In 1844, Archibald Alexander, the first president of Princeton Theological Seminary, wrote a book titled Thoughts On Religious Experience, in which he addressed the subject of hindrances to growth in grace. (What Alexander called growth in grace is what I call spiritual transformation). In his book, Alexander listed five hindrances to growth in grace. The last four are common hindrances that we would recognize today, but it is the first one that is worthy of our attention. He listed the first hindrance as a defect in our belief in the freeness of divine grace. He continued, To exercise unshaken confidence in the doctrine of gratuitous pardon is one of the most difficult things in the world; and to preach this doctrine fully without verging toward antinomianism is no easy task, and is therefore seldom done.” So this was a concern in the early nineteenth century just as it is today. Ministers were afraid that the preaching of grace would lead to antinomianism. This was also true in the early seventeenth century. Episcopal bishop C. FitzSimons Allison, in his book The Rise of Moralism, traced a trend among ministers in England at that time to combat the alarming spread of antinomianism by adding works to faith as the basis of ones standing and acceptance with God. Back to Archibald Alexander. He continued, But Christians cannot be but lean and feeble when deprived of their proper [nourishment]. It is by faith that the spiritual life is made to grow; and the doctrine of free grace without any mixture of human merit is the only true object of faith. Why would Alexander mention as the first hindrance to spiritual growth a defect in our belief in the freeness of divine grace? His reason can be summarized as follows: We are too prone to depending on our own performance for assurance of our acceptance with God, and we are too prone to depending on our own moral willpower for the ability to grow spiritually. So, according to Alexander, the remedy for tendencies toward antinomianism is not to add works to grace but to continually emphasize the grace of God. Jerry Bridges
Posted on: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 21:37:28 +0000
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