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Topic: A Balance Of Faith And Effort
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TB125
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Eden,
Regardless of what terms we use whether we write about "quietism" or "pietism" or the "internal works of God" or the "external Word of God" or just the "work of God", each of us finds it difficult to understand and to explain God's role in us and what we ourselves are to do in response to Him.
My understanding of the Bible has let me to recognize that the Bible is a record of God's revelations. The "revelations" always preceeded the "record" of them. They were made directly by God himself, by angels, by prophets, by Jesus, by other anointed individuals, but in every case the primary revelations came from God's Spirit.
When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure, he did not tell them that he was going to leave them with a book or a manual to teach them and to guide them in their further relationship with him. He said that the "Spirit of truth" would come to do this (as you cite in John 16:13). This Spirit has worked in the writers of the biblical documents to "inspire" them to write God's word, but he must also work within individuals before they can understand what is written in these documents and their various translations.
So the effort that you make to understand the "external word of God" is always an "internal" effort, and the challenge is always to do so in accord with God's Spirit rather than with your own intellect. This is the challenging "balance" that we all struggle with and which is addressed in the many terms that we use in our various posts.
I hope that you understand my point. I'll keep my response brief for now. Thanks for your response. It is good to share with you in this discussion. I also thank Carol for her additional statements from John MacArthur. He has a good perspective on this matter. Let's keep in touch.
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Bob
Posts: 449 | From: Rockford Illinois | Registered: Nov 2003
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Carol Swenson
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MacArthur continues:
Our Part: Working Out Our Salvation
The main thrust of Philippians 2:12 is the phrase, “work out your salvation.” The Greek verb translated “work” (katergazomai) is a present-tense imperative verb, and could be translated, “keep on continually making the effort to work out your salvation.” That’s the Christian’s part in sanctification.
Some have mistakenly concluded that working out our salvation means we must earn it , that is, work for or toward it. But clearly salvation is “the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9). Further, Paul said, “By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.—For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.—For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom. 3:20, 23–24, 28).
“Work out your salvation” is not a command for unbelievers to work for their salvation. It is a call to believers for sustained effort and diligence in holy living based on the divine resources within them (Phil. 2:13). Scripture is replete with such injunctions. For example Romans 6:19 says, “Just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” Second Corinthians 7:1 says, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Paul said to the Ephesians, “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1) and he detailed how to accomplish that (vv. 2–3). In Colossians 3:5–17 he gives a list of injunctions that imply our responsibility to cultivate spiritual discipline and holy living.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 Paul says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.—Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” Paul didn’t shadow box or run in circles. He fought to win. He pursued holiness with maximum effort . At the end of his life he proclaimed with confidence, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).
The command to work out our salvation also speaks of striving toward a goal , or bringing something to fulfillment, fullness, or completion, just as you might “work out” a difficult problem or a pianist might “work out” a difficult phrase of a sonata. The expression speaks of resolving something, perfecting it, or bringing it to completion. Paul wanted the Philippians to push their salvation to perfection in Christlikeness . When he speaks of salvation, he is seeing the fullness of its fruition, urging the Philippians to press on to that goal. In other words, the sense of Paul’s message is not “work for your salvation,” but “work on your salvation” in the sense of moving toward faith’s consummation in glory. The elect are diligently to pursue holiness until Christ returns.
Philippians 2:12 contains five key phrases that help us understand how to work out our salvation:
![[Cross]](graemlins/cross.gif) “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”
“So Then”: Understand Your Example . “So then” refers back to Philippians 2:5–11, which presents Jesus Christ as the model of humility, obedience, and submission:
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Christlikeness is the substance of spiritual dedication . That’s why Paul told the Galatians he was in labor until Christ was fully formed in them (Gal. 4:19), and why John said that those who claim to know Christ should follow His pattern of life (1 John 2:6).
“My Beloved”: Understand You Are Loved . The Philippian church was a faithful church, but it was not without problems. Apparently there was pride and disunity in the church, otherwise Paul probably wouldn’t have stressed unity so strongly (2:1–5). We know that two women, Euodia and Syntyche, led factions that were at odds with each other (4:2–3), and undoubtedly there were other such problems.
Despite the Philippians’ failures, Paul still loved and patiently corrected them. He called them “beloved” (Phil. 2:12; 4:1). In 1:8 he says, “I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” He treated them with the patience, mercy, and grace that are indicative of Christ Himself.
