Thy works, not mine, O Christ,
Speak gladness to this heart;
They tell me all is done;
They bid my fear depart.
To whom, save thee,
Who canst alone
For sin atone,
Lord, shall I flee?
Thy pains, not mine, O Christ,
Upon the shameful tree,
Have paid the law's full price
And purchased peace for me.
Thy cross, not mine, O Christ,
Has borne the awful load
Of sins that none in heav'n
Or earth could bear but God.
Thy righteousness, O Christ,
Alone can cover me:
No righteousness avails
Save that which is of thee. (TH, 441).
Speak gladness to this heart;
They tell me all is done;
They bid my fear depart.
To whom, save thee,
Who canst alone
For sin atone,
Lord, shall I flee?
Thy pains, not mine, O Christ,
Upon the shameful tree,
Have paid the law's full price
And purchased peace for me.
Thy cross, not mine, O Christ,
Has borne the awful load
Of sins that none in heav'n
Or earth could bear but God.
Thy righteousness, O Christ,
Alone can cover me:
No righteousness avails
Save that which is of thee. (TH, 441).
By Dr. M.A. Petillo
1.
Those outside of
Jesus Christ merely possess a civil goodness.
2.
Those outside of
Jesus Christ do not have the Spirit-give gift of imputed unified righteousness
of Christ alone by faith alone.
3.
The difference
between a civil goodness for those outside of Christ and the imputed
righteousness of Christ alone in Christ is authentic redemption.
4.
Civil goodness
for those outside of Christ can never spiritually save.
5.
The only goodness
that spiritually saves is the person and work of Jesus Christ alone in the
place of lost pre-converted elect sinners.
6.
Those outside of
Christ should engage in civil goodness than outright commission of sin for the
time they spend under condemnation. This
means the sinner outside of Christ engages in a “lesser evil” rather than
pursuing a direct sin, but it is true that civil goodness is thoroughly tainted
with sin.
7.
For example,
would we recommend to a sinner outside of Christ to engage in stealing from the
poor? By no means! We would say exercise your civil goodness in
giving to the poor, but we know it cannot save but it is a “lesser evil” in
light of the fact it is not the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. The new Balaam thinks that because civil
goodness is tainted with sin, that sinners should just commit outright
sin. This is the so-called wicked grace
of Satan that is not the true grace of Jesus Christ. There is a civil grace that is not a true
grace but true grace is the very grace of a holy Triune God.
8.
The incomparable
righteousness is the sole imputed righteousness of Christ alone in how someone
is right with a holy God.
9.
Civil goodness is
not the incomparable goodness of Christ alone.
10. Civil goodness is sorely tainted with prideful,
self-righteous and rebellious idolatry.
By outward appearance, it seems like it is really authentic because men
judge in light of men instead of in light of a holy God in a matchlessness that
is truly set apart.
11. It is true that the incomparable goodness of Christ is
not civil goodness but the gospel of Christ even affects the unbelieving with a
warm heart. This could be seen in the
practice of Christmas.
12. The civil holiness of sinners outside of Christ do not
compare to the authentic holiness of Christ alone, because He is superlatively
and divinely matchless.
13. There is a civil cry for the things of God that is not
an authentic holiness, but it is a cry that exists in hell.
14. There is a civil evangelism among the sons and
daughters of Adam that is not from a true heart, but this is evangelism from
hell.
15. There is a difference from a civil evangelism and a
true evangelism. A civil evangelism is
from outer darkness, but a true evangelism is those who believe and practice
the Christian faith.
16. There is a civil belief that is from hell that is not
a true belief from God’s Spirit and God’s Word.
17. There is a civil fear of hell that is different from a
godly fear that spreads the awesome message of the gospel of Jesus.
18. There is a civil knowledge that is different than a
saving knowledge.
19. There is a civil conversation that is different than a
holy conversation.
20. There is a civil thinking that is different than
conformity to the mind of Jesus Christ.
21. There is a civil search for God that is different than
a seeking after a holy God that is the business of the Christian.
22. There is civil reasoning that is different than a
biblical rationality.
