No Crisis Experience Commanded #2

Review of Previous Principles and Introduction to the Fourth Principle

0:03 This adult Sunday school class was held on September 19, 1982, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. For the sake of any who are visiting with us today or new amongst us, and after a few weeks will no longer be visitors but regular attenders of the class, I want to inform you that this is a class, it is not a preaching session, and the structure of it is such that we do encourage interaction and participation, but we don't have a verbal free-for-all either. So when I ask for responses, it's proper that you raise your hand and wait until you're acknowledged, and in that way we obey the biblical injunction to let all things be done decently and in order. We are considering together major principles, major principles of living the Christian life. And in the course of these studies together, we have already articulated and demonstrated from the Word of God the validity of three major principles of living the Christian life. They have been, number one, that there is no one master key to living the Christian life.

1:20 Second Timothy 3, 16 and 17 tell us that all Scripture is given by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, by inspiration of God, and is also profitable for, and then the various strands of its profitableness are mentioned to the end, that the man of God may be perfect or mature, thoroughly furnished unto every good work. And in the language of Matthew 4, 4, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So there is no one master key to living the Christian life. And being settled in that, we should be forever immunized against any hope that we will somewhere find some one key that will unlock all of our problems and resolve all of our difficulties. And the second major principle we examined was this, that there is no escape from tension and conflict in living the Christian life. Because of the realities of indwelling sin, the pressure of a world system, that is antithetical to our Christian goals, the presence of an active devil, and the fact that we are saved in hope, that we have only a portion of that for which we are destined in Christ, result in this very solemn and yet necessary recognition

2:48 that there is no release from tension and conflict throughout all of our days here upon the earth. And then the third principle we examined, was that there is no area of passivity in living the Christian life. All of our faculties are to be consciously engaged in living the Christian life. Now last week we began an exposition, a fourth major principle of living the Christian life.

3:20 And I worded it this way, that there is no crisis experience promised or commanded as an essential element of the Christian life. There is no crisis experience promised or commanded as an essential element of the Christian life. And in the time we had together, we did only two things, we accomplished only two things. First of all, I tried to explain the wording of the principle.

Defining 'Crisis Experience' and Identifying its Forms

3:50 And to explain in simple, non-technical language, that we were addressing ourselves to the various forms of teaching, which, recognizing the validity and the reality of conversion, or its origin or attendant in the theology of some, in regeneration, this kind of teaching says that basically you just kind of limp along as a Christian until you have a specific spiritual crisis in which you are brought to an entirely new plateau of Christian experience and reality, and then you really begin to live the Christian life with a capital L. And what we are asserting is that this teaching in all of its various forms is not rooted in a comprehensive and accurate examination of the teaching of the Bible. There is no crisis experience promised or commanded as an essential element in living the Christian life. As we shall see in a subsequent study, we are not denying that many Christians do experience various crises in their Christian lives.

5:10 What we are asserting is that no crisis is commanded or promised as an essential element in living the Christian life. And then what we did was to try to describe and localize and precisely identify some of the major forms of the teaching that we are refuting and denying. And we came up, you did as a class, with four, I added a fifth, and then someone stuck on a sixth. Now what were those major, this is not an exhaustive treatment, what were those major forms of the teaching that says a crisis is both commanded and promised not as something extra or special but as something essential to truly living the Christian life. Will you give us now those and try to remember the order, if not the order, we'll put them in the proper order. All right? Yes, Jerry?

6:14 All right, classic Pentecostalism with its teaching of the baptism of the Holy Spirit subsequent to regeneration and conversion and the evidence always being at least the initial evidence speaking in tongues. All right? The second form of this crisis teaching. Yes, Gene?

6:37 All right, that was the third. Various forms, I'm sorry, that was the fourth. Various forms of the higher life or the deeper life teaching. And under that such things as the Keswick Movement, Hannah Whithall Smith's book, The Secret of the Happy Christian...

7:00 No, I always get that title mixed up but you know the book I'm talking about. And many of the works of such well-known authors as Andrew Murray of Trumbull. These are some of the major exponents of this teaching. All right?

7:14 Another. Yes, Jim? All right. The Modern Charismatic Movement also with its emphasis on an experience subsequent to regeneration, generally manifested with tongues but more of an emphasis upon the subjective spiritual ecstasy that this brings whereas classic Pentecostalism had more of an emphasis upon an endowment of power.

