Editorial
Unconditional Election
Some Reformation
Theologians:
Ulrich Zwingli
Books
The callous indifference that abounds in our day to the rights of God stems largely from acceptance of the view that 'science' has disproved the Biblical idea of God. "All we can know for certain," it is cockily claimed, "is what science reveals. The rest you Christians accept by faith" [by which they mean a leap into the unproven dark]. "And since science cannot prove the deity, virgin birth and resurrection of Christ, why should we believe in them?"
Such shallow arrogance ignores one fundamental fact: scientific proof is not the only form of proof. There is such a thing as forensic proof, and it is even more valid than scientific proof.
The difference between them may be simply stated. Scientific proof depends on repeated experiment, observed under controlled conditions to amass data and reach conclusions. These conclusions are only hypotheses, which may be challenged and abandoned after further experiment. This is accepted scientific method. By contrast, forensic proof is based on the sheer weight of evidence. Once reached, its conclusions stand beyond all reasonable doubt. This method, in constant use by police forensic departments and accepted in every court of law, depends on two things: the reliability of evidence and the trustworthiness of witnesses.
By its very nature, therefore, scientific method is incompetent to prove 'one-off' historical events, such as the virgin birth and the resurrection, whereas forensic method is competent. For those who claim the need to be convinced, we recommend Truth Unchanged, Unchanging (Bible League Quarterly) and Sola Scriptura (Soli Deo Gloria). There they may find ample evidence and many trustworthy witnesses to its reliability.
Having said this, we do not believe that the root of the problem lies in the lack of evidence at all, but in man's spiritual darkness and deep-seated hatred of God, the holy God who demands that we give up all sin, in both heart and life. This hatred can only be removed by God Himself, entering the heart through His Word in the power of His Holy Spirit. "Ye must be born again," said our Lord (John 3.7), and that by the Spirit of God. (Titus 3.3-7)
To convince us without a shadow of doubt, therefore, God has in mercy provided a form of proof superior to both scientific and forensic proof. It is supernatural proof. Only when He Himself removes our darkness and hatred will the problem of proof disappear. Says Calvin justly: "When God shines into us by His Spirit, He at the same time causes that sacred truth which endures for ever to shine forth in the mirror of His Word." Therefore "they who have been inwardly taught by the Spirit feel an entire acquiescence in the Scripture, and that it is self-authenticated, carrying with it its own evidence (Ed), and ought not to be made the subject of demonstration and arguments from reason." This is because He is the Spirit of Truth and His Word is Truth. Here, then, is proof positive, when God Himself provides the evidence and is the absolutely trustworthy Witness to its reliability.
Let us then read His Word, the Holy Bible, more than all other books. Let us beg Him to enable us to receive it, not even as the word of trustworthy human witnesses, but as it is in truth, the Word of God (John 5.34; 1 Thess 2.13; 1 John 5.6-8) and the Word of Christ, the Faithful and true Witness. (Col 3.16; Rev 3.14)
"What does it matter anyway?" you ask. It matters this much: if you do not believe, you rob God of His glory and yourself of salvation. Therefore, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16.30-31) Then you shall have the proof within yourself.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. (Ephesians 1.3-5)
By way of introduction we need to take a couple of moments to put both subject and text in context. Our subject is the doctrine of unconditional election - the second point of Calvinism. But it is not a doctrine to be understood in splendid isolation from all the other doctrines of Sovereign Grace. It is the second of the five points. The first point, total depravity, presents us with man as he is in the state of nature, totally depraved. The final point, the perseverance of the saints, presents us with man as he is in a state of grace. What we have in the second, third and fourth points is how it is that a man can get from the first point to the final point. It is all of grace, it has nothing whatever to do with works of ours. It is the work of God who does it from beginning to end. It is the work of God in the Trinity of His persons. We believe in God - Father, Son and Holy Ghost - the covenant Triune Jehovah: and every one of the three persons of the Godhead is wondrously engaged in the salvation of souls from sin.
Our particular point this evening is unconditional election - that is God the Father, the author of our salvation, unconditionally choosing a people to save. The third point is limited atonement - that is God the Son coming into the world to save his people from their sins. And then the fourth point is irresistible grace - that is God the Holy Ghost - who applies our salvation to us one by one. God the Father authors it in eternity past: God the Son has accomplished it in the history of time: and God the Holy Ghost comes in the time of our little lives and touches our hearts and transforms our lives; gives to us a new life and we are born again. We are broken and convicted of our sin and we are made again and converted to the Saviour; drawn by grace, we come to faith in Him and we cast ourselves at the foot of Calvary’s cross and we look to Christ and Him alone - new creatures in Christ Jesus. So this salvation is the work of God, the Father who authors; the Son who accomplishes; the Holy Ghost who applies. So it is the work of the Father that is taking our particular attention this evening. That puts our subject in its context.
We need also to put this text into context. It comes towards the beginning of the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, an epistle brim full of doctrine and of practice. Paul first visited Ephesus during his second missionary journey; he then spent two years there during his third missionary journey. He is writing to the Lord’s people, to the church there in that city of Ephesus from his prison in Rome, about AD 60-62. This Epistle is in two halves. Chapters one, two and three are doctrine, what Christians should believe; four, five and six are practice, how Christians should behave. It has been said that the apostle’s doctrine is all practice and the practice is all doctrine. Nevertheless we can draw a distinction, and our text comes very early on in the doctrinal half.
From verse 3 to verse 14, Paul offers praise to the Almighty for spiritual blessings. He sets out his stall here, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”. This is Paul’s theme here, spiritual blessings in heavenly places, all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; he is showing we have no spiritual blessings in and of ourselves but spiritual blessings have come to us from God and they have come to us in Christ. Having set out his stall, Paul proceeds to wax lyrical about these spiritual blessings. He talks for example in verse 5 about adoption - what it is to be adopted into the family of God - for a child of hell to be made a child of heaven!
Verse 4 begins “according as”. What an important phrase that is! This fourth verse deals with this great doctrine of unconditional election. This verse is telling us that all the spiritual blessings in heavenly places which are ours in Christ are all ‘according as’ we are chosen in Him, all according to the election of grace. Without election there are no spiritual blessings - no adoption, no acceptance, no redemption, no forgiveness. That is why unconditional election is so important.
