Common Errors in Sanctification (Part 6): Moralism

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry. Michael Lee Abendroth here, always biblical, always provocative, always in that order. That�d be my hope. Not on Twitter anymore. I think Twitter we post maybe once a week or twice a week with a sermon, and then we post maybe some videos or something like that.

Haven�t shot any videos lately, but we are on American Gospel TV, and there are five parts there that I�ve recorded on law gospel. First one�s on law, second one on any guesses? Sorry, introduction, then law, then gospel, then problems when you don�t do law gospel, and then practical application, because we all like practical application.

Law, Gospel, and the Desire for Practical Application

We just want more law. You ever think about that? You go to your pastor and say, �I just would like some more practical application. You�re telling him, �I want more law. You�re not giving me enough law.

I was talking to Steve Cooley about this the other day via email. It�s a lot easier if you�re a pastor to whack people with the law or preach the law, even without whacking, even without scolding. Just regularly do it.

It�s harder to talk about the good news. Why is that? Why is that, I wonder? Probably because we have legal temperaments. We have legal dispositions, and we will fight that our entire lives, right? Your conscience is law, covenant of works.

Your work is law, covenant of works. Your I don�t know, lots of things are, and we need to have good news, right? That law is from the inside. We understand that, even natural law and what�s written on our hearts.

We need a preacher to tell us the good news. The gospel isn�t from the inside. Well, before I start today, and I think I�m going to do part five, sorry, part six on common errors of sanctification, and then hopefully teach you the right thing as well.

Let me read this. It�s by William Perkins, of course, William Perkins. I think they�ve got like nine or ten new volumes of his works now. When I finish Owen and his works, I will switch to Perkins probably.

He lived from 1558 to 1602, English man. This is what William Perkins said, and this maybe can frame everything as we�re thinking about law, gospel, and sanctification, and not buying into the typical paradigm of the evangelical churches out there, almost every one.

That�s law for the unbeliever, which is good, gospel to the unbeliever then, which is good, and then for the believer, what do we give them? Law. We don�t give them a motivation to live a holy life, it�s just more law.

I�m not against law. How many times do I have to say that? I�m not an antinomian. I believe in the third use of the law for the Christians, to guide and to norm. And the first use is a mirror, it shows us our sin.

There�s a use for the law in the government, it�s a restrainer. But for the Christian, of course there�s law, right? Flee sexual immorality, that�s law. We church-discipline people because they�re lawless and won�t repent.

Paul says, this is a quote from Perkins, when Paul says, �The law is not of faith he sets down the main difference between the law and gospel. The law promises life to him that performs perfect obedience, and that for his works.

The gospel promises life to him that does nothing in the cause of his salvation, but only believes in Christ�s Christ works. And it promises salvation to him that believes, yet not for his faith or for any works else, but for the merit of Christ.

The law then requires doing to salvation, and the gospel, believe and nothing else. Therefore, there are two ways to get to heaven, the legal way and the gospel way, and the legal way is perfectly obey God.

That is only theoretical because it�s an impossibility now because of Adam�s sin as our federal head. The other way of salvation is, perfect law-keeping still must be done, but it�s done by Jesus and we receive his benefits by imputation, and Christ receives our sin by the exact same manner, imputation.

Christ never sinned and he never was a sinner, he just bore our sins. Isaiah 53, think of that. That�s a good quote, I like that. I like that, I�m going to keep that, William Perkins� law gospel. By the way, once you see law gospel, law being do, gospel being done, it�s going to change everything.

It�s going to change your evangelism, you�re going to talk about, yes, what God requires, law, and how they�re lawbreakers and need a savior, then you�re going to talk about Jesus and what he�s done, and who he is, and not just repent, believe, turn, burn, etc.

Then for the Christian, you�re going to say, hmm, what is sustainable motivation in my Christian walk, in my life between justification and glorification, what keeps me going? Well, Rome would say, you�re at peril if you don�t keep going.

Some evangelicals, well, you�re back to square one, but now you�ve got to do it yourself and get a move on. Final justification advocates, but what really motivates? When was the last time you thought, I cannot believe in eternity past, God chose me, I should have gone to hell, probably could have died 50 different ways or more before God saved me, I didn�t earn it, I didn�t deserve it, and all of a sudden, just like Paul in Damascus wrote, I was intercepted by the triune God, and I bowed my knee via faith to the Lord Jesus and confessed Him as Lord and believed in my heart.

I get to go to heaven, and even things that I�ve done lately, that doesn�t stop the Lord God. There�s no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. That is motivating. The personal work of the Lord Jesus is what motivates Christians, and He, in my opinion, is the missing element of most every evangelical church these days.

Sanctification According to the Westminster Confession

I think finally, for our common errors in sanctification, we�re going to look at error number, I think, 19, and that is moralism. Thinking that moralism, looking to actions and activities, is going to help me in my sanctification.

Now, before I talk about that, I�m going to read to you from the Westminster Confession of Faith, I�m going to read of sanctification, so you might remember what�s going on when it comes to sanctification.

It says here in sanctification, let�s see, of sanctification, �They who are once effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them this is Westminster Confession 13, �are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ�s death and resurrection, by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them.

The dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

Two, the sanctification is throughout in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part. Whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh.

In which war, although remaining corruption for a time, may much prevail, yet through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate doth part overcome, and so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

That's Westminster Confession of Sanctification. We need to be reminded about God is the sanctifier, and God is the one who... I mean, do you sanctify yourself? Do you co-sanctify people? Do you say, hmm, I better talk about God the sanctifier.

I'm the Lord God who sanctifies. Anyway, that's back to the first show of the series, and I have to move on. For moralism, this common error, yeah, of course, I want the law to be part of the life of the Christian.

I talked about that at the early part of this show. That is true. And we want to do God's will that's revealed in the Bible, law, in faith. Right? We want to do that. John Murray said, the law can never give the believer any spiritual power to obey its commands.

It's because the motivating, animating force, factor, person, is not the law. It's the Lord God Himself. You say, well, how do I spot moralism? Now, if I had to define, just off the cuff, what's the difference between pietism and moralism?

I know you're asking that question. Pietism is, it's a look inwardly to see how devoted I might be and work on my own devotion, and that's the focus of my living, my devotion, my things like that. It's an inward look.

And I think moralism is more, you know what, I need to do something. There's overlap, yes. Moralism is saying, you know what, what do I do, and how do I do it? Versus kind of the internal look. So the internal look is what we're going to say for pietism, and moralism is going to be for my actions.

I think that'll be good enough for today, as long as Scott Clark's not listening. Hey, Scott. I need some principles to get through my week. I need a practical application. I need five takeaways. I need, I don't know, give me some, not law from the Bible, I need some extra law.

I need seven more promises to keep. I need some type of guidelines. Please tell me, pastor, what can I do? And if I do them, I know I'll be probably proud of myself, with deference to the Lord. And I'll think, you know, that I can see success.

When I was in business, they had objectives. Management by objectives. Okay? And they used the acronym SMART. S-M-A-R-T-I-O-S-E-N. Smart. And the acronym SMART means specific. Give me specific application.

Give me things that are measurable. I either did them or I didn't. Check them off. Achievable. I mean, come on. It's like evangelize the world. I'd never get that done. Relevant and timely. SMART. That's, to me, moralism.

Pastor, I want to do, and I need activities. Give me something specific, measurable, achievable, slash attainable, relevant, and timely. I need some management by objectives. Well, if there's no Jesus preached, there's no motivation.

I mean, anybody can do a list. I mean, I did a list for a decade or so, maybe more. With, I mean, a few bones thrown to the gratitude of the Lord God, I'm sure. Probably more than that. I'm probably exaggerating now that I'm swinging over the other side of the pendulum of moralism.

From moralism, rather. I just need some things to do. And then I can achieve, and then I think, okay, now I can measure it. Because remember, one of the common errors was not understanding the mysterious nature of this.

When's the Holy Spirit working? When am I responding? What are, I mean, that's very difficult, right? The first thing we realized was our definition of sanctification was wrong. And it's God's saving activity to use Westminster shorter and larger.

And then, you know, does that mean I don't do anything? Well, yes, you do things. There are evidences and fruits. How do I work the two out? Well, it's hard to figure out. So it's just true. We have to accept them.

And, of course, we can't figure out every little detail because we're finite and sinful, even as Christians. I just can't get any power, animation, motivation from the law. I might sprinkle in a little bit, well, I know it's God's law, and therefore I'd like to do that, and he did save me.

But lots of times these churches, that's just a passing one minute out of 45. And I don't think you can rescue a sermon, a law sermon, a legal sermon, with a one-minute, yeah, don't forget about who Jesus is, and he gives you the power to do this.

The Gospel Alone Gives Power for Obedience

Michael Horton said, Even the believer cannot gain any strength from the law. The law can only tell him what is right. The gospel alone can make him right by giving him what he cannot gain by law-keeping.

If the law itself is rendered powerless by human sinfulness, how on earth could we possibly believe that humanly devised schemes and principles for victory and spiritual power could achieve success? Horton goes on, We look to the law for the standard, realizing that even as Christians we fall far short of reaching it.

Just then the gospel steps in and tells us that someone has attained that standard, that victory for us in our place, and now the law can be preached again without tormenting our conscience. It cannot provoke us to fear or anxiety since its demands are fulfilled by someone else's obedience.

Thus end the reading of Michael Horton. Do you, from the pastor, want more practical application? Things to do? What would you do if a pastor preached the gospel of John for five years and never told you one thing to do?

These are the glories of Jesus. Here's the eternal, existing Son. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. Prostanteon. In the face of God. Close relationship. One God. Three subsistences.

Three persons. And the Word was God. What's the practical application for that? Can you tell me something specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely, please? We've got this all wrong. Is there anything wrong with giving people the glories of Christ every single Sunday?

Well, people are going to want to do something. Well, let's think about this for a second. Maybe anecdotal, maybe not. While giving has never been a problem at Bethlehem Bible Church, there are probably some people that don't give like they should.

