Matthew 26:27

“And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you’” (Matthew 26:27).

Federal Visionists love this verse. They think that it is okay for a twenty-first century pastor to repeat Jesus’ line about “Drink from it, all of you.” This is because Federal Visionists are all about being inclusive with regards to the Lord’s Supper. They will let anyone who is baptized take communion, even children. Obviously, this is a radical departure from what our Lord had in mind.

The first rule of interpretation is context, context, context. At the last supper, Jesus could say, “Drink from it, all of you” because he knew that no children were present. However, for a contemporary minister to say “Drink from it, all of you” in the presence of children is outright dangerous. Every year, dozens of children spontaneously combust when the communion juice hits their lips. It’s not widely reported, but we must stop the madness.

When Jesus said, “Drink from it, all of you,” he never intended this exact phrase to be infrequently repeated year after year. This line was basically a throwaway, an off-the-cuff remark that Jesus probably wished was never recorded in Scripture.

Ultimately, Anti-Federal Visionists are not very interested in what Jesus said. We are much more interested in guessing how Jesus would fence the table today if he were a NAPARC pastor.

Thus, the mark of a truly Reformed pastor is that he does not emulate Jesus. In no sense should we ever attempt to be like Jesus and say “Drink from it, all of you” in the presence of a mixed multitude. When a modern Reformed minister administers the cup, at best, he can say, “Drink from it, some of you.”

Matthew 4:17

“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that Jesus was preaching the gospel. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that justification is by faith alone, which means that repentance is part of sanctification, not justification. Thus, Jesus was not preaching the gospel. He was preaching for sanctification. Read the rest of this entry.

Matthew 6:3-4

“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4).

Federal Visionists love this passage because they think that the Father will reward us when our giving is done in secret. Furthermore, they say that we should think about this reward and use this reward as a motive for giving. However, this contradicts the modern Reformed approach to sanctification.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that our only motivation for obedience is gratitude. Once we are justified by faith alone, then our eternal destinies are secure. Thus, our only possible motive for obedience is gratitude.

If you are obeying with the expectation of some kind of a reward, then you are failing to rest in the finished work of Christ. Rewards are simply Pelagian. Thus, unless you are overflowing with gratitude, you should not obey.

It’s guilt, grace, gratitude. Anything else, and you are not Reformed™.

Matthew 6:9

“Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name'” (Matthew 6:9).

Federal Visionists love the Lord’s Prayer and think that we ought to teach it to our children. They assert that children of believers have some sort of a relationship with God. Therefore, they argue, we should teach our children to pray. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that our children are unregenerate, and therefore, they are dead in their trespasses and sins. They have no relationship with God whatsoever. In no way are they connected to Christ. They are vipers in diapers.

Nonetheless, for some reason, modern Reformed folk still baptize their children. Yet, we insist that in no way does this baptism “save” them or “unite” them to Christ. They are just as damned and separate from Christ as are the children of the non-elect.

Until our children are regenerated, they should be treated as the unbelievers that they are. Most importantly, this means that they should be banned from the Lord’s Supper lest they be judged for failing to discern the Lord’s body, namely, that they are not part of it.

Additionally, children should not be taught to sing to the Lord, as this would be hypocritical, professing with their mouths something that is not true in their hearts.

Also, children should be prevented from tithing, as this would teach them legalism, that they could earn God’s favor through their gifts.

Finally, children should definitely not be taught to pray, as God does not hear the prayers of unbelievers. Until they have a crisis-conversion experience, our children should not be taught the Lord’s Prayer, lest they pray it in private.

It might even be preferable to keep children out of worship services altogether, since worship is for believers.

Matthew 11:19

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her works” (Matthew 11:19).

Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that wisdom is justified by her works. The verb dikaiow should be understood as “proved to be righteous,” it is argued. This corresponds with the so-called “final justification,” of which Federal Visionists are so fond. However, this contradicts the modern Reformed definition of justification.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that justification always and only refers to the transfer of the righteousness of Christ. Justification never means “vindication” or “proved to be righteous.” There is no such thing as “final justification.” Also, justification is always and only by faith alone. “Justification” and “works” do not go together in any sense.

We are sure that Jesus took great pains to explain JBFA to his disciples. After all, this is the heart of the gospel. When Jesus said, “wisdom is justified by her works,” he was obviously testing his disciples. Peter probably rebuked him, “Far be it for wisdom to be justified by her works, Lord! This shall not happen. This is Pelagian.”