I want to present this doctrine as simply as possible that our souls might be thrilled all over again. I have two main points - what unconditional election is, and what unconditional election does.
1 What unconditional election is
Our focus here is on just six words, “He hath chosen us in him”. We have as compact a summary of this doctrine here as anywhere in Scripture. It is all there in miniature. Who is this ‘he’ of whom the text speaks? Verse 4 comes after verse 3 and the ‘he’ of verse 4 is none other than the one spoken of in the verse 3, “the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ”. That is who the ‘he’ is - the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of Heaven, the God of Glory, the eternal God, who is ever will be. It is God the Creator, who has created everything out of nothing in six days, God the sustainer, who sustains everything by the word of His power, God the redeemer, who has the right to choose a people for Himself. For He has created us all and all have fallen short of His glory, and we are by nature totally depraved. He is our great Creator; He has crown rights over us, the right to unconditionally elect a people to Himself. He has not only the right, but He has also the power -the power to decree that it shall be done. This God and none other is the one who has chosen us in Him.
He hath chosen. Oh how we love these words, “hath chosen”! We notice it is in the past tense; not in the present, “He is choosing”; not in the future, “He will choose”. There is nothing left undone about this. There is nothing that remains to be done. It is done and dusted, “He hath chosen”. When has he chosen? The text goes on to tell us, “before the foundation of the world”. It was in eternity past that God the Father authored our salvation. Not just a long time ago, not just in the beginning of time when this world was first created but before this world was ever founded, before time was ever brought into existence, in eternity past God set His love upon a people, poor lost sinners, and He chose sovereignly and graciously, to redeem us from our sin. These words “election, chosen”, they are related; they speak of the same thing. You young people here, you know what an election is don’t you? We have an election coming up. There are different people on the ballot slip, and we put our cross by those whom we would choose. That is a very earthly illustration. God has chosen to save some and to leave others in the lostness of their sin. He has elected some unto everlasting life and he has left others to everlasting destruction. We have an illustration of this in Jacob and Esau. We read of Jacob and Esau in Genesis; but you remember how Paul, writing to the Romans, treating this same doctrine of unconditional election on another occasion, refers to Jacob and Esau in the middle of Romans 9. Numerous verses are relevant to our subject - v11, “the purpose of God according to election”, v15, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion”. But we home in on v13, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated”. Now the Lord bestowed many temporal blessings upon Jacob and Esau, and their families, but He chose sovereignly to bestow spiritual blessings on Jacob and not upon Esau. God has chosen to love, savingly, sovereignly, graciously, redemptively, particular people and to save them by glorious grace. Jacob was just one and we - oh by grace - are among that number too and we know it is all of grace. He has chosen.
And then, “He hath chosen us”. Who is Paul writing to? He is writing as a believer to believers, “to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus”. It is not all men, but he has chosen some. He did not love Esau as he loved Jacob; He did not choose Esau as He chose Jacob. He has chosen some men. And He has done it unconditionally - the doctrine we are thinking about this evening is not just election - it is, to give it its full and grandest title, ‘The Doctrine of Unconditional Election’. In other words it is not conditional upon anything that we are, or anything we will ever be, or anything that we have done, are doing or ever will do. It is unconditional. You ask me, “Why should he choose me, and not someone else?” and I have to tell you, “I don’t know.” He chose me because He chose me. It is sovereign grace for Him to have mercy upon me, that’s the wonder of election. One of the greatest criticisms that will be brought against this doctrine by those who are unsympathetic to it, is that it is unfair. Isn’t it unfair that God should hate Esau and love Jacob? It’s unfair that God should choose some and leave others in their sin. Well, when anyone says that to me, I say - not to be aggressive but rather to be winsome - let me take a moment to tell you what is fair. What is fair is that we should all be left as we are by nature. What is fair is this, that we should all be lost in sin to all eternity. What is fair is that we should all be found in Hell forever and ever, that we should all suffer eternal punishment for our sins. That’s what is fair. I will tell you what is gracious and that is that God the Father has unconditionally chosen a people for Himself. The wonder is not that He has not chosen all, but that He has chosen any; and what is even more wonderful is that He has counted us among that number. He has chosen us.
But the text doesn’t end there. “He hath chosen us in him”. Who is this, ‘him’? It is our Lord Jesus Christ, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”. It is all in Him. May I suggest to you that if all this text said was, “He hath chosen us”, that would not be enough. Every word of Scripture counts and oh how these two little words count! It is all in Him, and but for Him there would be no salvation. God the Father first elected Him to be the head of the body, and He then elected us to be the body joined to the head. As one of the old divines has put it - and I love this - “Out of the womb of election came first the head and then the body.” Isn’t that lovely? We are used to natural birth, first the head and then the body. We have the Head there in Isaiah, “Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom I delight.” Christ is God’s elect. Believing friend, He chose Christ before He chose you!
At this point it is worth remarking that there is a sense in which - hold on before you charge me with heresy - election is not unconditional. It is unconditional regarding us, but it is not unconditional regarding Him. It is conditional upon His doing everything necessary to save His people from their sins - conditional upon Him leaving heaven’s glory, entering into earth’s shame, being born as a helpless babe, growing up in a carpenter’s shop in Nazareth, going around living and ministering, having nowhere to lay His head, and going all the way to Calvary, all the way to the cross, to that crown of thorns being impressed on His brow, to nails being hammered through His hands and feet, and to that spear being thrust into His side, and to His enduring the very depths of hell for our salvation: unconditional regarding us, but conditional regarding Him, for He has chosen us ‘in Him’. That’s what conditional election is.
2 What unconditional election does
It is one thing to know to know the doctrine in our head; another thing to put that doctrine into practice in our lives. We are saved from sin, but what are we saved for? Our text continues “According as he hath chosen us in Him, before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love”; therefore, it’s not just a question that we have been chosen in him, full stop, but He has chosen us in Him that, by God’s grace, we should be something to God’s glory. These words - ‘holy and without blame before Him in love’ teach us, firstly that we should be holy in life: secondly that we should be blameless in death and thirdly, that we should be loved in eternity.