7:42 Acts 1 and verse 8 being one of its key texts. So there is a different ethos, a different climate to the teaching of modern Charismatic Movement and classic Pentecostalism. Although they're in the same family. All right?

7:58 Another manifestation. Yes. Yes. Wesleyan Perfectionism.

8:06 Wesleyan Perfectionism. The teaching that just as there is a crisis of conversion in which we are justified, so there is a crisis subsequent to conversion in which we are sanctified, we are cleansed of inbred sin, we then can enter upon a life of Christian perfection. And as we'll see again in subsequent studies they are not teaching the absolute perfection of heaven but they are teaching a perfectionism in which we live above known sin. All right?

8:40 And then the various higher life or deeper life teachings. All right? What is a fit form of this teaching? All right?

8:48 All right? There's a modern group that call themselves Reformed Sealers. And they're referring to a doctrine of a sealing of the Holy Spirit which is subsequent to conversion and regeneration. And its primary focus is on the matter of assurance.

9:09 And with that direct testimony of the Holy Spirit to one's sonship comes, as its attendance, power, boldness, other dimensions of Christian victory. And this is a crisis. It is not something that we come to gradually. It is a definite crisis that we have to overcome.

9:30 It is a definite, distinct crisis experience. And then David Clark introduced one that I had never heard of. And what did we call it, David? I was working over my notes.

9:40 I came up with a title. But what did we call it? Okay. So I called it Baptism-consecration-sacrification teaching.

9:51 And it's the teaching that we are saved when in repentance and faith we turn to Christ but we don't enter into the dynamics of the power of the liberating work of the cross until in baptism that dynamism actually begins to be operative in us. And so it is a definite crisis associated with the actual act of water baptism. Now those are six of the manifestations of this teaching. And then I'm sure many of us were shocked when we did a little survey.

10:25 For those of you just visiting with us we won't repeat that survey. But I just went down through this and asked how many had either been involved in or have had first hand contact with these various things. And we have no fewer than I think 13x tongue speakers. At least I think they're x.

10:45 To my knowledge they're x. Both of the old classic Pentecostal and some of the modern charismatic. A number of people have had contact with this. Only a few with this but more than half of the class at one time or another have either been involved in or very close to and toyed with the various higher life, deeper life teaching.

11:06 And then we had I think four, several here and then four or five even that kooky one that was tacked on at the end concerning which some of us had never heard. All right. That's where we've been. In taking this fourth principle there is no crisis experience commanded or promised as essential to living the Christian life.

Homework Assignment: Identifying Common Denominators of Crisis Teaching

11:26 We've explained briefly what we mean by the language of the principle. We've identified now the various forms of this teaching historically and in terms of current thinking and teaching and practice. Now then I gave you a homework assignment. I asked you to try to analyze what are the common denominators of all of these forms of crisis teaching.

11:55 And what we'll do is follow the pattern we've often done and get a readout from you as a class and then hopefully you will come in in the same areas that I have in my own preparation and then we'll rearrange these things according to the way in which I've laid them out in my own notes. All right. Have you done your homework? Have you given some thought to these things and sought to come up with some common denominators with all the great diversity represented in these various forms of teaching.

12:21 There are some common denominators. Certain denominators are not the same as the denominators that we use in our teaching. There are some common denominators. Certain denominators are the same as the denominators a certain number of denominators that we use in our teaching.

Class Discussion: Initial Identification of Common Denominators

12:35 There is also another dominating denominators, which are seminar or conferences . And I want to ask you now to answer help me. An imbalanced doctrine of the Holy Spirit. An imbalanced doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

13:11 You'll see that is certainly true with respect to classic Pentecostalism, with the modern charismatic movement, to some degree with those who teach a sealing of the Spirit, but it would not be as true with respect to Wesleyan perfectionism and the various forms of the deeper life, because there they have an imbalanced teaching on the indwelling Christ. It's Christ living his life through you and not anywhere near as much direct emphasis, but certainly with some of them that's a common denominator. Alright, so we'll sort out some of these things as we go along. Yes.

13:56 Alright, an emphasis upon one's works. In what sense an emphasis upon one's works? Are you thinking in terms of doing certain things, meeting certain conditions to obtain the blessing? Alright, an emphasis on works.

14:16 And I think we'll see that that is a common denominator that fits right across the board. I'll phrase it a little differently. Alright, Jeff?

