It seems the Roman Catholics gang-called the Bible Answer Man show when Paul Maier was on regarding Luther. Around the 42 minute mark a fellow who sounds vaguely familiar to me who identified himself as a Roman Catholic, Mike from Covina, calls in with a clearly pre-written question presenting an argument against eternal security. He places it in the context of justification. He describes a man who has no interest in spiritual things, no evidence of spiritual life. And when Maier, a Lutheran, says he does not believe in “once justified, always justified,” Mike the RC shows he has not the foggiest idea what others believe (though I get the feeling he is quite confident they are wrong anyway) when he mentions me and joins me with Jimmy Swaggart in preaching that once a person is justified, they will remain justified. Now, I guess Swaggart would be the one who would have the most reason to be offended, since that is obviously not what he believed (is he even still around?). But to join my theology, and in particular, my soteriology, with Swaggart is simply laughable. And once again we see the same phenomena I have noted repeatedly in the past: while we expend every effort to make sure our representation of the theology of, say, Rome, is accurate to the documentation Rome herself provides, those like Mike in Covina who can be so very dogmatic in their denunciation of others’ beliefs do not feel constrained to expend that level of effort.
For Mike’s benefit, I do believe Romans 8:29-30, which states:
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to become] conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Mike may notice that the one whom God justifies He also glorifies: all who are justified are glorified. This is not true in Mike’s system (nor, evidently, in Maier’s view either). But at the very same time, the scenario he presented would never, ever represent what I teach. He spoke of a person shaking a pastor’s hand and receiving confirmation of his justification, something that would never happen in my church, that’s for sure. Perhaps Mike should listen to my sermon on James 2, or read the chapter on that passage in The God Who Justifies? In either case, it was rather humorous to hear my name put in the same context as Jimmy Swaggart.