In the process of working out your salvation, there will be times when you fail. Therefore you need to understand that God loves you and is patient, merciful, and forgiving toward you . There is room within His love for your failures.
“Just as You Have Always Obeyed”: Understand the Place of Obedience. Obedience is the hallmark of all who truly love Christ (John 14:15). The Philippians were no exception. The Greek word translated “obeyed” (hupakouō) literally means “to answer the door,” or “obey as a result of listening.” It carries the idea of submitting to something you’ve heard. Lydia, for example, listened to Paul’s preaching at Philippi and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the gospel. Subsequently she was baptized and extended hospitality to Paul and his companions (Acts 16:14–15). The same was true of the Philippian jailer in verses 30–34. Each responded to God’s Word.
“Not as in My Presence Only, but Now Much More in My Absence”: Understand Your Resources and Responsibilities. The Philippian believers were obedient when Paul was with them, but he wanted them to excel even more in his absence. In one sense they no longer needed him. It was time for them to internalize his teachings and continue pursuing godliness on their own. That’s the responsibility of all Christians.
The loving support and accountability that other believers bring to our lives is a wonderful thing, but it is possible to lean too heavily on others for spiritual strength and encouragement . Sometimes when Christians leave that kind of supportive environment, they struggle with discipline and purity because their spiritual props and godly peer pressure are gone.
When Paul said, “work out your salvation” (emphasis added), he implied that the saints are sufficient in Christ to pursue godliness apart from any external support. They are self-contained repositories of all the divine resources and are both capable and responsible for their own spiritual well-being.
“With Fear and Trembling”: Understand the Consequences of Sin. Although God is patient and forgiving when His children sin, sin inevitably has consequences . That’s why we must pursue sanctification “with fear and trembling.”
The Greek term rendered “fear” is phobos, from which the English word phobia comes. “Trembling” is from tromos, which is the origin of the word trauma. Together those words speak of a healthy fear of offending God and a proper anxiety to do what is right in His eyes. It is not a fear of eternal doom but a reverential awe that motivates a person to righteousness.
This kind of fear is fear of sinning, distrust of one’s own strength in the face of temptation, horror at the thought of dishonoring God . It is a sense of foreboding that comes with understanding the deceitfulness of sin and the unreliability of one’s own heart. It is terror at the thought of a moral breakdown; a loathing of the disqualification such sin might cause; and the kind of circumspection Paul enjoined when he reminded the early church of the failures of the Israelites. It is a moral revulsion at anything that would grieve or cause affront to a thrice-holy God.
Isaiah 66:2 speaks of righteous fear: “To this one I will look, / To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” Verse 5 says, “Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word.” When the Lord speaks in this context of a trembler at His Word, He is, in effect, using that expression as a title for the true believer. Every believer should live in such awe of God’s majesty and holiness that he shuns sin lest it grieve his Lord, violate his testimony to an unbelieving world, or negate his usefulness for ministry in the body of Christ and bring divine chastening.
Working out our salvation is not easy. It takes hard, consistent effort and discipline. It involves a lifelong pursuit of holiness that requires following the example of Christ, understanding the love of God, cultivating obedience to the Word of God, appropriating your spiritual resources, and appreciating the serious consequences of sin.
Paul said it called for beating our bodies into submission (1 Cor. 9:27) and cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7:1). A high calling like that will mean all will fail at times. But a healthy fear of God will restrain such failure, because it motivates us to pursue godliness above all else.
![[Bible]](graemlins/bible.gif)
God’s Part: Working in Us
In Philippians 2:13 Paul explains God’s part in sanctification:
“It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
What a remarkable truth! God Himself indwells us and empowers us to do His will . We are not adequate in ourselves, but our adequacy is from God (2 Cor. 3:5). Within that brief verse are five key truths about God that will help us understand our divine resources for Christian living.
His Person: God . Paul said, “It is God who is at work in you” (emphasis added). The literal Greek places the emphasis on God: “God is the one at work in you.” God is so intimately involved in your life and so concerned about your spiritual well-being that He personally indwells you to effect what He commands.