14:33 Feelings dominate. Now, you think that's fair to say feelings dominate?

14:51 Some, if not all, feelings dominate and dominate. And you'll see how that fits under one of the common denominators that I've listed and the way I've expressed it. I think we'll find a place for that. Alright?

15:06 Good. Alright? Dean? Say that again.

15:15 Say that again.

15:20 And say it again.

15:25 Alright, not only a dissatisfaction with the initial work of grace in conversion, there's a sense in which you better be dissatisfied. Otherwise, there's no hungering and thirsting after righteousness. So it's not only a dissatisfaction, but a hands, please. Not only a dissatisfaction, but another D.

15:51 Oh, they don't deny. They deny some of the effects of it, but they don't deny the initial work. Alright, an emphasis upon the deficiency or a depreciation. Right? A demeaning.

16:07 Oh, you're just saved? Well, that's alright if you want to be a second-class citizen. Come along with me and we'll travel first class. Right?

16:18 You see, there's no denial of the initial work of grace. That's alright if you want to go second class. But if you want to go first class, then come along and have this experience. So there is a demeaning, a depreciation, all the D's that you want to put under there.

16:36 Alright? A what?

16:40 Alright, distortion. You see, all the homileticians here and all of the illiterates will really have a field day with it. Distortion, that's right. Depreciation, demeaning, all of these things of the initial work of grace. Alright?

16:56 Very good. Any other common denominators? Alright, David? Alright, now, how are we going to phrase that? A common denominator is? Alright, so what is that a dissatisfaction with then? Who has decreed that the Christian life will be lived in tension and conflict, this side of glorification? Who has ordered such a scheme?

17:45 Alright, so can we not say then, that common to all of these teachings is a dissatisfaction with God's scheme of salvation? Hmm? Is that what you're ready to say? I don't want to put words in your mouth.

18:04 Alright, dissatisfaction with God's scheme of salvation, particularly in the area of sanctification. Okay? Alright? Dissatisfaction.

18:13 So we've got another D. Why the letter D should be so blessed, alright? I'm sorry. I can't even write these.

18:25 Well, you know what I want to say. Alright.

18:28 Dissatisfaction with God's method of sanctification. Alright? Another common denominator. Back to this side, Charles. Alright, so you would say it's a denial of our first principle then, alright? Doesn't that really come under this? If God has not given one key, in dissatisfaction with what God has given, we're going to come up with our own, so I think that would really be subsumed under this. Would you concur?

19:04 Okay. Alright. Ralph?

19:12 Alright, so the it comes back then that you're left with a cardinal and fundamental deficiency in the initial work of grace. A deficiency of power. Alright? So that really comes under Alright? You see now how some of these things begin to be subsumed under these. Any other distinct common denominator? Alright, Charles?

19:37 Alright? With many of them, there is a fundamental confusion of the conjunction and distinctions in justification and sanctification. Alright? Where are we going to put that? Alright? A confusion of justification and sanctification. Alright? Back on this side. Alright?

20:07 Lisa? Uh-huh. Alright? You see the point she's made that many of them, if not all of these, have a distorted standard of what constitutes sin. For instance, higher life movement will talk about deliverance from a life of known sin. I was just re-reading Charles Finney last night around somewhere when it was getting late. Just to refresh my mind, I one time plowed through every page and every word of his systematic theology. And if anything will cure you from being a Finneyite, it's to read his so-called systematic theology. And in it, he makes this point very forcefully. The perfection of earth that is attainable by grace is not the perfection of heaven. God has two different standards. What he demands of us now is conditioned by our present state of things. What he demands and expects

21:07 of us in heaven is conditioned by the state of things in heaven. And he really goes after anyone who tries to teach that there is a changeless, abiding, inflexible moral standard given by God. Well, he goes after that with a vengeance. Because with his logical mind, he saw that you could not possibly teach any kind of perfection without having a double standard of what constitutes sin. So let's put this somewhere in here, an inadequate view of sin. Okay? Any other common denominator? Alright.

21:44 Let's see. Howard, you've not made a contribution yet. Oh, this is so vital. Say that again.

22:03 Alright?

22:10 Alright. So let's state it more simply. It leads to putting all of God's people into two categories. First and second class citizens. Those that have the crisis blessing, which has really enabled them to live, and those who have not. So the issue is not now any longer those who are in Christ and out of Christ, but amongst those who are in Christ, those that are really with it. And those that are simply dragging their heels. And you see how this finds all kinds of expressions in the carnal Christian teaching.

