“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?” (James 2:21).
Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that Abraham was justified by works. They argue that there are different types/aspects/perspectives of justification. They speak of initial justification, ongoing justification, and final justification. Obviously, such sentiments are not even remotely Reformed.
The Reformed faith has always insisted that justification is by faith alone. There is no further justification or final justification. Period. No further discussion is necessary.
So, what are we to do when someone brings up James 2? We have found a catch phrase that effectively dismisses any Federal Visionists who dares to bring up James 2 or any other Biblical argument. We simply say, “Every heretic quotes the Bible.”
The power of this phrase is stunning. There is no possible rebuttal. This is the ultimate smokescreen. It is like a magic bullet or a get-out-of-jail-free card. It completely disarms your opponent because the more he quotes the Bible, the more he looks like a heretic. It works every time!
This is the Catch-22 that Federal Visionists find themselves in. If they quote the Bible, they’re heretics. If they don’t quote the Bible, they’re heretics. They're damned if they do and damned if they don’t. And, in their case, literally!
