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Matthew Pearson☩🌲

@_matthewpearson

Sep 1, 2024

For clarity's sake given the controversy caused by this, let's go into some basics:

1. This controversy stems from the fact that often times when Protestants speak on soteriology there is a tendency to conflate justification with salvation. This is not without warrant and the apostle Paul himself even appears to use this sort of language in Ephesians 2:8-10. The problem appears when one exclusively uses "salvation" to refer to justification.

2. As Protestants, we believe that justification is by faith alone. Faith alone is the only condition necessary for receiving justification from God. With WCF 11.2 we affirm, "Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification."

3. The Christian life is not confined to justification, but includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. All of these aspects of the Christian life can be grouped under the category of "salvation" and without one of these someone cannot be saved. Something important to understand about sanctification is that it is not equal in all (we are each given differing gifts and capacities as men), yet God still graciously labors with us to drive us towards holiness. WLC question 77 says of sanctification that it "is neither equal in all, nor in this life perfect in any, but growing up to perfection."

4. Given the Reformed understanding of perseverance of the saints, those who are united to Christ receive all the gracious benefits of Christ, one of those being the grace of perseverance. This means that if one is justified he will necessarily be sanctified and perform good works through the aid and assistance of the Spirit of God working in us. WCF 11.2 states, "yet is it [faith] not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love."

5. Given that sanctification requires one to perform good works for growth in holiness and that without this no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14, Rom. 2:5-11, Matthew 7:16-20), it can be said that this falls under the category of salvation. Thus, when one says "good works are necessary for salvation," they are not claiming good works to be necessary for justification or that good works merit salvation, but that they are a necessary means, condition, and antecedent to the attainment of salvation.

6. Search the scriptures in all things, but if you are Reformed be careful pointing and screeching heresy for those who affirm the necessity of good works for salvation. Here are four of our forefathers on the necessity of good works for attaining salvation (emphasis added):

John Calvin:
"He [God] announces, therefore, that the rewards for virtues are stored up with him, and that the man who obeys his commandments does not do so in vain... he promises both blessings in the present life and everlasting blessedness to those who obediently keep his commandments."
-Institutes bk. 2 ch. 8.4

Peter Martyr Vermigli:
“God has ordained to the elect not only glory but also good works, that is, the means by which he will have his elect come to glory. By this we may see how terribly deceived they are who live wickedly and yet boast that they are predestined, for the Scriptures teach that according to God's predestination, men are not brought to glory by wicked acts and evil deeds, but by a virtuous living and manners. Nor are they to be listened to who cry out, ‘No matter how I live, the predestination of God will have its effect.’ This is to be utterly ignorant of what predestination is, and to abuse it horribly.”
-Locus on Predestination, Art. 1.12

Thomas Watson:
“What must we do to obtain this
kingdom?
(1) In general, take pains for it. We cannot have the world without labor, and do we think to have grace? ‘If you Seek her as silver.’ Proverbs 2:4. A man may as well expect a crop without sowing, as grace without labor. We must not think to have grace as Israel had manna; who did not plough nor sow-but it was rained down from heaven upon them. No, we must operam dare, take pains for grace. Our salvation cost Christ blood, and will cost us sweat.”
-The Lord's Prayer, pg. 106-107 ( pdf edition)

Francis Turretin:
"[E]veryone sees that there is the highest and an indispensible necessity of good works for obtaining glory. It is so great that it cannot be reached without them (Heb. 12:14; Rev. 21:27)."
-Institutes vol. 2 topic 17 third question XII

"Works can be considered in three ways: either with reference to justification or sanctification or glorification. They are related to justification not antecedently, efficiently and meritoriously, but consequently and declaratively. They are related to sanctification constitutively because they constitute and promote it. They are related to glorification antecedently and ordinatively because they are related to it as the means to the end; yea, as the beginning to the complement because grace is glory begun, as glory is grace consummated."
-Institutes vol. 2 topic 17 third question XIVmongergism.com

Had to edit this post because of typos, formatting, and certain bits of wonky phrasing.

I should have an editor for my tweets.