23. There is a civil longing for heaven that is different
than a Spirit-led and Word-based longing for being with Jesus Christ.
24. There is a worldly pursuit of reprobates that is
different than the Christian’s love of valleys, the sight of mountains,
beautiful rivers and sunsets. It is true
the reprobate can appreciate these things, but I mean the Christian with his
new nature loves the world in a different way in light of the Spirit and
Word. There is a civil love among
reprobates that is different than a God-appointed love of what God has made.
25. There is a civil love of sex that is different from a
martial relationship between one man and one woman in the marriage bed left
undefiled.
26. There is a civil intellectualism that is different
than a Christian intellectualism.
27. There is a civil discernment that leads to hell that
is different than a Scriptural discernment.
28. There is a civil understanding that is different than
an efficacious understanding for the Christian that causes them to spiritually
change.
29. There is a civil hearing that is different from the
approbation of the Spirit in a biblical hearing.
30. It is possible for a reprobate to understand the
biblical Scriptures without a real saving knowledge.
31. There is a false assurance that is different than a
true assurance.
32. False assurance is based on experience over the
written Scriptures.
33. True assurance is based on the written Scriptures over
experience.
34. The Spirit really testifies to a true Christian of his
true assurance.
35. False religions pursue a mere mental ascent to the
alleged meaning of divine truth, but in reality it is merely a spiritually
confounded mess.
36. True religion is a Spirit and Word-born faith that is
captive in everyway to the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ.
37. There is a civil love of miracles that is different
than a biblical love of miracles.
38. The reprobates view miracles as a way to save, but
miracles in themselves cannot save anyone without the regenerating presence of
the Spirit.
39. There is a civil appreciation for God’s creation that
is different than a Spirit-led love of God’s handiwork in the cosmology of
creation.
40. There is a civil love for Jesus Christ that is
different than a Spirit-born love of Jesus Christ. To the one it is designed for hell but to the
other it is for God’s glory unto mercy.
41. There is a civil love for family in hell that is
different than the Spirit-driven love of family in Christ alone.
42. There is a civil love of the Bible that is different
than the love of the Bible among the true people of God in Christ alone.
43. There is a civil baptism that is different than
credo-baptism.
44. There are good and bad basketball players like how the
local church is a group of saved and unsaved people, but the Reformed aim is to
fill the local church with truly born again people for God’s glory unto His
mercy through Jesus Christ our Redeemer and Creator.
45. There is a civil preacher that is different than a
Reformed preacher. The difference is the
meaning of the written Word.
46. There is a civil recognition of sin that is different
than a biblical awakening of sin by God’s free Spirit in light of His written
Word.
47. There is a
civil warm heart that is different from a heart born of the Spirit and Word in
monergistic regeneration.
48. There is a civil justification that is different than
the unbreakable justification by faith alone through Christ alone.
49. There is a civil sanctification that is different than
the true sanctification in a positional and progressive sense from the intended
meaning of the biblical Word.
50. There is a civil glorification that is not the true
past and future glorification of the sole merits of Jesus Christ for His people
unto His glory for mercy. Rather civil
glorification is the glory of others that partake of the merits of Christ not Christ alone.
51. There is a civil argument that is different than a true
defense for the hope that is within us revealed in the divine Scriptures.
52. There is a civil awakening of God’s existence that is
different than the Christian’s awakening of the holy, omnipresence of God.
53. There is a civil awakening of divine Reformed truth
through God’s providential illumination among all people outside of Christ that
is different from a regenerating awakening for the chosen of God in Christ
alone for His glory unto mercy at His appointed time by the free redemptive
work of the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
54. There is a civil judgment on religion that is
different than a judgment of religion by a real and true Spirit-led Christian
in Scriptural discernment.
55. There is a civil suffering unto justice that is
different than a suffering of Christians unto mercy.
56. There is a civil corrective judgment unto damnation
that is different than a Spirit-led corrective judgment unto election.
57. There is a civil interpretation of the biblical
Scriptures than a self-authenticating interpretation of the biblical Scriptures
that seeks without end to arrive at the author’s intended meaning.
