SNEAKY SUBJECTIVISM

Gary Shepard

“Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness WITHOUT WORKS, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” [Rom 4:6-8]

There is a subtle form of error that is always seeking to find its way into the beliefs of God’s people. I will call it “sneaky subjectivism.” The dictionary defines subjectivism in this way: “a theory or doctrine that limits knowledge to subjective experience or that stresses the subjective elements in experience.” Faith becomes what one feels rather than what one believes. It becomes what one does in faith rather than what one believes by faith.

The faith that God gives as a gift does not call upon us to do something to make what Christ has done effectual but rather believes what God has said of Him. In faith I am not to do anything to Christ or with Christ but to believe what He has done for me. I am to believe what God has said.

Faith is sometimes described as believing that God will do what He has said He will do. That is surely one element of faith. But it is not the first or chief part of faith. Faith is believing that God has done what He says He has done. It is believing that in the matter of our total salvation Christ has accomplished it and in His own words, “finished” it.

The gospel does not call upon us to do anything with Christ or to Christ. The gospel we are to believe is a DECLARATION, the testimony of God, concerning His gift to us in Christ. By God-given faith we believe the record or witness of God that He has given unto us eternal life and this life is in His Son! By faith we look to Christ and what He accomplished for us before we were even born. He saved us before we were born, before we believed or “felt” anything! This is an objective work, a work outside of us by a Person other than ourselves and therefore all the glory goes to Christ alone.

The gospel declares that it was God who laid our sins on Christ. (Isa. 53:6) It pleased the Lord to bruise Him. (Isa. 53:10) God made Him responsible by making Him our Surety. God charged Him with the sins of His people and held Him accountable for them in His cross death. Confidence or assurance in any and all works of the flesh AND OF THE MIND are just subtle trustings in our works rather than what Christ has done.

When our Savior accomplished our salvation through His death on the cross, we were not there. Nothing we do NOW can alter, add to or make effectual or better what He has finished. It is HIS experience that saves, not MINE!