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Federal Visionists love this passage because they think that Jesus is commissioning the disciples to preach the gospel. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that justification is the heart of the gospel. A gospel presentation that neglects justification is not good news. In this passage, Jesus says nothing about justification; thus, he does not intend the disciples to preach the gospel.

Jesus was commissioning his disciples with the message of sanctification. A careful examination of the content of Jesus’ charge reveals this. Look at what Jesus instructs his disciples to do: “make disciples”, “baptizing”, and “teaching”. These are all part of sanctification.

For instance, “make disciples” is when you urge Christians who have received Jesus as Savior through faith alone to take the next step and receive him as Lord through repentance, as described in this Reformed journal. Also, baptizing and teaching are obviously part of sanctification, not justification. Thus, the Great Commission is not about the gospel.

The key to Reformed hermeneutics is the ability to rightly divide the word of God. You must divide law from gospel. You must divide the two Kingdoms. You must divide faith from repentance. Most importantly, you must divide justification and sanctification.

Those who cannot properly divide justification and sanctification should just run off to Rome or one of her johns (Moscow, Canterbury, etc).

Matthew 6:10

“Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that we should pray for God’s name to be hallowed on earth, for his kingdom to come on earth, and for his will to be done on earth. Obviously, this is the elementary mistake of confusing the two kingdoms.

The Reformed faith has always held that there are two kingdoms, the kingdom of the sheep, which is in heaven, and the kingdom of the goats, which is on earth. These are two separate kingdoms which operate on separate principles: earth with fleshly principles and heaven with spiritual principles.

The church is part of the kingdom of heaven, which means that we must minimize the impact that the church has on this world. Indeed, the purer the church, the less impact she has on the world.

Therefore, we should pray that God’s will would not be done on earth, so that the stark contrast between the two kingdoms can be observed. Furthermore, we should pray that God’s name would be blasphemed on earth and that his kingdom would remain in heaven. We must keep the kingdoms separate at all costs.

Federal Visionists call this a “Lutheran” scheme. However, such profane language is unjustified. As far as we know, all Reformers and Puritans held to this two kingdoms view. Federal Visionists simply refuse to drink the gnostic kool-aid that drives our modern Reformation. MGHMOTS!

Matthew 6:6

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).

Federal Visionists love verses like this because they think that Jesus is offering a reward for those who pray in secret. They argue that this promise of the reward should help motivate us to pray in secret. Obviously, this is anti-Reformed.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that our only motive for obedience is gratitude. We hear God’s law, then we feel guilty for not being perfect, then we remember the grace of God, then we obey out of gratitude. It’s guilt, grace, gratitude. Anything else, and you are not Reformed.

God may reward us, but we are not supposed to think about this. We are never to be motivated by the promise of rewards. Certainly, God would never base rewards on such works as “praying in secret” or “fasting in secret.” Rewards imply Pelagianism. It is best to ignore those who speak of rewards.

Matthew 6:14-15

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:14-15).

Federal Visionists love verses like this because they think that Jesus is making the forgiveness of our sins contingent upon whether we forgive the sins of others. Obviously, this is as Pelagian as the day is long.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that we receive the forgiveness of sins in justification by faith alone. Whether we forgive the sins of others has nothing to do with the forgiveness of our sins.

In this passage, Jesus was simply restating the demands of the law to show us the futility of trying to obey. If you forgive others, then you are putting yourself back under the law. Faith means that we rest in Christ by refusing to forgive others.

Frankly, we are a little puzzled at this statement by Jesus. Unfortunately, we cannot just call him up on the telephone to find out what he meant. However, if we could, we are sure that Jesus would re-align himself with Reformed tradition. He was such a fan of traditionalism, in general.

Matthew 18:23-35

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:23-35).

Federal Visionists love this passage because they think that Jesus is teaching that the forgiveness of our sins is conditioned upon how we forgive others. They even go so far as to say that it is possible to lose the forgiveness of sins. Clearly, this heinous doctrine is outright Pelagian, Arminian, and Romaninian.

The Reformed faith has always held that forgiveness of sins is received by faith alone in justification. Justification and forgiveness of sins are permanent realities that can never be lost. Once someone has made a profession of faith, he should never doubt whether his sins have been forgiven. He should simply rest in the finished work of Christ.