58. There is a civil preaching of the biblical gospel
among those called outwardly to the ministry of the Word that is different from
an authentic preaching of the biblical Word among those who truly have Christ
in their hearts and actually live out the written glad tidings of God’s holy
Word in light of the holiness of the Cross of Jesus Christ.
59. There are those who are twice dead among reprobates
that are different than those who are spiritually alive and conquer death
through the bodily resurrection of the victory of the King of kings and Lord of
lords in the matchless glory of God the Father.
60. There is a civil theologian that is different than a
Spirit-awakened theologian.
61. There is a civil apologist that is different than a
Spirit-awakened apologist.
62. There is a civil preacher that is different than a
Spirit-awakened preacher.
63. There is a civil historian that only teaches the
dogmatic history of papal supremacy without regard to true history that is
different than a Spirit-awakened historian about the things of God.
64. There is a civil covering for how someone is right
with a holy God among fallen sinners than the true imputed unified covering of
Christ alone for true justification by a Spirit-and-Word-born faith alone among
true Christians.
65. There is a civil truth among philosophers than a true
truth among Christian philosophers.
66. There is a civil cost for a reprobate that is
different than a biblical understood cost for the name’s sake of Jesus Christ.
67. There is a civil stealing away by false religions
touching spiritually brainwashed people outside of Christ in an elusive
“psychological warfare” that is different than the true stealing away by the absolute
freedom of God’s Spirit and written Word.
68. There is a civil freedom of fallen man that is
different than the absolute, supernatural and superior freedom of a holy Triune
God.
69. There is a civil pursuit of good works that is
different than a true Christian that is created and ordained to do good works. The main difference would be the pervasive
work of God’s Spirit: namely, there is a civil goodness that comes from a holy
God though fallen man is not devoid of absolute responsibility of his sin in
the sin-taintedness of civil goodness but there is a good work of God’s
ordination and creation for Christians to do good works. The Christian has a new nature but those
outside of Christ do not have a new nature but a fallen nature, but there is a
special emphasis for the Christian by the Spirit that does not add to Christ
alone in how someone is right with a holy God but demonstrates their faith in a
predestinarian sense in the outworking of providential history. This demonstrates the faith of a true
Christian. The degree of civil goodness
is from a holy God outside of Christ but the degree of Spirit-led good works is
also from a holy God. None of it
spiritually saves. To the one it
demonstrates that they are sinners outside of Christ in light of His matchless
holiness of a holy God, but to the other good works demonstrate the faith of a
Christian in light of the matchlessness of a holy God. God controls everything in those outside of
Christ for civil goodness and those in Christ for good works, but the
responsibility of their total depravity lies with them. Is sin outside the purpose of God? By no means!
It is all in the first cause of God, but the second cause is the author
of sin. That means God is controlling
things without committing sin through His good holiness! For the one it is meant for the glory of
Jesus unto justice, but for the other it is meant for the glory of Jesus unto
mercy. Which one are you?
70. There is a civil reading of the Bible that is
different than a true meaning of the Bible.
Those who have eyes to see let
them see.
71. There is a civil hearing of the Word preached that is
different than a true hearing of the Word preached. Those
who have ears to hear let them hear.
72. There is civil proclaimation of the Bible that is
different than a true preaching of the Bible.
Those who have mouths to speak
justice let them speak justice.
73. There is a civil defiance in the kingdom of Satan
among the providentially awakened pre-converted elect than a true rebellion
against the kingdom of Satan
among the converted elect.
74. There is also a civil hatred against Satan that is
different than a Christian who battles against him in spiritual warfare with
the armor of Jesus Christ in a spiritual defense for God’s glory alone.
75. There is a civil spiritual warfare against Satan for
those who are not born again that is different than the Christian warfare
against Satan.
76. There is a civil love of Satan for himself to be
turned over to more cosmic sin, because his alleged love is the essence of
wicked sin.
77. There is a civil loving for self-destruction among
reprobates for hell.
78. There is a civil hatred for Satan about himself that
yields spite unto a defeat through pride, but there is no Incarnate Goodness in
him.
