Remarks on Studies on Saving Faith by A.W. Pink

 

In my ongoing analysis and discussion of obedience salvation I have come across a book by A.W. Pink called Studies on Saving Faith (a Biblical response to easy believism). I have never heard of this book until recently. I have been familiar with Pink ever since a teenager when I took up his classic work The Sovereignty of God (the unabridged version) and came to a clear understanding of “Calvinism”. I still count this as one of my all time favorite books. Studies on Saving Faith however is a different book and my opinion is different as well. I think there is a reason I have not heard of this book until now. Although Pink attempts his usual scripture saturation to prove his point, the scriptures he uses demand his presupposed definition of certain terms and are not proving the obedience salvation he is attempting to prove. In this post I want to make some remarks showing the fallacy of his position and how it is ultimately a form of Arminianism to be nice or Romanism to be harsh.

The edition I hold is edited by Don Kistler and has a foreword unsurprisingly by John MacArthur. Although a great debate on saving faith between calvinists Robert Sandeman and James Hervey as well as Baptists Archibald M’Lean and Andrew Fuller raged over a hundred years before his book, he nowhere mentions this. Pink starts off by attacking evangelists of his day for preaching Christ as a Savior from Hell and not sin (p.6). This is an ambiguous attack however as one goes to Hell because of sin and so if Christ saves us from Hell he has saved us from sin. Also, as Luther and the Reformers rightly noted we are simultaneously saved and sinners. While we are being sanctified and putting off sin and the old man every day we are not perfect until we are glorified. Perfectionism was a doctrine promulgated by Arminian John Wesley. Pink could be interpreted as being more akin to Wesley than Luther with this statement. On page 8, Pink make the ignorant and damnable statement that “Something more than ‘believing’ is necessary to salvation”. This is outright denial of sola fide. This statement puts the reliability of Christ into question who said “he that believeth in me shall not perish but have everlasting life”. 

In chapter three, Pink states that a no matter how comprehensive a person’s faith is it may not be saving. As a matter of fact, according to Pink, reprobates may know the gospel better than real Christians. He goes even further than those who say there is such a thing as “historical faith” in the reprobate and says that the reprobate may possess a faith given by the Holy Spirit and it not be a saving one (p.16). Pink goes on to say “Thus there is a people who can even show you their faith by their works, and yet it is not a saving one! It is impossible to say how far a non-saving faith may go, and how very closely it may resemble that faith which is saving. Saving faith has Christ for its object; so has a non-saving Faith (John 2:23-24). Saving faith is wrought by the Holy Spirit; so is a non-saving Faith (Hebrews 6:4). Saving faith is produced by the Word of God; so also is a non-saving Faith (Matthew 13:20-21). Saving faith will make a man prepare for the coming of the Lord, so also will a non-saving. Of both the foolish and wise virgins it is written, ‘then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps’ (Matthew 25:7). Saving faith is accompanied with joy; so also is a non-saving Faith (Matt. 13:20).” From this extensive quote you can plainly see that there is no difference between an elect believer and a reprobate according to Pink, which means you cannot know if you are saved! The book of 1 John contrarily states you can know you are saved. Only the elect can truly believe the Gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:18, 2:7,8,14) and if you believe you can know you are saved.

One final quote from Pink on page 32 of his book where he says “Thus an essential element or ingredient in saving faith is a yielding to the authority of God, a submitting of myself to His rule. It is very much more than my understanding assenting and my will consenting to the fact that Christ is a Savior for sinners, and that He stands ready to receive all who trust Him.” This clearly shows “faith” for Pink is really obedience to the law and has nothing to do with the Gospel of Christ. Even for those who hold to “faith” as will such as James Buchanan (see his response to the Sandemanian system in his The Doctrine of Justification pages 174-175) would be astonished and saddened by such a deviation from truth.

To sum up, this is an awful book! It goes even further in error than most inconsistent theologians who claim faith is an aspect of the will or believe the reprobate have “historical faith” in the gospel or believe in a “temporary faith” in the reprobate. Call it Arminianism or Romanism but it is bad theology!

Was Zane Hodges a Sandemanian? No!!!

Quite often in my discussions on faith I am associated with the late Dallas Seminary professor Zane Hodges or his group at the Grace Evangelical Society see https://faithalone.org/tag/zane-hodges/ . In my study of the “Lordship Salvation” view Zane Hodges is often referred to as a Sandemanian. This post is to dispel this nonsense.

Any cursory study of Robert Sandeman will find that Robert Sandeman believed that Faith was a gift of God and was a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4, 2 Tim. 3:7) not involving the human will at all (John 1:12, Rom. 9:16). That same cursory study of Zane Hodges and the Grace Evangelical Society will show that they deny faith is a gift of God and that it is dependent on the human will. To put it succinctly, Sandeman was a Calvinist and Hodges was an Arminian. Fortunately, some critics have been scholarly enough to admit this. Lloyd-Jones in his work The Puritans: Their Origins and Successors is careful to admit this and even goes as far as to say that Sandeman was a high Calvinist. David Gay is another careful critic and in his book reviewed above called The Secret Stifler, he calls Sandemanianism a Reformed error. Compare this to the book The Faith That Saves by Arminians Fred Chay and John P. Correa https://wipfandstock.com/the-faith-that-saves.html and you can clearly see that no Arminian can be a Sandemanian. Faith for an Arminian will always necessitate free will as a part of faith which is antithetical to Sandemanianism.

