The Gospel For Those Broken by the Church

What does Dr. Rosenbladt mean by "We're pretty clear that imputed righteousness saves sinners, but can the imputed righteousness of Christ save a Christian?" (22:30)
It seems to me that the "sad alumni of Christianity" may well be the tares among the wheat. They made a profession of faith then fell away. They never experienced the "joy of God's Salvation" (Ps 51:12) because it was never theirs.
The believer delights in God's law. (Ps. 119) It's not a burden. While it is certainly true that perfecion is not to be achieved this side of glory, progress in the Christian life, (ie. the believer's continuing sanctification), is a natural and expected outworking of the inward working of the Holy Spirit.
We should hate our sin, and hate ourselves when we sin against a thrice holy God. Thomas Watson said we should do "holy violence" to ourselves regularly as we pursue godliness and holiness, mortifying the flesh, and putting no confidence in it. The works of the flesh contribute nothing toward our salvation but they are a natural outworking of it. This is what Peter meant when he said "make every effort to make your calling and election sure", and what Paul meant when he told the Phillipians to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling". Prove to yourself, and to others, that you do indeed belong to Christ.
The message that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to the scriptures alone for the glory of God alone SHOULD be heard in Lutheran and Reformed circles on a regular basis. But then what? What happens after a Christian closes with Christ and makes Him his own. He then has the rest of his life to sit in church and listen to messages about how to be saved?
This is the Arminian formula. Arminians constantly preach salvation to their people because without doubt, there are a lot of backsliders in the congregation who lost their salvation during the past week and need to be saved again.
Reformed churches equip the saints for service! Yes, constant reminders of what Christ has accomplished for us are necessary so we don’t become proud, or put our confidence in our own righteousness. That’s the heart of true worship! But it should be said that we DO have a love for God's law that unbelievers do not share. We don’t put our faith in it, but we delight in following God’s law. We don’t follow it perfectly, but we still need to know what God requires of us AFTER we are saved.
After salvation comes…what exactly?
Works! Living the Christian life! Mercy! Service! Evangelism! Kingdom building!
I can’t imagine a pastor telling his congregation that if any of them fail repeatedly, they are not among the elect. I CAN imagine him telling them that if they think they can have one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom, or BOTH feet in the world, and show up on the Lord’s Day for worship and sit there in the pews checking their text messages, they probably are not saved yet, and need to carefully examine themselves.
And the “sad alumni” of Christianity, if they are among the elect, will return to God at some point. If not, they never were. I can’t imagine regenerate people leaving the church because they were unable to follow the 3rd use of the law perfectly, especially if they are being taught faithfully from the pulpit. I can easily imagine unregenerate people being convicted of sin on a regular basis who despair, and leave.
Should the church pursue them, change how we do what we do, or remain focused on the business of the Kingdom?
The church has God appointed tasks that we MUST be about.
I’m not convinced we should go out of our way to make the tares comfortable.

"I’m not convinced we should go out of our way to make the tares comfortable." Only God knows who the "tares" are. They grow up with the wheat.

"Should the Church pursue them, change how we do what we do, or remain focused on the business of the Kingdom? The Church has God appointed tasks that we MUST be about."
- D. Howard

Are we so sure of the business of the Kingdom; of what the God-appointed tasks truly are...?
- J. Lewis

"Should the Church pursue them, change how we do what we do, or remain focused on the business of the Kingdom? The Church has God appointed tasks that we MUST be about."
- D. Howard

Are we so sure of the business of the Kingdom; of what the God-appointed tasks truly are...?
- J. Lewis

Galatians 3:26-27

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

I don’t understand how Dr. Rosenbladt can assume (at 32:15) that this verse applies to a person who despairs because he is unable to keep the law perfectly, and walks away from Christ’s church. In light of Jesus’ teaching on the wheat and the tares, the tares must be excluded from the “we” in this verse. Certainly, the tares are in the church, but they are NOT sons of God because they do not have saving faith. They can most assuredly be convicted of their sin by the law, but they love their sin, and refuse to repent of it and forsake it. The verse says “all of you who were baptized into Christ…” Well, these sad alumni may not have been baptized into Christ.

I believe it is a mistake to assume they were when their behavior demonstrates otherwise. Much better to assume they are NOT; that way we know how to relate to them. They need the gospel, and they need to know what it looks like when a person has been born again. Born again people should not look like they fit in comfortably with the world.
Christians are saved, first and foremost, to display God’s glory, and second, we “were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 11, states that:
Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification: yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love.

