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Mr. Ratliff makes another appearance in our blog. He is a Reformed/Calvinist, and as is typical for those of this persuasion, he is entirely convinced of his doctrinal superiority. Many Calvinists have an overconfidence bordering on arrogance.
Also typical for the Calvinist is a singular, almost obsessive focus on the particular doctrines of Calvinism. They will never talk about the Bible unless they can teach Calvinism. This always makes us pause because this kind of dogmatism can be cultic.
Today we can only manage to examine an excerpt of a long, unfocused ramble that is supposed to be about the cross. Mr. Ratliff will devote only about a half of one paragraph to the actual topic, but again, since he's a Calvinist he must insert his Calvinism.
Note that Mr. Ratliff will make numerous undocumented claims in this one paragraph, some of which are not found in the Bible, some that are true, and others which are completely false.
Because Mr. Ratliff cites no Bible verses for any of these assertions, we must deem this Bad Bible Teaching.
We were 100% justified at that moment when we believed the Gospel and turned to Christ as Lord and Saviour. (This is true.)
That means that the Father imputed Christ’s Righteousness to our account (This is false. In actual fact, there is no verse in the NT that tells us Christ's righteousness was imputed to us. God ahead and check it, dear reader.
We we not imputed with righteousness, we are righteous by faith:
Ro. 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Ro. 9:30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith...
The use of the word "obtained" is telling. The Greek word is katalambanó, to lay hold of so as to make one's own, to obtain, attain to... By faith we take hold of righteousness and own it.
We deal extensively with imputation here.)
along with his perfect keeping of the Law, which is his active obedience. (There is no verse in the NT that tells us Jesus needed to perfectly keep the law. Rather, He completely fulfilled the law:
Mt. 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.
It was His sacrifice alone that did everything necessary:
He. 10:12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.)
That means we are not required to keep the Law to “earn” our salvation. (This is true.)
Christ did all this for us. (This is true.)
Remember, on the Cross, our sins, our unrighteousness, were both imputed to Christ (This is false. Jesus' death was sacrificial, not transactional. There was no exchange, His spilled blood alone accomplished our salvation:
He. 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!)
and his death paid the penalty for us. (This is false. There is no NT verse that Jesus paid our penalty or even that there we have a penalty owed. Rather, He ransomed us from sin and death:
1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.
This ransom is His life given to spill His blood. This was not a transaction. No one got paid anything. It was a sacrifice.
We discuss this at length here.)
He paid the penalty that we could never pay. (Sir, who got paid? Where does the Bible say this?)
Our Salvation, then, is our Justification, but it is also our Sanctification, (This is true.)
(Glorification awaits Romans 8:28-30) but this is an ongoing process. It is God’s work, via the Holy Spirit, in us in this life until he takes us home. (This is true.)
This is that part about us working out our own salvation with fear and trembling and being a living sacrifice and becoming transformed through the renewing of our minds. (This is true.)
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