The energy behind your spiritual progress is not your human abilities or resources, although God might bless you with an abundance of both. Nor is it the encouragement and support of other Christians, although the ministry of fellow believers is certainly a great blessing. It isn’t human pastors and teachers who instruct you in God’s Word and care for you as a shepherd cares for his sheep. It isn’t even the holy angels who are sent forth from heaven as ministering spirits (Heb. 1:14).
The real cause of all spiritual progress is this alone: God Himself is working within you to effect your sanctification . That’s why sanctification can never be totally deterred. The same God who justifies you sanctifies you and will ultimately glorify you (Rom. 8:30). Salvation will always produce the fruit of righteousness (James 2:17–26; Eph. 2:10). It’s inevitable; the unchanging, glorious, sovereign, majestic, righteous, holy, gracious, and merciful God, the God who rules all things and always does what He desires—that God is at work in you, and He is never thwarted .
That’s an unimaginable concept to a pagan world, whose gods are largely uncaring, uninvolved, and vengeful. But our God works in us because He loves us with an everlasting love and extends eternal kindness to us. He keeps us with an everlasting covenant based on everlasting promises. “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29). He sees us through to the end and supplies all our needs in Christ Jesus.
His Power: At Work . Paul used the present participle form of the Greek verb energeō to describe God’s activity within us: “It is God who is at work in you” (emphasis added). That’s where the English word energy comes from. It speaks of an effectual and productive energy, the infinite power of God Himself in action. God is the One who energizes our spiritual progress. His power drives our sanctification. It compels righteousness and controverts sin. That’s why we’re eternally secure in Christ. His power continues to drive us to glorification. We persevere because we are energized by Him. Since there is no limit to His power, we know He will ultimately complete what He has begun in us (Phil. 1:6).
His Presence: In You . In Ephesians 3:20 Paul says that God is “able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” He could have said “according to the power that works in heaven, or in Christ, or in the Holy Spirit.” But instead he stressed God’s power at work in us. God can and does accomplish purposes through His power at work in us that are beyond our ability to plan, reason, or even dream. That inner power flows from God Himself and is the basis of our sufficiency.
By the way, God’s presence within believers is a uniquely Christian doctrine. In the Old Testament, believers worshiped God in the tabernacle or at the Temple. Because Christ indwells believers in this age; we are His temple. Second Corinthians 6:16–17 says, “We are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk with them; / And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ ” There is never a moment of your existence, from the time you give your life to Christ until you meet Him face to face, that God is not with you —He’s always present, always supporting, always sustaining, always upholding, always supplying, always strengthening, always shielding, and always producing sanctifying effects in your life.
And that sanctifying process can’t be halted. The convoluted routes some people take on their spiritual journeys may be hard to understand, but the real issue is God’s faithfulness, not our carelessness. Sin will slow the process but God will accomplish His purposes even if He has to chasten the believer to do it (Heb. 12:5–11).
His Purpose: To Will and to Work . God’s purpose is to energize our will and our work—our desires and our deeds. His power gives us both the desire and the ability to do what is right .
All behavior rises out of desires and intentions. In fact, the Greek word translated “to will” (thelō) in Philippians 2:13 speaks of intent or inclination. God works in us to instill godly desires so our behavior will be pleasing to Him.
How does He do that? By using two things to conform our desires to His. The first is holy discontent. God makes us dissatisfied with our fleshly nature. Paul experienced that to the point of misery when he cried out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24). He wasn’t discontent with his circumstances, but with his sin.
The second thing God uses to conform our desires to His is holy aspiration. That’s the flip side of discontent. It’s a longing for something better, purer, and more holy . We read about men of God like Paul or John and our hearts are filled with an aspiration to be like them. Or we might read a biography of some great servant of the Lord and suddenly realize how shallow our commitment is by comparison. That generates a holy aspiration to be more available for God’s use.
In addition to energizing our desires and intents, God also energizes us to work for His good pleasure . Paul used the same Greek word to describe our work as he used to describe God’s (energeō). God energizes us for the things that please Him. Holy discontent leads to holy aspiration, which leads to a holy resolve to do what is right. That leads ultimately to holy behavior.
His Pleasure: For His Good Pleasure . The Greek noun translated “pleasure” (eudokia) in Philippians 2:13 speaks of satisfaction or good pleasure. God works in us to cause us to do what satisfies and pleases Him. Such is the goal of the sanctification process. Working out our salvation with fear and trembling pleases Him.
