Classic Friday: The Beza Briefing (The Role of Works)

Welcome to No Compromise Radio Ministry. My name is Mike Ebendroth, and Steve's not in the studio today, but my little musical friend is. We're all about duplex gratia here. Christ for pardon, Christ for power.

You can email me, mike at nocompromiseradio .com. The new devotional book out, called Gospel Assurance, is available on Amazon. So we have Gospel Assurance, the 31-day guide. That's the 200-page version with some days one page, some days 12 pages.

It's a little harder to read. Some older English there. And then the newer one, Gospel Assurance, a 31-day devotional. It's easier to read. One page and one page only per day, with another page adjacent to it that's blank that says notes.

So if you want kind of the easy one, devotional one, you get the white book with kind of the yellow background. If not, you get the seagull background or the animal's flying, whatever it is, kind of the takeoff on gentle and lowly book.

I found this on my soundboard. NoCo is the best podcast this side of the Mississippi. Abraham Lincoln said that. I don't think he said that. I don't think he said that. Anyway, we're wrapping up December.

Thanks for praying for my little grandson Amos. He's doing much better. Hopefully no long-term deficits. He's gaining weight. He'll be here next week. That should be fun. By the time you hear this, probably he'll be here already.

He'll be in my arms. Everybody else can go around and go do fun things, and I just stay home and take care of Amos. That's all right by me. What are we going to do today? Well, I had forgotten Theodore Beza.

Today is the Beza briefing. As you know, we've been going through the Christian faith by Theodore Beza, a small little, I don't know, I think you could call it a little systematic theology. Maybe, what would we call this?

We'd call this published in 1558 originally in Geneva, and let's see, what does James Clark say? He says it's a concise declaration of the Christian faith. So Beza took over for Calvin, and he writes this little book to help you understand the triune God, and he pretty much orders it that way.

The Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and the section we're in today is a long, long, long section, and it's entitled The Holy Spirit. So I don't know how we can put all these together over the years that we've been doing it.

We've got quite a bit to go. I'm on page 30, and there are 110 or so pages. So that's what we're going to have to work on, is how do we get through this a little bit faster? But that's okay. What we do in the Beza briefing is I want to introduce you to the Christian faith through the lens of Scripture, and of course Beza, and I read a little bit of this book, and then I talk, right?

We don't know what we're going to talk about, but we'll just talk every once in a while. The Christian faith, page 30, section 419, 4 is the Holy Spirit, 19 is just a subsection, entitled Of What Service Are Our Good Works Before God and Before Men?

Okay, that's a good one. That's a good one for NOCO, especially as we remember fruits are evidence. I mean, fruits are evidences, which is true. Works are fruits, works are evidences, the ground of our salvation is Christ's work alone, right?

It has to be perfect. And that we don't believe works are conditional, we believe they're consequential. Does that make sense? Okay. Root, they are not. Fruit, they are. Fruit is fruit. Root is root. One may affirm, Beza writes, from what proceeds, how wrong it is to slander us, as if we found fault with good works.

On the contrary, our endeavor is nothing other than to show which works are truly good, and from what source they proceed, so that men may not be deceived by themselves. But although we do not at all rely upon our works, neither wholly, W .H., nor in part, when it is a question of by what right eternal life is given to us, for we rest on Jesus Christ alone.

Philippians 3, Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 4. We yet acknowledge that our regeneration and the fruits which it bears are greatly useful. So, right from the very get-go, he's talking about works, and he says we're not against works, quit trying to slander us just because we believe in sola fide, we believe in the third use of the law, you think we're antinomian.

We're not antinomian, we are for works, but let's keep them in the right categories. That's what he's saying. Firstly, in that good works serve to edify our neighbor in gaining him to Christ or in keeping him there, they constrain even the greatest enemies of Christ to give glory to God.

Matthew 5, 1 Peter 2. Beza says the first thing about works? They're helpful to our neighbor, to edify them, to encourage them, to come alongside of them. Remember, Luther would say things like, God doesn't need your good works, but your neighbor does.

