All Articles For McGeown, Martyn

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us—Romans 8:18   INTRODUCTION Glorification is the final step in our salvation: “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). Glorification is the final step because there is nothing after it: when we are glorified, our salvation will be complete and we will have reached the goal that God ordained for us. Paul sets glorification before us,...

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time—1 Peter 1:5 INTRODUCTION Salvation is God’s work of delivering us from sin into the possession of everlasting life. Salvation is God’s greatest work: a work that He planned in eternity, that He accomplished in the cross of His Son, and that He applies by His Spirit. We have seen the various steps by which the Holy Spirit in logical order applies the benefits of salvation in this life: regeneration, calling, conversion, faith, justification, and sanctification. But everything would be in...

pastor of Providence PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan Previous article in this series: January 2025, p. 142.   Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God—2 Corinthians 7:1   CLEANSING OURSELVES The Bible teaches two main things about sanctification: first, God sanctifies us; and second, just as important, we are active in sanctification. In a text like 2 Corinthians 7:1 the latter aspect of sanctification is on the foreground, although the former is always presupposed. Some people might view it as improper that we...

pastor of Providence PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan Previous article in this series: September 15, 2024, p 517. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord— 2 Corinthians 3:18 SANCTIFICATION: GOD’S WORK In this article we continue our explanation of sanctification, the sixth step in the ordo salutis: regeneration, calling, conversion, saving faith, justification,   sanctification,   preservation,   and glorification. Our definition was: “Sanctification is God’s work of making elect, regenerated, justified sinners holy.” We have looked at...

Pastor of Providence PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord— II Corinthians 3:18 INTRODUCTION In the last two articles we studied the fifth step in the ordo salutis: justification. Remember the steps: regeneration, calling, conversion, saving faith, justification, sanctification, preservation, and glorification. Justification is God’s legal declaration of righteousness, freeing us from sin’s guilt and punishment. But there is more to salvation than justification: justification by itself does not...

Pastor of Providence PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan   Synod 2024 of the Protestant Reformed Churches approved  the  Contact  Committee’s  (CC)  proposal to establish a corresponding relationship with the Bekennende Evangelisch-Reformierte Gemeinde (BERG), which translates as the Confessing Evangelical- Reformed Church in Giessen, Germany. The PRC recognizes two official relationships. The first is a full sister-church relationship that includes, among other things, “mutual acknowledgement of offices, so that ministers of sister churches are allowed preaching privileges in one another’s congregations and are eligible to be called by congregations in sister churches” and “mutual acknowledgement of member attests” (CC Constitution, V, B,...

Pastor of Providence PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit—Romans 8:1.   INTRODUCTION In the last article I defined justification, the fifth step in the ordo salutis—regeneration, calling, conversion, faith, justification—as “God’s legal declaration of righteousness.” God as the Judge makes an official pronouncement upon, or an official verdict concerning, the believing sinner that he is righteous, that is, that he is in perfect conformity to, or in complete harmony with, God’s standard of holiness set forth in His law....

Dear Rev. McGeown, I am looking for clarification regarding some state­ments in your recent article in the Standard Bearer, “Saving faith: Given to Believe” (March 1, 2024). I understand faith in its activity, which the article ex­plains well, and faith as a bond. My concern regards the section on the faculty of faith regarding our ingrafting into Christ and the role of faith in this “process,” espe­cially viewing faith in its activity. My understanding of ingrafting as referenced in Romans 11 is that we who were branches, dead in sin, are ingrafted into the living tree that is Christ. As...

Rev. Martyn McGeown, pastor of Providence PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:24 Introduction In the ordo salutis, the logical sequence in which the Holy Spirit applies the benefits of salvation decreed by God in election and purchased by Christ on the cross, we come to the subject of justification, which in the ordo salutis is in fifth place: “Regeneration, Calling, Conversion, Faith, Justification, Sanctification, Preservation, and Glorification.” Fifth place is not in order of importance, but in logical, even temporal, order. Remember that the ordo salutis...

Rev. Martyn McGeown, pastor of Providence PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Philippians 1:29 Introduction In the ordo salutis, the logical sequence in which the Holy Spirit applies the benefits of salvation decreed by God in election and purchased by Christ on the cross, the fourth step after regeneration, calling, and conversion is saving faith. Faith is both the activity of the regenerated, called, converted sinner, and the gift of God. We believe (our activity) because it was...