The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Marks of Heresy

Here are a few of my own observations and conclusions that came from reading through Shepherd's "34 These Concerning Justification . . .". They are decidedly brief, but I think salient enough to show that he is teaching something other than the historic doctrine of Sola Fide:

19. Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are his disciples, who walk in the Spirit and keep covenant with God, are in a state of justification and will be justified on the day of judgment; whereas unbelieving, ungodly, unrighteous, and impenitent sinners who are covenant breakers or strangers to the covenant of grace, etc.

ANS: An unbeliever cannot break a covenant that has not been established. This is where Shepherd and his followers begin their journey from the path of truth.

20. The Pauline affirmation in Romans 2:13, "the doers of the Law will be justified," is not to be understood hypothetically in the sense that there are no persons who fall into that class, but in the sense that faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ will be justified (Compare Luke 8:21; James 1:22-25)

ANS: Justification is a judicial/forensic declaration, pronouncement of a sinner's acquittal due to the imputed righteousness of Christ. It is a right standing before God, not a "class".

21. The exclusive ground of the justification of the believer in the state of justification is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, but his obedience, which is simply the perseverance of the saints in the way of truth and righteousness, is necessary to his continuing in a state of justification (Heb. 3:6, 14).

ANS: Notice here that he has moved from a "class" to a tentative "state" of justification. It is here that Shepherd & co., clearly deny Sola Fide and have fallen back into synergism.

22. The righteousness of Jesus Christ ever remains the exclusive ground of the believer's justification, but the personal godliness of the believer is also necessary for his justification in the judgment of the last day (Matt. 7:21-23; 25:31-46; Heb. 12:14).

ANS: Now, here we have the clearest statement and denial of Sola Fide. For he makes personal godliness, aka: "works" necessary to secure justification. The very nature of justification is changed from a forensic declaration to a "state" or "class" which is dependent upon one's works in addition to the vicarious substitutionary atonement of Christ.