# Sanctification via A.P.T.A.T by John Piper



## psycheives (May 17, 2014)

QUESTION 1: Is John Piper's APTAT the same teaching as "put off, put on" from Biblical Counseling like Jay Adams and therefore biblical?
Dana, Doug and an APTAT Recap | Desiring God


> A – I acknowledge that without Christ I can do nothing (John 15:5; Romans 7:18).
> P – I pray that God would make me love as Jesus loves, and work in me all that is pleasing to him (1 Thessalonians 2:12; Romans 5:21; Hebrews 13:21).
> T – I trust the promise of God’s help and strength and guidance (Isaiah 41:10; James 1:5, 6).
> A – I act in obedience to God’s word.
> T – I thank God for whatever good comes. I give him the glory (1 Peter 4:11).



QUESTION 2: Is John Piper saying "mind/will powered good works" are "the Galatian hersey" and opposed to "sanctification by faith" is this true?
Dana, Doug and an APTAT Recap | Desiring God
Can You Begin by the Spirit and Be Completed by the Flesh? | Desiring God


> "So the big question is, how? Practically speaking, how do I obey God so that it is “not I but Christ in me” (Galatians 2:20)? How do I work in such a way that my effort is not a “work of the flesh” but a “fruit of the Spirit”?" "They had been bewitched into thinking that they could begin by relying on the Spirit but then could be *completed only by tapping the resources of their own will and effort*. But Paul said it can’t be done." ""[Gal] 3:1–5... [they were] caught up in *legalism*." "Are Christians concerned about whether they try to obey God by the flesh instead of by the Spirit?”
> 
> "Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?" Answer: by hearing with faith. ... verse 3, you have to keep going the same way you began. ... Consider verse 3 very carefully. It is not directed to those who are yet to start the Christian life. It is written for us who began some time ago and are now in grave danger of trying to live the Christian life in a way that nullifies grace and leads to destruction. The point of the verse is that you must go on in the Christian life the same way you started it. Since we began by the work of the Spirit, we must go on relying on the Spirit. The essence of the Galatian heresy is the teaching that you begin the Christian life by faith, and then you grow in the Christian life by works, that is, *by drawing on powers in yourself* to make your contribution to salvation. One modern form of the heresy is: "God helps those who help themselves. If you buy into that as a way of advancing in the Christian life, you have put works where faith belongs. *Faith is the only response to God's Word which makes room for the Spirit to work in us and through us.* Flesh, on the other hand, is the insubordinate, self-determining ego which in religious people responds to God's Word *not with reliance on the Spirit but with reliance on self*. It can produce a very rigorous morality, but it nullifies grace and removes the stumbling block of the cross."
> 
> ...




QUESTION 3: Is "sanctification by works" the SAME thing as Christians saying "I stopped overeating by will power. I just stopped. Made myself stop." "But where was the Holy Spirit in that?" "Oh, he's in me. Everything I do that is according to God's will is caused by him. But everything I do against God's will is caused by me." Is this what Dr. Michael Horton is teaching against when he says we should always respond to God's commands with "Oh no! I can't do it! Thank God that Christ did it for me!" rather than "Oh, I CAN do that! Let me put my mind/will to accomplishing that." Is THIS mind-will power sanctification by works a false sanctification method as John Piper says and perhaps also Michael Horton (unless I misunderstand them)? Is this how we are to live out the third use of the law? (As far as I can tell, APTAT is in line with Biblical Counseling's "put off/put on by prayer and ?trust?" but THIS is purely will-power with no prayer or trust in God to do the work in us.)


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## Abeard (May 17, 2014)

Hmm never heard of this before thanks for posting! The WLC really spells out sanctification very well, makes me appreciate our standards!


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## psycheives (May 17, 2014)

Abeard said:


> Hmm never heard of this before thanks for posting! The WLC really spells out sanctification very well, makes me appreciate our standards!



I've read
BC Article 24
HC Q32, 43, 76, 86, 115, 122, 124
Canons of Dort, Head V, Article 13
WCF XIII
WLC Q75, 77, 78

And they all clearly teach we are new creatures and will be sanctified more and more... but, as far as I can see, none of these address this question of "HOW do I work in such a way that my effort is not a “work of the flesh” but a “fruit of the Spirit”?" (Dr. Piper).


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## Abeard (May 17, 2014)

psycheives said:


> Abeard said:
> 
> 
> > Hmm never heard of this before thanks for posting! The WLC really spells out sanctification very well, makes me appreciate our standards!
> ...



In my very limited knowledge it seems to come down to faith. As faith is a gift from God its possible that some christians have more faith than others which means that some produce more spiritual fruit. Hope that made sense, sorry I wrote in a rush.


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## psycheives (May 19, 2014)

Might any Reformed pastors or Biblical Counselors who are able to answer this very important question? Do we battle sins by setting our minds and wills to overcoming them or by admitting we can't overcome them, we need Christ, He provides everything we need, prayer and then trusting His word that he equips us and therefore we can THEN "put off and put on" but we can't "put off and put on" without these steps of A.P.T.A.T?


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## MW (May 19, 2014)

The biblical exhortation to put off/on relates to vices/virtues more than to actions. When it comes to sin, the Reformed teach that it indwells believers and will defile even their best works. To say that it is a matter of will-power or any specific method to put off "sin" sounds like a form of perfectionism, and has no place in reformed theology. At the same time, the tendency to relegate everything to "Christ did it for me" seems to invalidate one's personal responsibility in the gracious work of progressive sanctification.

When it comes to outward behaviour there are numerous "sins" which are nothing more than the transgression of social norms, and many of these can undoubtedly be remedied by a certain will-power with a little socio-economic motivation. But this really has nothing to do with sin-grace in the biblical sense of the terms. One should carefully define sin in terms of the moral law of God alone.

With regard to sinful behaviour and patterns as properly defined by the moral law of God, biblical counselling should seek to provide rationale for living as a new man in Christ. I doubt there is any one "method" to be employed. There are many different facets to the Christian life. If someone finds a particular method helpful, that is good, but it is the renewed mindset shaping the normal Christian life that is most necessary.


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## One Little Nail (May 19, 2014)

If theres one thing Ive learnt in my 20 or so years as christian is that you cant put God or His workings into a formula,
we serve a Living God who does as He pleases, working in us to will & to do His good pleasure, sure the Holy Ghost & the Word agree and God works in accordance to His promises & Word, though how He works, the timing, the degree, the efficacy, the place etc all these are unique to the individual believer.


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