Genesis 15:6

"Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).

Federal Visionists claim to love this verse. They claim to believe in justification by faith alone.

However, nothing could be further from the truth. We know that, deep down, all Federal Visionists are wolves that do not believe the gospel.

Thus, the secret to attacking to Federal Vision is to twist everything they say into an attack on justification by faith alone. Turn everything they say into an assault on the gospel. For instance ...

• If an FVer ever wants to question our modern understanding of law-gospel, then simply declare that they have rejected sola fide.
• If an FVer ever wants to investigate the historical understanding of law-gospel, then simply declare that they have renounced justification.
• If an FVer ever wants to nuance law-gospel, then simply declare that they have denied JBFA.

They will then waste all of their time and energy explaining how they really do believe the gospel. Yet, no matter how hard they try, they will never convince us because we know their hearts. Nothing they say matters.

This diversionary tactic works not only on law-gospel, but on pretty much anything. If an FVer wants to debate the meaning of a particular passage of scripture with you, you don't really have to listen to their argument. Instead, you can simply assert that they are preaching another gospel, which is no gospel at all.

If an FVer wants you to hear what Calvin said on an issue, don't listen. It doesn't matter. There's no way in hell that we would ordain Calvin anyway. Just say, they have departed from the historic reformed faith.

This is protocol for anything. If an FVer comments that the sky is blue, they have denied sola fide. If an FVer maintains that grass is green, they are seeking to be justified by works.

Hopefully, the FVers will get the message that engaging us is fruitless. Whatever the means, we have to guard our flock. The gospel is at steak!

Genesis 3:22-24

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’ – therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:22-24).

Federal Visionists love this passage because they think that this is the first time that God prevented Adam and Eve from eating of the ToL (Tree of Life). They assert that God gave Adam and Eve access to the ToL from the beginning. Rather than requiring them to merit covenant blessings, God gave the blessings of the covenant upfront, apart from their merit. Thus, the pre-fall covenant was supposedly based upon “grace.”

Dude.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that the pre-fall covenant was a COW (Covenant of Works). Adam was sinless, but not righteous. He could have merited covenant blessings through his works of perfect obedience. Thus, if Adam had obeyed perfectly, he would have earned access to the ToL, but not before.

Now, the Bible never indicates that God had previously barred Adam from the ToL. In fact, the text explicitly states the opposite, as the TKGE (Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) was the only tree that was forbidden (Genesis 2:16-17). However, we have never let the word of God stand in the way of our modern Reformed imagination.

Notwithstanding the Scriptures, the Reformed faith has always insisted that both trees were out of bounds. This is precisely where the theological train track splits, and unfortunately, Federal Visionists take a right (heading home to Rome), when they should take a left (easing towards Escondido).

The two trees of the garden represent the Law and the Gospel. The TKGE represents the Law, and the ToL represents the Gospel. If Adam had kept the Law (TKGE), then he would have earned access to the Gospel (ToL). Those who deny this are SoL.

Federal Visionists claim that this is speculative eisegesis, but isn’t this just the kettle calling the pot black? Federal Visionists are the ones who employ a typological hermeneutic that would make Origen squirm.

Typology is absolutely necessary, but only when proper hermeneutics are employed. The Reformed hermeneutic is Law/Gospel. Until you read the Bible through Law/Gospel glasses, then you are misreading the Scriptures. Once you understand the Law/Gospel grid, then you will have the inklination to see every pair in the Bible as symbolic of the Law and the Gospel. For instance, consider these obvious examples:

The sun and the moon = the Law and the Gospel
The two wives of Lamech = the Law and the Gospel
The two angels that rescued Lot = the Law and the Gospel
The two tablets of stone = the Law and the Gospel
The two cherubim on the ark = the Law and the Gospel
Nadab and Abihu = the Law and the Gospel
The twin gazelles in Song of Songs = the Law and the Gospel
The two female bears that devoured the youths who insulted Elisha = the Law and the Gospel
The two fish in the feeding of the 5,000 = the Law and the Gospel
The sons of Zebedee = the Law and the Gospel
The two greatest commandments = the Law and the Gospel
The two denarii in the Good Samaritan = the Law and the Gospel
The two mites of the widow = the Law and the Gospel
The two angels in Jesus’ tomb = the Law and the Gospel
The two soldiers who guarded Peter = the Law and the Gospel
The two years Paul spent in Rome = the Law and the Gospel
The two-edged sword of the word of God = the Law and the Gospel
The two witnesses in Revelation = the Law and the Gospel

This is just a sample of how understanding Law and Gospel opens up the Scriptures in breathtaking ways. For all their self-vaunted “Biblicism,” you won’t see Federal Visionists engage in this quality of interpretation. So much for exegesis. So much for the Bible.

Dude.

Genesis 2:16-17

“The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

Federal Visionists love these verses because they point out that God only forbade Adam from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They allege that the tree of life was not forbidden. Therefore, in the pre-fall covenant, access to the tree of life was given as a gift from God. It did not have to be earned, but it could be lost through sin.

Thus, Federal Visionists argue for a covenantal paradigm in which the blessings of the covenant were given immediately, rather than having to be earned, yet those blessings could be lost through sin. Obviously, this covenantal paradigm is sub-Reformed because it does not correspond with any paradigm from the Ancient Near Eastern treaties.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that the pre-fall covenant was a covenant of merit. Although unstated in the text, we assume that God forbade Adam from eating of the tree of life until he earned it by perfect obedience. Why else would all branches of the Reformation call this the Covenant of Works?

Furthermore, unless we restrict ourselves to the inspired covenantal paradigms of Hittite treaties, then we depart from the Reformed faith.

Genesis 7:1

"Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time" (Genesis 7:1).

Federal Visionists love to argue that verses like this prove that man can be righteous apart from God. Pelagian alert! This is simply twisting the Scriptures for their own benefit.

We know that “there is none righteous” (Romans 3:10). Thus, this verse must be speaking of positional righteousness, not experiential righteousness.

So, when the Lord says that he “sees” that Noah is righteous, the Lord sees Noah wrapped in the robes of righteousness that only come through the righteousness of Christ (Zechariah 3:1-5).

Genesis 26:4

"I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws" (Genesis 26:4).

Federal Visionists love to use this verse to show that it is possible for us to keep the law. This is modern-day Pelagianism.

The commandments, statues, and laws of God require absolute perfection. Only Jesus could keep these perfectly. Thus, this passage must be referring to the glorious truth that Christ kept the law for Abraham.