Firstly, holy in life. To be holy is to be sanctified, or set apart - set apart from this world, set apart for the next world, set apart from sin, set apart for holiness, set apart from the ungodly, set apart for God, set apart from shame and set apart for glory. Scripture speaks of us being made holy - in three tenses, past, present and future. There is a sense in which we have been made holy already - the moment we are justified, we are pronounced righteous and in principle we are holy and we shall never be more holy in the eyes of the Almighty than we are then. We are also being made holy in the present tense - that’s sanctification, as progressively we are cast into the image of Christ and moulded into the likeness of God as the corners are knocked off us and we are moulded into shape, making progress in holiness, day by day, hour by hour. There is also the future tense: we will be made holy, that’s glorification. Justification the ‘has been’, sanctification the ‘are being’, glorification the ‘will be’ when we are taken from this world to the next, from time to eternity; from all our shame, to be glorified and received into Heaven and to see Christ, and be made like Him and be with Him to the endless ages of eternity, then we will be holy, holy as we have never been before.
Holiness in life is so important. We praise God that we have been made holy and will be made holy, but we must lay the emphasis, as Paul does, on being made holy. This is the “them” of the last three chapters of Ephesians, which can be broken down into holiness in the church, holiness in the world and holiness in the home. Regarding holiness in the church, Paul writes about our unity and our diversity as the people of God. Together we press on to maturity - not just staying as we are, as we have always been, but growing to maturity. Regarding holiness in the world, Paul uses the picture of walking. He says firstly, “walk not as others do”, secondly “not as you once did”, and thirdly, “walk as God does”. I am paraphrasing there but that is the gist of it. We are not to walk as other do, because by grace we are not as others are. Neither are we to walk as once we did, because by grace we are not as once we were, but rather we are to walk as God does. We are to be holy, sanctified, set apart to God and to His Glory. Regarding holiness in the home, he deals with husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants, employers, employees, it’s all there. Unconditional election makes us holy in life.
Secondly it makes us blameless in death - “without blame before Him.” There are three things which are inextricably linked in the Scriptures -sin, death and judgment. Sin leads to death and death leads to judgment. You remember those classic words of Ezekiel 18, “the soul that sinneth it shall die.” And those other classic words said in Hebrews 9, “it is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment”. But unconditional election makes us blameless in death, because Christ has once and for all dealt with our sin. Christ has gained the victory over death and therefore we are holy and we are blameless. We shall stand before God and He shall look upon His Son and He shall pardon us.
Oh, what a thing it is to be holy in life, and blameless in death! John Wesley used to say, if I dare mention his name from this pulpit, regarding the early Methodists, “Our people die well”. Well I say to you this evening, if Arminians can die well then Calvinists ought to be able to die even better, because He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him.
Thirdly, we are loved in eternity - “holy and blameless in love”. Heaven is a world of love and to be in heaven is to be loved by God to the endless ages of eternity. Hell is a place where there is no love and to be in Hell will be to be hated by God for all eternity. “Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated”. What is the fulfilment of that love for Jacob and for every elect soul? It is heaven, the world of love. “Esau have I hated.” What is the fulfilment of that hatred? The hatred of God is known in its fullest expression in hell. In heaven God is nothing but love to those who are there. In hell God is nothing but hate to those who are there. So there is nothing more dreadful than to be found in hell and there is nothing more glorious than the prospect of being found in heaven.
I am only scratching the surface, but that’s something of what unconditional election does and isn’t it glorious? Isn’t it wonderful? Well the clock is quickly moving on but as we gather some threads together to a conclusion, I want to make one point very clear, and that is this, that the doctrine of election is never an excuse for disobedience. The story is told, and I am given to understand that it’s true story, about someone who went to speak with our friend in Northern Ireland, Dr Ian Paisley. He had heard Dr Paisley preaching on this theme of election and he didn’t really understand this doctrine as many of us do; it perplexed him somewhat, he was concerned about it and he went and spoke with Dr Paisley about it and they had a rather lengthy conversation together and they were talking backward and forward and at the end of the day the preacher concluded his conversation with this man in these words, “Election is God’s business, now you go and mind your own business”. Now we must understand aright what the preacher was saying. He was not saying that election was not important, or that we shouldn’t study it, or love it, or meditate upon it, or derive all the comfort we can from it, but rather, that election is never an excuse for disobedience.
Most of you, I expect, are believers. Well, how is it possible that the doctrine of election could become an excuse for disobedience in your life and testimony? Well, in at least two ways.
Firstly, regarding ourselves - the grand old divines, they used to use a word that we don’t really use any more, they used to speak of “improving” your election. Now you might think to yourself, “How can I improve on my election? There is no improvement necessary and no improvement possible”. Well, that is true but what these grand old divines had in mind was texts such as 2 Peter 1.10, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” Now if we are chosen ‘in Him’, our election is sure and it will never be any more sure. But Peter is saying, don’t allow election to become an excuse for disobedience, or for sub-standard attitudes to holiness. The devil will tempt even the best Christian at times to think that there is not really any need to be in earnest about holy living, because after all I am saved, and I cannot be lost - so the old enemy would seek to tell us, it doesn’t matter how we live - oh yes it does! Old Mr Spurgeon - we can’t get through a meeting like this without quoting Mr Spurgeon! - he used to say, “Chosen people should live choice lives”. Someone else has said, “Holy calling never goes hand-in-hand with low living”, and that’s true as well. If we profess to have been called with a holy calling then we should live the highest of lives; if we profess to be the chosen of God, then we should live the choicest of lives of all men upon the face of the earth.
