I found 16 short video clips from RC Sproul on the jcr4runner channel, touching on various aspects of Reformed theology, which are interesting to watch and comment on. They are sequentially numbered from 1 to 16, presumably in consecutive order. They are also combined into a playlist, which can be seen here. I had previously commented on video #8, on the subject of freewill, without realizing it was part of a series. The above video is the first in the series, and one of the shortest. It is 1 minute and 28 seconds long, and is appropriately titled, “The Greatest Question”. The transcript on the original channel was turned off, so I had to upload it to my own channel to obtain the transcript. The complete transcript is as follows (emphasis added):
“Just the other day I received a fax from a Catholic person in Ireland; and this person was rebuking me for making such a big issue over the difference between Roman Catholic theology and Reformation theology; and she was saying the doctrine divides, and we shouldn’t be doing those things that cause people to have conflict; because we live in a time of relativism, where people think it doesn’t matter what you believe. Well, the most significant issue that any human being will ever face is the question, How can I escape the judgment of God? If Jesus taught anything, he taught that each one of us will be brought before God in a final judgment; and we will be exposed to his wrath, and exposed to his judgment; and that would be the supreme calamity from which to be delivered, or to be rescued, which is what the Bible means by being saved, is the most important issue I will ever face. And so if it is true that we will have to face God, and if it is true there is a judgment, then the question, ‘How can I escape that judgment?’ becomes the most important question I will ever have to deal with.”
He has got that partly right. The Last Judgement is not a day of “wrath” or a “calamity” for everyone. It is so only for the wicked, the evil-doers, the unrighteous; but not so for the righteous, the penitent, those who have repented of their sins and kept God’s commandments. And on the question of how to escape or be rescued from the judgement, Catholic theology gets a lot closer to the biblical teaching than the Reformed or Calvinistic theology does. The following are from Jesus’ own teachings on that subject:
Matthew 7:
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
John 5:
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life [salvation]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Matthew 16:
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Revelation 22:
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Luke 6:
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Luke 12:
47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Matthew 25:
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Those are the teachings of Jesus himself, expressed in his own words. You can’t have it more clearly stated, or more authoritative than that. No mention is made of “imputation” or “faith alone”. The emphasis is on doing good, on being righteous, and on keeping God’s commandments. And the other New Testament writers confirm this:
2 Corinthians 5:
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Colossians 3:
25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons [with God].
1 Peter 1:
17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
1 Corinthians 3:
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1 Corinthians 6:
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 2:
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew [or Christian] first, and also of the Gentile [or pagan];
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew [or Christian] first, and also to the Gentile [or pagan]:
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Galatians 6:
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
James 1:
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Romans 14:
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Revelation 20:
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the Old Testament prophets likewise confirms the same thing:
Psalm 62:
12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
Proverbs 11:
31 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.
Proverbs 24:
12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?
So he is right that we need to think about Judgement Day; but the biblical answer to it is not the same as the Calvinistic one. The biblical answer to it is to humble ourselves before God, repent of our sins (resulting in forgiveness), and keeping God’s commandments. There is no “imputation,” and no “faith alone”. And repenting of our sins and keeping God’s commandments is not the same as “works”. It is not the same as “works-righteousness,” or “saving yourself by your own works”. Those are two different things. And Catholic theology is a lot closer to the Bible than the Calvinistic one. Calvinism builds its theology on 1% of the Bible (a few misunderstood passages of Paul), while turning a blind eye on 99% of the Bible that teaches something different.
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