God’s Application vs. Man’s Appropriation
There is most certainly a place for man’s appropriation when it comes to discipleship and sanctification, but NOT when it comes to justification. Although CoC’s teach that Jesus’ blood was literally “for” the remission of sins, they will then turn right around and teach that water baptism is literally “for” the remission of sins! But they cannot have their cake and eat it too.
The context is what determines the meaning of “eis” (for), NOT the CoC’s false baptismal regeneration narrative. Yet, CoC’s still cannot seem to realize that their absurdities and inconsistencies refute their own arguments. But, at least it makes my job a lot easier.
Forgiveness of sins comes directly from the Father, through Jesus, His blood and His righteousness, applied solely by the Holy Spirit. In His timing. NOT through a performance-based system that is set up by man to restrict and replace direct access to Jesus which is only through the Holy Spirit’s fruit of saving faith (Rom. 5:2; 8:35-39, Gal. 5:22, Eph. 2:18; 3:12).
When Jesus said the wine was His blood for the remission of sins (Mt. 26:28), do CoC’s truly believe Jesus meant that consumption of the wine was for the literal remission of sins?
Since both ordinances (the Lord’s Supper and baptism) have the same overall purpose, one ordinance cannot actually affect regeneration and the other one not. Either they both actually regenerate a person, or they both only symbolize and demonstrate what actually remits one’s sins.
Jesus instituted baptism as part of our sanctification. But Jesus NEVER instituted sacramental-salvation-systems of man. In fact, He was completely against such man-made systems.
The CoC teaches that the types and shadows in the Old Testament refer to “patterns” for an obedience-based system, rather than pointers to faith in Jesus’ imputed righteousness alone. It teaches that faith in the O.T. was simply “faith” in a “pattern of obedience,” which Messiah allegedly came to perfect.
The CoC claims that it is that “better system,” with the so-called “New Testament Pattern.” And it falsely claims that it was revealed and instituted by Jesus!
On the surface, the CoC will pretend to concede to the fact that one cannot earn salvation, and the fact that only Jesus’ blood is for the literal remission of sins (Mt. 26:28). Yet then, it will turn right around and throw in a “but” that completely contradicts its first statement, by blasphemously teaching that water baptism is literally for the remission of sins.
This is how the CoC subtly slips in its false water gospel in hopes that most people will not detect such sheer hypocrisy. This is also how it creates confusion, in order to throw off the one objecting to its heresies.
Therefore, the CoC must always have a readily accessible “yes, but” escape hatch, in order to evade being pinned down as the false religion that it is.
Scripture proves that one can receive remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit without baptism (e.g. Acts 10:44). True believers are “to declare HIS righteousness—“for the remission of sins” (Rom. 3:25), NOT their own works of righteousness (Mt. 3:13-17).
Yet, the CoC’s philosophical concept of salvation-by-man’s-appropriation is founded upon Pelagian views of the Fall, which is at the very root of all its heresies.
Confusion is the natural result of the CoC’s rejection of the absolute necessity of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Who applies the benefits of Jesus’ merits to the “purchased possessions” that the Father has given to His Son as an eternal inheritance (e.g., Psa. 2:8-9, Jn. 10:29; 17:6, Eph. 1:14).
The biblical concept of salvation-by-God’s-application is founded upon sacred Scripture. Which is why it’s the only view that can be consistently upheld by true believers, whose faith works (obeys) by love (Acts 15:9, Gal. 5:6, Rev. 1:5).
God is the One Who grants a new heart and a new spirit, in virtue of Jesus’ vicarious atonement (Ezek. 11:19; 36:26, Heb.8:10). The Holy Spirit applies the gifts of faith and repentance, which Jesus procured on behalf of all those He died for (Eph. 4:8). So that they are enabled to serve God in newness of spirit, rather than legalistic bondage (Rom. 7:5-6).
Saving faith is a divinely wrought means that the Holy Spirit uses in order to apply the benefits of Jesus’ work of redemption. This gift of faith works by love, which fulfills God’s law (Rom. 13, Gal. 5:6).
Good fruits then proceed from the holy affections that arise after Holy Spirit regeneration has taken place. For only then is the curse of the law removed and the soul reconciled to God the Father.
True, born-again believers are enabled to embrace and apprehend Jesus by faith, because they are first apprehended (laid hold of) by Him (Phil. 3:12-13). We cannot be saved by our own apprehension of Him. But only by His apprehension of us. For He makes us His own, so that we, in turn, can consider Him to be our very own Savior.
Even Peter ascribed the obtainment of precious, saving faith to the righteousness of Jesus Christ ALONE (2 Pet. 1:1). He attributed NONE of it to himself.
This is also why Apostle Paul ascribed the entirety of his salvation to the sovereign free grace of God, rather than arrogating (or appropriating) any of it to himself or to his own apprehension of it.
Carefully notice that Paul openly acknowledged that he was first apprehended by Jesus, so that he could then apprehend Jesus. As a result of such knowledge, he didn’t question the certainty of his salvation, but rather longed for the eternal consummation of his holy calling (Eph. 1:10, Phil. 3:14).