After saying this I do want to say that most Arminians are “Lordship Salvationists” and so the Arminians are divided over certain aspects admittedly. A lot of Arminians agree with the “Lordship Salvation” taught in Arminian Baptist Robert Shank’s book Life In the Son see https://www.amazon.com/dp/091162001X/ref=nodl_?tag=duckduckgo-ipad-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1 . This book was listed as a source by John MacArthur in the first edition of his The Gospel According To Jesus by the way. But for Arminian dispensationalists, Zane Hodges seems to have more traction than Robert Shank.

I understand that theologians will keep calling Hodges a Sandemanian despite the truth of the matter. I know they will use some guilt by association trick to discourage thoughtful research into Robert Sandeman. I know they probably think that Sandemanianism will lead to the errors of Zane Hodges.
They just need to know that I will continue to say that their view will either lead to “Federal Vision”and Norman Shepherd theology of works justification or to the error of Robert Shank, that a Christian can lose his salvation if he does not obey enough.

Calvinist Baptist Groups

Calvinist Baptist Groups

I have compiled a list of major Calvinist Baptist groups in America below. I have placed next to them organizations or authors that are either part of or influential to these groups. If I had a question about the group the author has influenced more I put a question mark. I hope this is a helpful guide for those seeking a fellowship.

Credobaptist Evangelicals- Believe, teach and practice credobaptism only but allow for members who have never been scripturally baptized (Paedobaptized). (John Bunyan, Robert and James Haldane, A.W. Pink?, John MacArthur) (Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals?)

Founders Ministries- Hold to the Second London Baptist Confession as the Reformed Baptists but also support and fellowship with The Southern Baptist Convention, which includes Baptists of different stripes such as Arminian, Amyraldian, Molinists and others. This group is staunchly Covenant in its theology and hold conferences promoting such. They are content in being a subgroup of the larger group. (Andrew Fuller, James Boyce, John Dagg, Ernest Reisinger, Al Martin, Tom Ascol, Fred Malone, Tom Nettles)

Sovereign Grace Baptists- Align themselves according to the five Solas of the Reformation and the five points of Calvinism. May use a Baptist confession (1st London, 2nd London, Philadelphia or New Hampshire) or a Statement of Faith as their creed. May be Covenant, Dispensational, Progressive Dispensational, New Covenant or Progressive Covenant. (Sovereign Grace Baptist Association of Churches and Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship) (A.W. Pink?, Henry Mahan, John Reisinger and my personal favorite Archibald McLean)

Regular Baptists- This group lives in the GARBC. They are influential through their Regular Baptist Ministries and Regular Baptist Press. (Kenneth Good)

Reformed Baptists- Hold strictly to the Second London Baptist Confession and only fellowship with churches that do also. (Independent Reformed Baptists, ARBCA) (Benjamin Keach, Walt Chantry, Sam Waldron, James Renihan, Richard Barcellos)

Primitive/Strict/Hard shell- This group is considered to be Hyper-Calvinist. While maintaining the five points of Calvinism they usually include doctrines like eternal justification and/or deny any natural means of grace. (John Gill, John Brine, J.C. Philpot, Lasserre Bradley)

Landmark Baptists- The distinction in this group is ecclesiological. They hold similar to the Catholic Church an unbroken succession of Baptist churches since Jesus walked the earth. They only have fellowship with other Baptists. (J.R. Graves)

Charismatic Calvinist Baptists- This is not a formal fellowship but more of a movement. They are Baptists that teach both Calvinism and Continuationism. They have been highly influential in books, conferences, blogs, Professorships and as Pastors. Wayne Grudem, Don Carson, John Piper and Sam Storms are popular for a bestselling Systematic Theology(Grudem), The Gospel Coalition ministry (Carson), Desiring God Ministries and book (Piper) and Enjoying God Ministries(Storms).

Generic- This group is hard to classify. They may be a mix of some of the above or stand alone. (Charles Spurgeon) 

1. Al Mohler (Southern Baptist) and Mark Dever (whose church uses the New Hampshire Baptist Confession and is Southern Baptist) hold conferences called Together For The Gospel with Presbyterian Ligon Duncan and Charismatic Evangelical C.J. Mahaney. They fellowship with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals as well. 

2. Steven Lawson, a Southern Baptist, has been on the Board of Directors of dispensationalist John MacArthur’s Master’s Seminary and is a popular conference speaker but typically works alone with his OnePassion Ministry.

3. Tom Schreiner, Fred Zaspel, Michael Haykin are all highly influential through both their many books and as Professors at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  These men are highly respected in Sovereign Grace Baptist circles.

4. James White is highly influential as an author, debater and through his ministry Alpha and Omega Ministries. Although an Elder in a Reformed Baptist Church, he is not Sabbatarian.

5. Jeffrey Johnson is a newer face on the scene, but as a Pastor, Author and now having started his own Seminary, has many outlets to influence Baptists. Seems open to Sovereign Grace circles but toes the line for Reformed Baptist Theology.

6. Timothy George is a Southern Baptist Author and Journalist. His book Theology of the Reformers, first published in 1988, is a classic that has influenced a number of Baptists.

7. Roger Nicole and R.K. MacGregor Wright, though no longer with us both have been influential through, his books and many Seminary Professorships (Nicole) and his ministry Aquila & Priscilla Study Center and book No Place for Sovereignty(Wright). Both are looked on as more liberal as they were both egalitarian.