Are You A Super RP? Is That a Good Thing?

Super RP: Are you a "super" and is it a good thing?

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
(Colossians 3:11)

To begin with, this is not at all an attack on anyone or any specific group of people. In all actuality, this subject is a very convicting subject for me, and I do not doubt that it will also be a very convicting subject for others as well. With that said, I do not believe that everyone will or should find the subject matter I am about to address convicting. If you are not convicted then I will either celebrate with you or I will cry for you, whichever response might be more appropriate given your specific situation. I think, however, that every single Christian has fallen prey to adding more to the Gospel than Christ and Him crucified. Odds are, if you do not find this subject convicting, I ought to cry rather than celebrate.

Before I begin describing a super RP, I think it is important for those, like myself, that didn't grow up in the RP church to know what it means to be RP. Although there are several distinctives of the RP Church (Reformed Presbyterian Church), some of the most widely known and popular ones are exclusive Psalmody, a strict observance of the Lord's Day (or Christian Sabbath), and a clearly defined Constitution that is adhered to by all. All of these distinctives are Scripturally founded, defended, and practiced. The RP Church is easily defined as conservative, seeking to preserve the Gospel truth as it is clearly defined in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Reformed Presbyterians closely adhere to the confessions and catechisms of the Westminster divines, many are well versed in John Calvin's theology, and all find their roots in the Reformation of the 16th century.

If you wish to know more about the Reformed Presbyterian Church then visit http://reformedpresbyterian.org/

However, an understanding of the RP Church is not essential to understand or comprehend the topic at hand.

What is a Super RP? The term, from what I grasp, is a fairly new one. The only time I have ever heard the label used was in the presence of the RP youth. Otherwise, the term does not get thrown around a lot. I have heard different definitions of the phrase, but one particular definition seems to flourish more than any of the others.

Before I provide the most common definition of a Super RP, I must first make this very crucial distinction. I will not for a second assume that the RP Church is the only church with a problem similar to the one I am about to address. In fact, all too often these problems tend to plague Christian denominations that are so strictly convicted that their doctrines are the most correct and without error, and others' are so wrong, that they believe that they are in a state of Christianity that is a level above the rest. This is not merely an RP problem, but a whole church problem. Without any further ado, the most prevalent definition of a Super RP is:

A member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church that is so severely convicted that the Constitution of the RP Church is without any error that they believe that those who are not in the RP Church, that do not hold to the doctrines of the RP faith, and believe contrary to the RP Church's stance on family worship, Lord's Day observance, exclusive Psalmody, and other RP distinctives are either lesser types of Christians or, even worse, are not of the Christian faith whatsoever. 

You can replace RP with any of the other denominations as well. You can have super Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, Evangelicals, and so on and so forth. Essentially, what makes anyone a super is an addition to the Gospel truth, and that is everything but super. When you break down the mentality of any "super", you are left with a person that is so focused on the doctrines of the Christian faith that they denounce the sufficiency of Jesus Christ's perfect life and death upon the cross to atone for the sins of mankind. That is to say, that I have heard some people in the RP Church go so far as to say that unless a person believes that they are justified by faith alone, through Christ alone, by grace alone (a Reformed doctrine), that that person is not truly saved. However, my parents are living testimonies that that is not the case.They were both Christians long before they knew about the doctrine of justification by faith alone. 

Similarly, I have heard many a Baptist argue that a person is not truly saved until they are baptized. What's more, I have heard many of them go on to say that a person was not truly baptized unless the sacrament was conducted by a Baptist minister. Essentially, they are saying that unless a person is baptized in the Baptist church, that that person is not a child of God but still a reprobate sinner. Apparently there is a portion of Scripture that I have continued to neglect over the years. How naive and ludicrous these men are to claim that they have a corner on the market when it comes to applying the sign and seal of the covenant of grace, and even worse, that they would go so far as to throw Christ's sufficiency clear out of the picture. 