If the condition of faith wasn’t procured on behalf of those Jesus died for, then their salvation wouldn’t be by God’s grace.
There are none who does good (Psa. 14:1-3; 53:1-3, Rom. 3:12).
Faith and repentance are GOOD and pleasing to God. So, only the quickening power of the Holy Spirit can enable true faith and repentance (Rom. 8:8). This comes about only by God working faith in them, by His grace. For Scripture states as follows:
“And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 1:14).
By God’s grace, this faith and love is abundant in those who are in Christ Jesus. They are enabled to believe from the heart and love the Savior (Rom. 10:10). The question now is how one gets “in Christ.”
God’s Word is clear that we “enter into” eternal union with Christ after we have been “grafted into” His body by the Holy Spirit, through faith (Rom. 11:17-20).
We then “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” upon the humbling realization that our faith in Christ didn’t come from us. It came “from above,” as a free gift of God’s sovereign love and grace!!
Although Pelagian cults, such as the CoC, will acknowledge Bible passages that declare sin is not imputed where there’s no law, they will twist them to their own destruction, by suggesting that Adam’s sin could not have been imputed to the entire human race because God’s law hadn’t been set in stone yet.
However, they fail to realize the blatantly obvious fact that sin WAS imputed to Adam, which happens to be irrefutable, biblical proof that there WAS indeed a rule of righteousness to be obeyed. Even BEFORE God’s written law ever came about (e.g. Rom. 3:31; 4:15 and 5:13).
Therefore, the fact that sin WAS imputed to humanity’s representative head, despite there being no written law, further proves and clarifies Apostle Paul’s point that Adam’s sin WAS imputed to all of his posterity.
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12).
Adam’s sin guilt was imputed to all mankind. Or else we wouldn’t have needed for it, and our own personal sin-guilt, to be imputed to Jesus at the cross. This biblical principle reveals to us why we desperately need Jesus’ righteousness imputed to our account. In order for the imputation of Adam’s sin guilt, and our own personal sin guilt, to be cancelled out.
If there was no inherited sin guilt in Adam, then why would there be a need for us to be in Christ in order to escape condemnation (Rom. 8:1)?
If God had not appointed Adam to be the representative head of all mankind, and if God had not decreed the Fall, where Adam’s sin was imputed to all of his posterity, then there would have been absolutely no need for the last Adam’s legal representation of all who were objectively in Him by God’s divine decree (Eph. 1:4).
There would’ve been no need for Jesus’ substitutionary atonement on behalf of all whom He represented. There would’ve been no need for the imputation of their sins to Jesus and the imputation of His righteousness to them.
The CoC is conspicuously silent concerning the absolute necessity of this double imputation, because the biblical doctrine of original sin completely destroys its sacramental system of salvation-by-man’s-appropriation.
The CoC fails to acknowledge the fact that man’s creaturely “freewill” to change from being originally upright, to being fallen, was not really “freedom” after all. For true freedom is found only in eternal union with Jesus Christ.
But the CoC idolizes the doctrine of man’s so-called “freewill” and refuses to teach the truth of man’s total corruption. Because it wants to promote the false doctrine of man’s natural “freewill” ability to appropriate salvation for himself. The CoC completely ignores the absolute necessity of the Holy Spirit’s divine work of application to all whom Jesus died for.
This, in turn, explains why the CoC promotes a universal atonement and why it refuses to teach the absolute necessity of Jesus’ definite atonement and the absolute necessity of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5 makes a clear distinction between those who are “in Adam” and those who are “in Christ”…..
Those who are in Adam are in union with Adam, under his representative headship. They are in solidarity with Adam, in his fall into original sin. They are children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2), who are dead in sins and trespasses (Eph. 2:1). They abide in Adam through unbelief, in virtue of inheriting a sin nature, which is under God’s wrath (Jn. 3:36, Rom. 11:23).
Those who are in Christ are in eternal union with Christ, under His representative headship. They are in solidarity with Christ, in His perfect, obedient righteousness. They are adopted children of God who are quickened from the dead (Eph. 2:1). They abide in Christ through faith, in virtue of being partakers of His divine nature, free from God’s wrath (Jn. 15:4, Rom. 3:25).
According to Scripture, Jesus was considered slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). So technically, God’s elect were in Christ (objectively speaking) before the world began (2 Tim. 1:9). They were even viewed by God as being objectively in Christ when He accomplished their redemption (i.e., Mt. 20:28; Gal. 2:20). Therefore, Jesus’ blood was objectively applied to them at the cross.
Then, at the appointed time, His redemption becomes an experiential reality. For His blood is subjectively and experientially applied to them when their heavenly Father draws them, with cords of love, to His Son, Jesus Christ (e.g. Song 1:4, Jer. 31:3, Hos. 11:4, Jn. 6:65-66). Who spiritually reveals Himself to their heart and mind, whereby the sword of His Word, wielded by the Holy Spirit, is indispensable in guiding them in faith and repentance.