I've hardly ever preached on this. In 24 years plus, I've rarely preached on giving. I don't do the once-a-year giving sermon and make sure we have the offering after that. Normally we have the offering before, but make sure you have it after the giving sermon.

I don't do that. That's manipulation, number one. But if you talk about Jesus Christ, people will give. And Christians, once they remember what the Lord has done, they give. And I don't even have to say to give.

I think we do that in our new membership class. That's about it. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake, Christian, He became poor, so that you, by His poverty, might become rich.

There's a context there of generous giving that Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 8. I preach the gospel. I preach the Lord Jesus. And when I say gospel, I mean Jesus. I mean a triune nature of God.

I mean the Father. I mean the Holy Spirit. The more you talk about salvation, the more you talk about the triune God. And I'm talking specifically about the incarnate work of the Lord Jesus that the Father sent Him to do.

And the Spirit assisted Him to do. And then applies Christ's work to us based on His own good free will. When you talk about the Lord Jesus, people give. I mean one time I remember I said to one of my kids.

I have one who's kind of a hitter, who is a hitter. I'm not going to tell you which one that is, but that person knows. And I said, I love you and I've done everything for you. And you get the best schools and the best teachers.

You got the best mom and your best room. I bought you everything in this room because I wanted to. I loved you. I prayed for you. I've got the best pastor in all the world. Wink, wink. And then this little one said to me, so Dad, I won't hit anymore.

They, I almost said if it's a he or she, they anticipated. This person anticipated. What the result should be based on my good news and reminder to this person. Of what I've done for this person. That will remain anonymous.

Okay, it's a she. I'll give you that much. My little hitter. What would happen though if you sat in a church and for five years. The pastor told you about the glories of Jesus. And there's some people sitting under a tree there.

Nicodemus over there. There's Samaritan woman over there. Here's how Jesus dealt with all of them. Here's how Jesus has other witnesses for his work in chapter five. And bread from heaven. He's the bread of life.

Chapter six. And we just go chapter by chapter by chapter. One, two, three, four, five, six, all the way to 21. What do you think would happen to the church? By the way, why do you think we have communion?

To remind us of this very thing. Because we have a legal temper and we want morals. We want specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. Pastor, I just learned about the high priestly prayer in John 17.

Jesus, the son, praying to the father. Could you please tell me what to do? I'd like to learn how to pray based on that prayer. I guess if you want that as some kind of secondary. Emphasis from the pulpit.

But is that what the writer wanted you to think? I think you'd rather think this is God the son. And he's praying for me. He's praying to the glory of God. His work will be done. The father's going to resurrect him.

I know it. I know based on this kind of communion. I know the father is going to raise the son. He's not going to leave him in the tomb because this is an obedient son. This is a godly son. This is a submissive son.

He's going to make it. No, I want something smart, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. That's what I want. Enough of this. Enough Jesus. I've already got Jesus. I'm going to heaven. Now give me law.

That's how pastors preach though. Because they know that's what you want. Paul, 1 Corinthians 2. I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I could tell you other things.

But that's not what you need. I mean, I'm for the Bible teaching husbands to love their wives. I'm for that. I'm not against the revealed will of God and his commands. But that's written on your heart.

Everybody knows that. Every religion knows husbands should be kind to their spouses. Well, most at least. Every religion knows we should do unto others as you should want them to do unto you. Because the law is written on the heart of even unregenerate people in bad religions, false religions, apostate religions.

But it's not given so baldly. Love your wives. Paul says in Ephesians 5, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. That's completely different. I'm not saying you can't tell people, husbands, to love your wives and to say, I want what's best for her.

I want to lay down my life for her. I want to say no to my own desires for her. I want to protect her, provide for her, nourish her, make sure she's growing spiritually, make sure we're in the right kind of church.

Is that not fine to say? Are we not men? Of course, it's fine to say. But I think we need to be careful. I read this week, clear directives for Christian living are essential for us, but sadly much of the heavily programmatic teaching, current in evangelicalism, places such a premium on external doing and achieving that character development is set at a discount.

We live in the most pragmatic society on earth. It's painful to pride to discover that the Christian life is not rooted in what we can do, but in what we need done to us. Years ago, I had a somewhat painful encounter with this tell us and we'll do it mentality.

Halfway through a Christian students conference, where I was speaking on the sign theme, knowing Christ, I was summoned to meet with a deputation of staff members who seemed to feel duty bound to confront me with the inadequacies of my first two expositions of scripture.

You should have addressed us. No, you have addressed us for two hours, they complained. And yet you have not told us one single thing to do. Impatience to be doing hid impatience with the apostolic principle that it is only in knowing Christ that we can do anything.

Or so it seemed to me at the time. Sinclair Ferguson. Ouch. Therefore, what do you think no compromise radio or the reformers would think about method ests? Interesting. Interesting. Just give me some methods.

Just let me be in that holy club with Whitfield and Wesley. And here is the law. Hmm. What about resolutions? Maybe you should read the resolutions. There are a few things in there that aren't law. Yes.

But I think there's a lot of law in there. Come on, just make it specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely. Please, Pastor. Pretty please, Pastor.

I've heard enough about Jesus. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 10 .15 and in the evening at 6. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.