Christianity and Liberalism: Salvation.  

“It has been observed thus far that liberalism differs from Christianity with regard to the presuppositions of the gospel (the view of God and the view of man), with regard to the Book in which the gospel is contained, and with regard to the Person whose work the gospel sets forth. It is not surprising then that it differs from Christianity in its account of the gospel itself; it is not surprising that it presents an entirely different account of the way of salvation. Liberalism finds salvation (so far as it is willing to speak at all of “salvation”) in man; Christianity finds it in an act of God.” – J. Gresham Machen

An individual’s view of doctrine, God and man, the Bible, and Jesus Christ will correspondingly impact their view of salvation. It is simple cause and effect. One’s view of the former will directly impact their view of the latter.

The doctrine of salvation is God delivering the sinner from the penalty, power and eventual presence of their sin by sovereign grace alone, through God-given faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. The good news, or the Gospel, of salvation heralds four basic truths: (1) God Exists; (2) Sin Exists; (3) Salvation Exists; and (4) One Savior Exists; Jesus Christ (John 1:1-18).

A main opponent of the biblical Gospel, birthed by the 18^th century Enlightenment and 19^th century Higher Criticism, is known by various names: the modernist liberal movement, the social gospel or social justice. It is an effort to usher in the kingdom of God through human sourced social action.

“World War I (1914-1918) turned Europe on its head, brought crashing down the optimism of the Enlightenment, and ushered in post-Enlightenment Europe. In America, however, young people undeterred by the war set about attempting to bring to earth the kingdom of God through social action. They called their message “the social gospel,” and its principal preacher was Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918), who endeavored to address the poverty he found in Hell’s Kitchen (in New York) by preaching a “gospel” of social improvement and working toward bringing about the kingdom of God on the earth through social action. This was their definition of salvation,” explains Dr. R. Scott Clark, professor of history at Westminster Seminary, CA.

Many 20^th century American social programs sought to do the same. These included The New Deal, The Great Society, the War on Poverty, Welfare, Occupy Wall Street, Wokeism, and Black Lives Matter.

Machen understood that salvation of and by man, socially or spiritually, cannot accomplish its goals. It reduces the plight of mankind by trying to eliminate materialistic poverty. True deliverance from sin, and its residual impact, must come solely from God.

The rejection of the Gospel by the fallen world culture is nothing new. The Apostle Paul encountered opposition to the good news of salvation by the Greek/Roman culture of his day.

1 Corinthians 1:18–31 (ESV) says, “¹⁸ For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

²⁰ “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. ²² For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

²⁶ “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ³⁰ And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ³¹ so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

“It is true that the Christian gospel is an account, not of something that happened yesterday, but of something that happened long ago; but the important thing is that it really happened. If it really happened, then it makes little difference when it happened. No matter when it happened, whether yesterday or in the first century, it remains a real gospel, a real piece of news,” explains Machen. “The happening of long ago, moreover, is in this case confirmed by present experience. The Christian man receives first the account which the New Testament gives of the atoning death of Christ. That account is history. But if true it has effects in the present, and it can be tested by its effects. The Christian man makes trial of the Christian message, and making trial of it he finds it to be true. Experience does not provide a substitute for the documentary evidence, but it does confirm that evidence. The word of the Cross no longer seems to the Christian to be merely a far-off thing, merely a matter to be disputed about by trained theologians. On the contrary, it is received into the Christian’s inmost soul, and every day and hour of the Christian’s life brings new confirmation of its truth.”

Soli deo Gloria!