The Holy Spirit applies to them the blessed benefits of all that Jesus has procured for them by His perfect obedience, so that they are then enabled to apprehend Him by God’s free grace gift of faith.
These revealed truths give us a glorious glimpse into the eternal difference between salvation-by-man’s-appropriation, which is man-centered, and salvation-by-God’s-application, which is God-centered.
These truths affirm the biblical doctrine of salvation being 100% God’s work. He plans it, He purchases it, and He applies it. Whereas the CoC’s unbiblical concept of appropriation is blasphemously based upon Pelagian views of the Fall that lead to a salvation-by-works system, which God places under a divine curse (Gal. 1:6-9).
For a classic example, in “What Must the Church of Christ Do to Be Saved?—CoC author Leroy Garrett stated as follows:
“Campbell wanted to show that God’s grace is unconditionally bestowed to all mankind, apart from any worth, merit, or works on man’s part. But the appropriation and enjoyment of the grace is conditional” (p. 168). “That is where baptism comes in. It is God’s way of having us accept the gift. And even baptism is not something we do as much as it is something done to us” (p. 169).
Again, notice the CoC’s typical “yes/but” escape hatch. It will initially concede to the fact that God’s grace is unconditional. Yet then, it will throw in a “but” that completely cancels out its previous statement. This quote is jam-packed with theological connotations that reveal why it is so important to know the difference between total passivity and partial passivity when it comes to regeneration.
Scripture gives at least three different illustrations as to how God is totally sovereign in our regeneration and how we are totally passive in regeneration. For He compares regeneration to:
1. Birth (Jn. 1:13 thru Jn. 3:5-8, 1 Jn. 3:9, etc.)
2. Creation (2 Cor. 5:17, Eph. 2:10; 4:24)
3. Resurrection (Eph. 2:1, 5, 6)
Scripture points out these three different elements of regeneration. And notice, they ALL point to salvation-by-God’s application. NONE of them involve a salvation-by-man’s-appropriation. These points are constantly repeated throughout Scripture, as demonstrated in those sacred texts.
God’s sacred Word makes it abundantly clear that we were totally passive in our creation, totally passive in our birth, and that we’ll be totally passive when we’re raised up again before the judgment seat of Christ.
A mere partial passivity is completely impossible in all three illustrations, for all three comparisons require total passivity, which is no coincidence.
Campbell failed to realize that actively choosing to participate in the activity of baptism is NOT a totally passive work. It can only be partially passive at the most. So, it cannot possibly affect regeneration. For then an autonomous will would be involved in our new birth, which would contradict Scripture (i.e., Jn. 1:13, Jas. 1:18).
The first chapter in Ephesians also makes it clear that we are totally passive in our regeneration. Whereas the CoC inserts man’s works into passages that speak only of what God does.
The CoC is also notorious for blaspheming God’s sovereignty by calling it “force” in a derogatory way. For it tries to undermine God’s divine intervention. In order to maintain its sacramental-system-of-salvation-by-man’s-appropriation.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s completely biblical to use terms like “make” or “causes,” instead of “force,” because Jesus “makes” people free. In John 8:32-36, it is never said that Jesus “forces” people to be free, because no one has EVER resented God’s divine intervention concerning their salvation, and they NEVER will.
Whereas the CoC’s derogatory use of the word “force,” in its attempts to undermine God’s sovereignty in salvation, blasphemously implies such a possibility.
Adam MADE us sinners, by imputation. The reverse parallel is that Jesus MAKES many righteous, by imputation.
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were MADE sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be MADE righteous” (Rom. 5:19).
So, we must ask CoC captives: Would you prefer to be a slave to sin and the devil, or a slave to righteousness and Jesus Christ?
Just remember, despite the CoC’s blatant dishonesty, there has NEVER been one single, truly saved person who has EVER resented God’s divine intervention in their lives and there never will be!
God’s Word reveals that He gets ALL the glory for salvation. And He even compares salvation with ALL the glory He gets for the creation of all things, ALL the glory He gets for the natural birth of every human, and ALL the glory He gets for their resurrection, either to condemnation or glorification.
God made ALL things. But God “forcing” all things to be created would sound like a derogatory portrayal of God’s sovereignty that would falsely portray Him as being tyrannical.
From a more biblical perspective, we must ask: Was creation able to resist its creation? Was any human ever able to resist their birth? Can anyone, in the end, resist their resurrection before the judgment seat of Christ, or the Great White Throne judgment of the wicked?
If not, then how can anyone believe that God’s elect could ever resist a salvation that was decreed for them before the foundation of the world?
(Mt. 25:34) ALL praise goes to God alone for His irresistible grace! Or else we’d all be like wicked Pharisee’s who ALWAYS resist the Holy Spirit….
“You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you ALWAYS resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also. (Acts 7:51, emphasis mine).
Copyright ©2024 by Lee Anne Ferguson.
Christ Rescued Me! 