Now looking back my Christian life (received Christ as Redeemer and Lord in my 1st year college in Austin, TX), there are few things that I wish I had in my college years.

(i) Reformed Confession of Faith (particularly the Westminster Confession of Faith)

(ii) the Study Bible (NIV Study Bible was the only one that was available, but now I recommend the Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (NIV), because the notes are better than the Reformation Study Bible (ESV) & it has WCF and the Three Forms of Unity in the back: a winning combination, or ESV Study Bible)

*Note: The MacArthur Study Bible is coming out in ESV but since I don’t own one I can’t recommend it (not sure how dispensational his notes are)

(iii) and of course, Cornelius Van Til’s Defense of Faith

(iv) finally, wish I had joined a Reformed congregation when I was younger

If you are on your own at some college campus, surviving through KCF’s & some application driven preaching somewhere, I suggest you take hold of those three that I mentioned above (possibly with the fourth one): You can’t go back to “just read your bible and pray” Christian life.

The reason why I mentioned above items is because: I would have known and appreciated the Gospel of Jesus Christ in clearer way (this makes life and death difference). If you utilize the resources above (that is, you actually sit down and read through the books), you would not become a victim of the Legalism, which is no Gospel at all.

So what I am about to say regarding Legalism can be found in the Reformed tradition, particularly in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

This is my plea: Read the Confession.
You will say the same thing to others, once you taste the Westminster Standards.

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The very first thing that I want to mention is: You CANNOT confuse Justification & Sanctification.

Traditionally, the confusion between the two very important doctrines occurred in the Roman Church. Some accuse Roman church for placing Sanctification before the Justification (I’m sure you have heard people saying Roman Catholics teach works-righteousness (you earn your salvation through your works) whereas the protestants got Justification by faith alone right thanks to Martin Luther). As far as I know (after reading the Trent, Vatican II, Catholic Catechism, Hans Kung’s Justification; yea, he’s liberal, I know), that is completely false. The Rome never taught or teaches “salvation by works.” Never! They emphasize “Salvation not by works but by Grace.”

HOWEVER, the problem lies in their confusion of the Justification and Sanctification in a “Christian’s” (not a pagan’s) life (after you become a Christian). It (Catholic teaching) goes something like this:

You are saved by grace alone. Human beings do not contribute to their own salvation (we agree). But you do not and cannot know infallibly that you are saved (we disagree: Read WCF Ch.18 or Lager Catechism Q.80). (We can understand what Catholics are saying because (i) you never heard God’s voice confirming your salvation, (ii) remaining sin in our Christian life often makes you wonder whether you are saved or not). Since you CANNOT know for sure that you are saved, you now must perform good works. Then, at the judgment seat, God “may” give you the pass (WCF LC Q&A 90 talks about final acquittal at the consummation but this differs substantially from what we are saying about the Catholic teaching).

Did you get that? The justification of the sinners is contingent upon the success of the sanctification of the believer’s life. As my advisor taught me, the contention of the Reformation was not so much about the Justification by faith (Luther) vs. Works (Catholics), but rather the Assurance of Salvation. So the Reformers mocked them by saying, “Does Pope know? (that he is absolutely, infallibly saved)” Since Catholic teaching never allows you to have assurance of your salvation, Catholic teaching de facto becomes works-righteousness in the end. It’s no different from other religions of the world.

*Justification comes at the outset of Christian life, independent from your good works: it’s declaration of pardon by God; it’s judicial; it depends on Christ’s work & merit. And we receive it by faith “alone.” The traditional (yet still helpful) language that is used to describe Justification is IMPUTATION; imputation of Christ’s righteousness to sinners.

*Sanctification is the life of a sinner who is declared just by God (by virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection) in the power of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of mortifying sin remaining in our lives. However weak you may become/feel about your Christian life, your Justification stands. That is, you cannot lose your salvation because it (salvation) never really depended on your performance in the first place.

Today’s lesson: Do not confuse Justification and Sanctification. Stand with the Reformed tradition on these doctrinal teachings (read ch.11, 13, 16, 18 of Westminster Confession of Faith)