Here's a great illustration of that. In the second place, our good works give us more and more assurance of our salvation, not because they are the causes of it, but as testimonies and effects of the instrumental cause through which we obtain our salvation, that is to say, our faith.

Okay? Very, very precise there. This is why it is said that God will render to each according to his works, Matthew 16, Romans 2, 6, and that Abraham was also having been justified by his works, James 2.

Not that our works are the cause of our salvation, either holy or in part, Philippians 3. Alas, that would be very bad foundation. Nor that our works make us righteous before God, Romans 3, Galatians 2.

But if such is the case, it is because our good works are testimonies and effects by which our faith is seen. And it is our faith, I say, which takes hold of Jesus Christ, our true and only righteousness, as we have said before.

Now, I just wish he wouldn't have included Romans 2 there. I just wish he wouldn't have done that. Well, it just goes to show you, you can't believe everything Abendroth says. You can't believe everything Theodore Baezer says, either, the Baezer briefing.

In the third place, we must confess that water retains the nature of its source, and that our regeneration is never completed here below. Remember, this era, use regeneration, not like we use it, where you're born again.

It would be general sanctification, right? Progressive sanctification. There's always the battling of the flesh against the spirit, Galatians 5. There's yet, I say, deep darkness in our understanding, 1 Corinthians 13, and great rebellions in us against God, Romans 7.

It follows that the best work, which can come from the best man in the world, if it were examined without rigor, would be found to be nothing other than a polluting of the graces of God. Well, that kind of makes up for his Romans 6 slip-up there, doesn't it?

Our best works are still sin-tainted, right? You can think of Isaiah 64 .6 and, you know, our righteous deeds are like filthy rags, let alone our unrighteous things. It is thus that we see a clear, pure stream is polluted when it passes through a dirty, vile place.

This is why David said that no man living would be found righteous in the sight of God by his works, Psalm 143. And St. Paul also cries out, I do not do the good that I wish, but I do the evil that I do not wish.

O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Romans 7. There is how these holy and excellent persons teach us to speak of our best work. They are far from using the words deserving and merit, which would certainly never have entered into the Church of God if the ancient Latin theologians had carefully prepared their proper meaning.

As for the Greeks, although they were accustomed to trouble the clear waters of theology by mixing into them the mire of human philosophy, they thus always came to magnify too much of the freedom of the will and have even made use of the word which signifies that a man has power from himself.

Yet have I not found in their writings one word corresponding to this glorious title of merit? However, we confess that the goodness of our God is so great that He regards His adopted children, not in themselves but in Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, to whom they are united by the singular bond of faith.

In examining the fruits of His grace, He has no regard to the pollution which they draw from the weakness of our flesh, but to this very pure source from which they proceed—do you get that? That is to say, to the Spirit of Christ who works with efficacy in all believers, so that being dead to sin, they live to righteousness.

That's good. We confess, I say, that the goodness of our God is so great that not only does He not rebuke our works, no matter how imperfect they be, but He even holds them as pleasing to the point of rewarding them This is what is shown to us in the parable of the talents, as in His heavenly kingdom, as He is pleased to.

Not that this is due to our works, as if they merited it, Romans 4, but is by His pure grace and mercy. Thus God Himself says in His law, not that He will pay the merits due to those who love Him and keep His commandments, but that He will show mercy to them, Exodus 20.

That is so good. We receive, as we talk about in the show all the time, we receive from God the ability to do works and fruit of the Spirit and other things, and because of Romans 7 issues, because of the flesh, we are not glorified on this earth, right?

And so we do works, and they're not perfect works, but God accepts them. God accepts your imperfect work, dear Christian, so go ahead and try to serve the best you can, but instead of saying, I won't serve at all because I've got to serve perfectly, just serve the best you can, and He'll accept the works because He accepts you.

