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True Spirituality - True Spirituality Salvation: Past-Future-Present Lecture Notes on Francis Schaeffer's Book True Spirituality A Book Study By Dan Guinn Edited by April Cervinka and Laura Muckerman All Rights Reserved, with the following exception: The Author hereby grants the reader the right to download, distribute and share online, as long as the content herein remains intact and unmodified from its original version. Chapter 6 - Salvation: Past-Future-Present seeks to unify the concepts of redemptive history with the life of the Christian. Dr. Schaeffer adds to what he has clarified in the last chapter, namely, that we live in a supernatural universe, and that the central event in that universe is the cross of Christ. Thus, it is the calling of the Christian to understand the implications of the cross for us in the here and now. What does the cross mean for us now, in this present life? As we continue, consider the order of the wording Dr. Schaeffer chose to use for the name of this chapter… Past-Future-Present. This is no arbitrary thought. What does the past mean for us? What does the future mean for us? What do they mean for us in the here and now? The Fall - Man Fell in History Dr. Schaeffer is very intentional to emphasize that the fall of man is an historical event. Yet more than that, the event is one that also involved God's specific redemptive action in time and space. God's Answer In History ...when Christ came, died, and rose - also in history...the necessary victory was won. 1 The Christian Calling In History The core of ascertaining True Spirituality is understanding our position and our duty. In the last chapter we learned our position is rooted in a spiritual universe that is connected with time and space. Understanding our duty and calling comes through grasping our relationship with the core truth of that spirituality, the truth of the cross. To Be Evidence of the Victory Dr. Schaeffer hopes to point out the intention of the sacrifice of Christ: to produce evidence of His victory in history. This evidence is us, His people, through the cross. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. -1 Peter 2:9,10 God has always intended that Christians should be the evidence, the demonstration, of Christ's victory on the cross. 2 1 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 266 2 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 267.

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True Spirituality - True Spirituality Salvation: Past-Future-Present Lecture Notes on Francis Schaeffer's Book True Spirituality

A Book Study By Dan Guinn Edited by April Cervinka and Laura Muckerman 

All Rights Reserved, with the following exception: The Author hereby grants the reader the right to download,

distribute and share online, as long as the content herein remains intact and unmodified from its original version.

Chapter 6 - Salvation: Past-Future-Present seeks to unify the concepts of redemptive history with the life of the Christian. Dr. Schaeffer adds to what he has clarified in the last chapter, namely, that we live in a supernatural universe, and that the central event in that universe is the cross of Christ. Thus, it is the calling of the Christian to understand the implications of the cross for us in the here and now. What does the cross mean for us now, in this present life? As we continue, consider the order of the wording Dr. Schaeffer chose to use for the name of this chapter… Past-Future-Present. This is no arbitrary thought. What does the past mean for us? What does the future mean for us? What do they mean for us in the here and now? The Fall - Man Fell in History Dr. Schaeffer is very intentional to emphasize that the fall of man is an historical event. Yet more than that, the event is one that also involved God's specific redemptive action in time and space.

God's Answer In History

...when Christ came, died, and rose - also in history...the necessary victory was won. 1

The Christian Calling In History The core of ascertaining True Spirituality is understanding our position and our duty. In the last chapter we learned our position is rooted in a spiritual universe that is connected with time and space. Understanding our duty and calling comes through grasping our relationship with the core truth of that spirituality, the truth of the cross. To Be Evidence of the Victory Dr. Schaeffer hopes to point out the intention of the sacrifice of Christ: to produce evidence of His victory in history. This evidence is us, His people, through the cross.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. -1 Peter 2:9,10 God has always intended that Christians should be the evidence, the demonstration, of Christ's victory on the cross. 2

1 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A

Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 266

2 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A

Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 267.

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Right Doctrine, Right Communication Always an activist for the cause of truth, Dr. Schaeffer is emphatic that the truth of our faith is not separated from our experience or our practice. We are called to believe and live right doctrine.

The Christian’s call is to believe right doctrine, true doctrine, the doctrine of the Scripture. But it is not just a matter of stating right doctrine, though that is so important. Neither is it merely to be an activity which can be explained by natural talent, or character, or energy. The Christian is not called to present merely another message in the same way as all the other messages are presented. We must understand that it is not only important what we do, but how we do it. 3

Today we have to labor the point of doctrine. There are some even today who would speak of doctrine as a non-essential aspect of the Christian faith. Yet Schaeffer wishes us to understand doctrine as "true doctrine, the doctrine of Scripture." The word "doctrine" means "teaching" or "law." The Christian without teaching is impotent and unprepared. The Christian without law is lawless and ungoverned by the truth of Christ's teachings. As we have already covered in this class, some also teach without proper clarification that the Christian is no longer under the law. We are no longer under the law, in that we are no longer under its curse. We are not lawless. We are under the law of the New Covenant, the Law of Christ. Here are some verses I have added to remind us of this reality: If you love me, you will keep my commandments. - John 14:15

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” -John 14:21

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. - John 15:10

When we believe we are without doctrine and law, this is a serious mistake.

For Schaeffer, right doctrine is living the calling of the Christian life as evidence of Christ's victory. He clarifies this idea by breaking it down into the following points. 1. Live a supernatural life now.

"Christians are called upon to be the demonstration at our point in history that the supernatural, the normally unseen world, does exist; and beyond that, that God exists. 4

2. Demonstrate the character of God

3 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 267. 4 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 267.

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Christians are to demonstrate God's character, which is a moral demonstration, but it is not only to be a demonstration of moral principles; it is a demonstration of his being, his existence. What a calling, and how overwhelming! 5

3. The unity of what salvation is. Schaeffer here wants us to grasp our need to see the whole gospel message. Salvation is not merely the conversion alone but the whole of our redemption.

The word 'salvation' encompasses the whole: justification, sanctification, glorification 6

This plays out in the following ways. Adoption

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. -John 1:12

Mystical Union With Christ

Second, when I accept Christ as my Savior. I immediately come into a new relationship with God the Son. 7

Additional verses: Rom 7:4, John 15

Relationship with the Holy Spirit

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper (advocate, counselor), to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. -John 14:16-18

The Empty Hand of Faith

Let me stress it again: salvation is all one piece. All salvation, past, present, and future, has one base. That base is not our faith. If we are confused here, we are confused completely. A man can never be justified on the basis of his own faith. Through all of salvation the only base is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross in history. Faith is the empty hand, the instrument by which we accept God's free gift. Faith is simply believing in God. 8

5 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 268. 6 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 270. 7 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 271. 8 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 272.

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On the basis of the finished work of Christ's, a moment-by-moment life of faith is 'the victory.' Not our victory, but Christ victory, purchased for us on Calvary's cross, laid hold of moment by moment in faith. 9

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. -Romans 15:13 This is our calling, through the agency of the Holy Spirit. we are not called to serve God just any way but to know joy and peace in believing. 10

So finally we can see the implications of the cross: the life of faith, living in the moment-by-moment victory of Christ our Savior. Our moment-by-moment victory is found in our believing and trusting the finished work of Christ alone. It is a victory in the past, with a reality of absolute victory in the future, with real and relevant substantial healing and victory for us now, as a light in the face of a dark and fallen world! We are the evidence! We are the example of Christ’s victory!

9 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 273. 10 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 275.