22:42 You have people who are natural men. That's the lost. Then you have spiritual men. Those who are filled with the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, who've attained the higher life, though not necessarily by a crisis. Then you have this great mass of carnal Christians. They're Christians, but they are predominated by the flesh, and so you have this division. Then, of course, you have, in classic Pentecostalism and in the charismatic movement, a strong emphasis upon those who have and have not received the baptism. And I can remember people coming and saying, have you received the baptism? Have you had the baptism? And either you did or you didn't. And people talking about, well, so-and-so almost got the baptism last night or last week. And, oh, did you hear the news? So-and-so

23:30 got the baptism. And I know from experience in my own immediate family, from a godly Pentecostal grandmother who went to her grave praying for her grandson Albert that he would go all the way and get the full blessing. And in a very real sense, from the human side, I'm a Christian because of the fruit of, as the fruit of her prayers and at times even her earnest entreaties with me about my soul as well as the fruit of my parents' prayers and entreaties. But that mentality was very much locked in her Pentecostal mindset, you see, that no matter what she saw of the grace of God at work in me, no matter what she beheld of the blessing of the Spirit of God upon me,

24:23 there was always something lacking until I could say, murmur, in Swedish you can distinguish between the paternal and maternal grandparents. Murmur is mother's mother. Farsmur is father's mother. So we knew her affectionately as murmur.

24:39 And if I could have come and said, murmur, you know what happened on such and such a day, then she would have thrown her hands up and said, hallelujah, hallelujah, and she would have felt her prayers were answered, you see, and now I was in. I had entered a new class. So I say that not with any bitterness or any rancor but to show how close it comes to home even in my own background and in my own experience and in the Salvation Army. The same thing with their Wesleyan teaching on perfectionism. The problem is you can be in one class today, in the higher class tomorrow and back in the first class by Tuesday. That's right. That's the tragedy of it. You come into the blessing and then you can fall out of the blessing and then come back into the thing and it can be a yo-yo. So you don't know what kind of ticket you're holding in your pocket, first or second class ticket any day of the week. So we can call this an artificial classification of the people of God. Alright? Any other common denominator?

25:41 Alright, David? Alright. Alright, that would come under here under feelings dominating. We'll have occasion and imbalanced emphasis upon experience. Alright?

25:58 Yes, Ken?

26:05 Now repeat that, please.

26:11 They all appeal to legitimate longings in the Christian. You want to expound on that a little bit? What do you mean by that?

26:48 Hmm.

26:50 Hmm.

27:03 , hmm. Right. So you see the point that these things appeal to legitimate longings, longings that are implanted in a true work of grace when God does draw a sinner to himself and bring him to repentance and faith. And that's why true Christians are vulnerable to these things.

27:21 And that's why some of the most godly and eminent Christians have become the leading exponents of these various forms of teaching. It wasn't that they were anti-Christ and anti-God and anti-holiness and anti-vital Christianity. It was those very longings that gave birth to some of their experiences which they then went back and bent the Bible to fit their experience. As we'll see in a subsequent lesson. Alright, any other real fundamental category of common denominator? See, we could go on, I'm sure, thinking of many things, but if you think you have a fundamental category, let's deal with that. Alright, Arlene?

28:21 Yeah. I think it's a very valid point. I don't know if we could say that it was across the board, but certainly there is a built-in tendency to foster a view of God that is lower than the Bible's view of God. If I can get God in the hammerlock of meeting certain conditions, then he must do thus and thus. But just sort of responding to that off the top of my head, Arlene, I'm not sure that we could say that that would be something that is true across the board. In fact, it's the very view of the absolute sovereignty of God in some for instance, who teach this doctrine of the sealing of the Spirit. That they have such a high view of the sovereignty of God that they say in essence there's no conditions you can meet to have this sealing except to keep yourself open to it and believe it's available and cry to God for it. And then God in his own way in his own time will give it to you.

29:22 And how will you know when you have it? God will let you know. And that's it. I mean it's but certainly in some of them that would be a legitimate criticism. Alright?

29:35 Anything else? Yes, David?

29:41 Okay. An imbalanced treatment of parts of the Word of God. You almost took the language of one of my common denominators. Imbalanced treatment of parts of the Word of God.