I think that's wonderful. And I mean, what's the other option? Our works have to be perfect for God to accept them, and not only that, here it says He even rewards our less-than-perfect work, where you get temporal blessings on earth with a great reward, blessings of God, and in eternity as well.

You could probably reference 2 Corinthians 5 .10 for that. It basically goes on, fourthly, as good works are for us sure testimonies of our faith, it follows that they make us equally sure of our eternal election.

So remember what he said. Okay, why do we do good works? Well, we serve our neighbor, they give us assurance of salvation, we battle against the flesh for sure testimonies of our faith, and now we're sure of our eternal election.

I don't know how that's different than assurance, but we're going to find out. For faith depends necessarily on election. This faith, I say, takes hold of Christ, through whom being justified and sanctified, we have the enjoyment of the glory to which we have been predestined before the foundation of the world, Romans 8, Ephesians 1.

This is all the more important because the world thinks little of it, as if the doctrine of particular election were something curious or incomprehensible. On the contrary, faith is nothing other than that by which we are sure of possessing eternal life.

By it we know that before the foundation of the world, God has predestined us to possess, through Christ, so great salvation and such excellent glory. That is why all that we have said about faith and effects would be useless if we did not add this point about eternal election as the sole foundation and support of all the assurance of a Christian.

You think you know where he's going to go next? So then, when Satan cast a doubt before our eyes concerning our particular election, it is not necessary to first approach the eternal counsel of God to know what was purposed there.

His majesty would dazzle us. His majesty would dazzle us. But on the contrary, we must begin lower down, with the sanctification which has begun in ourselves and the effects of which we feel, and from there to climb higher.

Our sanctification from which proceed all the good desires and the good works of which we have spoken above is a sure effect of faith, or rather of Jesus Christ who dwells in us through faith, Romans 8.

On the other side, whoever is united to Jesus Christ is also necessarily effectually called. He is thus predestined to salvation. Finally, the providence of God cannot make mistakes, and consequently, none of the elect can perish, John 6.

It follows that sanctification is as the first step by which we begin to climb up to the knowledge of the first cause of our salvation, our free and eternal election. In other words, what Bayes is saying is, you kind of work your way up to that, right?

If you start with election and work the other way around, it's not as good. For whoever says that he believes, and yet his life is not led by the Spirit, shows clearly that he is a liar and is deceiving himself, Romans 6, 1 John 2.

This is why St. Peter exhorts us to confirm our calling and election by good works, 2 Peter 1. Not that they are the cause or the foundation of our calling and election. See how he's always trying to make sure that we're hearing him rightly.

I wish some other people would talk that way, final justification advocates, for instance, federal vision advocates, to be clear when it comes to this. For St. Peter expressly declares the contrary, Romans 4, because our good works render a sure testimony to the conscience that Jesus Christ dwells in us, 1 Peter 3, and that consequently, having been elected to salvation, we cannot perish, John 6.

All right, what do you think? Mike Abendroth here, No Compromise Radio. Theodore Teddy Bazer, The Christian Faith, translated by James Clark. I got this copy online, and it is published in Crawford, Edinburgh, and I don't know—it doesn't even have a publisher, I just think it's kind of a self-published type of thing.

We move to section 420. Section 420. By the way, you should get yourself lots of theology books, systematic theologies. I think you'll find them encouraging, precise. You can get yourself Calvin, you can get yourself Berkhoff.

Calvin's not technically a systematic theology, really, but I put it in that section. There are dogmatic theologies, systematic theologies. If you have to get one, I'd probably get Berkhoff. And along with it, he has a manual that you can get and a concise summary of the Christian faith, and I think all three of them are in the new systematic theology that's put out, I think, by Eerdmans, and it's kind of got a white and red and black cover.

Lewis Berkhoff. Section 420. Remedy against the last and most dangerous temptation. Are we elect or not? Has anybody ever asked you that question? Am I elect or not? No, they haven't asked you the question, is Mike Abendroth elect or not, but have they asked you the question about themselves?

