08/20/20 RESTORE JOY OR SALVATION?

08/20/20 RESTORE JOY OR SALVATION?

LOSS OF JOY OR SALVATION… Psalm 51:12
DOES SIN IN A BELIEVER CAUSE HIM TO ONLY LOSE THE JOY OF SALVATION OR LOSE HIS SALVATION?
(I wrote this several years ago)

One of the arguments in the Once Saved/Always Saved (OSAS) position states, "When a Christian sins, he does not lose his salvation, he only loses the joy of his salvation." According to this argument, joy is related to fellowship with God, distinct from salvation. This faulty argument denies that fellowship with God is intrinsic to salvation. It asserts that fellowship with God is separate from, and added to salvation. OSAS claims this is the meaning of Psalms 51:12, which says,
Psalm 51: Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation…

As with all Scripture, this verse should be read in context. In this passage King David, the Psalmist, confesses that he has sinned. I hope to show you that David was not simply asking God to restore joy, as a separate component of salvation, but to restore his salvation, which included forgiveness, cleansing, purifying, justification, enlightenment, regeneration and edification. David asked specifically that God would not cast him from His presence and that God would not take His Holy Spirit away from him. David not only asked that He would receive the joy of salvation, but that God would restore him to salvation. David asked that God would strengthen him with His Spirit, sustain him, keep him from falling. David, along with everyone else who believes God’s word, believed that God could keep him from falling. David asked to be delivered, saved, rescued from his "bloodguiltiness." In the midst of this, David asked God to RESTORE THE JOY OF HIS SALVATION.

We must not interpret the entire Psalm by the misinterpretation of this one verse. The reason David asked God to RESTORE the joy of His salvation is because David had lost God’s salvation.
PSALM 51:1, 2, 4, 7, 12, 13
1 Have mercy upon me…blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
4 Against thee, the only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
THIS IS CLEARLY A CRY FOR SALVATION

If "Once Saved, Always Saved" (OSAS) is true, then David would not have asked God to blot out his transgression (1), because, according to OSAS, David’s transgressions were already "paid for" and blotted out.

If OSAS is true, then David would not have asked God to wash and cleanse him from sin (2), because, according to OSAS, a believer is washed and cleansed from all of his sins, past, present AND FUTURE at the time of his conversion.

If OSAS is true, then David would not have said that he had done evil in the sight of God (4), since OSAS teaches that God does not see sin in believers.

If OSAS is true, then David would not have asked to be purged and washed (7), because OSAS says David was already purged and washed.

If OSAS is true, then David not only wasted his breath, he mocked God by praying for that, which he supposedly, already had. This kind of praying is known as vain repetition, and is forbidden by God (Mt. 6:7).

David was doubting God and His salvation and God says that those who doubt are damned or stand condemned (Ro. 14:23).

However, David knew, the soul that sins shall die, and since he had sinned, he needed to die or he needed for God to make atonement for his sins.
David continued to pray;
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in m a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

If OSAS is true, then David would not have asked God to hide His face from his sins (9) since OSAS says God does not see the sins of those who are once saved/always saved.

If OSAS is true, then David would not have asked God to blot out his sins (see verse 1).

If OSAS is true, then David would not have asked God to create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him (10) since God had already given him a clean heart and a right spirit.

Notice too, David was not asking for a new heart, but a RENEWED HEART. The word in the original Hebrew is the same word that would be used in reference to “rebuilding or repairing” cities or buildings that had been damaged or destroyed. David was asking that God RESTORE, RENEW or REBUILD a right spirit within him, because his peviously right spirit had been destroyed, ruined by sin. This is the same word used in reference to the rebuilding of the temple (2 Ch. 24:4, 12), the rebuilding of the altar (2 Ch. 15:8). God renews the face of the ground (Ps. 104:30) and renews one’s youth (Ps. 103:5).

Clearly, David was not simply asking for God to restore joy, as though salvation and joy were independent from one another; it is a prayer for God to create a clean heart and renew a right spirit. It is a prayer for redemption.

If OSAS is true, then David would not have been concerned that he might be cast away from the presence of God (11)? To be cast away was to be hurled or thrown away. This is not simply a loss of joy, it is a loss of saving relationship. It is a loss of God in David’s life. The idea of being cast away from God’s presence was used in reference to the enemies of God.

If OSAS is true, then David would not have asked God to not take away, remove, carry away, His Holy Spirit, from him (11). David was concerned that God would cast him from His presence and take His Holy Spirit away. This is more than a loss of closeness, this is a loss of salvation.
DAVID IS CLEARLY ASKING GOD TO RESTORE HIS SALVATION
It is in this context David said, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Some would argue, without Biblical warrant, that a person can have salvation without having the joy of salvation. There are situations that interfere with a Christian’s joy, such as personal loss or suffering, burden for lost loved ones, and God’s chastening, but these things are not to be confused with the joy of salvation. Why not state the case, as it is in this passage, that there is no joy of salvation without salvation. The problem is that people view the Bible according to their own personal experience, rather than viewing their own experience in the light of God’s eternal and infallible word. Instead of ignoring all of David’s prayer in Psalm 51, in order to prove an erroneous point, we should allow the passage to speak for itself. DAVID WAS ASKING GOD TO RESTORE HIM TO HIS FORFIETED SALVATION.