Believers are very dear to God; so when we obey His will, He is pleased. Isn’t that the essence of a relationship? We want to please the ones we love. God wants our best because that’s what pleases Him most—and He is worthy of even more—so we should give Him our best as a demonstration of our love .
Think of it! We can bring pleasure to the One who does everything for us —who pardons all our iniquities; who heals all our spiritual afflictions; who redeems our lives from the pit; who crowns us with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies our years with good things, so that our youth is renewed like the eagle (Ps. 103:3–5). What an immense privilege!
So rather than taking a purely quietistic or pietistic approach to sanctification, we see there’s to be a wonderful blend of our best efforts and God’s resources . We do not serve an overbearing and forceful God who makes impossible demands, then crushes us for our non-compliance. We serve a God who empowers us to live to His glory .
The uniqueness and mystery of Christianity is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). He is our sanctification and our sufficiency . God calls us to holiness and then makes us holy. He calls us to serve and then mobilizes us to serve by His own power and presence. It is His work, and it is our work—a divine partnership. But the glory belongs to Him alone.
(John MacArthur Our Sufficiency in Christ)
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Eden
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First of all, let me apologize for thinking that your handle was TB215: I've corrected it to TB125.
Secondly, let me thank you for your kind demeanor. Your demeanor reminds me of Jesus's behavior, where the sheep did not bleat back to his shearor.
TB125, you wrote to Eden quote:
Eden,
I get confused by your switching of terms. In your response to Carol you mentioned the "exernal Word of God" and the "internal works of God", but now you are talking about the "internal Word of God" and the "external Word of God". What about the "works of God"?
Yes, it did switch terms but probably both terms, "the internal works of God" and the "internal Word of God" can be used in this case.
I was thinking some more about this issue, TB125 and about what I had said so far about "quietism" and "pietism", and some more words came to be about the subject after posting my previous answer.
The "internal words of God", or "works of God", is Jesus speaking from heaven by way of the Holy Spirit to my spirit on how to best guide my steps.
That is the internal "word of God" because it comes to me in words from the Holy Spirit:
John 16
13 Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come.
14 He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of mine and shall show it to you.
So by the Holy Spirit counseling my spirit, Jesus shows me what I should do next. That is ALL Jesus's work, if I have ears to hear.
That is all God's work and I have nothing to do with that except listening and executing in the body what I, at the soul level, was counseled by my spirit to do (which had heard it from Jesus via the Holy Spirit).
As for my part or "effort", I have to read the "external word of God" which God in His wisdom has provided for me to read so that, as an adopted Son, I "can learn how to behave in the Family of God".
God is dnot going to read the Bible to me in bed: I have to read the Bible myself. And God will in fact watch to see whether I read the Bible, or not.
I am also told a lot of things in the Word of God that I need to learn about what God has done for me already, and again, God is not going to read all that from the Bible to me in bed: I have to read it for myself. God will in fact watch to see if I read it, or not.
And in this external Word of God I also learn that I can ask God for what I think I want or that I need, so then I begin to ask and make my supplications to God:
Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
So there already are two external things that "quietism" does not do for me. These things are done by "pietism".
In "pietism", I have to read the Word of God because God is not going to read it me in bed;
And in "pietism", God is not going to make my supplications FOR me, although the Holy Spirit also helps by making some supplications FOR me because I'm not asking for everything that I need so the Holy Spirit asks those things FOR me:
Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now, when it comes to "changing our behavior", that cannot be done by us; that is only done by quietism, and not by pietism. Pietism becomes aware of what must be done, but quietism alone is capable of making change in us.
That is, God does the internal work of actually changing us by "guiding our every step" thru the Holy Spirit. If I will but listen to God's Counsel, my behavior will be timely and spot-on.
But God is not going to read the Bible TO me, and God is not going to make my supplications FOR me. So it is a balance between "quietism" which is all GOD's doing, and "pietism" which is all MY doing.
love, Eden
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TB125
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Eden,
I get confused by your switching of terms. In your response to Carol you mentioned the "exernal Word of God" and the "internal works of God", but now you are talking about the "internal Word of God" and the "external Word of God". What about the "works of God"? How do you "balance" each of these elements within your spiritual life? I still don't understand that clearly. Thanks for your response.