Something I would like to add btw:

I think there is an absolute need to retrieve this doctrine for the sake of practical application in the church and encouragement towards lives of holiness, but we always must clarify our terms. Do not just say “good works are necessary” without carefully clarifying your terms so as not to cause scandal. I have been guilty of this in the past and believe it can discourage many in their faith who may misunderstand.

Read 4 tweets

Matthew Pearson☩🌲

@_matthewpearson

Nov 20, 2023

https://twitter.com/snemes12/status/1726583434712379805

I will attempt to explain this in a distinctly Reformed manner but also in such a way that others who affirm real presence (RC’s, EO’s, Lutherans, etc) may sympathize with certain points. Here’s a thread:

https://twitter.com/snemes12/status/1726583434712379805

Traditional Christian theology begins by assuming that human beings are composed of both body and soul (Gen 2:7; Eccl 12:7; Luke 23:43; Matt 10:28). Just as our bodies hunger and thirst for food, so too do our souls thirst after God for nourishment (Psalm 42:1-2).

While our bodies one day die, our souls continue on experiencing spiritual life through beholding the face of God (1 John 3:2), or spiritual death through enduring everlasting torment (Mark 9:47b-48).

Read 17 tweets

Matthew Pearson☩🌲

@_matthewpearson

Jun 6, 2023

“Millions have begun to feel like strangers in their own land. They recoil from a popular culture that is saturated with raw sex and trumpets hedonistic values. They see old holidays disappear and old heroes degraded. They see the art and artifacts of a glorious past removed from

their museums and replaced by the depressing, the ugly, the abstract, the anti-American. They watch as books they cherished disappear from the schools they attended, to be replaced by authors and titles they never heard of. The moral code that they were raised to live by has

been overthrown. The culture they grew up with is dying inside the country they grew up in. In half a lifetime, many Americans have seen their God dethroned, their heroes defiled, their culture polluted, their values assaulted, their country invaded, and themselves

Read 5 tweets

Matthew Pearson☩🌲

@_matthewpearson

Jun 5, 2023

1. Sam Francis has many interesting political insights and quoting him does not imply a full endorsement of all his ideas, especially those regarding race.
2. Why don’t you publicize my thread where I explicitly state I am not a white nationalist?

https://twitter.com/_matthewpearson/status/1658538919867080710?s=46&t=ACCVE628ay-2CJnqhb6dng3

https://twitter.com/blakecallens/status/1665557170795028482

3. Historically speaking, the Jews (both the leaders and the crowd demanding he be crucified) killed Christ in giving him to the Romans. This is a historical fact that has real theological implications regarding the covenants and we shouldn’t ditch it because of post-WW2 values.

I do not think Blake will take my comments in good faith. He seems to be set in his ways. I say all this for those watching the madness who may be curious. I would say mark and avoid Blake by block, but he clearly uses something to get around the blocks so do what you will.

Read 4 tweets

Matthew Pearson☩🌲

@_matthewpearson

Jun 4, 2023

Watching people outside of RW circles try and decode RW language and then triumphantly proclaim someone a racist when they think they've cracked it and supposedly spot it somewhere has got to be some of the funniest stuff the Lord has graced me to witness.

We're not as clever as they think. Most of the dog whistles I learn about I learn not from RW circles but from these watch dogs trying to figure out the online right.

I honestly think the way it goes is that they latch onto a term or phrase used pretty widely, find a connection in a smaller circle with that phrase, and then project it onto all usages of that phrase.

You see this frequently with the claim that "fren" means far right ethno-nat.

Read 4 tweets

Matthew Pearson☩🌲

@_matthewpearson

Mar 21, 2023

🧵
Johannes Althusius on the character and customs of various peoples:

“The character, customs, nature, attitude, and viewpoint of the people are to be sought and learned from the nature and location of a region, and from the age, condition, circumstances, and education of the people therein. One learns about the nature of men from the location of

the region. He does this by considering whether the region is situated in the east, north, west, south, or wherever in relation to the rising and setting of the sun, and whether it is flat, mountainous, windy, or calm. Oriental peoples are by nature more humane and polite than

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