Vos: "soteric tissue derives its pattern from the eschatological"

“...for the Pauline system of thought, the eschatological appears as predeterminative both the substance and form of the soteriological...the eschatological strand is the most systematic in the entire fabric of the Pauline thought-world. For it now appears that the closely interwoven soteric tissue derives its pattern from the eschatological scheme, which bears all the marks of having had precedence in his mind. Among all the other factors usually reckoned with as sources or determinants of the Apostle’s theological system, there is none that can lay equal claim to self-evidencing with this. No doubt Paul’s mind had by nature a certain systematic bent which made him pursue with great resoluteness the consequences of given premises...(But) it is safe to assume that far more than all this counted the eschatological mould into which the Apostle’s thought had been cast from the beginning.

“What gives dogmatic coloring to his teaching is largely derived from its antithetical structure, as exhibited in the comprehensive antitheses of the First Adam and the Last Adam, sin and righteousness, the flesh and the Spirit, law and faith, and these are precisely the historic reflections of the one great transcendental antithesis between this world and the world-to-come. It is no wonder that such energetic eschatological thinking tended towards consolidation in and orb of compact theological structure. For in it the world-process is viewed as a unit. The end is placed in the light of the beginning, and all intermediate developments are construed with reference to the purpose a quo (from which, or ultimate purpose; crb) and the terminus ad quem (final finishing point). Eschatology, in other words, even that of the most primitive kind, yields ipso facto (by that very fact) a philosophy of history, be it of the most rudimentary sort. And every philosophy of history bears in itself the seed of a theology.

“...the Pauline outline of history possessed in the Messianic concept a centralizing factor of extraordinary potency, an element whereby the antitheses above named were dissolved into an exceptionally harmonious synthesis...all eschatological interpretation of history, when united to a strong religious mentality cannot but produce the finest practical theological fruitage. To take God as source and end of all that exists and happens, and to hold such a view suffused with the warmth of genuine devotion, stands not only related to theology as the fruit stands to the tree: it is by reason of its essence a veritable theological tree of life.” -- Geerhardus Vos, “The Pauline Eschatology”, pp. 60-61

Lacking the subtlety of the Roman Catholic position

Bill Baldwin compares statements made by some in the Reformed camp to the historical position of the Roman Catholic church:

"I find in Reformed literature statements that seem to deny the Gospel, sometimes with less subtlety than the Catholic catechism or the Council of Trent. Consider, for example this articulation of salvation by grace from Doug Jones: “Abraham was obligated to obey the Lord faithfully ‘by doing righteousness and justice,’ thus meeting the gracious conditions of God’s covenant.” Wow. How do we enter into and remain under God’s grace? By faithful obedience in doing righteousness and justice. This statement is clearly contrary to the Gospel, a perverse denial of Paul’s statements in Romans 4 and Galatians 3.

"Yet this statement comes from someone who self-identifies as Reformed, who formally affirms the doctrine of justification by faith alone. And it comes in a book that states its mission with the following title: Back to Basics: Rediscovering the Richness of the Reformed Faith. (The book, by the way, makes no mention of either sola fide or sola scriptura.) And if you look at the comments on this book at Amazon.com, people are persuaded that this volume is the real deal.

"Or consider this statement on sanctification by popular reformed author Jay Adams: “You will become that much more like God only because of what you have done and thought and said each day” (Godliness through Discipline). As a friend commented when I read this to him, “That lacks the subtlety of the Roman Catholic position.”" -- Bill Baldwin, Roman Catholicism and Christianity

These are more examples of just how the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and "you are what you make of yourself" understanding of sanctification in evangelicalism really isn't all that far from the Roman Catholic understanding of justification. Evangelicals fall for this type of "romanism" because they have disconnected justification from sanctification *too much*, to the point where, whether it is overtly stated or not, there is a belief that one is justified one way but sanctified another.

Whether justification or sanctification, it's all (monergistically) of Christ.