29:58 That's our symbol for the Bible. Okay? Alright. Yes, Jim?

30:14 That may be the fruit of it. Alright? And I don't know that we want to get into all of the fruits of it, but the common denominators of the teaching itself. Well, I think we've flushed out many of the major ones if not all of them. You have listed one, two, three, let me count them here, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. I have four that I have listed and I see that I'm going to have to expect, and my list, because you've come up with one or two that I had not considered and my initial response to them is a positive one, but I want to give serious reflection before I actually address myself to them, because I've been very, very conscious that I don't want in any way to set up straw dummies or present caricatures, because then if you meet the real thing and you find that it isn't what I've described it, your confidence in my integrity and honesty and trustworthiness as a teacher will be shattered, and rightly

Common Denominator #1: Regeneration and Conversion are Inadequate

31:13 so. So I'm not handling these things off the cuff. As I say, many hours have gone into trying to analyze them. So let's start with what, in my judgment, is very clear and you've all mentioned the ones that I want to start with.

31:29 The first one is this. The first common denominator of all of these forms of crisis teaching, regeneration and conversion regeneration and conversion, and you may want to put in parenthesis, mere conversion, leaves one inadequately furnished for living a biblically normal Christian life.

31:59 Regeneration and conversion leaves one inadequately furnished for living a biblically normal Christian life. Now that's a common denominator of every single one of these forms of teaching without exception. That's what I was doing in my little banter with Charlie about first and second class. The language that you are merely saved, you are merely justified, you are only converted. You have only, quote, accepted Christ. You have only, you have only, you have only. But now, if you would live a biblically normal Christian life, you must go on to experience, to possess, to have something that is not already yours by virtue of the initial work of grace. So the emphasis does not fall upon understanding and appreciating and appropriating and walking more fully in the light of what God has done in the initial work of grace.

33:15 But it's saying that the initial work leaves you inadequately furnished to live your life. You need something more. And one recent critic and very astute and penetrating critic of the Pentecostal movement, both old and present charismatic thinking and teaching, has a chapter in his book called The Theology of More. The Theology of More. And he demonstrates, that this lies at the heart of all of these forms of Christ's teaching. Regeneration and conversion leave one inadequately furnished for living a biblically normal Christian life. I've heard it stated along these lines. Well, conversion will fit you for dying, but that's not enough for living.

34:09 If you're really to live as you ought, you must go on and have this particular experience. Now, if you only want to be fit to die, be content with being merely converted. But if you really want to live with a capital L, then you must go on to this higher, this deeper crisis experience. Now, let's stop and ask ourselves, is that the emphasis of the Word of God? So that we don't merely make a critique and an analysis, but we turn to the Scriptures. As we look at this first common denominator, is that the emphasis of the Bible? Now, try to think through all the various problems to which the New Testament addresses itself, particularly in the epistles. You remember one time some months ago, I asked you to bring up all the problems to which Paul addressed himself in one letter, 1 Corinthians.

Biblical Refutation: Sufficiency of Initial Grace in the Epistles

35:11 All the problems, everything from division to immorality to mixed-up thinking, about marriage and tongues and public worship and false doctrine on the resurrection. And is there any hint in Paul's addressing himself to all of those problems that the answer was to get something that they had not already received in Christ in their initial transfer from a state of wrath to a state of grace? Is there any hint or suggestion that they need to seek some kind of a crisis experience that will be the answer to this broad spectrum of problems? And what did we find?

35:55 Not a shred of evidence. And as we go through the epistles, the emphasis is not, you have been left inadequately furnished in your initial union with Christ. Now go on to something more. Rather, what is the emphasis?

36:13 The pervasive emphasis of the Word of God, particularly in the epistles. How would you state it? And can you give me chapter and verse to support it? Alright, let's turn to the book of Ephesians then.

36:48 We can turn almost anywhere in the New Testament. And here's as good a place as any.

36:56 As the Apostle is giving instruction to the Ephesian Christians, in chapter 2 he reviews what they once were in the opening verses, verses 1 to 3. Now he's says, but God, this is what God has done, being rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, raised us up with Him, made us to sit with Him in heavenly places, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved, through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works that no man should glory, for we are His workmanship. God has already done something, created in Christ Jesus a present reality for good works which God aforeprepared that we should walk in them. Then he calls them to remember what they once were again. Here's the cycle now going back to what they were, not so much individually, but in terms of their relationship to the people of God.