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Bob
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Eden
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TB125 wrote to Eden quote:
Apparently you state your perspective on the relationship between these two elements in "sanctification" in respect to the "external Word of God" and the "internal works of God".
But I don't clearly understand how you maintain a "balance" between these two elements within your own spiritual life. I would appreciate your clarification of this for me. Thanks.
That balance is easily achieved. For the internal part, by faith I trust and listen to the Holy Spirit on a continual basis, and externally I regularly pray and read the Word, and the balance is achieved, as the internal Word of God collaborates with the external Word of God and together They make an effectual Whole.
love, Eden
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TB125
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Eden,
I just learned about "quietism" from the recent posts in this forum. So I have more to learn about this particular perspective on sanctification and the relationship between God's role in the individual believer and the individual believer's role.
I think that John MacArthur's explanation regarding the necessity for a balance between "faith" and "effort" is very biblical and helpful.
Apparently you state your perspective on the relationship between these two elements in
"sanctification" in respect to the "external Word of God" and the "internal works of God", but I don't clearly understand how you maintain a "balance" between these two elements within your own spiritual life. I would appreciate your clarification of this for me. Thanks.
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Bob
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Eden
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Oh, TB125, it wasn't as if I purposely chose the previous sentence to misstate anything. Perhaps you are more versed than me in the concepts of quietism and pietism and what their relationship might be.
My impression after reading the article was John MacArthur was no further by his last words of the article in resolving the Biblical statements FOR quietism with the Biblical statements FOR pietism, than he was when he penned his FIRST words of the article, and that, in the end, it seemed to me anyway, he made a statement which sounded "pietistic" to me.
But sincerely, TB125, there was no intent on my part to misstate anything. Indeed, I had no idea that you wanted me to choose the next sentence instead of the previous sentence which I chose. Who knew?
love, Eden
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TB125
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Eden,
John MacArthur's final statement regarding this "Balance of Faith And Effort" is this: "Believers must use all their energies in serving the Lord with diligence. At the same time, all that is accomplished within us is the work of God."
Why did you quote his previous sentence as if he opted for "pietism" when it obviously isn't his conclusion?
This doctrine of salvation is very challenging, but quotations like yours that ignore the larger context and obvious conclusion of the authors that we cite don't help us to understand them or each of us as we post.
You are entitled to your opinion about what John MacArthur writes, but I don't think that you should misstate his written conclusion regarding the topic.
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Bob
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Eden
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Hello, Carol Swenson, interesting article by John MacArthur, I actually read this one because it is a subject that interests me a lot.
I found it curious though that throughout the article the author seems to say that the simultaneous uses of quietism and pietism in the Bible is "inexplicable" and the author even goes to far as to say "who can understand the mind of God".
And then, at the end of the article, the author seems to opt for pietism by stating: "Holy living, then, demands that we commit our lives and energy to the service of Jesus Christ with every faculty we possess."
In the end, then, the article did not solve the problem of quietism vs. pietism for me.
I personally tend to think that it is still up to me to read the Word of God and it is still up to me to listen, by faith, to the Holy Spirit and it is still up to me to implement what I have heard, by faith, from the Holy Spirit.
I think that God works in me, but God also uses the external Word of God to work in me, and that is the factor that I have to do.
It reminds me of a polymer (or something like that) that came from the manufacturer in two separate bottles, and in order to make the polymer work, I had to mix the two together.
Likewise, I think the external Word of God activates the internal works of God, and vice-versa, and both are needed. God does the internal work, and I do the external work with the Word of God, and together they are effective.
love, Eden
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Found in Him
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This just headed south...
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Found in Him
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I really, really Love my Sister Carol! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Carol Swenson
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John 15:4 - 8 (NLT)
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
Let us ask that our friends and loved ones be fruitful!
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Found in Him
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You know Sister...this is probably what some view as "annoying"???? It is the truth though! It will be NO JOKING matter when The Lord "cleans house"!
He WILL weed and separate the goats from the sheep...it is HIGH TIME that many awake unto righteousness and repent of "playing Christian"! It is NO secret before God what the measure of a man is...One is Hot or they are cold...One belongs to Him or they do not...One is reborn and remains in Him or they are none of His!
The truth is very cutting when you get right down to it! I will never apologize for telling the truth.
