare minimum a
person must believe in order to be eternally saved? For many, it is simply
believing that J esus is the Christ and that He promises eternal life to all who
believe in Him for it. Others in our fellowship hold that it is absolutely crucial
that a person believe that J esus is fully God, or at least the Son of God. Still
others would add that a person must believe in His death on the cross and His
resurrection from the dead. Many think that when a person believes in J esus
for eternal life, that person will be sure and certain he has eternal life at that
moment, convinced that if he were to die, he would surely go to heaven.
Others say, Yes, but we also believe a person could be eternally saved if he
only believed in J esus for forgiveness of sins, or even if he believed in J esus
for a new life with little or no thought about eternal destiny. My point here is
not to debate these things, as much as I would like to do so. Some of the
statements made under the discussion of the bare minimum are enough to
incite even the most theologically dense among us. However, is the bare
minimum the hill we want to die on? Is it the cause clbre that would lead
us away from that caring, supportive, intimate fellowship that has been such a
blessing to all of us?
Continuing to consider the bare minimum is an important part of what
we pursue as a Free Grace community, because it helps us solidify in our
minds just what we should get across as we present the gospel to a friend, an
acquaintance, or a congregation. Obviously, it is not enough to tell people just
to believe in J esus, because the person listening to our words who also
happens to have serious financial problems, may reinterpret what we say and
end up thinking that believing in J esus would solve his financial problems!
We need to be crystal clear when we share the Gospel of our Lord J esus
Christ. Healthy consideration of the bare minimum is a tremendous help in
keeping focused on just what has to be communicated above all else in our
gospel message.
However, I would submit to you that the bare minimum, as important as
it is in our journey to acquire and articulate the truth, does not constitute
grounds for breaking fellowship. My reason for saying this is as much
practical as it is theological. It is one thing to discuss the bare minimum; it
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is quite another to listen to a Free Grace person actually share the gospel.
My contention is that when we are in the trenches and sharing our faith, our
messages would sound very much alike in spite of the fact that we may
disagree about the bare minimum. Who among us would not want to
include in his or her gospel presentation the words of J esus to the effect that
all who believe in him for eternal life will indeed receive that life? Who
among us, who might be quick to use J ohn 6:47 as his key gospel verse,
would not also want to share something about the deity of J esus, who is
therefore able to make good on what He promises? Who among us would not
want to share the gospel with the greatest apologeticthat Christ died for our
sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world? Who among us
would not want to speak about the resurrection of Christ as the basis for the
hope of the bodily resurrection of all who believe in Him for eternal life?
While in our discussions about the bare minimum we may be somewhat
divided, in practice, our gospel messages are very much alike!
Is there, therefore, no hill we should be ready to die on as a Free Grace
community? Is there no cause clbre that would lead us away from the
caring, supportive fellowship we have come to treasure? A cause clbre that
should lead us away from fellowship may be labeled the bare maximum. It
is bare because there are things that definitely must be excluded from our
gospel message. To adorn our gospel message with human works, calls to
discipleship, Christs Lordship, promises to live differently, deep sorrow and
contrition over our sins, and/or calls to faith that can only be validated by
perseverance is to pervert the Gospel of true grace and to deceive those who
listen. Such a presentation will likely result in people trusting in themselves,
rather than in the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is maximum because there are things we should clearly present in our
Gospel message. When the Apostle Paul preached the gospel, he preached the
death, burial, and resurrection of J esus. Is there any truth that could better
incline a person to believe in J esus Christ for eternal salvation? Likewise, we
should proclaim to all unbelievers that Christ died for their sins, that He rose
again from the dead, and that He will also raise all who believe in Him for
eternal life that they might live with Him forever. Furthermore, we should
proclaim that He is Lord and God, able to fulfill His promises. Certainly we
should also lay hold of opportunities to develop truth related to the biblical
concepts of propitiation, justification, reconciliation, redemption, and even
sanctification so that unbelievers can understand that works, which have
nothing to do with their eternal salvation, do have a vital part in the
development of a Christians life and in eternal reward or loss of reward. This
is the bare maximum I believe all Free Grace people wholeheartedly
embrace. If we do not embrace the bare maximum, then we have no basis
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for our caring, supportive fellowshipno foundation upon which to build our
community.
In the case of the lost islanders, it is true that if I could only select one
verse to place in a capsule that I intended to throw in the ocean, it would be
J ohn 3:16 or J ohn 6:47. But, if the truth be known, I would rather put a whole
Bible in a chest and push it out into the oceanMajority Text, of course!

Your Brother and Fellow Servant
Arch Rutherford

Addendum

But what about the second question? If we can enjoy caring, supportive
fellowship (based upon the bare maximum we all hopefully embrace), what
can each of us do to contribute toward cultivating and encouraging such
fellowship so that it thrives in our midst? Here are a few suggestions from a
fellow Free Gracer which will help us get through this perilous bare
minimum terrain.

1. Regarding the bare minimum, we need to keep the messages,
books, articles, and conversations coming. We all need to keep our
eye on the ball in the midst of presenting the gospel. The debate is
good and needed.

2. We need to set the bare minimum in the context of the bare
maximum! Telling people that they need to believe in the Lord
J esus Christ, who is God and who died for their sins and rose again
from the dead, for eternal life is still the gospel!

3. We need to speak kindly to and about one another, letting our speech
be with grace, seasoned with salt.

4. We need to articulate our position with wisdom and grace. Choose
terms and words that communicate, not that infuriate and inflame the
debate.

5. We need to respect the right of those in leadership to establish a
statement of faith.

6. Those in leadership need to respect the fact that there is a bare
maximum that almost all of us believe and practice, and conclusions
about the bare minimum that unsettle some. I would suggest a two-
tiered doctrinal statement: a bare maximum statement of faith all
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Free Grace people are willing to sign and a bare minimum
statement of doctrinal distinctives that are held by those in an
organizations leadership and that all who speak, write, or
communicate through the ministry of that organization are expected
to respect and not attack.

7. We need to support leadership and their right to lay out the rules of
engagement in matters of controversy within the community.

8. Those in leadership need to heed, within reason, the desire and need
of those in the Free Grace community to hear opposing viewpoints
from Free Grace people that would help all of us refine and rework, if
necessary, our own convictions.

9. We need to guard against mocking or making fun of people or their
convictions, especially in a message or public comment. It is bad
enough when we mock those outside the Free Grace community. It is
devastating when we mock each other or what we believe.

10. Lastly, we need to value those who lead us. I cannot think of
anything more difficult than leading a community of Bible-thumping
Christian leaders like me who are convinced they are right. May the
LORD bless you and keep you; and make His face shine upon you,
and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
and give you peace!

Arch Rutherford received his B.S. from the University of Ohio and Th.M. from
Dallas Theological Seminary. He has pastored churches in Ohio, Montana, and
California and has taught Pastoral Theology at Chafer Theological Seminary. He
currently ministers with Biblical Education by Extension (BEE). You may reach
Arch at arutherford@beeworld.org.