John Chrysostom and Dr. Peter S. Ruckman agree on soteriology

It has been said that John Chrysostom and Dr. Peter S. Ruckman do not agree on theology. However, this has been shown to be false by a great multitude of independent investigations.

This is their views on Romans 10, which reveals their own soteriology.

The Lord put it on my heart to say this...

Thank you to Don Nesbitt, the Lord's bloodhound for the Romans commentary.

This Romans 10 study of Dr. Peter S. Ruckman is public domain, and from the middle half of the 70s.

“And here it comes: the simplest, clearest presentation of salvation found anywhere in either Testament. Two conditions: If. ‘If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,’ number two, ‘And shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.’ No ifs, ands, buts about it. And notice the heart is not changed. The heart believes on Christ in its regular condition. There is no overpowering of the sinner by the irresistible grace of God, which transforms him against his will into a new creature so he can receive Christ, and all that Calvinistic baloney. It’s saying that an unsaved man in his natural condition, and he’s told, if you believe something in your heart and confess it with your mouth, God’ll give you the new birth, God’ll save you and impute to you righteousness and justify you." - Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, Romans 10:9

"For there is no need to say, he means, that one must go up to heaven, or cross a great sea, and then receive the commandments, but things so great and grand hath God made of easy access to us. And what meaneth the phrase, 'The Word is nigh thee?' That is, It is easy. For in thy mind and in thy tongue is thy salvation. There is no long journey to go, no seas to sail over, no mountains to pass, to get saved. But if you be not minded to cross so much as the threshold, you may even while you SIT AT HOME BE SAVED. For 'in thy mouth and in thy heart' is the source of salvation." -John Chrysostom, Romans 10:9

"He died then indeed in body, but his soul was dead before. For he did none of the works of the soul. All that warmth which issues from the love of our neighbour had fled, and he was more dead than his body. (Conc. 2. de Lazaro.). But no one is spoken of as having ministered to the rich man’s burial as to that of Lazarus. Because when he lived pleasantly in the broad road, he had many busy flatterers; when he came to his end, all forsook him. For it simply follows, and was buried in hell. But his soul also when living was buried, enshrined in its body as it were in a tomb.

As it made the poor man’s affliction heavier while he lived to lie before the rich man’s gate, and to behold the prosperity of others, so when the rich man was dead it added to his desolation, that he lay in hell and saw the happiness of Lazarus, feeling not only by the nature of His own torments, but also by the comparison of Lazarus’s honour, his own punishment the more intolerable. Hence it follows, But lifting up his eyes, He lifted up his eyes that he might look on him, not despise him; for Lazarus was above, he below. Many angels earned Lazarus; he was seized by endless torments. Therefore it is not said, being in torment, but torments. For he was wholly in torments, his eyes alone were free, so that he might behold the joy of another. His eyes are allowed to be free that he may be the more tortured, not having that which another has. The riches of others are the torments of those who are in poverty.

There were many poor righteous men, but he who lay at his door met his sight to add to his woe. For it follows, And Lazarus in his bosom. It may here be observed, that all who are offended by us are exposed to our view. But the rich man sees Lazarus not with any other righteous man, but in Abraham’s bosom. For Abraham was full of love, but the man is convicted of cruelty. Abraham sitting before his door followed after those that passed by, and brought them into his house, the other turned away even them that abode within his gate.

But not because he was rich was he tormented, but because he was not merciful.

Or, in that he wishes his tongue to be cooled, when he was altogether burning in the flame, that is SIGNIFIED which is written, Death and LIFE are in the hands of the tongue, (Prov. 18:21.) and with the mouth CONFESSION is made to SALVATION; (Rom. 10:10.) which from pride he DID NOT do, but the tip of the finger means the very least work in which a man is assisted by the Holy Spirit." - John Chrysostom, Luke 16:22-24, Catena Aurea

"Here the condemned performs the office of judge, and he begins to decide concerning truth who before Pilate confessed his crime only after many tortures. For the judgment of man from whom secret things are hid is of one kind; the judgment of God who searches the heart of another. And in the former case punishment follows after confession, but here confession is made to salvation. But he also pronounces Christ innocent, adding, But this man has done nothing wrong: as if to say, Behold a new injury, that innocence should be condemned with crime. We kill the living, He raised the dead. We have stolen from others, He bids us give up even what is our own" - John Chrysostom, Luke 23:40-41 Catena Aurea (Golden Chain)

(For extra context).

"Here then might one see the Savior between the thieves weighing in the scales of justice faith, and unbelief. The devil cast Adam out of Paradise. Christ brought the thief into Paradise before the whole world, before the Apostles. By a mere word and by faith alone he entered into Paradise, that no one after his sins might despair of entrance. Mark the rapid change, from the cross to heaven, from condemnation to Paradise, that you may know that the Lord did it all, not with regard to the thief's good intention, but His own mercy." - John Chrysostom, Luke 23:42-43

"Now I have said these things so that you may not think you were disadvantaged by what happened at the beginning. The devil cast Adam out; Christ brought the thief in. And consider the difference: the devil cast out a man who had committed no sin, but had merely a single stain of disobedience; yet Christ brought into Paradise a thief bearing ten thousand burdens of sin.

Is this, then, the only wonder, that He brought a thief into Paradise, and nothing else? There is yet a greater thing to tell. For He not only brought in a thief, but brought him in before the entire world, and even before the Apostles, so that none of those who come afterward might despair of entry, nor lose hope in their own salvation, when they see one filled with countless evils walking freely in the royal courts.

Yet let us see: did the thief display labors, righteous deeds, and good fruits? One cannot even say this! Rather, on the strength of a bare word, by faith alone, he leaped into Paradise before the Apostles, so that you might learn that it was not his own merit that had such power, but that the Master’s love for mankind accomplished the whole work.