Secondly, regarding others - and here I am thinking in particular of evangelizing of the lost. We have Christ’s commission to His church in every age at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and Earth, go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I’ve commanded and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, Amen”. The old enemy would tempt us to think, if the elect are going to be saved and those who are not elect are not going to be saved, then, what’s the point of evangelism? What’s the point of preaching the gospel? What’s the point of reasoning with souls? Because it was all done and dusted in eternity past. But God uses means, and he has ordained obedience to the great commission. So, don’t allow election to be an excuse for disobedience in evangelizing the lost. And if I can add this, neither do we need to think of terms of preaching the gospel in spite of election. I am concerned that there are some people in our circles today who seem to think that the doctrine of election is somehow a hindrance in evangelism and the preaching of the gospel. But rather, the doctrine of election should be a great motivating force to us in the preaching of the gospel. There was a Calvinistic man labouring faithfully, pastoring a church on a big estate in the middle of Birmingham among some of the worst sinners who ever lived in those high-rise blocks, and he had an Arminian friend who said, “I don’t know how you can do it, if you believe in election, because why on earth would God choose people like that”. To which the Calvinist replied, “If I was an Arminian I’d have quitted long ago. If I thought that these people coming to faith in Christ depended upon me, upon my ability to persuade and reason with them, and argue them into the Kingdom, so that out of some supposed free will they would choose to come to Christ and to the cross of Calvary, I’d have quit long ago: but I believe in election and that God has chosen some of the worst of sinners and that’s what keeps me going”. Oh! friends, the doctrine of election is not a hindrance it’s a wonderful motivating force in the preaching of the gospel. We know that God has His people, and we know that God will save His people, we know that He will do it through the preaching of the gospel and so we preach our hearts out and we leave the rest to the Almighty, we leave the rest to Him.
But I am not taking it for granted this evening that you are all believers. Perhaps some of you younger folks have yet to be drawn by grace, yet to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are honest with the preacher and honest with the Lord you are still in your sin and you still need a Saviour, and you have come and heard this preacher talk about election and the old enemy will tempt you to use it as an excuse for disobedience. What is the command of the gospel? Well we couldn’t have it any more clearly than from the lips of our Saviour Himself, in Mark 1.15, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel.” But if you say, “What if I’m not elect?” I say to you, “That is the command, repent and believe”. Never allow the doctrine of election to become an excuse for disobedience. If the gospel commands you to repent and believe, then by the grace of God that is what you must do, each and every one of you. And when you do, you will come to understand that Josiah Conder had it exactly right when he penned those lines:
"'Tis not that I did choose Thee,
For, Lord that could not be;
This heart would still refuse thee
Hadst thou not chosen me.
Thou from the sin that stained me
Hast cleansed and set me free;
Of old Thou hast ordained me,
That I should live to Thee.
'Twas sovereign mercy called me,
And taught my opening mind;
The world had else enthralled me,
To heavenly glories blind.
My heart owns none before Thee;
For Thy rich grace I thirst;
This knowing, if I love Thee,
Thou must have loved me first. Amen.
Introduction
In our last issue, we looked at the life and theology of Peter Martyr Vermigli. We now turn our attention to Ulrich Zwingli, the notable Swiss Reformer.
His Life
This eminent patriot was born on New Year's Day, 1484, at Wildhaus, in the canton of St. Gall. He began to read the Bible at the age of eight, but was hindered by "theology and philosophy." Eventually he was led by the Spirit to "learn the doctrine of God direct from His own Word. Then I began to ask God for light and the Scriptures became far clearer to me." Zwingli pursued his Biblical studies further at Bern, Vienna and Basle, where Thomas Wyttenbach encouraged him to accept the sole authority of Scripture and justification by grace through faith alone.
After serving parishes in St. Glarus (1506-16) and Einsideln (1516-18) he was called to be 'people's priest' at the Great Minster in Zurich. He accepted this call on the understanding that he was free to preach the Gospel as he believed it. His ministry here soon began to oppose Roman dogma and practice, including the sale of indulgences, penance and relics. One of the great moments of the Reformation occurred in 1519 when Zwingli announced his intention to abandon the traditional lectionary in favour of chapter by chapter exposition of the New Testament. Thereafter he preached from the Bible and allowed the Bible to preach itself. This was the most important factor in the Zurich Reformation. "Do not put yourself at odds with the Word of God," was his constant counsel.
Before long, his teaching of the doctrines of grace was attended by crowds of eager listeners, and the authority of Scripture was accepted by Zurich City Council. In 1520 the Council ordered preachers to preach only Scripture, adding in 1521 "to the exclusion of Scotus and Thomas and suchlike." In 1523 they agreed to a public disputation between Romanists and Protestants, and agreed to abide by the verdict of Scripture. Following these disputations, Zwingli shepherded Zurich to a declaration on the side of reform, the City Council itself deciding to separate from the bishopric of Constance. Thereafter all church services were conducted "in simple Swiss language," the mass and images were abandoned, and the cup was restored to the people in the Lord's Supper.
As the people were grossly ignorant of the Word of God, Zwingli encouraged collective Bible Study. From 1525, the Zurich ministers and theological students met each morning in the Minster for an hour of exegetical and practical exposition. Citizens called in on their way to work and listened! The exercise was known as 'The Zurich Prophecy' from I Corinthians 14; that is, 'telling forth' of God's Word. It had an enormous influence, and became a model for Reformed seminaries throughout Europe, even Harvard in the United States. Bible commentaries also emerged from the exercise. Thus the Bible lay at the heart of the Zurich Reformation.
Meanwhile Zwingli supervised the calm removal of the "whole rubbish-heap" of Popish ceremonies. The Minster walls were white-washed, the organ was dismantled, statues and paintings were removed. In this area of reform Zwingli was deemed to be more radical than other Reformers, because He claimed that there were no ceremonies in the New Testament Church, believed that images are controlled by demons with power to enslave, and saw all ceremonies as outward substitutes for inward heart religion.
This did not mean that he fell into an isolationist, introspective brand of piety. Besides a work of grace in heart, he claimed, "the kingdom of Christ is also thoroughly external." Economic and social reforms were the result. In Zurich, Church and State were ruled as different spheres by ecclesiastical and civil office-bearers, who both accepted the authority of Scripture. For example, the Carriage Court -- a joint body of ministers and councillors who drew up a moral code for families. Both groups regarded themselves as God's servants, co-operating to implement God's will. Checks were also in place: tyranny in magistrates was curbed by the faithful admonition of pastors. Tyranny in ministers was curbed by admonition from each other, their fellow elders and the people.