Am I elect? How do I know that I'm elect? What if an unbeliever asks you that question? I would even try to believe if I'm not elect, because according to you, you've got to be elect in order to believe.

What's the trouble? What's the bother? Why? What's Bezos say? There remains on this point one last temptation of Satan. It is the most dangerous of all. I think I actually have things here, if I could figure out how to get there.

What do I do? Do I move it over like that? Let's see. Do I have something?

There remains on this point one last temptation of Satan. It is the most dangerous of all.

What about that? I don't think this is the one. This remains on this point one last temptation of Satan. It is the most dangerous of all. I don't think I want that. I want the other one.

For on one side, it sometimes happens that Jesus Christ delays for a long time before calling some of His elect—Matthew 20, Luke 23. Sometimes He even waits until the last moment of their lives. These do not appear to be very well provided for the defense and the force which one can put in the fruits of faith of which we have spoken.

They have never felt them previously, seeing that their cause was not in them yet, and the cause must precede the effects. On the other hand, the most holy of persons sometimes fall into such extremity that they feel in themselves that the effects of which we have spoken are greatly languishing and is totally extinguished.

Therefore, Satan will readily make him believe one of these two points, either that they may think that previously there was no faith, there was only an empty show and pretense of faith, or in admitting that formerly they had believed, nevertheless, by their fault and negligence, this gift had been taken away from them—Satan's temptations.

We must therefore examine by what means we shall resist also this temptation which is the most dangerous of all. All right, where am I now? Okay, I'm trying to get back to my timing here. There we go.

As for those whose calling is late, their assurance does not cease to be founded on one or the other of the effects described above. In truth, the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit does not cease to resound in their heart, and often even more clearly than in those who are called when young.

The experience of dying thief showed this well. Moreover, on the subject of the effects of regeneration, we must understand that the greatest and most excellent work which the Spirit of Jesus Christ produces in us is the grief of heart which precedes the hatred of sin and the love of God, the confidence in Jesus Christ and calling upon His name.

That should be helpful to you, Christian, especially if you're a struggling Christian or a doubting Christian and a Christian who maybe is caught in some sin and you're sad about it. The Spirit of Christ produces in us grief of heart.

Isn't that a fruit? It's a sad way to get there, but it's still a fruit. I'll take that. This is why he who feels in himself these motions of faith, even if he does not feel them until the moment of death, possesses a sure testimony of his faith and consequently of his election and his salvation.

As for those in whom the effects described above are found to be languishing and as totally extinguished, which happen often to the most holy persons, those whom God loved much, you're not weird, you're not strange, you're not odd.

They must consider the following points in order to overcome such a temptation. Firstly, in that the two effects of faith are as two anchors to hold us secure from two sides. When one fails us, we must lean the more strongly on the other until we have recovered our strength from the two sides.

Thus, when David and Peter fell so heavily, without any doubt the effects of their regeneration and sanctification had been greatly languishing and feeble. But in the temptation which urged them to despair, they leaned on the other anchor, that is to say, the testimony which the Spirit of God gave to their conscience.

Romans 8. He didn't say Romans 8, but I did. Thus, in spite of their fall, they had no doubt they were children of God and that consequently their faults were forgiven them. In the second place, even if one and the other of these effects are most feeble, we must not lose courage.

For to partake of Christ, it is not required that we have a perfect faith, but only a true faith. There you go. That's the money ball right there. Show me the money. That's what we're after. We're after the money right there.

We want the money. I know that's so annoying, isn't it? It's so annoying. What is this one? This one says ducking? What's the ducking one? Ducking. What's ducking? Docking? Ducking. I don't know what ducking does.

Ducking, ducking, ducking. Can you hear differently when I talk that way? That's the censor button. What is ducking? I have no idea. For to partake of Christ—I don't know why I mispronounced it both times—it is not required that we have a perfect faith, but only a true faith.

