Galatians
1You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed
as crucified?
2This is the only thing I want to find out from you:
did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3Are you so foolish?
Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
5So then, does
He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Another passage that does not support Van’s scheme.
Vans scheme:
5. Trust in Faith - Only by persevering in faith can a believer be sure of salvation, because God protects the faith of His chosen ones.
See how this is a typical “one can loose their salvation” presentation?
Galatians states how God justifies:
8The Scripture, foreseeing that
God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham,
saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.”
9So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
The writer continues:
23But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
If, as Van contends, faith is innate, then why does the writer place a time when faith came?
24Therefore the Law has become our tutor
to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
If it is human contoured faith that needs to have a certain quality and quantity to be recognized by God for righteousness, then of course one can only be lead to Van’s conclusion. Which is a denial of the writer of Galatians.