For what did the thief say? What did he do? Did he fast? Did he weep? Did he tear his garments? Did he show repentance over a long period of time? Not at all! But on the cross itself, after the sentence was passed, he attained salvation. Behold the swiftness: from the cross to heaven; from condemnation to salvation! What, then, were those words? How great was their power, that they procured so many blessings for him? “Remember me,” he said, “in Your kingdom.” - John Chrysostom, Patrologia Graeca, Tomus LIV (54), PDF pages 237-238

https://dn721206.ca.archive.org/0/items/patrologiae_cursus_completus_gr_vol_054/patrologiae_cursus_completus_gr_vol_054.pdf

"For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

It's just that simple. You say, 'That's all there is to it?' That's all there is to it. You say, 'Well, anybody can believe.' You—no they don't! It says believe in your heart, your affections, what you love. That is you come to Christ as a sinner, and you lay hold of Him with your heart as your only hope, your only God, your only Savior, and you confess Him as Lord, L-O-R-D. It isn't a matter of just believing some abstract doctrine about salvation, it's nothing just as simple as repenting, confessing, believing, being baptized like the water dogs say. It's a matter of laying hold with the heart of a person who is living and risen, who died for you on the cross, and confessing Him as Lord, Jehovah, Jesus, Jehovah saves, God manifest in the flesh, dying to save you from your sins. And if you haven't done that, you haven't obeyed the gospel no matter what else you've done. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Not believe about Him, not even believe in Him, believe on Him. Place your confidence and hope and reliance on Him. Notice: 'Whosoever believeth on him...' It's a person. The Bible says, 'thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.' It's a person you believe on, not a thing. Things can't save, not even good things. You're saved by a person. Notice it is Jesus, not just, you know, the good Lord, or the sky pilot, or the man upstairs, and all that mess. 'Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." - Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, Romans 10:11

"You see how he produces witnesses, whether to the faith, or to the confession of it. For the words, 'Every one that believeth,' point out the faith. But the words, 'Whosoever shall call upon,' set forth confession. Then again to proclaim the universality of the grace, and to lay their boasting low, what he had before demonstrated at length, he here briefly recalls to their memory, showing again that there is no difference between the Jew and the uncircumcised. 'For there is,' he says, 'no difference between the Jew and the Greek.'" -John Chrysostom, Romans 10:11

There are then two Dr. Peter S. Ruckman quotes that share the same views as John Chrysostom.

"For," summing it up, "For whosoever..." Is that big enough? Why, that covers anybody. "Whosoever," not just the elect, "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

What's His name? His name is Jesus. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

And that's what makes a panic in hell and a celebration in heaven, when an old sinner comes stumbling in off the hot pavements of hell and puts his bleeding feet down there on Beulah Land and kneels at the feet of the Savior and says, "God be merciful to me a sinner and save my poor wretched soul for Jesus' sake." That'll do it. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." - Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, Romans 10:13

This is important because John Chrysostom wrote "But Isaiah the prophet, who spake many years ago, that we were to be sent, and to preach, and to say what we do say. If the being saved, then, came of calling upon Him" when he wrote on Romans 10:14, showing that he did in fact agree that calling (prayer) is a condition for salvation.

Calling in John Chrysostom's writings always mean prayer.

"We have despised God, we have hated that good Name, we have trodden Christ under foot, we have lost all reverence, none names the Name of God with honor. Yet if you love any one, even at his name you start to your feet; but God you thus continually invoke, and make nothing of it. Call upon Him for the benefit of your enemy; call upon Him for THE SALVATION of your own soul; then he will be present, then you will delight Him; whereas now you provoke Him to anger. Call upon Him as Stephen did; "Lord," he said, "lay not this sin to their charge." [Acts 7:59] Call upon Him as did the wife of Elkanah, with tears and sobs, and prayers. [1 Samuel 1:10] I prevent you not, rather I earnestly exhort you to it. Call upon him as Moses called upon Him, yea, cried, interceding for those who had driven him into banishment." - John Chrysostom, Homily 10 on the Acts of the Apostles

"Then the great missionary call to the Gentiles follows: 'How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?' Well, they can't. 'and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?' Well, they can't. 'and how shall they hear without a preacher?' Somebody has to preach to them.

Now, we know the gospel is preached to every creature under heaven already in the sense that it was proclaimed for anybody to hear, it was aimed at anybody, and that's perfectly clear from the passage over there in Colossians, Colossians chapter 1 verse 23. And we know from our studies of Romans 1 and 2 that the Gentiles have their conscience to follow and they know about the revelation of God from their conscience. And we discussed this matter at length in Romans chapter 2 in the case of Cornelius. And if you want to get further light about where the heathen go, go back and study that section, especially the section we gave you on Romans chapter 2, and in particular uh Romans chapter 2 verse 11 to 17.

The heathen are lost, they need a preacher. God's problem is preparing the preacher." - Dr. Ruckman, Romans 10:14

"But Isaiah the prophet, who spake many years ago, that we were to be sent, and to preach, and to say what we do say. If the being saved, then, came of calling upon Him, and calling upon Him from believing, and believing from hearing, and hearing from preaching, and preaching from being sent, and if they were sent, and did preach, and the prophet went round with them to point them out, and proclaim them, and say that these were they whom they showed of so many ages ago, whose feet even they praised because of the matter of their preaching; then it is quite clear that the not believing was their own fault only. And that because God's part had been fulfilled completely." -John Chrysostom, Romans 10:14

So, Dr. Peter S. Ruckman and John Chrysostom agree on soteriology/how to be saved.