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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GOOD STUFF CAROL AMEN!
Thank you!!!!
Balance = taking His hand and walking through "together" in a relationship with Him! believing And acting on it!
We are NOT rubber gloves that He wants to wear!!! We are suppose to be His Bride!!!
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~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
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Carol Swenson
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Quietism is a Christian philosophy that swept through France, Italy and Spain during the 17th century, but it had much earlier origins. The mystics known as Quietists insist, with more or less emphasis, on intellectual stillness and interior passivity as essential conditions of perfection. All have been officially proscribed as heresy in very explicit terms by the Roman Catholic Church.
Quietism states that man's highest perfection consists of a self-annihilation, and subsequent absorption, of the soul into the Divine, even during the present life. In this way, the mind is withdrawn from worldly interests to passively and constantly contemplate God. Quietists would say that the Bible describes the man of God as a man of the tent and the altar only, having no part or interest in the multitudinous affairs, pursuits, and pleasures of the world system.
Whatever its theological implications, it is undeniable that the personal autonomy implied by Quietism had an undermining effect on Church unity and discipline.
The issue however, with Quietism is that with the relational understanding; theologians claim it is heretical since it is not Trinitarian. Furthermore, given the view that God said that Adam was "lonely," (and thus created Eve) it follows that God intended people to be in community.
Quietists were so called from a kind of absolute rest and inaction, which they supposed the soul to be in when arrived at that state of perfection which they called the unitive life; in which state, they imagined the soul wholly employed in contemplating its God, to whose influence it was entirely submissive, so that he could turn and drive it where and how he would. In this state, the soul no longer needs prayers, hymns, &c. being laid, as it were, in the bosom, and between the arms of God, in whom it is in a manner swallowed up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quietism
Quietism
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008
Quietism a heretical form of religious mysticism founded by Miguel de Molinos, a 17th-century Spanish priest. Molinism, or quietism, developed within the Roman Catholic Church in Spain and spread especially to France, where its most influential exponent was Madame Guyon . She preached her doctrines to members of the French aristocracy, winning a convert and friend in Madame de Maintenon, Louis XIV's wife, and an ally in Archbishop Fénelon . Another quietist was Antoinette Bourignon . The essence of quietism is that perfection lies in the complete passivity of the soul before God and the absorption of the individual in the divine love to the point of annihilation not only of will but of all effort or desire for effort. Molinos talked about an entire cessation of self-consciousness, and Madame Guyon maintained that she could not sin, for sin was self, and she had rid herself of self. Molinos and his doctrines were condemned by Pope Innocent XI in 1687. A commission in France found most of Madame Guyon's works intolerable, and in 1699 Pope Innocent XII prohibited the circulation of Fénelon's book, the Maxims of the Saints.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/quietism.aspx#1E1-quietism
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Carol Swenson
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Here are two reviews of Charles Trumbull's Victory in Christ, one for and one against. (Amazon.com)
Good Things Come in Small Packages!
This book was required reading for a seminary class, and am I ever glad it was!
The underlying thesis of Trumbull's title is: instead of trying to live the Christian life in your own strength, surrender to Christ and let Him live His life in and through you.
How many times have we failed to heed this wisdom? When we allow Christ to have His way in our lives, we experience total and complete victory over sin and become a continual source of blessing to others.
In my humble opinion, some of the more important points Trumbull mentions are: 1) Christ has the power and responsibility to set us free from sin (our job is to surrender to Christ and let Him have His way with us), 2) Christ does not want us to work for Him, rather, He wants to be our life and work through us in His power, 3) Beware of the counterfeit victory where you try your hardest to live the Christian life instead of letting Christ live His life through you, 4) Stop trying to win the victory and let Christ win it for us! We cannot have victory until we surrender to Christ, 5) Distinguish between the Lord's leading and the devil's distractions, 6) Cultivate interesting and useful hobbies/interests that broaden your Christian perspective, and 7) Do not let the cares of the world and the church cause you to neglect those closest to you (how many times have we heard about this in the Christian and secular world!).
All in all, Trumbull's book is an easy read full of precious gems waiting to be mined. So stop trying to minister to others in your own strength and let Christ minister to others through you so you can experience His victory and others are blessed in the process!