These are two examples of where wrong doctrine and right doctrine are skewed to the point of becoming an addition or subtraction to/from the Gospel of Christ. For the Super RP it is Christ and the doctrine of justification by faith alone. For the Super Baptist it is all of Baptist baptism and none of Christ. To put both "supers" to shame, Luke records the conversion of the thief on the cross. Mind you, this was one of the same thieves that mocked Christ along with the rest of the crowd, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself!" (Mark 15:32) But Christ, merciful and gracious, turns to the thief and tells him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). I am sure that the thief never understood the doctrine of justification by faith alone in his last moments. It is too abundantly clear that he was never baptized. What can we make of the conversion of the thief on the cross? He, at the very close of his life, understood that the man dying next to him was completely innocent of any crime, was the Son of God, and was unjustly bearing the condemnation our sins deserve. It's all in his words in Luke 23:40-42 as he rebukes the other thief:

"Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Luke 23:40-42

As Paul wrote to the church in Colossae:

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
(Colossians 3:11)

The "here" that Paul is referring to is not Colossae but "in Christ." In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free. Today, we could just as easily say that in Christ there is not Baptist and Presbyterian, Lutheran and Evangelical, baptized and dedicated, American, Indian, European, Chinese, rich, poor, white collar or blue collar. You are either in Christ or you are not. That is the only difference between people today. It is not about doctrine. Doctrine does not save. That is not to say that doctrine does not matter. Doctrine is the meat of the Gospel, and we should have a clear understanding of the Biblical doctrine of faith and a firm grasp of Biblical theology. But I am not a Christian because I understand the doctrine of justification by faith alone. I am not a Christian because I sing the Psalms exclusively. I am not a Christian because I do not work on the Lord's Day, but set aside one day in seven as a holy day to worship God. I am a Christian because two thousand years ago, the very Son of God died on the cross for my sins. I am a Christian because God imputed Christ's righteousness to me, granting me grace instead of condemnation, and calling me out of the grave and into grace. I am a Christian because God, before the foundations of the world were laid, set apart a holy people, completely despite their works, to be His own, His chosen, and His elect! That's what makes me a Christian!

Super RP is a result of the work of Satan. As the RP Church seeks to conserve many Christian doctrines that fall by the wayside due to the liberal, emotional, social, and Christless undermining of the essentials of the Gospel truth in the rest of the church, we often fall into a stance of undermining our brothers' faith.  Division in the church is not of God. Christ only preached unity. The Apostle Paul clearly articulates the importance of unity in Colossians 3. He speaks of perfect harmony (v. 14) and one body of believers (v. 15). Therefore, we can easily conclude that any division in the visible church is a work of Satan, and is a direct result of his efforts to undermine Christ's sufficiency on the cross.

What do I mean by this? Too often, I have heard Christians forget the difference between a Christian and a non-believer. The difference is grace, and that's it. It's not doctrine. It's not a right understanding of the Lord's Day. It's not intelligence or knowledge of Christian theology and doctrine. It's not the act of singing Psalms on Sunday morning. It's all of grace and nothing more. 

There is no room for elitism in Christianity. There are no echelons of Christians. During the great judgment, God will not choose one denomination as His people above the rest. A Baptist and a Lutheran will both stand before the sight of God and will be judged on the basis of grace, not of works. A Reformed Presbyterian will share in the same glories and inheritance of Christ that a Evangelical will. That is, as long as both truly believe that Christ's death on the cross, the imputation of His righteousness, and His propitiation for our sins is sufficient for our salvation. God's not going to give a greater inheritance to RPs, to Baptists, or to Evangelicals. In the end, there is no such thing as a super Christian, and shame on any of us, no matter what denomination, what family practices, what personal devotion, or what doctrines we hold. Christ our Lord is the only and true "Super" Christian, and it is only in Him, by His work, and by His righteousness that we can stand before our Holy Father and give an account.

What's the big deal? The big deal is that people notice. Even worse, people respond. I was listening to a podcast of the White Horse Inn, and one of the statements that I heard was so very, convictingly true. Someone said, "You can talk to people about justice and they'll love you, but if you talk to people about Jesus, then they'll hate you." Another gentlemen piped in at that moment and clarified, "People don't hate Jesus as much as they hate Christians." Sadly ironic is the fact that the RP Church believes that we are saved by grace and not by works, and yet we think that our clear understanding of the Gospel truths makes us better Christians. We are too often quick to ridicule and mock our Christian brothers, to the point of undermining their very salvation, on the basis of their miss-understanding of Christian doctrines. What's worse, we make it sound like they are lesser Christians than we. What's more, people in the church notice. 