Tragically, the reform of Baptism, made necessary by the Anabaptists in nearby Zollikon, was tainted by persecution. Certainly Zwingli condemned the Anabaptist practice of refusing to baptize infants. Yet he was more anxious to stop the interruption of Reformed pastors' sermons by fanatical labourers with 'a word from the Lord,' the smashing of fonts, the separatist gathering of Anabaptist congregations and the peasant parading of city streets crying 'Woe to Zurich,' giving the citizens forty days to repent. In 1527 Mantz, a leading Anabaptist, was drowned, not at Zwingli's instigation, but by order of the City Council. Others who proved intransigent were expelled.
The reform of the Lord's Supper was necessitated by Zurich's rejection of both Popish transubstantiation and Lutheran consubstantiation. Auricular confession was replaced by pastoral counselling by an experienced minister or elder. Marriage was made accessible to all, as sanctioned by God's Word. The vow of celibacy was abolished, because Christians should not promise what God does not require. Each must decide for himself whether or not to marry. All were encouraged to be poor in spirit and to distribute to the poor. But a vow of poverty was not required from anyone. Monastic poverty, said Zwingli, is merely disguised wealth. Obedience was seen as a debt we owe to all. "Serve one another," and "Do unto others as you would that they should do unto you," became the golden rules for morality. The invocation of 'saints' was condemned on the ground that God alone is good. If we trust in Him, taught Zwingli, we shall find Him all-sufficient. Christ is our heavenly Helper. All images, statues, ikons, paintings of saints were removed "where there is any danger of worshipping them," but stained-glass windows were left, since, Zwingli claimed, they offered no danger. "Give gold and silver to the poor, not to statues," he urged. All representations of God were denounced as sacrilegious, because the death-sufferings of Christ are inexpressible by art. On this ground all crucifixes were removed. [Zwingli's experiences at Einsiedeln, where he was required to touch and kiss the black madonna, taught him that a radical reform was needed for such superstition. Yet he encouraged the arts of sculpture and painting.] All teaching about purgatory was proscribed, since this place is non-existent, and indulgences claiming to procure pardon for the deceased were banished. Now is the day of salvation, claimed Zwingli, not after death. In eternity, there is only heaven and hell. Salvation is by grace, not merit. No money can extinguish the flames of hell. Finally, he counselled, people are not to pay priests to pray, but must lift up their own souls to God, and share the joys and sorrows of others in prayer.
In the light of these changes, undertaken in an orderly way, it may be clearly seen that Zwingli was a moderate yet realistic Reformer, and no fanatic or utopian dreamer. As Jean Rilliet says: "Zwingli believed in the legitimacy of carefully planned steps."
During the last decade of his life, the Reformer published treatises against Roman practices, helped to compose Reformed Confessions, such as the Ten Theses of Bern (1528), and formed solid relationships with other Reformers, such as Oecolampadius, in Basle. Sadly, he was dismissed by Luther at the Colloquy of Marburg (1529) because of his simple memorialist view of the Lord's Supper, and died at the Battle of Cappel (1531) while serving as chaplain to the Protestant troops.
His Theology
Zwingli the theologian has been neglected, chiefly because he has been overshadowed by the powerful figure of Luther, and because he was succeeded in Switzerland by the more profound Calvin. This is why he is described as the 'third man' of the Reformation. Yet he was a theologian in his own right. His theology is enshrined in his Commentary on True and False Religion (1524), a survey of "the whole piety of the Christian, his faith and life," based on the Word of God, as opposed to traditional Romanism, and on his Sixty-seven Theses, drawn up for the 1523 disputations.
From these sources we extract the following theology:
The Word of God
Zwingli understands the term 'Word of God' in three ways:
(1) The creative voice or power of God.
(2) Christ as the Incarnate Word.
(3) The Bible, as self-authenticating.
Two factors are needed to make this Word effectual, he claims, submission to the supreme authority of Scripture and the inward illumination of the Spirit. Taught by God Himself, every Christian desires "to learn out of His own mouth" what God is like; and so is utterly dependent on "the divine oracles" for a right understanding of Him and His ways. Reason and Tradition concoct between them nothing but "dreams and lies."
Yet Zwingli does not disdain the Church Fathers, and accepts the first four councils and creeds -- of Nicea (321), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451) -- as reliable guides to true doctrine.
God
Even benighted reason assures us of the existence of God, but it cannot bring us to know Him for salvation or make us obey Him. Pride in Scholastic theology and philosophy needs to be humbled. We cannot define God. He is known only by His Word and Spirit. The 'I AM' of Exodus 3 shows us God as the Source of all being. Luke 18 indicates that He alone is good. Even pagans recognise this (Acts 17). All natural knowledge of God leaves us where it found us. We are not to pry into God's secrets, but rest in His revealed love and care. We Christians believe in the one true God, he humbly asserts, not because of any superior natural endowments of our own, but "through the power and grace of Him in whom we believe." Significantly, while mentioning the traditional 'proofs' for the existence of God, Zwingli says that the ungodly cast them away and the godly do not need them, for they already know God through personal experience of His grace.
Man
Since his Fall in Adam, man is opposed to God. His heart is deceitful. Just as "the cuttle-fish hides himself in his own blackness" in order to foil its pursuers, so man hides himself from himself "in thick clouds of hypocrisy." He hates self-knowledge, yet he is wholly under the power of self-interest. (Gen 8:21) He lives in spiritual poverty. His vague search for the Absolute is vain till God asks him 'Where art thou?' and shows him the secrets of his own depraved heart. Then, true religion is born, and the bondage forged by sin broken. God reveals Himself in such a way that man recognises his sin and misery, then despairs of himself. At this point God shows him the "vast abyss of divine mercy." Henceforth man entrusts himself to God as his only good, resolving to do His will, not the will of popes and councils.
Predestination
Ultimately, Zwingli teaches, salvation is to be resolved into the predestinating will of God. This has two sides, election and reprobation. Both "are the works of God's free will." Predestination causes salvation, and is a strong bulwark against merit-righteousness, since God chooses, not us. [Inconsistently, Zwingli also believes in the election of pious heathen, such as Socrates. This error he builds on the alleged claims that (1) Christ's work is not confined to the visible church (ie papacy): Socrates was holier than any Franciscan or Dominican! (2) Their lives were proof of their election. Ed.]
