How clear is your understanding of Protestant theology?1 Test yourself and see. Evaluate each of the following ten paired statements and mark the one that you think best states a Protestant doctrinal position.
(1a) God gives a man right standing with Himself by mercifully accounting him innocent and virtuous. |
(1b) God gives a man right standing with Himself by actually making him into an innocent and virtuous person. |
(2a) God gives a man right standing with Himself by placing Christ’s goodness and virtue to his credit. |
(2b) God gives a man right standing with Himself by putting Christ’s goodness and virtue into his heart. |
(3a) God accepts the believer because of the moral excellence found in Jesus Christ. |
(3b) God makes the believer acceptable by infusing Christ’s moral excellence into his life. |
(4a) If a sinner becomes “born-again” (the regenerating, transforming process of character), he will achieve right standing with God. |
(4b) If the sinner is granted right standing with God through faith (“born-again”), he will then experience transformation of character. |
(5a) We receive right standing with God by faith alone. |
(5b) We receive right standing with God by faith which has become active by love. |
(6a) We achieve right standing with God by having Christ live out His life of obedience in us. |
(6b) We achieve right standing with God by accepting the fact that He obeyed the law perfectly for us. |
(7a) We achieve right standing with God by following Christ’s example by the help of His enabling grace. |
(7b) We follow Christ’s example because His life has given us right standing with God. |
(8a) God first pronounces that we are good in His sight, then gives us His Spirit to make us good. |
(8b) God sends His Spirit to make us good, and then He will pronounce that we are good. |
(9a) Christ’s finished work on the cross and intercession at God’s right hand gives us favor in the sight of God. |
(9b) It is the indwelling Christ that gives us favor in God’s sight. |
(10a) Only by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness through faith can we fully satisfy the claims of the Ten Commandments. |
(10b) By the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, we can fully satisfy the claims of the Ten Commandments. |
Correct Responses:
1 This test was prepared by Dr. J. Ronald Blue for use in conjunction with his course on Roman Catholicism at Dallas Theological Seminary.