As Reformed Presbyterians (and as Christians of every denomination) we need to be careful how we speak of our beloved brothers in Christ, no matter what errors they have in doctrine. Our brothers in the Evangelical church may have a most contorted and twisted understanding of what it means to worship God, they may believe that we have some capability to choose God, they may believe that there are many dispensations in the Bible, and have a very sad, warped, and inglorious view of the holy trinity. Nevertheless, who are we, who are completely without their hearts, to say with any assurance that there are no Christians whatsoever in the Evangelical church. We know we are wrong to think like that, so we begrudgingly consider there may be a few, but still lesser Christians interspersed amongst them.

Brothers and sisters, I implore you to mind your thoughts and judge your own hearts at this point. Am I way off track? Am I noticing something in the church today that I am merely imagining? Or do we nit-pick each other's understanding of the Christian faith, to the point of seeking to find fault with one another that we might feel better about ourselves. Particularly my brothers in the RP Church, can you truly testify with complete assurity and without a guilty conscience that you have never thought that you were something more than you really are in Christ merely because you have a right understanding of the Christian faith, you sing Psalms instead of hymns, or because you don't work or watch football on the Lord's Day? Oh, Lord forgive me! I most certainly have! How soon we forget that we have nothing to bring to the table. We preach justification by faith alone but we continually pat ourselves on the back. What good Christians we are! We, out of all the Church of Christ, deserve a gold star for our flawless understanding of Scripture and our unrivaled attention to detail in the worship service. Oh shame! What horrible shame! We preach justification by faith alone and enhancement and improvement by intellect and reformed doctrine. 

Lest we pat ourselves on the back too quickly, lets remember what Christ has to say to the church in Ephesus in Revelation:

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."
(Revelation 2:1-6)

Have we too abandoned the love we had a first? In Christ's parable about sowing seed and having some land on rocky soil, some land on thorny ground, and some upon good soil, we have to understand that Christ taught us to sow the seed. Sadly, the RP Church seems to take a greater stance on spreading weed killer than the seed. We're so consumed with revealing every false doctrine and preventing heresies from entering the church, that we've abandoned our first love. We've abandoned the Gospel on so many levels. Like the church in Ephesus, Christ will commend us on our testing every false teacher, but He will not commend us on the way we treat our brothers and sisters who are growing in good soil although they may have a few problems in their theology.

Brothers and sisters, I have heard the preaching of the Word in the RP Church. Our reformed ministers are preaching the Gospel of free grace to the elect Loud and Clear! But there is more to the RP Church than just our ministers. What do our actions, our statements, and our daily interactions with those around us say? 

Are we loving our brothers in Christ, or are we more discerning rather than loving. I don't know how many times I've wondered if a person is a Christian. I see some wonderful fruit in their lives. They're loving, caring, and they genuinely serve better than I ever have. I ask them, "Do you go to church?" They respond positively, telling me they attend First Baptist, New Life Church, or the little Lutheran church down the road. My immediate response is not greeting my brother with a holy kiss, but skepticism and doubt. Well, he says he's a Christian, but he goes to New Life. What have we come to! We see fruit bearing, they believe Christ is Lord, and yet because they attend a church that is not known for having all of it's theology straight we doubt the sufficiency of Christ's death upon the cross and His free grace. Do you not see the disconnect? Do you not see the irony? Sadly, we are blind to the hypocrisy.

We are not all privileged to have a right understanding of theology and the doctrine of justification by faith alone. We are not all privileged to have been introduced to the Westminster Confession of Faith or Calvin's Institutes. We, as Reformed Presbyterians, must remember where the true reformation takes place. We, who have a clear and Biblical definition of sanctification, so quickly forget who and what quickens us in our Christian faith. How quickly we forget that the same grace that saves us, is that same grace that sanctifies us. How quickly we forget that what wonderful knowledge and revelation we have of God is due to grace and not intellect. What does the Westminster Confession of Faith say about sanctification?

