Sword & Trowel 2019: Issue 1
DUTY FAITH I
T IS THE bounden duty of all who hear the Gospel to savingly trust in Christ, otherwise their re- jection of him would be no sin. Many of our readers will be surprised to hear that this self-evident truth is denied by some who are, otherwise, sound in the faith. They reason that it is inconsistent to call upon the spiritually dead to perform spiritual duties. A certain denomination in England have the following among their Articles of Faith:
‘We deny duty-faith and duty- repentance — these terms signifying that it is every man’s duty to spir- itually and savingly repent and believe (Genesis 6.5; 8.21; Matthew 15.19; Jeremiah 17.9; John 6.44, 65). We deny also that there is any capability in man by nature to any spiritual good whatever. So that we reject the doctrine that men in a state of nature should be exhorted to believe in or turn to God (John 12.29, 40; Ephesians 2.8; Romans 8.7, 8; 1 Corinthians 4.7). Therefore, that for ministers in the present day to address unconverted persons, or indiscriminately all in a mixed congre- gation, calling upon them to savingly
Arthur W Pink (1886-1952)
Do all people have a duty to repent and believe?
– by A W Pink –
repent, believe, and receive Christ, or perform any other acts depend- ent upon the new creative power of the Holy Spirit, is, on the one hand, to imply creature power, and, on the other, to deny the doctrine of special redemption.’
As some of our readers have im-
bibed this error, we are anxious to be of help to them. We have therefore decided to give brief quotations from the writings of the Reformers and Puritans, to show how the framers of those [Gospel Standard] Articles of Faith departed from the path and policy followed by so many eminent saints of God who preceded them.
JOHN CALVIN
‘The mercy of God is offered equally to those who believe and to those who believe not, so that those who are not divinely taught within are rendered inexcusable’ (1552 – The Eternal Predestination of God, p. 95).
‘A slight acquaintance with Paul will enable anyone to understand, without tedious argu- ment, how easily he reconciled things which they pretend to be re- pugnant to each other. Christ commands men to believe in him, yet his limitation is neither false nor contrary to his com- mand when he says “No man can come to me
Duty Faith – by A W Pink page 15
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