Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

16  And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”  Galatians 6:14-16.

First, this last chapter of Galatians describes the gospel of Christ in its simplest and starkest form as “the cross of Christ”.  Which doctrine, Arminianism or Calvinism, rings true through this verse of Galatians 6:14:  “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”? 

The Arminian does not only boast in the cross of Christ, but rather the Arminian also boasts in the free will of man.  The Arminian proclaims that everyone, saved and unsaved, gets the cross of Christ, but only through the free will of man that man chooses Christ and is thereby distinguished as being the saved.  Therefore, the Arminian also boasts in the free will of man as the basis for his salvation.  To the Arminian, salvation is a work of two parties.  God gets the credit and glory for the “cross of Christ”, and man gets the credit and glory for “the free will of man” which chose Christ.    

The Calvinist does only boast in the cross of Christ, because the cross of Christ procures all the saving gifts of his salvation.  The Calvinist proclaims that Christ died only for the Elect and that such particular atonement procured all the saving gifts (including faith), and therefore the cross of Christ is the only reason for one to boast of his salvation.  The Calvinist proclaims: “… that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin …”.  Article 8 of the SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby in the Canons of Dort.  (Emphasis added.)

Here is Article 8 in full: 

Article 8. For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation: that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.

To the Calvinist, salvation is the work of one party Who is God.  God gets all the credit and all the glory.  That is why it is so important to boast only in the cross of Christ!  (Monergism is a term for this work by one party, and there is a link  to a web site named Monergism which is a very good and comprehensive source of Reformed Doctrine articles in the right margin column of Links.)   

Second, Paul also summarizes the inability of the Law to make us righteous stated throughout the book of Galatians in the verse:  ” For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”  Galatians 6:15.  It does not matter whether we are circumcised or not;  it only matters whether or not we are a new creation in Christ.   

Third, it should be noted that “… those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”  Galatians 6:14-16.  In other words, if you live by this rule of boasting only in the cross of Christ (which I summarize in the title of this post as “Particular Boasting in Particular Atonement”), then you shall have peace and mercy.  At this point, this verse should remind us of the severe warning by which the book of Galatians started:  “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;  which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!  As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”  Galatians 1:6-9. 

In conclusion, why do we boast only in the cross of Christ?  Why should we not also boast in the free will of man?  A true understanding and belief in the gospel of Christ is essential to salvation.  The essence of the gospel of Christ is the particular atonement, that is, Christ died only for the Elect and that by His death on the cross, Christ procured all the saving gifts, including faith.  (There is more information, including Scripture support, about “particular” atonement” which is also known as “limited atonement”, the “L” in “TULIP”, in the “TULIP” link in the right margin column of Links.)  Finally, it needs to be stated that like faith, this true understanding and belief in the gospel of Christ is a gift bestowed on the Elect through the cross of Christ.