79. There is an alleged civil goodness by Satan that is a
masquerading of light. That means he is
able to deceive on appearances. That is,
a house seems good by outward appearance, right? He comes to grant that outward appearance for
the interests of man, but inwardly it yields a fire so dark that only hell
judges the death that never dies in outer darkness and blazing fires of real
and experiential agonizing torments in the real presence of God’s outstretched
wrath of wrath in the real self-torment in the gnashing of teeth where the worm
does not die nor is the fire quenched.
80. Fallen man serves the interests of fallen Lucifer.
81. Fallen Lucifer serves the interests of men.
82. The Christian serves the superlative holy God of the
Bible.
83. Fallen Lucifer furthers all kinds of crimes of
injustice, but besides the plain love of cosmic rebellion and evil, he takes
men to hell with good intentions and a scheme that never avails.
84. Reprobates in the final analysis hate the place of
hell.
85. Christians see the reality of hell as a motivation for
holiness.
86. Fallen Lucifer and his angels are the essence of
attrition.
87. There is a civil repentance that is different than a
true repentance.
88. There is a civil fear that is different than a godly
fear.
89. There is a civil justice that is different than the
justice of the Cross.
90. There is a civil punishment that is different than
eternal punishment.
91. There is civil reward that is different than God as
our greatest reward.
92. There is a
civil change of hearts that is different than spiritual rebirth.
93. There is a civil mindset that is different than the
mind of Jesus.
94. There are civil tears of Esau that are different than
the Spirit-awakened tears of St. Peter, but the commonality is both are tainted
with sin and it cannot save in anyway.
To Esau tears are meant for his turning over to sin by a holy God for justice
and a civil humility that does not lead to true repentance to Christ, but for
St. Peter his tears are meant for his humbling through a holy God’s enabling
divine grace and a Spirit-led humility unto true confession to a holy Triune
God. The set of tears of Esau is
self-piety unto evil, but the set of tears of St. Peter are godly sorrow unto
tears that are not an evil: namely, the tears of St. Peter though they need to
be washed like his repentant confession to a holy Triune God are meant for his good
while the sin-tainted tears of Esau are meant for his self-destruction to the
place of hell. It means God decides who
to save and who to damn, and a holy and sovereign God is controlling the
evidence in the elect and non-elect’s outward demonstration for either salvation
or damnation.
95. There is the betrayal by Judas against Jesus without
restoration but the difference is for God’s people there is a threefold
restoration of St. Peter by Christ due to his denial of Jesus Christ. Every sinner that sins is restored by a holy
God like St. Peter but not like Judas.
That is, Judas was never restored by a holy God. Rather he was judged by a holy God and
accursed unto a disobedience of faith in the gospel.
96. There is a civil difference among the non-believing or
unbelieving. What do I mean? The pre-converted elect do not yet believe
and spend time under damnation, but the never-converted elect will never
believe and always spend under condemnation.
The commonality is under condemnation no one really and truly
believes. How does fallen man find a way
to truly believe? Fallen man only truly
believes because He makes men to differ by His sovereign choice for their
salvation unto eternal mercy. Why does a
holy God seem to save great sinners like St. Paul? A holy Triune
God seeks to forgive much to gain much glory for mercy so His chosen will love
much. It is self-deception to further a
pursuit of great sin to be a great sinner to be saved, but it is not
self-deception to understand in self-awareness that you are a great
sinner. Its not that sin saves someone
if they are a great sinner, but the only way a great sinner is saved is through
God’s choice unto everlasting compassion.
Not every great sinner is saved but God may be more aware that salvation
is needed through a great sinner. God
has to decide according to His righteous good pleasure. You may want to turn to ancient Balaam or
King Saul. None of these men were saved
though great sinners. It means sin
cannot save if used for damnation and a civil pursuit of life, but sin can be
used by a holy God to humble sinners and test motives in a later Spirit-led
turning at His appointed time from those sins to a life of practicing death to
sin and life to Jesus Christ in what is legally true already because of a new
creation in an outward manifestation of repentance unto life and remission.