38:12 They were the uncircumcision, separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, but now, verse 13, now in Christ Jesus this is what you are. And he describes what they are, what God has already done. And then he amplifies upon that in terms of God's great eternal purpose in chapter 3. And then he records his prayer for them, and in the light of that, what does he now tell them in chapter 4? I therefore the prisoner in the Lord beseech you to go on and have a crisis experience which will now make all this real to you. No. He says, I beseech you to walk worthily of what has already happened to you. You see the emphasis? Walk

39:06 in the light of what God has already done. Now there's no static view. His prayer for them in the end of chapter 3 is that there would be increasing measures of spiritual illumination and spiritual experience. But there is no suggestion that they need some experience subsequent to conversion and regeneration and their initial faith union with Christ in order to get them on their way in living the Christian life. Not a shred of evidence of that kind of emphasis to be found in Paul's treatment of the Christian life in the epistle to the Ephesians. Now, Jonathan, was that basically what you had in mind? Yes. Okay. Alright.

Further Biblical Evidence for the Sufficiency of Initial Grace

39:56 Another portion of the word that points us in that direction. Yes, Brian?

40:03 Alright.

40:18 Okay. The point being,

40:38 alright, so you're saying that Paul was confident that if God has done the initial work, then they are in principle equipped to live out the Christian life even to the consummation. He that has begun the good work will perfect it or perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Alright? Someone have another passage? Yes.

41:04 Alright. Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13. So then, my beloved, as you've always obeyed from the point of their conversion, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. He does not tell them that they have been left without the necessary furnishings to live the Christian life.

41:35 He commands them, He entreats them to work out what has already been deposited. He exhorts them to this active, whole-souled engagement, as we saw in using this verse in another connection with another principle. It doesn't mean that they're simply to sit back, but in all of this, they can be confident that God is at work in them, not He will, if they will do thus and thus. You see, and set up a whole string of conditions, telling them that until they meet these conditions, the whole work of God in them is stymied or greatly crippled.

42:14 Alright? Another passage. Yes, Jeff?

42:32 Alright, just... Alright.

42:34 Here, of course, it was more a doctrinal deviation. They were going on to seek perfection in a gospel that said Christ was not enough. So I don't know if we could apply that directly, though in some ways it does fit. It does fit.

42:51 Because much of this teaching would say we receive forgiveness of sin on the basis of the work of Christ, but we receive the Spirit on the basis of our work. You do thus, thus, thus, and thus, and then you will receive the Spirit, whereas the teaching of Galatians, particularly chapter 3 is that it's the work of Jesus Christ that is the foundation of the gift of the Spirit. Chapter 3, notice it. Verses 13 and 14.

43:20 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree, that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. In other words, the promise of the Spirit is realized on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ received by faith, not the basis of our meeting, conditions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. And here you see this emphasis upon works comes through that someone mentioned and that we'll take up in another separate articulation of the common denominators. Yes, George?

44:10 Alright, 2 Peter 1 and verse 3.

44:20 Seeing that his divine power has granted unto us how much? All things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue, whereby he has granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises. So we have the statement then of the divine grant. He has granted, he has given.

44:52 Wake up and realize and live in the light of what has been given. And the exhortation is not to go on and to seek some higher, some qualitatively different experience. It is to grow and develop in the graces that God has already implanted in principle in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Verse 5 and following.

Psychological Appeal and Self-Justification of Crisis Teaching

45:16 Yes, Ralph?

45:38 So you're saying that perhaps underneath this, the psychology that works in many people is that the obvious is too difficult and therefore they're looking for some easier way to get to the end that they know they ought to get to. Is that what you're saying? Yeah, and I think there's a lot of good sense in that. I mean, that's true. I mean, this is all pretty ordinary stuff, isn't it? And the battle is won and lost. In those old theaters of the day-by-day discipline, self-denial, cross-bearing, all of these things, and our flesh doesn't like that. And so if we're living a botched-up life, it's very convenient to say, well, the reason I'm living this kind of life is I have not yet had a certain experience. I have not yet

46:24 had a certain insight. So I can excuse myself for the messed-up way I'm living. See, it's a form of self-justification. If only God would give me the insight or give me the experience, then I'd live differently. And until He does, there's nothing much I can do about it. That's a cop-out. That's blaming God for your messed-up life. See, you haven't cut off that right hand, but you're saying God hasn't shown me where the knife is and how to put it on my wrist.