13:1 They, who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection (Act_20:32; Rom_6:5, Rom_6:6; 1Co_6:11; Phi_3:10), by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them (Joh_17:17; Eph_5:26; 2Th_2:13): the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed (Rom_6:6, Rom_6:14), and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified (Rom_8:13; Gal_5:24); and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces (Eph_3:16-19; Col_1:11), to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (2Co_7:1; Heb_12:14).

I emphasize, "They are more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces." Read the proof texts provided!

That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Colossians 1:11-12

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
2 Peter 3:18

In the work of our sanctification, I am seeing very little that the Scriptures attribute to us. In fact, I don't see any self qualification. Who qualifies us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light? Who opens our minds to comprehend the glories of the Holy Scriptures clearly? THE FATHER! It is a result of the work of HIS SPIRIT, that CHRIST may dwell in our hearts THROUGH FAITH! I guess, my RP brothers and sisters, we have no room to boast whatsoever. How dare we pride ourselves with having a better understanding of the Holy Scriptures. How dare we pat ourselves on the back for figuring out that exclusive Psalmody and the regulative principle of worship are Biblical. It is all of grace and we have no room to boast whatsoever!

Therefore, how do we place ourselves above others who do not yet understand the doctrines of the faith that we do? Are we more advanced in our faith? Not at all. We all grow in sanctification at different paces according to God's will. However, remember the words of Paul in 2 Cor. 3:18. We are all being transformed into the same image. Reformed Presbyterians will not go into paradise bearing a better image of Christ than Evangelicals. Neither will Baptists enter the Kingdom of Heaven bearing Christ's perfect image any more perfect than the Lutherans. No matter denomination we belong in, no matter what doctrines we hold to, as long as Christ's righteousness has truly be imputed to us, as long as Christ's death on the cross is truly sufficient for our salvations, and as long as God has effectively called out of the stench of death and placed us into the glory of His grace, then we are all members of the exact same body of Christ!

There is no room for supers in the church. Supers preach a false gospel of Christ plus something else. Let us start to stop judging everybody else and start searching our own hearts. Until we can start passing other churches along the road without rolling our eyes and doubting that the Gospel is preached there, let's remember what the Gospel is. Let us remember the thief on the cross. Christ said that he would join him in paradise. The man was never baptized, never was served communion, probably never sang a Psalm, possibly didn't observe the Sabbath day, never read Romans 9, and never heard of John Calvin. This man was justified by faith alone. He probably didn't understand the doctrine, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't apply. The same rule goes for all of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world in the Baptist church, Lutheran church, Evangelical church, and other denominations. Although we do not comprehend the intricacies of the human brain, nevertheless, we know we have one and therefore it works. Similarly, although our brothers and sisters may not have a right understanding of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, nevertheless, they know they have been brought to life and they know Christ to be their Lord and Savior. 

In closing, I am not at all saying that it is bad to be a Reformed Presbyterian, and one that understands theology and doctrines on a better level than most believers out there. I am merely saying, check yourself at the door. Do not pat yourself on the back for the knowledge you have of Christ. Do not belittle and diminish the work of Christ just because someone doesn't understand the Word of God like you do. Do not make the death of Christ insufficient without political affiliation, doctrinal belief, denomination membership, or human works. We are all members of the same body. We are all being conformed into the same image. There is no Greek or Jew in Christ. We are all Christians as long as God's grace has saved us from the grave through the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us through His work on the cross. We may not all understand this, but unless the Holy Spirit works within us, we would have no understanding at all. The heart beats although we don't know how. The lungs fill our bodies with oxygen although we don't know how. In our first hour of belief, we believed without knowing how. Instead of belittling our brothers and sisters, we ought to clearly articulate what the Spirit has revealed to us in a loving manner. After all, where would all of us be if someone had not come along and showed us the fundamentals of the RP faith? It doesn't come naturally, but it is a work of God through the work of ministers and teachers that He has called to share His Word. Let's stop ridiculing the Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Evangelicals and start giving them the right hand of fellowship, dialoguing with them on why we believe what we believe! That would be a wonderful re-defining of what it means to be a Super RP!