Jesus is not seriously teaching that someone can lose their forgiveness. Even in this parable, the wicked slave is not “unforgiven.” He simply has to re-pay the debt that his master had forgiven. So, the wicked slave does not ever lose forgiveness; he merely forfeits fellowship with his master.

Also, Jesus is obviously using the Covenant of Works to show his disciples that they cannot accomplish the righteousness of God on their own. The standard is perfection. Unless we forgive perfectly, we have failed. Thus, we would be better off not even trying to forgive others, but rather to rest in the perfect righteousness of Jesus.

Furthermore, when Jesus says, “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you,” this is a hypothetical warning. Jesus is trying to put the fear of God into the disciples (not that fear should be a motive. Gratitude is our only motive for obedience).

Besides, this is just a parable. Everyone knows that parables were given to simplify Jesus’ message for the masses, so that they would not miss the main point. The details are arbitrary and cannot be taken literally.

Notice also how Federal Visionists rely heavily on Jesus. It is important to remember that Jesus did not leave any of his writings behind. He never saw the gospels and did not have the chance to edit, polish, or correct any misquotations. Jesus certainly would have submitted his writings to critical peer review so that he could have clarified his message before it went to print.

Alas, Matthew and the other gospel writers are simply paparazzi who gave us a lot of off-the-cuff remarks and off-the-record statements that Jesus may not have wanted published. For precise theology, it is better to stick with trained theologians like Paul and graduates of NAPARC seminaries.

Matthew 19:14

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” (Matthew 19:14).

Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that Jesus wants children coming to him during the Lord’s Supper, i.e., paedocommunion. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

Unfortunately, Federal Visionists repeatedly wrench verses out of their context to fabricate their wretched doctrines, such as paedocommunion. The Reformed faith has unanimously rejected paedocommunion as heterodox.

The first three rules of exegesis are context, context, context. A brief perusal of this passage indicates that the Lord’s Supper is nowhere in view, either in the near context or far context.

However, baptism is clearly what Jesus was referring to. We can tell this because when Jesus says, “Do not hinder them from coming to Me,” the word “coming” is an aorist infinitive, which implies a one-time action.

Thus, Jesus is saying, do not hinder them from coming to Jesus in baptism (a one-time action), but do hinder them from coming to Jesus in the Lord’s Supper (ongoing action, albeit infrequent).

Matthew 12:37

"For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).

Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that we will be justified by our words, which they use to support two of their most nefarious doctrines: 1) justification apart from faith; and 2) future justification. Obviously, these Pelagian doctrines bear little resemblance to the solas.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that justification can only refer to the forensic declaration of righteousness that is received by faith alone. Our words have nothing to do with justification. This is simply works-righteousness repackaged as the gospel, which is no gospel at all.

Furthermore, no Reformed theologian has ever held to a “future justification” or a so-called “future-aspect of justification.” The only kind of justification that is future is for the elect who are not yet justified.

When Jesus said, “by your words you will be justified,” there is no reason to assume that he is meant spoken words. Spoken words would be a work, and we know that “a man is justified by faith apart from works” (Romans 3:28). Jesus must be referring to words of the mind, or thoughts. As soon as you can think the thought, “I believe in the imputation of the active obedience of Christ” then you have faith and you are justified by this faith that is alone. Praise God for sola fide!

Matthew 24:13

"But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved" (Matthew 24:13).

Federal Visionists love this verse because it sounds like Jesus is making endurance a condition of salvation. However, this is blatantly Roman Catholic, Arminian, and Pelagian.

The Reformed faith has always insisted that salvation is by grace alone (sola gratia). Salvation is unconditional. When Federal Visionists attempt to add conditions, such as endurance, to the gospel, then they are offering a works gospel, which is a different gospel, which is no gospel at all.

Federal Visionists try to squeeze too much out of this passage. There is no cause and effect here. Jesus is simply remarking that some who endure are saved. Jesus says nothing about those who do not endure; some are saved and some are not. It depends upon whether they are elect or not.

The elect who endure will be saved, and the elect who do not endure will be saved. The non-elect are not saved, whether they endure or not. Remember, election is unconditional, which means that endurance is optional. In no way does salvation depend upon endurance.