-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew C. Bain <andrew[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sat, 8 Oct 2005 18:00:47 +1000
Subject: [TruthTalk] Antinomianism Refuted
## An Antinomian writes, "We serve God now because we want to, not because we're bound by a written code."
My comment -- this sounds super-spiritual, but it's not.
This ( assume a reference Antinomian - this is a guys name? Anti nomian? ) is an attack on the obligation of all men to obey all God's commandments in all circumstances. This is an attack on God's authority. He demands PERFECT, ABSOLUTE obedience from ALL men. The gospel is not a message of God lowering His demand for perpetual holiness from his creatures. Neither is it a message of men being freed from the obligation to obey the WRITTEN CODE of God. Rather, the gospel is a proclamation that totally sinless Jesus Christ obeyed the Law perfectly for the Elect. It is an announcement -- The Just God WILL JUSTIFY the sinful Elect by imputing Christ's obedience to the Law into their accounts..
This ( assume a reference Antinomian - this is a guys name? Anti nomian? ) is an attack on the obligation of all men to obey all God's commandments in all circumstances. This is an attack on God's authority. He demands PERFECT, ABSOLUTE obedience from ALL men. The gospel is not a message of God lowering His demand for perpetual holiness from his creatures. Neither is it a message of men being freed from the obligation to obey the WRITTEN CODE of God. Rather, the gospel is a proclamation that totally sinless Jesus Christ obeyed the Law perfectly for the Elect. It is an announcement -- The Just God WILL JUSTIFY the sinful Elect by imputing Christ's obedience to the Law into their accounts..
Romans 3:31 Then is the Law annulled through faith? Let it not be! But we establish Law. It is the veracity of The Law that is established. The Law, as our tutor unto faith, is verified with these words, "If those who are of law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified (R 4:14)
## The Law has not been made void. Believers enter heaven SOLELY because Christ ESTABLISHED the Law for them. No imputed righteousness (no garment -- see the parable) then no reward. I do not follow the thinking in this paragraph. Perhaps because of my bias. I have the teaching that righteousness is imputed to those who are not righteous; that this is accomplished in (eis) the incarnate Christ and extended to all who are a part (eis) of His relationship with the Father. He is the eternal Son and we share in this sonship via adoption (Gal 4:5) and outright inclusion (Gal 3:26,27) ------------ perhaps the word should be infusion ?? !!!
When I hear things like, "We serve God because we want to, not because we're bound by a written code" I can see someone TRYING to SEPARATE what God has JOINED together. When I speak of the same, I have in mind the contrast between the heart/Spirit of man and the [external] letter of the law (R 2:29). Separation is not the circumstance that I see. Rather, a progressive movement of God as a partner of those whom He created, bringing them from immaturity to spiritual awareness and using the Israel of God in presenting this self - revelation. In the end, this self - revelation became the assignment of the Israel of God as embodied in the Christ . We in Him are the Israel of God (Gal 6:16 where mercy and peace are pronounced upon .....)
Yes, believers do want to serve God (because they have full assurance that God loves them as His elect). Yes, but more than that, we serve because of a relationship that has become a part of our very being, an ontological reality that gives rise to our {well intentioned but incomplete] response to that which is within (Phil 2:12,13) And, YES, believers have no fears of condemnation by the Law. "You are no longer a slave, but a son (Galatians 4).
But the ONLY way believers know how to obey God is BY THE LAW. I must disagree at this point. The law is external and the Spirit is internal -- so meshed with who we are as to be indistinguishable. It is the prophet that gives us the predictive dissimil arities between the Law and the internal "rule" of conduct {read life] with the words written in Jere 31:31-34. The Moral Law and additional the New Testament precepts are CLEAR commands that MUST be obeyed. This Written Code is the only source of knowledge for God's requirements.
But the ONLY way believers know how to obey God is BY THE LAW. I must disagree at this point. The law is external and the Spirit is internal -- so meshed with who we are as to be indistinguishable. It is the prophet that gives us the predictive dissimil arities between the Law and the internal "rule" of conduct {read life] with the words written in Jere 31:31-34. The Moral Law and additional the New Testament precepts are CLEAR commands that MUST be obeyed. This Written Code is the only source of knowledge for God's requirements.
There is an instinctiveness to the knowing of the law's requirement that is something other than and outside the consideration of The Law (R 2:12-26). When we couple this instinctiveness to the summary view of divine law -- love God, love others -- and the Presence that is within (again Philip 2:12-13), we have what we need to live our lives as God commands (read: would have us live) not withstanding the continued need for community as expressed in a number of divinely appointed realities (family, "church," the counsel of those who have gone on before and the like.) When Christ speaks of the Greatest Two Commandments -- LOVE God and your neighbour -- He is in NO way abrogating the 10 commandments
. He is summarising the Moral Law. Elsewhere, John says, "By this we know that we LOVE God, if we OBEY His COMMANDMENTS."
A continued reading of that immediate context will bring you to the summary view of law and in that, we have John's reference to the "commandments."
Christians are MOTIVATED to serve God's Law by the knowledge that their sins are forgiven, and the Law was fulfilled for them. See the woman in Luke 7, who loved much because she knew she was much forgiven. And believers are OBLIGED to obey every single precept of the Moral Law (and the NT precepts too), because it is in God's written code. Perhaps the nature of the obligation is the issue, here. Obedience unto salvation, or obedience because of a partnership between man and God that defines man as God's image??
The idea that the written code has less authority on NT believers than OT believers would mean that God's demand for holiness has changed (and thus, God has changed.) Only that the administration of His will has changed -- at least in terms of emphasis. But He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Such a statement does not challenge the fact that His administration has many differing expressions. And He gives some the perfect righteousness of Christ, whilst His wrath abides on the rest. Election is in (eis) Christ and has no predetermination outside that relationship. The first group have no condemnation in Christ Jesus --and have full assurance that they have the imputed righteo
usness. The others have been reprobated based on God's will, and will be go to hell. But all must obey the written code.
Andrew C. Bain
Sydney, Australia