Providence
Providence serves God's predestinating and saving purpose. Great events and tiny details are inseparable. "Even the least thing," such as a mosquito sting, "is ordered by God." We must not pry, but reverently contemplate. There is no such thing as Chance.
Salvation
(a) Accomplished
Zwingli's 'radical pessimism' about human nature undergirds his doctrine of salvation: we need to be saved because we are both guilty and depraved. "To become a devout Christian," therefore, "one must despair of oneself and cleave to God alone" as revealed in Christ, for "Christ is the certainty and pledge of the grace of God." Furthermore, "Christ is the only eternal high priest. Therefore those who have called themselves high priests have opposed the honour and power of Christ, yea, cast it out." Moreover, because "Christ is the only mediator between God and man," He alone is the immediate object of saving faith. He, and none other, has brought God to man. "The sum and substance of the Gospel is that our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Son of God, has made known to us the will of his heavenly Father, and has with his innocence released us from death and reconciled God. Hence Christ is the only way to salvation for all who ever were, and shall be. Who seeks or points out another door errs; yes, he is a murderer of souls and a thief."
Yet in order to know God through Him we must believe that "God's justice must be satisfied." Otherwise we "do not know either the righteousness of God or the actual unrighteousness of man." As God alone can provide satisfaction, only God has in fact done so through the incarnation, life and atoning death of His Son. Christ became man specifically to give God satisfaction and to open the way back to God. Thus He creates true religion, a free gift that reconciles justice and love. His sacrifice, proclaimed in Messianic prophecy, atoned for sin because as the Second Adam He obeyed His Father. The sweetness of sin to us led to His death; the bitterness of the cross to Him leads to our life.
(b) Applied
Having suffered all that was necessary to satisfy God's justice and redeem us from sin, Christ now calls us in the Gospel: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The Gospel is the good news that the sins of all who believe on Him are "remitted in the name of Christ." "No heart ever received tidings so glad," he exults. Therefore "in faith rests our salvation, and in unbelief our damnation; for all truth is clear in him." Not only so, "Christ is our righteousness. Therefore our works in so far as they are good are of Christ, but in so far as they are ours, are neither right nor good."
Through knowing Christ as his righteousness the believer is brought to repentance by the Holy Spirit, who "alone enables man to know himself" as a sinner and to find refuge in divine grace. Christ's atoning death, received by faith, brings two immediate fruits: pardon and penitence. Both must be preached. The enjoyment of pardon and the work of penitence are both inward, not external. Man's heart is restless, but faith in Christ brings peace.
A free justification does not encourage licentious living. The penitent, believing sinner continues to repent and believe; his pardon is inseparable from his break with the past. Consequently he wears the true wedding garment (Matt 22), does not look back (Luke 9), lives as a new creature (Gal 6) and is more than a nominal Christian (Matt 7). Basically, the Christian life comprises a firm hope in God plus a blameless following of the example of Christ. Yet the believer continues to sin; he is thus a sinner and righteous at the same time. Mere head knowledge cannot teach this, only experience.
The true believer may be known by three marks:
(1) He has recourse to Christ crucified.
(2) He is led by the Holy Spirit, who brings self-control.
(3) His whole life is an extended act of faith and penitence; but because the new man is grafted onto the old, he always brings forth two kinds of fruit -- good and evil. His salvation is therefore real but very fragile. True saints wear no meretricious halos or pietistic cowls -- they are engaged in the manly fight of faith.
The Christian life is no traditional 'sacramental mysticism,' but a firm reliance on God's mercy in Christ, which leads in turn to "a blameless life wrought after the pattern of Christ." Since "Christ scorns the property and pomp of this world...those who attract wealth to themselves in his name slander him terribly when they make him a pretext for their avarice and ambition." Finally, "No Christian is bound to do those things which God has not decreed. Therefore one may eat at all times all food. From this one learns that the decree about cheese and butter is deception."
The Law
God's law is to rule the Christian's life. Grace, far from annulling the law, sustains it. The command to love God and our neighbour is eternal. That law, already on the sinner's heart (Rom 2.15) is renewed by grace. It therefore deals with "the inner man" and is never abrogated, even by grace. Freed from its condemnation, but not from its precepts, the believer is to regulate the workings of love in his heart by it for the rest of his life. While "blamelessness is demanded," pardon and acceptance are provided when hereditary sin from Adam impels us to sin. "We ought, then, to be as eagerly bent on a change of life as we trust in redemption through Him [Christ]."
Sadly, he continues, we are all blind to our own self-centredness. We prefer to offer substitutes -- votive gifts to Mary -- while under a religious facade we continue to live a disorderly life. The true Christian, however, takes God's law seriously. It kindles a flame of love in his heart. It sets up a constant conflict between sin as ingrained and grace as infused. It continues to show us our sin. Our new man pulls towards the law of liberty, our old man towards the law of licence. This tension would lead to despair if there was no access to Christ. The Christian life is therefore like a ship in a storm -- some times it steers on course; other times it is driven about by storms of temptation. Romans seven describes the experience of every believer.
Only the sin of unbelief and the sin against the Holy Spirit are unpardonable. "It is therefore lack of faith alone" that refuses to live under God's law and prevents sinners from walking with God.
Zwingli's final definition of a Christian places the capstone on all this teaching: "A Christian, therefore, is a man who trusts in the one and only God; who relies on His mercy through His Son Christ, God of God; who models himself on His example; who dies daily; who daily renounces himself; who is intent on this one thing, not to do anything that will offend his God."
The Church
At the outset Zwingli puts the Church in its proper place: "All who say that the Gospel is nothing without the confirmation of the Church err and slander God." Hence the power of the keys must be snatched out of the hands of the moribund but arrogant Papacy and placed in the Gospel. John 20.22-23 forbids all lording it over God's flock, while Matthew I6 refers to Peter, all the apostles and all their pastoral successors, not to the pope and his successors. Keys are a metaphor for the power of the Word: "As the Father sent me, so send I you," and "Whosoever believes shall be saved." To unbind means "to raise up the spirit which despairs of salvation by leading it to a sure and certain hope." "The keys are what sets free the captive consciences." No absolution from a Roman priest can take away sin. Trust in Christ alone, not in the pope and his minions, brings true Gospel liberty.
