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MY Part in the UNFINISHED GOSPEL
How Can I Do MY PART
TO 'FINISH' THE UNFINISHED GOSPEL?
A SUMMARY of the UNFINISHED GOSPEL25
"[the essence of saving faith is]"unconditional surrender,
a complete resignation of self and absolute submission...
Salvation is for those who are willing to forsake everything...
Saving faith is a commitment to leave sin and follow Jesus Christ at all cost.
Jesus takes no one unwilling to come on those terms...
Forsaking oneself for Christ's sake is not an optional step of discipleship subsequent to conversion;
it is the sine qua non [ indispensable and essential action] of saving faith.."
John MacArthur, as quoted by Charles Ryrie, So Great Salvation, Moody Publishers, 1997, Chicago, IL, .p.43.
The UNFINISHED GOSPEL, as summarized above in 7-Points, becomes strikingly works-oriented when MY PART is identified and inserted into the 7-Points, below...
"[the essence of saving faith is] "unconditional surrender [MY PART],
a complete resignation of self [MY PART] and absolute submission [MY PART]...
Salvation is for those who are willing to forsake everything [MY PART]...
Saving faith is a commitment to leave sin [MY PART] and follow Jesus Christ at all cost [MY PART].
Jesus takes no one unwilling to come on those terms [MY PART]...
Forsaking oneself for Christ's sake is not an optional step of discipleship subsequent to conversion;
it is the sine qua non [ indispensable and essential action] of saving faith.."
John MacArthur, as quoted by Charles Ryrie, So Great Salvation, Moody Publishers, 1997, Chicago, IL, .p.43. [Bracketed insertions mine]
NOTE: according to MacArthur's own study notes in the MacArthur Study Bible about King David as God's "man after My own heart" at Acts 13:22, MacArthur writes that "Some would question the reality of this designation for David since he proved to be such a sinner at times...no man after God's own heart is perfect; yet he will recognize sin and repent of it, as did David (Psa 32:38,51)". (bold emphasis mine) This reveals the contradiction of the MacArthur 'MY PART' requirements of the Unfinished Gospel above.
Since I must contribute more to the Gospel above than to simply "believe", then it is an UNFINISHED GOSPEL. It is emblematic of that first bedrock issue the Apostolic Church faced in Acts 15:9-11: Must the Gospel of Salvation by Faith require obedience to the Law Of Moses — or likewise, in this case the 7-POINTS above — to be a Saving Faith? This same question that faced those Apostles of Jesus Christ in Acts 15:10 applies to the 7-POINT [MY PART] "Gospel" above— "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a [7-PART] yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?" The answer remains the same: God saved them by "cleansing their hearts by faith" and "we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." (Acts 15:9, 11)
Since, in this UNFINISHED GOSPEL, I am expected to "surrender", "resign self", "submit", etc., then I am not "helpless" — a helpless sinner — as Romans 5:6-8 says I must be to be saved. I can and must DO MY PART, as shown above. At the point I DO MY PART, then the Gospel above will be FINISHED. Only at that point can I be saved because "Jesus takes no one unwilling to come on those terms" (Point-7). According to the above this Unfinished Lordship-Gospel is the "indispensable and essential action of saving faith".
The essence of the UNFINISHED GOSPEL is this — It needs my help!
1. But as a helpless sinner, am I not helpless? (Romans 5:6; Ephesians 2:1)
2. Why should I be condemned for being "unwilling" to help with MY PART? I am unable to help with MY PART. (Romans 8:7-8)
3. Before I become "born again", how can I commit to "walk as children of light” if I am not yet "light in the Lord", as I must be to be able to "walk as children of light"? (Ephesians 5:8).
4. If I am not yet "created in Christ Jesus for good works", how can I promise good works and gain salvation “on those terms”? (Ephesians 2:10)
This "Gospel" requires MY PART to truly say "It is finished." That's why I call it the UNFINISHED GOSPEL. It has no more power than 'MY PART' has. And I am helpless.
I am a helpless sinner who cannot help to finish this man-made UNFINISHED GOSPEL.
BELOW: Ephesians 2:8-10 (below left) distorted (below right) by Faith PLUS trust in future Works to pave the path to salvation. In the distorted version, I can "boast" that "When I believed in Christ I committed myself to a dedicated life of righteous works." Is this not a boast? When "I believed" (Faith), "I committed" (Works). Ephesians doesn't permit this. There are to be NO WORKS — promises, pledges, commitments, etc. anywhere on the graph below that is LEFT of CHRIST'S FINISH LINE.
