1. Survey of Teachings of the New Church Meant by the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation

[Author’s Preface]

AFTER publishing, within the span of a few years, several larger and smaller works on the New Jerusalem (which means the new church that the Lord is going to establish), and after unveiling the Book of Revelation, I resolved to publish and bring to light the teachings of the [new] church in their fullness, and thus to present a body of teaching that was whole. But because this work was going to take several years, I developed a plan to publish an outline of it, to give people an initial, general picture of this church and its teachings. When a general overview precedes, all the details that follow, of however wide a range, stand forth in a clear light, because they each have their own place within the overall structure alongside things of the same type.

This briefing does not include detailed argumentation; it is shared as advance notice, because the points it contains will be fully demonstrated in the work itself.

First, however, I must present the teachings concerning justification as they exist today, in order to highlight the differences between the tenets of today’s church and those of the new church.

18. Brief Analysis

The churches that separated from Roman Catholicism during the Reformation consist of those who call themselves Evangelicals and those who call themselves the Reformed and also Protestants, and who are named Lutherans or Calvinists after the founders of their churches. The Anglican Church holds middle ground between them. (I am not referring here to the Orthodox churches, which separated from Roman Catholicism a long time ago.)

Many people are aware that the Protestant churches have theological disagreements with each other in a number of areas — especially concerning the Holy Supper, baptism, the person of Christ, and the process whereby people become “the chosen.”

It is not widely recognized, however, that there are four points on which all these churches agree: there is a trinity of persons in the Divine; there is such a thing as original sin; Christ’s merit is assigned to us; and we are justified by faith alone. The reason this is not widely recognized is that few people conduct research on the dogmatic differences between the churches, and therefore few realize the points the churches have in common. Members of the clergy limit themselves to an investigation of the tenets of their own church; and lay people rarely examine those tenets deeply enough to see the differences and similarities.

Nevertheless, on these four points, Protestants do agree, both generally and in most of the details, as you will find if you consult their books and listen to their sermons. (This point is established first for the sake of the points that are about to follow.)

12. Particular teachings from the Formula of Concord concerning our being justified by faith apart from the works of the law:

(a) Faith is attributed to us as righteousness apart from the works of the law, because of the merit of Christ that faith brings us (pages 78, 79, 80, 584, 689).

(b) Goodwill comes along only after we have the faith that makes us just. Faith actually does not make us just if it has been formed through acts of goodwill, although Catholics say it does (pages 81, 89, 94, 117, 688, 691; appendix, page 169).

(c) The contrition that precedes, and the renewal, sanctification, and good works that follow, have no part to play in the business of being justified by faith (pages 688, 689).

(d) It is foolish to dream that the works enjoined by the second tablet of the Ten Commandments make us just before God. We follow them in our dealings with other human beings, but not with God. In the process of being justified we must deal with God and placate his wrath (page 102).

(e) Any who believe their sins are forgiven because they do acts of goodwill are insulting Christ; their confidence in their own righteousness is wicked and futile (pages 87, 89).

(f) Good works must be completely excluded from any discussion of our justification and eternal life (page 589).

(g) Good works are not necessary to make us deserving of salvation; they play no part in activating the process of being justified (pages 589, 590, 702, 704; appendix, page 173).

(h) We must reject the proposition that good works are necessary for our salvation. This position takes away the consolation of the gospel, gives us a reason to doubt God’s grace, and strengthens the presumption that we ourselves are righteous. Papists adopted these views in support of a bad cause (page 704).

(i) We reject and condemn the expression that good works are necessary for salvation (page 591).

(j) Statements that good works are necessary for salvation are not to be taught or defended, but should be excluded and rejected by our churches as false (page 705).

(k) Works that do not proceed from true faith are actually sins in God’s sight. That is, such works are tarnished with sin, since a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (page 700).

(l) Our good works do not preserve or maintain faith or salvation in us; they are just a testimony that the Holy Spirit is present and dwelling within us (pages 590, 705; appendix, page 174).

(m) People ought to reject the decree of the Council of Trent [and whatever else is used to support the opinion] that our good works preserve salvation or that our works either completely or only in part preserve and maintain the righteousness received by faith or even faith itself (page 707).