So, if a person has no works, doesn’t hate their own sin, loves the world, and does not pursue righteousness, why would we assume they are justified? I would submit that the “sad alumni” or the “mad alumni” have accurately perceived their condition, but like the rich young ruler who questioned our Lord Jesus, “was very sad, because he had great riches.”

Now I would be the first to admit that churches are filled with self-righteous people who believe and act as if others need to be at the same level of spiritual maturity as they. These people go so far as to claim that others who are not at the same level of spiritual maturity are not even Christians! This is a serious problem. These people need to be rebuked soundly by the pastor, session and whoever learns about it.

As Paul said in Romans 14:4
“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

Even so, Jesus didn’t say “As long as you love me you can do as you please.” The pattern of a person’s life that has been purchased by the blood of Christ should be godliness. Failures will abound, but not habitual gross sin! Paul urged the Ephesians to live a life worthy of the high calling to which they had been called.

Paul listed the acts of the flesh to the Galatians in Chapter 5, then told them: “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Is Dr. Rosenblat doing a disservice to the unregenerate, and giving them a false assurance? I hope not. He seems to be telling us that even though they left the church, they never left Christ. That could only be true if they went to another church, right? Spiritual gifts are given for service to others in the body. There is no such thing as a “lone ranger Christian”. If we are adopted into the family of God, why would any of us not want to be associated with God’s family somewhere?

Dr. Rosenblatz says at 25:50, “There are going to in heaven, believers in Jesus, who never darkened the doorway of a church.” Is this an overstatement? Seems like it to me.

Yes, Faith in Jesus saves, but then what? How does a person know it happened to him. Isn’t change from worldliness to godliness an inevitable consequence of regeneration? And if there is no change, what can outsiders who are looking on conclude? “He says he’s been born again, but I knew him 10 years ago and he’s still the same person he was back then. He still acts the same way, talks the same way, does the same things.” If coming to know Christ doesn’t make a PROFOUND change in a person’s life, then did he really come to know Christ at all? Change may be slow in coming, but it has to come eventually.

I think Dr. Rosenblatz’s message may be valuable to a very small, select group of regenerate people, but it’s certainly not the rule for the majority of people who “walk with Christ” for a while, then drift away. Those people never knew Christ, and He never knew them.

Am I missing something, or is there a lot of antinomianism in this message? Maybe I need to go back and listen more closely.
It reminds me a lot of the concept of the “carnal Christian” belief. I don’t think there is such thing as a carnal Christian. Regeneration involves a heart transplant, new priorities, denial of self, putting on Christ like a garment; not continuing to wallow in the mire of worldliness.

People who are not part of the body of Christ at all often like to convince themselves that they are born again, and that they don’t need the church. This is a deadly error. It reveals the mistaken belief that the goal of salvation is to get people into heaven.

It isn’t.

As I said earlier, the goal of salvation is 1st and foremost the glory of God, and 2nd that we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We display the glory of God by using the spiritual gifts he gave us for the edification of the church, and for being about the good works that he prepared in advance for us to do.

We don’t simply take the first step of salvation, then take no further steps, but merely return to our lives in the world as if no internal change has been wrought.

Mr. D. Howard:

Yes, I agree with you about the importance of regeneration, and it's manifestation in the individual Christian. But people vary in how they are saved (are led to a point of Justification), and their manner of sanctification. But you actually gave nearly the whole point of the sermon itself, when you said: "He [Dr. Rosenbladt] seems to be telling us, that even though they left the church, they never left Christ." Yes. I think this is the key, or one of the main points.

You bring up issues of morality, of sanctification, of edifying the body, the Law, of meeting with other Christians... Yes these matters are important, but they can revolve somewhat loosely, and even at times inexplicably, around Justification. The Lord knows those who are His - we do not, necessarily. Right?

Further, though, I disagree, Mr. Howard: I believe there can be "Lone Ranger Christians"... (!) I think there are even Christians who do not even know so, that they truly are of the Faith. What of Rahab the prostitute (Hebrews 11: 31), and note Matthew 25: 31 - 46. Matters are more complex than we may be led to believe. Just as Dr Rosenbladt intimated: there may well be many surprises on the last day.

- Respectfully,
John G. Lewis