Since understanding the word, “Restore” is vital to understanding this passage, I want to share comments found in some of the leading Biblical and Theological resources. The word, "restore" in this translation comes from a Hebrew word, which is transliterated, "shoob" (Strongs 7725). The following comments are found in;
Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Definitions (BDB),
Strongs Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries,
The Complete Word Study Old Testament by Spiros Zodhiates,
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.

BDB Definition: to return, turn back 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn back, return 1a1a)to turn back 1a1b) to return, come or go back 1a1c) to return unto, go back, come back 1a1d) of dying 1a1e) of human relations (figuratively) 1a1f) of spiritual relations (figuratively) 1a1f1) to turn back (from God), apostatise 1a1f2) to turn away (of God) 1a1f3) to turn back (to God), repent 1a1f4) turn back (from evil) 1a1g) of inanimate things a1h) in repetition 1b) (Polel) 1b1) to bring back 1b2) to restore, refresh, repair (figuratively) 1b3) to lead away (enticingly) 1b4) to show turning, apostatise 1c) (Pual) restored (participle) 1d) (Hiphil) to cause to return, bring back 1d1) to bring back, allow to return, put back, draw back, give back, restore, relinquish, give in payment 1d2) to bring back, refresh, restore 1d3) to bring back, report to, answer 1d4) to bring back, make requital, pay (as recompense) 1d5) to turn back or backward, repel, defeat, repulse, hinder, reject, refuse 1d6) to turn away (face), turn toward 1d7) to turn against 1d8) to bring back to mind 1d9) to show a turning away 1d10) to reverse, revoke 1e) (Hophal) to be returned, be restored, be brought back 1f) (Pulal) brought back Part of Speech: verb
Strong’s Definition: Hebrew 7725 shoob A primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbially again: – ([break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep]) X again, (cause to) answer (+ again), X in any case (wise), X at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call [to mind], carry again (back), cease, X certainly, come again (back) X consider, + continually, convert, deliver (again), + deny, draw back, fetch home again, X fro, get [oneself] (back) again, X give (again), go again (back, home), [go] out, hinder, let, [see] more, X needs, be past, X pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), X repent, requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, + say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, X surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.

The Complete Word Study Old Testament by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates and published by AMG Publishers in Chattanooga, Tennessee defines this word in the following terms. Along with the idea of repent and turn to God as well as turn from sin, the idea of RETURNING is presented.
To turn back…turn around, return… come back… a spiritual return to the Lord… to restore; to repeat; to cause to return, lead back… to refresh… to give back… to recall… to revoke… floodwaters receding, returning to their previous level… THE BASIC MEANING IS MOVEMENT BACK TO THE POINT OF DEPARTURE… the sun returning to its previous place in the heavens… the Israelites returning to Judah from their exile.

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT number 2340 on page 909-910), by Harris, Archer and Waltke and published by Moody Press, defines this word in terms of “restoration” and tells us this is one of the most important verbs in the Old Testament, being used over 1050 times and being the twelfth most frequently used verb. This word is used in reference to God changing repentant men and in reference to repentant men turning from sin and turning to God.

Also note that these scholarly works are recognized as authoritative by Christians of all theological backgrounds, while in fact, some of these, if not all of these works are authored by people who espouse OSAS.

These definitions make it clear that "restore" refers to returning, turning back, to go back, come back, refresh and repair. In other words, it is a re-doing of that which had been done before. David had possessed the joy of God’s salvation, but had lost it. He lost the joy of salvation because he lost his salvation and needed to have his salvation restored.

This wonderful Psalm, in all of its beauty and truth is swept aside by sinning religionists, when they lift one verse out of context to prove a doctrine that is totally refuted by this entire Psalm. David’s adultery and murder did not simply result in David’s loss of "joy," it resulted in his separation from God. YES, David lost his joy, because he lost his relationship with God. The entire Psalm is a prayer, asking for God to save him, not just boost his joy level.

Notice, also in this verse,
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
David asked God to uphold him, that is, to sustain him, keep him from falling. David had already fallen back into sin and he did not want to suffer the shame, loss and guilt of falling again.
David continued his prayer of salvation, by saying,
13 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation…

David asked God to deliver him from the guilt he had incurred because of shedding innocent blood. The word "Deliver" means to "snatch away" or "pluck," "recover," "rescue" and "save." David was not asking to simply "restore a closer and better relationship with God." He was wanting God to save him from his "Blood guilt."

There are two ways people look at this "bloodguiltiness."

One view is that it refers to the crime from which David was seeking deliverance; the murder of Uriah. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, then he arranged to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle in order to cover up his sin of adultery. The idea that a person can be a saved person while committing adultery and murder is blasphemous and a damnable heresy. Even in the Old Testament David believed no such lie. David asked God to save him from his bloodguilt.

The other view concerning "bloodguiltiness" is that David’s sinful guilt demanded the shedding of blood. As the Scripture says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin." The Old Testament record gives us the origin, protocols, examples and prophesies related to blood atonement. The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. David definitely needed Divine propitiation.

In either case, David knew he needed God’s mercy and salvation. He knew he was lost in sin, and he needed a Savior. David was not presuming on the grace of God, he was calling on the grace of God.

Launch Out and Hold Fast,
Pastor David