Both vocational Christian workers and lay people will benefit from this read. The non-Christian will be encouraged to consider how a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the basis of Christianity radically differs from the good works theology of other world religions.
A "Classic" on Quietism
This book is spiritually destructive. The premise of the book is for you to "let go and let God". The author clearly teaches that victory is not possible until you ceased striving. Victory is said to be possible only after you have stopped struggling for it only then that you are "resting" in Christ. Sounds good, but the scriptures NEVER teach this.
It is only by struggle that we grow in the Christian life. Sanctification is not a "second work" to be entered into by faith.
Sanctification begins the moment one is saved. God begins, at that moment, working in us, conforming us to the image of Christ. I am then responsible to FIGHT with my flesh and resist sin. I must put off the old man, be renewed in my mind and put on the new man. We must then walk under the influence of the Holy Spirit, allowing his work to be done in and through us.
Trumbul is teaching a form of sinless perfection, although his adherents will deny this. In practice, this IS sinless perfectionism. By ceasing to struggle, he teaches self is annihilated and Christ is formed in us. So long as one continues to "rest in Christ" one is filled with the spirit and free from sin. This is a gross misunderstanding of sin. Sin is not just voluntary, it is part of your nature. At no point will a Christian ever be free from sin - and certainly not by ceasing to struggle.
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WildB
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Ditto
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That is all.....
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Carol Swenson
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A Balance of Faith and Effort
Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)
IF PHILOSOPHY, LEGALISM, MYSTICISM, AND ASCETICISM are false standards of spirituality, and psychological sanctification is no sanctification at all, how then does true sanctification occur? More specifically, what is the believer’s role and what is God’s role? The very fact that the New Testament is replete with commands to believers assumes that we have the responsibility and resources to obey. But how much do we do and how much does God do?
That question was put to me recently after I preached to a group of Christians on the topic of spiritual discipline. I spoke for about an hour, pouring out my heart and admonishing them to pursue a zealous, diligent, spiritual walk. Afterward a woman came up to me and took exception to what I said. “I think you have it all wrong when it comes to sanctification and the believer’s daily walk with Christ,” she said. “Scripture says ‘Not I, but Christ liveth in me.‘ There’s no call for us to discipline ourselves or exert human effort. We are commanded to live by faith. That means we don’t do anything. We simply yield to God and let Him do it all.”
She was echoing a popular strain of teaching from the “deeper life” movement . The view she held has been popularized through such books as Charles Trumbull’s much-reprinted Victory in Christ , and How to Live the Victorious Life , by an author who identified himself as An Unknown Christian, and The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life , by Hannah Whitall Smith. They teach that Christian living requires no effort on the part of believers; the power for holiness must come from Christ living within.
That view contains a germ of truth: Christians are to live by faith, and the source of power for holy living is only the indwelling Christ. But the view tends to ignore an equally important truth: Scripture does call believers to diligent effort . The writer of Hebrews penned these words: “Each one of you [must] show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:11–12). And Peter called for active faith: “Applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love” (2 Pet. 1:5–7).
The apostle Paul highlighted the paradox of our sanctification in his epistle to the Philippians. He wrote, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” yet he immediately added, “it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (2:12–13).
Quietism Versus Pietism
The woman who objected to my message holds a view of sanctification known as quietism. It asserts that the Christian is to be passive (quiet) in the process of spiritual growth and let God do everything. According to quietist teaching, the Christian must exert no energy or effort in the process whatsoever, for feeble human effort only hinders the working of God’s power. Quietists believe Christians must simply surrender fully to the Holy Spirit (also called “yielding,” “dying to self,” “crucifying oneself,” “mortifying the flesh,” or “placing one’s life on the altar”). The Spirit then moves in and lives a life of victory through us, and Christ literally replaces us (“it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me—” Gal. 2:20). In its extreme variety, quietism is a spiritual passivism in which God becomes wholly responsible for the believer’s behavior, and the believer feels he must never exert personal effort to pursue righteous living. Quietists have popularized the phrases, “Let go and let God,” and “I can’t; He can.”
The opposite of quietism is pietism , which teaches that believers must work hard and practice extreme self-discipline to achieve personal piety. Pietism stresses aggressive Bible study, self-discipline, holy living through diligent obedience, and pursuit of Christian duty. Extreme pietism doesn’t stop there but often adopts legalistic standards governing one’s clothing, lifestyle, and so on. The Amish sects that forbid their people to use electricity, automobiles, or other modern conveniences are examples of radical pietism.
