False assertions by Stephen M. Reynolds on Assent-Justification by Gordon H. Clark

"Some of the more professorial readers of this book may be disappointed that so little attention is paid to current authors and so much to earlier theologians. There is a simple explanation. The earlier theologians, as the quotations indicate, wrote rather extensively on the subject, whereas during the second and third quarters of this century the material has been shorter in length and poorer in quality. One example illustrates both deficiencies. In the Presbyterian Journal (November 26, 1980) Stephen M. Reynolds had an article titled 'Justification Faith and Works.' Particularly noticeable is his failure to define his terms. To quote:

The message of James becomes especially important when the teaching of bare faith-justification, or even assent-justification, arises to trouble the church, as it evidently was doing in his day, and as it is certainly doing in ours. This is the view that justifying faith does not necessarily include obedience or good works.
The man who relies on assent-justification claims he has justifying faith when what he has is no more than intellectual assent to the Gospel and a desire to escape eternal damnation. The one who relies on assent-justification says, 'I accept Christ as Savior, but not yet as Lord.' He thinks he is assured of salvation because he has faith, but he does not understand what faith truly is.
To understand the words of James, 'a man is justified by works,' to mean no more than that he demonstrates his justification by his works, leaves the one who relies on assent-justification a false way of feeling that all is well with his soul.

In addition to his loose terminology the writer depends on false assertions. The end of the first quoted paragraph insists that 'assent-justification' 'does not necessarily include obedience or good works.' The word necessarily perhaps saves the paragraph from being outright false, provided the writer can quote an exponent of assent who explicitly says that good works are not included. Or, perhaps the truth of the statement can be defended by insisting that those who defend assent do not include good works in assent - they only say that good works follow. But without even this excuse the next-to-last sentence in paragraph two, namely 'The one who relies on assent-justification says, 'I accept Christ as Savior, but not yet as Lord,' cannot escape the charge of outright falsehood. None of the Calvinistic theologians quoted above ever said any such thing. It is regrettable that a periodical, supposedly Calvinistic, should print such incompetent drivel. The Apostle Paul in his day met the essentially similar objection that justification by faith alone encouraged immorality. He defended his position in Romans 6, 7, and 8." - Gordon H. Clark, What is Saving Faith?