To bind means to leave men in unbelief, where the Word of salvation becomes the Word of condemnation. By contrast, the pope's keys are an authority conferred by himself on himself. Thus Papists and Protestants are worlds apart.
The keys of Christ's kingdom, therefore, must be purged of the "rust of tradition." The locks they fit are no longer opened on payment of an entry fee, but by faith in Christ. The Church is not the pope plus the bishops, but all believers. They form "the Catholic Church and the communion of saints." Indeed, the Church of pontiffs is the flock of Belial, not of God.
The Sacraments
Zwingli's calm but firm assault on false Roman religion denies that saving grace comes through the use of Baptism or the Lord's Supper. "How could water, fire, oil, milk, salt and such crude things make their way to the mind?" he asks indignantly. Only "God can forgive sin and cleanse the mind." All who believe in sacramental grace, therefore, are wrong, "by the whole width of heaven." "Though one were deluged by the whole Jordan" or "by a sacred formula [hoc est corpus meum = This is my body] repeated a thousand times," he thunders, he would not be regenerated. For this is the work of the sovereign Spirit, who distributes His blessings to whom He will, when He will and where He will. As He does not tie Himself to the sacraments, we should never presume that in performing sacramental actions we automatically receive Him.
The sacraments, he continues, are mere signs, for no physical element has power to affect the soul, which is spiritual. The sacraments are merely a pledge or token given to faith already placed in God. The true doctrine of the sacraments involves a total break with Rome. Baptism is no longer regenerative. The Supper no longer feeds. Both are merely symbols of the believer's self-committal to Christ, who alone cleanses and nourishes. The Supper is a Eucharist, a joyful act of thanksgiving. "Christ, having sacrificed himself once, is to eternity a certain and valid sacrifice for the sins of all faithful. Therefore the mass is not a sacrifice, but is a remembrance of the sacrifice and assurance of the salvation which Christ has given us." The Bread is the Gospel, eating and drinking are the same as believing. Since the Spirit in the Gospel gives life, the believer needs and is given no external security. God alone is his strength and salvation. This is the teaching of the Gospels, Acts and Epistles, he claims, and of the Church Fathers Augustine, Tertullian, Origen, Hilary and Jerome.
Church Government
Papal tribunals condemn without a hearing, says Zwingli. By contrast, Christ instituted proper church order (Matt 18), which is the business of the entire local church. The reform of Church order and ceremonies must be gradual, as the grace of Christ takes root in people's hearts. "Image-breakers and idol-stormers" and ranting radical preachers must be restrained and disciplined. "Teaching should come first, and the abolition of the images follow without disturbance; and love will teach all things in all cases." Love and prudent caution, then, must lead the way.
Civil Authority
The State is a necessity, teaches Zwingli. The believer may be a magistrate: Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Josiah, Hezekiah, Erastus, Sergius Paulus were all Christian rulers. Church and State are not coextensive, but co-operative. The believer is the loyal citizen of both. Their programmes overlap, but both seek righteousness in different ways. The State compels, the Church volunteers. Love brings civic and ecclesiastical loyalty. A Christian government will always be best. Heads of State who lack the fear of God become tyrants unless curbed. Yet Romans 13 is binding, with all the members of society interdependent. All who seek to remove civil restraints under the pretext of the workings of the Spirit must themselves be restrained.
After reviewing his writing on reform, Zwingli invites his readers to "consider it calmly and take it in good part." Why? Because "all that I have said, I have said to the glory of God and for the benefit of the Commonwealth of Christ and the good of the conscience."
In the light of this summary, Timothy George's assessment of Zwingli's contribution to the Reformation seems appropriate: "For Zwingli the Reformation essentially was a movement from idolatry to the service of the one true God." This contribution was not primarily theological, though it rested on a sound doctrinal basis, but practical, and was more or less confined to the city of Zurich. [Only recently, I was delighted to see the open Bible in the most prominent position in the nave of Zurich Minster, and to overhear a tourist guide in one of Zurich's city squares tell her group: "This is a Reformed city." How far it is so is difficult for a visitor to determine. Ed.] Perhaps Mark Noll summarizes Zwingli's place in the Reformation when he says: "Zwingli's noble character, his firm commitment to Scriptural authority, and his diligent propagation of evangelical reform, even more than his writings, marked him as one of the Reformation's most appealing leaders."
An Exposition on the Shorter Catechism -- Alexander Whyte. 364pp. Hdbk. £17.99. ISBN 1 85792 250 6.
This is an unusual work in that its gifted author quotes from writers of opposing traditions to amplify his understanding of the text. On one page we find Goodwin, Owen, Newman, Godet, Pusey, Bengel, Hooker, Butler, Ruskin, Traill, Anne of Austria, Flavel and an Arab Proverb! While we cannot detect anything false in the exposition, we wonder why Whyte has spread his wings so widely. His language is simple and direct, and the book is strongly bound and clearly printed. For good measure, the publishers have included the entire Westminster Confession and Larger Catechism. J.M.B.
Martin Luther -- Thomas Lindsay. 240pp. Pbk. £6.99. ISBN 1 85792 2611.
This re-issue is a tonic to read. Not only does its author, a distinguished 19th century historian, remind us that Luther's Reformation was a European-wide revival of truths that lay dormant in the Church throughout the 'Dark Ages.' He proves that Luther never formed a new church, but was forced to reconstruct church order outside a corrupt, unreformable institution that had excommunicated him. Despite the availability of so many recent studies of Luther, this classic still has the power to grip its readers and enthrall them with the amazing power of God's grace. J.M.B.
Thomas Boston -- Andrew Thomson. 176pp. Pbk. £6.99. ISBN 1 85792 3790.
The author, a godly Scottish biographer of Owen and Baxter, here portrays the gentle country pastor whose exemplary devotion to his calling and Hebrew scholarship and linguistic ability added strength to his advocacy of the theology of the Reformers, Puritans and Covenanters, when this was being undermined by the Moderates of his day. It is so good to find a biographer whose affection for his subject does not mar his judgment, but warms the reader's heart. Thomson's fine biography confirms John 'Rabbi' Duncan's description of Boston as a 'commonplace genius,' with the emphasis on genius. J.M.B.