Now, faith does not cease to be true, even if it is very little and weak, to the point of sometimes being as if totally buried. Thus, a sole spark of faith, and consequently a little movement of the effects which it produces, provided that they are true.

That is to say, provided that they proceed from the true source of faith, are sufficient to assure us of our salvation. In reality, our salvation does not properly depend on our faith, although without faith no one can be saved, but on Him who is taken hold of by faith.

That is to say, on Jesus Christ. Isn't that good? That's what we want here. That's what we talk about at No Compromise Radio all the time. Technically speaking, your faith doesn't even really save you.

Your faith has an object, and we just use shorthand, you're saved by faith. You're saved by Jesus's works, and you receive them through the non-meritorious instrument, which we call faith. Faith is of such power.

Following the promise of God, a sole grain of faith, as small as it may be, takes hold of Jesus Christ entirely, Matthew 17. However, the greater is our faith, the greater is its efficacy to bind us more and more to Jesus Christ and to graft us more closely in Him.

And if we slide back instead of going forward, that must displease us greatly. But the devil has not won his case on the pretext that we have slidden back. That's important, dear Christian, provided that the issue shows that it was to our final benefit.

I'm thinking, by the way, Romans 8. In the third place, when we are thus languishing and troubled in our feeling, faults, and carelessness, let us have recourse to the similar examples of the saints. They're weighed down as much as us, or even more, Psalm 77, Psalm 116, the whole history of Job.

Yet they did not cease to pray and to be heard, for they were children of God, no matter how great the sins were that they committed. Did you get that? Let us propose, I say, their example, not to persist when they were awakened by the Lord, and to follow their faith, their repentance, their amendment of life.

And let us conclude that Satan is a liar when he wishes to make us believe that our faith was never true on the pretext that, during a certain period, its effects are not seen. It is as if he said there was no fire when there is no flame, or that trees are totally dead in the winter because they have no leaves or fruit nor any appearance of vigor.

Dear Christian on No Compromise Radio, isn't that worth a book? That is the money right there. That is so and so important. A tree's not dead because there's no leaves on it in the winter, right? Yeah.

And, of course, God's so good and so kind. Let's be motivated to then repent. This is not a call to antinomianism. This is a call to God when He starts, He's going to finish something, and He's not going to lose not one, not you.

You're listening today? He's not going to lose you. He could never lose you. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. Struggling Christian, down Christian, depressed Christian, discouraged Christian, you are held by the grip of God, the Son, eternal.

That's good to know. Old Testament saints weighed down as much as us, Beza said, or even more. No matter how great the sins they committed, they're still children of God. Disciplined? Yes. Chastened? Yes.

Condemned? No. I think we've got to get back to Beza more often, don't you? Man, that is so good. Theodore Beza, the Holy Spirit. Huge section on the Holy Spirit, because I think basically what he does, since the Spirit of God applies the work of Christ who was sent by the Father, we see a lot of the soteriology built into the Holy Spirit section, because I think this is like applied righteousness, right?

Does that make sense? Righteousness accomplished and applied and then worked out. Well, my name is Mike Avendroth. This is No Compromise Radio. You can write us, info at nocompromiseradio .com. The larger version of the book, Gospel Assurance, is available on Amazon.

It's $14 .99. The smaller version is out now, brand new, $9 .99. It's about 85 pages long, and it's super easy to read. One page instead of 10, 12 pages, you might get bogged down, or I heard from somebody the other day, the Clark family, they said that they were reading it, and some of the children could get it, some of them couldn't.

This makes it a little bit easier. And so you can go to amazon .com and pull up Gospel Assurance, and we will hopefully have a few more series like that in later shows. All right, what do we have here?

I've got a few other things, and I think that's it. Glad you could listen today on No Compromise Radio. We're glad to have you. Tell your friends, why don't you give us five stars? We need some more reviews.

Come on, what's going on?