Two Good (and One Great) Quotes

The Reformers – whether following Calvin or Luther – were unanimous in saying that one’s blessedness is the unmerited gift of God. That is, true righteousness comes through faith alone in Christ alone. It’s not the result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:9)

So far, so good. However, sometimes this confession of God’s grace is turned into an excuse for persisting in sin. It’s believed (quite wrongly) that one can receive the Spirit of Christ and go on living just like before. It’s as if the living Spirit of Christ makes no real difference, and that He can be called one's Lord even as false gods continue to be the true lord of one’s soul.

For all the good of the Protestant confession, this potential for distortion is a major weakness. However, in the past week I’ve come across the following two quotes – one from Calvin, one from Luther – which make it clear that the Reformers had no desire to support some sort of dead faith without works:

“It is indeed true, that we are justified in Christ through the mercy of God alone; but it is equally true and certain, that all who are justified are called by the Lord, that they may live worthy of their vocation. Let then the faithful learn to embrace him, not only for justification, but also for sanctification, as he has been given to us for both these purposes, lest they rend him asunder by their mutilated faith.” John Calvin

“There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow.” Martin Luther

Who would have guessed that neither Calvin nor Luther was an advocate for a merely forensic justification? Even if forensic justification might momentarily make us feel good about ourselves – “No matter how I live, God thinks I’m great!” – the fact that it makes no real difference in our lives goes to show that it’s a mockery of God’s grace. The real Jesus is alive, and his Spirit reigns in those who truly believe. When we're tempted to believe otherwise, we would do well to read (and we would do better to believe) Galatians 6:7-9:

“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.”