The Glory of Christ -- John Owen. 304pp. Pbk. £7.99. ISBN 1 85792 4746.
This beautifully produced reprint, with translations of Owen's Latin by Angus Morrison and a summary Introduction by Sinclair Ferguson, is an honour to its publishers. With key passages highlighted, unfamiliar terms explained, and plenty of 'light' between headed paragraphs, it is a joy to read. Its contents are beyond recommendation. The divine glory of our Saviour leaves us 'lost in wonder, love and praise.' J.M.B.
Christian Hymns. Words & Music edition 1184pp. £29.95. ISBN 1 85049 208 5. Words Only 400pp. £7.95. ISBN 1 85049 207 7.
The battleground of today's church is its worship. For a generation, the Charismatic Movement has infiltrated the assemblies of God's people. Yet, instead of rebutting this sensual, experience-centred and worldly-wise worship, evangelicals have increasingly accepted its assumptions... What, then, will be the likely impact of the NCH (new Christian Hymns)? It will be a major headache for ministers and congregations seeking to maintain biblically-regulated worship...the mixed nature of NCH will play right into the hands of modernisers. They can innocently request that the church go over to NCH...and by this means charismatic choruses will enter by the back door. NCH has betrayed the trust of evangelical and reformed churches who seek to 'hold the line' in the vital area of worship. [From a much longer review in Bible League Quarterly, issue number 419 by John Thackway.]
Mighty to Save -- Clifford Pond. 142pp. Pbk. £7.95.
With a light touch the author reminds us how mighty to save our Almighty God is. He prompts us to rejoice in Him, and trust Him to secure and sustain us till we enter His glorious presence. May the book find its way into many hearts, leading its readers to offer more worthy praise and thanks to Him. Aubrey Ridge
Lady Jane Grey -- Faith Cook. 249pp. Hdbk. £13.95.
This book is a mine of information about one of the lesser-known figures of the English Reformation, a young girl beheaded in 1554 on the orders of Queen ('Bloody') Mary. Faith Cook guides us with a sure hand through the labyrinth of personalities, plots and counter-plots of this turbulent period in our history. She shows us Lady Jane's weaknesses, as well as strengths, but especially her genuine evangelical faith. The book's attractiveness would have been enhanced by colour photographs rather than black-and-white, and by placing the family tree at the beginning rather than the end. Cordially recommended. John Manton
Islam: What Every Christian Should Know -- Bassam Chedid. 288pp. Hdbk. £13.95. ISBN 0 85234 573 9.
The author, born into a Christian family and brought up in Damascus, unashamedly recognizes our Lord's command to proclaim the Gospel, where Muslims will meet Him. Early Islamic history and core beliefs are both examined in the light of Scripture. Tabular comparisons make the differences easy to grasp. In this day of religious pluralism, the book is a timely and valuable contribution to our knowledge of Islamic culture and practice, with a good Christian response. All who minister in mixed race communities will be grateful for its use. Essential reading. A.R.
Strength in Weakness: 2 Corinthians Simply Explained -- Philip Arthur. 256pp. Pbk. £8.95. ISBN 0 85234 572 0.
This clear, practical commentary brings out Paul's character as a warm pastoral counsellor. Sub-headings break down the chapters, with practical conclusions to end each one. Not least valuable is the treatment of Paul's handling of church discipline (chapter 4). We heartily recommend the Series for its straightforward, spiritual and practical application of Biblical truth. Patrick Elliott
The bulk of this book consists of passages on the subject of Baptism from Christian writers of the first four centuries AD, quoted in chronological order, with a brief comment on each. Although members of paedo-baptist churches, disclaiming any intention to defend any particular view, the South African authors conclude that infant baptism is not found in the New Testament, but "came to be the majority position in the church" by the latter part of the 4th century. The authors warn against reading back one's own position into Early Church writings, and suggest that the serious error of baptismal regeneration lay at the root of the church's subsequent apostasy. A scholarly and significant work. John Manton
John Owen on the Lord's Supper -- Jon Payne. 249pp. Hdbk. £15.95. ISBN 0 85151 872 9.
This is a splendid book, leading us into wide spiritual pastures and full biblical piety. Beginning with the Marburg Colloquy of 1529, when Zwingli's 'symbolic memorialism' was rejected by Luther, the book establishes Owen's sacramental position in the Calvin-Vermiglian tradition, in which the Lord's Supper is a real means of grace for the believer as God confirms and seals His Covenant of Grace with him. This book is a 'must' for all believers. A.R.
Sermons of Robert Murray McCheyne: Old Testament Sermons -- hbk, 183 pp, £13.95.
New Testament Sermons -- hbk 321 pp, £15.50.
Sermons on Hebrews -- hbk, 197 pp, £13.95.
These three volumes are worth their weight in gold. Many readers will be familiar with the Memoir & Remains of Robert Murray McCheyne, and some will have read the small volume of sermons also published by the Banner of Truth. These volumes further enrich the modern church with additional sermons by this godly Scottish minister, who lived just 29 years (1813-1843) and yet still spreads forth the fragrance of Christ. Most of these sermons are previously unpublished, though a few were in print in 19th century editions. They have been transcribed (with light editing) from manuscripts kept at New College, Edinburgh, these manuscripts coming from a box of old papers purchased at the beginning of the 20th century by James Macdonald of Edinburgh. They are sermon notes, rather than complete sermons, and no doubt were much expanded in delivery; nonetheless they breathe the Spirit of Christ throughout. It would be hard to single out highlights -- there are so many -- but this reviewer was deeply moved by the sermon on the Cities of Refuge, comparing them with Christ in their nearness, their conspicuousness, their ease of access, and in the safety to be found in them. McCheyne pleads with his congregation to come to Christ in every sermon, and warns them, in solemn terms, of the danger of not doing so. There is a deep love for souls on every page, and yet even more than that, a love for Christ, and a holy zeal for the honour of God. Highly recommended. Robert Dale
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