97. What does a sinner do when he or she cannot repent and
believe the gospel? Should the sinner
sin more to get saved? No, no! If you follow some lawless religious people
in self-deception to sin more to get saved, it will lead you to hell. The best of Christians have been tricked by
Satan, but they defeat him through Spirit-awakened repentance. Satan and the new Balaam will not argue with
you if you want to sin more: namely, he will personally take you to hell
through sinning to belong to Jesus Christ but the deception is that sin will
make you belong to Jesus. It does not
have the spiritual power to do that. Some
so-called Christians think they can help unbelievers to be a greater sinner to
belong to Christ. It is a folly of vanity
in the evil grace of Satan! Sin cannot
make you belong to Christ, because there is no saving power in it. It only has the power to destroy if left
without a holy God in His supernatural intervention for His choice of
mercy. Christians that sin to get people
saved end up on the side of Satan. May I
ask: What does save? It is simply the gift of the Spirit of God
accompanying the Word of God applying the gift of imputed righteousness to a
pre-converted elect sinner: namely, sinners should not pursue a greater
sinnerhood even if a holy God saves greater sinners, but sinners without the
gift of faith and repentance should hear the Word preached. There is also no basis to sin against a
hidden yet known pre-converted sinner so he learns his lesson! You know why?
Christians that intentionally sin commit a greater degree of sin by
trampling the Son of God underfoot again!
The Christians that commit an “unforced force” are abominations before a
holy God, but the reprobate who commit a “forced force” are greater stenches
before a holy God. The outcome is the
great pain and agony of the person who everyone sinned against. Everyone has left. No one is there but only in secret excusing
sin through some justification. When
Christians become like the world Satan gains an edge and what was good and
green in this world will be hide in the abyss of injustice. When the world tries to be like the Christian
church, it is able to hide behind a collection of false beliefs that furthers
the scheme of Satan. There is a small
unity among God’s chosen people in Noah’s family in his wood constructed Ark
that is heard with the laughter of sinful Sarah by the world against Christ,
but there is also a unity among the reprobate that is seen in the Tower of
Babel where ancient and fallen man seek to take God’s holy throne. It is true that Satan hates a predestinarian
God who works out all of this wicked madness for the good of His chosen alone. The true Christians will repent and redeem
the time through nothing added or taken away from the all-exclusive Cross where
also the perfect life of Jesus is how He earned salvation for His chosen people,
but the reprobate will excuse their injustice with more injustice until hell
rains out of heaven again. So again, how
does someone gain faith? It is simply
the Word preached in the convicting presence of God’s Spirit. The Word preached is where the presence of
Christ abides! This means fallen man is
spiritually saved in the hearing of the written Word, because through hearing
the preaching of the biblical Scriptures fallen men comes to true faith. To replace the biblical Word preached is to
bring another authority over the matchless and sole infallible superintendence
of the Word of Truth. Repent and obey the good news.
Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to
face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen,
Here grasp with firmer hand th'eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon thee lean.
Here would I feed upon the bread of God,
Here drink with thee the royal wine of heav'n;
Here would I lay aside each earthly load,
Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.
This is the hour of banquet and of song;
This is the heav'nly table spread for me:
Here let me feast, and, feasting, still prolong
The brief, bright hour of fellowship with thee.
I have no help but thine, nor do I need
Another arm save thine to lean upon:
It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;
My strength is in thy might, thy might alone.
Mine is the sin, but thine the righteousness;
Mine is the guilt, but thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace,
Thy blood, thy righteousness, O Lord my God. (TH, 310).
Here would I touch and handle things unseen,
Here grasp with firmer hand th'eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon thee lean.
Here would I feed upon the bread of God,
Here drink with thee the royal wine of heav'n;
Here would I lay aside each earthly load,
Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.
This is the hour of banquet and of song;
This is the heav'nly table spread for me:
Here let me feast, and, feasting, still prolong
The brief, bright hour of fellowship with thee.
I have no help but thine, nor do I need
Another arm save thine to lean upon:
It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;
My strength is in thy might, thy might alone.
Mine is the sin, but thine the righteousness;
Mine is the guilt, but thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace,
Thy blood, thy righteousness, O Lord my God. (TH, 310).
