关于称义
2007 年谢勒维尔总会
2007 年总会重申，圣经与各大信条教导我们，称义乃是“唯独因恩典、唯独通过信心”，并且教会中所有在圣约神学范畴下的教导，都不得与这一根本教义相抵触。因此，2007 年大议会驳斥以下错误观点：
1. 否认或曲解圣经关于“神起初按着自己的形象，造人本善、公义、圣洁，使其有能力遵行‘生命的命令’，作为全人类代表”（《海德堡要理问答》6、9；《比利时信条》14 条）的教导；
2. 混淆堕落前后启示的区别，将堕落前所赐的“生命的命令”和堕落后所宣告的福音混为一谈（《比利时信条》14、17 条；《海德堡要理问答》19、21、56、60 问答）；
3. 混淆称义的根基与工具，把堕落前人因顺服“生命的命令”而被接纳的根基和工具，与堕落后人因基督（祂完全遵行了“生命的命令”）为唯一根基、因信心接受基督为唯一工具的教义混为一谈；
4. 否认基督的功德，否认基督为信徒赢得了被神接纳的资格，或否认基督所有的功劳都被归算给信徒（《比利时信条》19、20、22、26 条；《海德堡要理问答》11-19、21、36-37、60、84 问答；《多特信经》I.7；拒谬 1.3；拒谬 II.1）；
5. 错误教导历史性或条件性的选民，认为一个人可以因参与圣约恩典的外在施行而被历史性、条件性地选召、重生、与基督有救恩的联合、称义并被收纳为神的儿女，但却可以因缺乏圣约忠信而失去这些救恩益处（《多特信经》I、V）；
6. 模糊圣约关系的内外之分，认为所有受洗者在圣约恩典中的地位完全相同，不承认仅有藉着洗礼与圣约有外在关系的人，与那些藉着唯独恩典、唯独信心真实与基督联合的人之间的区别（《海德堡要理问答》21、60 问答；《比利时信条》29 条）；
7. 把圣灵所成就的成圣、人类的行为或与恩典的合作，视为我们在神面前称义的根基，或视为信心的一部分，即我们“拥抱基督、我们之义的工具”（《比利时信条》22-24 条；《海德堡要理问答》21、60、86 问答）；
8. 曲解信心的本质，把称义的信心定义为超出“单单依靠并安息在基督被钉十字架的顺服之上”或“确实的知识”以及“真心信靠基督及祂为选民所成就的顺服与受死”的任何其他内容（《比利时信条》23 条；《海德堡要理问答》21 问答）；
9. 提出第二次或最终称义的异说，认为最终的称义部分地基于信徒内在的义或成圣（《海德堡要理问答》52 问答；《比利时信条》37 条）。
(摘自《2007 年谢勒维尔总会会议事录》第 72 条
Pastoral Advice Regarding Justification
Synod 2007 (Schererville)
Synod affirms that the Scriptures and confessions teach the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, and that nothing that is taught under the rubric of covenant theology in our churches may contradict this fundamental doctrine. Therefore Synod 2007 rejects the errors of those:
- who deny or modify the teaching that “God created man good and after His own image, that is, in true righteousness and holiness,” able to perform “the commandment of life” as the representative of mankind (HC 6, 9; BC 14);
- who, in any way and for any reason, confuse the “commandment of life” given before the fall with the gospel announced after the fall (BC 14, 17; HC 19, 21, 56, 60);
- who confuse the ground and instrument of acceptance with God before the fall (obedience to the commandment of life) with the ground (Christ who kept the commandment of life) and instrument (faith in Christ) of acceptance with God after the fall;
- who deny that Christ earned acceptance with God and that all His merits have been imputed to believers (BC 19, 20, 22, 26; HC 11-19, 21, 36-37, 60, 84; CD I.7, RE 1.3, RE II.1);
- who teach that a person can be historically, conditionally elect, regenerated, savingly united to Christ, justified, and adopted by virtue of participation in the outward administration of the covenant of grace but may lose these benefits through lack of covenantal faithfulness (CD I, V);
- who teach that all baptized persons are in the covenant of grace in precisely the same way such that there is no distinction between those who have only an outward relation to the covenant of grace by baptism and those who are united by grace alone through faith alone (HC 21, 60; BC 29);
- who teach that Spirit-wrought sanctity, human works, or cooperation with grace is any part either of the ground of our righteousness before God or any part of faith, that is, the “instrument by which we embrace Christ, our righteousness” (BC 22-24; HC 21, 60, 86);
- who define faith, in the act of justification, as being anything more than “leaning and resting on the sole obedience of Christ crucified” or “a certain knowledge” of and “a hearty trust” in Christ and His obedience and death for the elect (BC 23; HC 21); 9
- who teach that there is a separate and final justification grounded partly upon righteousness or sanctity inherent in the Christian (HC 52; BC 37).” (Acts of Synod Schererville 2007, Art. 72)