Most quietists and pietists would agree that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. Their disagreement is in the area of sanctification . Quietists downplay or totally disregard the believer’s effort, and thereby risk promoting spiritual irresponsibility and apathy. Pietists can tend to overemphasize human effort and thereby inflame people’s pride or lapse into legalism.
Striking a Proper Balance
Look again at Paul’s words to the Philippians: “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (2:12–13).
In verse 12 Paul sounds like a pietist: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” In verse 13 he sounds like a quietist: “God is at work in you.” We are working in verse 12; God is working in verse 13. There is a perfect balance there, but it is admittedly difficult to understand fully. Why would the apostle command us to work out our own salvation if God Himself is at work in us both to will and to work for His ultimate purposes? Paul didn’t attempt to harmonize the tension between those two statements. He simply affirmed both sides of the paradox.
Such ambiguities should not trouble us. Who can understand the mind of God? His thoughts are as far above our limited understanding as the heaven is above the earth (Isa. 55:9; Deut. 29:29).
The biblical teaching about salvation contains a similar paradox. The gospel demands that we turn from sin and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior or be forever damned. It demands an act of the human will in which the sinner repents and places faith in the Person and work of Christ. Yet Scripture says salvation is all God’s work (Eph. 2:8–9), and that He has chosen people for salvation before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4–5).
The same tension exists in Scripture’s teaching about the perseverance of the saints. All believers are eternally secure because God holds us in His hand and no one can snatch us from it (John 10:27–29). No one can bring an accusation against us and nothing can separate us from His love (Rom. 8:33–35). Yet the Bible says those who inherit eternal life will be faithful to endure to the end (Matt. 10:22; 24:13; Col. 1:22–23). Ultimate salvation is guaranteed and secured by God, but not without the persevering faith of the Christian.
Coming to the matter of sanctification, it shouldn’t be surprising to find yet another inexplicable union of the believer’s personal effort and God’s sovereign control. Philippians 2:2–13 is certainly not the only passage to speak of sanctification in those terms. In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul refers to his own spiritual state, saying, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain.” That sounds like a quietistic position until Paul adds: “But I labored even more than all of them.” That’s pietistic. He closes the verse with, “Yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” Quietism again. God was making Paul what he was, and Paul was working hard alongside Him. Yet he acknowledged it all was a work of God’s grace in him. Thus Paul’s view of sanctification was neither quietistic nor pietistic, but a perfect balance of both.
“I … yet not I” typifies Paul’s perspective on personal holiness (Gal. 2:20, KJV). He knew well that sanctification is a symbiosis between God, who is at work in the believer, and the believer himself, who must strive for holiness. Paul never spoke of his own sanctification without acknowledging both sides. He wouldn’t take credit for God’s work in his life, but neither was he content to sit around idly, counting on God to do something in him apart from his active participation.
In Colossians 1:28 Paul states the direction and ultimate goal of his ministry: “We proclaim [Christ], admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.”
In verse 29 he talks about the energy behind his ministry: “And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
The language Paul uses there is graphic. The Greek word translated “labor” (kopiaō) speaks of working with wearisome effort—working to the point of exhaustion. The word translated “striving” (agōnizomai) is the word from which we get our English word agonize. It means “to strain,” “toil,” or “suffer.” The word emphasizes Paul’s tireless labor and his struggles against all manner of setbacks and opposition. This is not the language of a quietist.
Paul exerted maximum effort, striving, agonizing—but he adds the crucial phrase: “according to His power, which mightily works within me.” That’s the same marvelous and mysterious paradox we see continually in Paul’s writings. Clearly the sanctification of which he wrote was the result of his working in concert with the divine purpose—but he always gave God the glory.
Holy living, then, demands that we commit our lives and energy to the service of Jesus Christ with every faculty we possess . Every command in Scripture would otherwise be meaningless. In fact, the first and great commandment calls for all-out effort: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). And every chastening act of God on a believer affirms the gravity of that responsibility (Heb. 12:1–11). Believers must use all their energies in serving the Lord with diligence. At the same time, all that is accomplished within us is the work of God .
(John MacArthur Our Sufficiency in Christ)
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