46:54 No, that's not the problem. The problem is you love that right hand and you don't want to bring the axe down on that wrist. That's the problem. So you can try to excuse it by avoiding that. All right, yes, Tim?

Addressing the 'Book of Acts' Counter-Argument

47:06 Looking back and reflecting upon what has already been given, what God has already done, and giving a commensurate response as the lifestyle, as the life pattern that we work out as the people of God. Yes, Bud?

48:17 Yeah.

48:48 Do you see the answer to that? And Bud has made a right assessment, not by hearsay, but from first-hand contact, and I've encountered that many times, and this will be the last point we'll have time to make because it's 28 after. You see now some will counter and say, all right, the reason you find no exhortation to have this experience is these were people saved in the circumstances of the book of Acts in which all the converts did go on and get the baptism. Well, then I counter by saying, but wait a minute. You said the baptism would bring those who have it up to this qualitatively different level of Christian experience. Now, if all those Corinthians had the baptism, it sure didn't do much for them. They had divisions, they had immorality, they had heresy, they had all these irregularities, so why do you tell me to seek something that can leave you in a mess like that bunch was in? You see? You see the

49:48 force of what I'm saying?

49:50 Not all of you got a look of comprehension in your eyes. I mean, to me, that thing just demolishes that. See, on the one hand, they say, look, are you tired of this sub-Christian standard of experience? Get the baptism, and then you really begin to live. And we turn around and say, the Bible doesn't teach that. We don't see, the emphasis in the epistles, they said, of course not. They already had it. Well, then those who had it, what problems are addressed in the epistles? The very problems they say are the mark of those who aren't filled with the Spirit, who've never had the baptism, who've never had a crisis of full surrender, who have never been cleansed from inbred sin. Well, if they had it, why are they like this? And if it doesn't do for us any more than it did for them, why get all excited about it? And if it does all that they say it's supposed to do, why do we find these problems addressed in the epistles?

Common Denominator #1 Reaffirmed and Selective Use of Scripture

50:43 So you see, it just plain doesn't fit. And that's why, as we'll see, one of the common denominators, it's already been mentioned, there is a very selective and artificial use of the Bible in establishing this theology of Christ's experience. A very selective and artificial use of the Bible. Extracting a text here, a phrase here, building a doctrine on it, while overlooking the overarching scheme of the doctrine of the Christian life as it is taught in the scriptures. So regeneration and conversion leave one inadequately furnished for living a biblically normal Christian life. That's common denominator number one. We'll pick up there, God willing, next week and go on to some of the other common denominators. And your homework is when your mind is free to do so to be thinking about scriptures that address themselves to some of these things that you've laid out this morning.

Prayer for Discernment, Humility, and Graciousness

51:47 And then we'll carry on, God willing, in the form that we've done this morning. Well, let's pray and thank God for his presence and help and pray that we may be well grounded in the truth of his word. Our Father, we confess that we take no delight in examining error or in exposing it. And yet we know that you have commanded us to put everything to the test and to hold fast that which is good.

52:21 And we pray as a people that you will deliver us from the pride of that knowledge that merely puffs up and give us a knowledge that leads to humility and to communion with Christ and to a life that earnestly pursues your will as revealed in the scriptures. Our Father, we confess that our hearts are grieved that so much of your word is either ignored, denied, and twisted by those who teach that some crisis is essential and mandatory if we are to live as we ought. We pray, that you would mercifully keep us from those things that do respond to our instincts as renewed men and women, the longing for greater degrees of holiness and power and assurance and usefulness. And may we be content to pursue these things in the path that your word has marked out for us. We pray that you would give us love and compassion and gentleness in dealing with loved ones in friends who have been ensnared by some of these forms of crisis teaching. Gracious God, help us to be gracious in our dealings with them. Continue to lead

53:46 us then in our understanding and oh we pray, oh God we pray, that there may be nothing about our quality of life, individually or corporately, that would lead anyone to ask the question, is this all it means to be a Christian? Oh God, may we so live that others will know that to be a Christian, to be converted, to be joined to Christ is a marvelous and a glorious thing. And may our lives have a holy contagion and may there be an element of undeniable reality in our corporate life and worship together, even in the hour to come. We ask these mercies through our Lord Jesus Christ.

54:31 Amen. Amen.