Tuesday, November 30, 2010
What Is Sandemanianism? An Introduction Part 1
ROOTS OF EASY BELIEVISM?
This is a video by John Piper explaining Andrew Fuller's refutation of the Sandemanian heresy. It begins about the two min. mark.
Fuller at the time he writes his Strictures on Sandemanianism, fifty years prior was a teaching by John Glas and Richard Sandeman that had gained some widespread acceptance by some professing Christians. Robert Sandeman was the son-inlaw of John Glas. John Glas originated this teaching in Scotland in 1730. Robert Sandeman made his way to America in the late 1700’s and with him brought this teaching. Later it found it’s way to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
This teaching knew no discrimination as to the denominations of orthodox Christianity it has stricken with some influence. Mr. Fuller is writing a series of refutations not primarily to Mr. Glass but to Richard Sandeman. Richard Sandeman's version of this teaching was what was more prevalent in his area. Mr. Fuller states "that this teaching of both Glas and Sandeman, gave a new turn and character to almost everything pertaining to the religion of Christ". Sandeman's teaching was not only spread through his speaking but in his many writings and publications. Fuller coins Sandeman's teaching a “system” he calls Sandemaniaism named after Richard Sandeman because as Fuller writes “it not only as I have said affects the whole of Christianity but induces all who engage it to separate from other Christians". Sandeman desired that those who were associated with him and held his teachings as truth to unconnect with all others and that they should be considered the only true churches of Christ". Fuller calls Sandemaniasim a "distinct species of religion". So it requires a name of its own for distinctions sake and designates it to be named after its author.
Fuller writes “if Mr. Sandeman and his followers, had only taught that faith has revealed truth for its object or that which is prior to being believed, or not. That the finished work of Christ exclusive of every act, exercise or thought of the human mind is that for the sake of which a sinner is justified before God- that no qualifications of any kind are necessary to warrant our believing in Him, in that the first scriptural consolation received by the believer arises from the gospel, and not from reflecting on the feelings of his own mind towards it they would have deserved well of the church of Christ".In other words, when we speak of the faith which justifies, we dare not separate the act of faith from the object of faith. It is Christ the object which lends all its force and efficiency to the act of faith, and hence we find the Scriptures declaring concerning justifying faith what cannot be affirmed in regard to any merely intellectual act, that "it works by love," "purifies the heart," and "overcomes the world." It is, in short, a thoroughly practical principle influencing the whole heart and life of man, thus sanctifying while it saves. It is an undoubted truth that faith in itself without reference to its object, but viewed simply as a fundamental principle of the human mind, may be regarded as a purely intellectual act.
Fuller writes "subjective religion is as necessary in its place as objective religion. It is as true that without holiness no man shall see the Lord as that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin”.Sandeman objected to any notion of one having examined himself and on that examination be found to be in the will of God. He equated that examination as to having confidence in ones flesh and such self-examination being repugnant to the whole tenor of scripture.
According to Fuller “a system may contain much important truth, and yet be blended with so much error, as to destroy its salvific efficacy. Mr. Sandeman has expunged from Christianity a great deal of false religion; but whether he has exhibited that of Christ and His apostles, is another question. It is much easier to point out the defects and errors of other systems, then to substitute one that is even less exceptional; and talk of simple belief, and simple truth, then to exhibit the religion of Jesus in its genuine simplicity".Fuller knows that the principals or errors on which Sandeman’s teaching’s rest are many and some of them so minute as to almost allude detection but the effects produced from Sandeman’s teaching most importantly , the effects on the gospel of Jesus Christ was well worth refuting. “The seed is small, but the branch is not so” states Fuller.
Those who are in main line denominations such as Presbyterian, Independents, and Baptists had been affected by these errors of Sandeman, although these mainline denominations would say they object to Sandeman’s teachings, they were nonetheless affected. This error is still to be found in one form or another still to this day. But yet often goes undetected.
Next the letters of refutation by Andrew Fuller.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Making children Pharisees and hypocrites
"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom
of God unless he is born again." John 3:3
It seems very cutting to parents when I warn them
against making children Pharisees and hypocrites.
But the truth is cutting to flesh and blood, for it is
sharper than any two-edged sword. We strongly
oppose what the professing world calls true religion.
Much of the religion of the present day, is nothing
but the work of Satan. It is very near and dear to
the flesh, and the lost feel very loath to give it up;
as unwilling as the Jews were to leave their religion
for Christ.
The whole work of salvation is Christ's, and Christ's alone.
William Tiptaft, 1803 - 1864
of God unless he is born again." John 3:3
It seems very cutting to parents when I warn them
against making children Pharisees and hypocrites.
But the truth is cutting to flesh and blood, for it is
sharper than any two-edged sword. We strongly
oppose what the professing world calls true religion.
Much of the religion of the present day, is nothing
but the work of Satan. It is very near and dear to
the flesh, and the lost feel very loath to give it up;
as unwilling as the Jews were to leave their religion
for Christ.
The whole work of salvation is Christ's, and Christ's alone.
William Tiptaft, 1803 - 1864
Error damns as well as vice
Error is the adultery of the mind; it stains the soul.
Error damns as well as vice. A man may as well
die by poison—as by pistol.
Truth distinguishes a Christian from the world, as
chastity distinguishes a virtuous woman from a harlot.
We have not a richer jewel to trust God with than our
souls; nor He a richer jewel to trust us with than His
truths.
Thomas Watson 1669
Error damns as well as vice. A man may as well
die by poison—as by pistol.
Truth distinguishes a Christian from the world, as
chastity distinguishes a virtuous woman from a harlot.
We have not a richer jewel to trust God with than our
souls; nor He a richer jewel to trust us with than His
truths.
Thomas Watson 1669
Saturday, November 20, 2010
HELL!! James Smith, 1858
"The rich man also died and was buried. In Hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him: Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire!" Luke 16:22-24
HELL! What is it? It is God's great prison, where His criminals are confined. It is the place of punishment--where the wages of sin are paid. It is the house of despair, the residence of desperation, the dwelling-place of the worm that never dies. It is called the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. It is a place of terrible torture, dreadful agony, and soul-racking remorse. Hope never enters there. Repose is never enjoyed there. Light never shines there. But all is pain, gloom, restless agony, and indescribable torment! There is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth--forever!
HELL! Who are there? The rich man, at whose gate Lazarus lay, is there. Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is there. Cain, who slew his brother, is there. Demas, who preferred the world to Christ, is there. The covetous and thieves are there! The immoral and liars are there! The proud and vain are there! All who made light of the Gospel are there! All who neglected the great salvation are there! All who worshiped the Roman beast are there! And they are all "tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb! The smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever--and they have no rest day nor night!"
Many perhaps whom you have known are there! Some of our relations even may be there! Old friends of ours may be there. Some who lived in the same street, met in the same place of worship, and whom we once hoped to meet in Heaven--are there!
Who are there? Why, we were nearly there ourselves! We lay at the entrance of Hell! We were within a few inches of Hell! A slight accident, a stroke, or a disease--would have sent us there. Yes--but for free and sovereign grace--WE would have been in Hell!
"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life!" Revelation 21:27
"Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying!" Revelation 22:15
HELL! What do they suffer there? No tongue can tell. No pen can write; no heart can conceive--what lost souls suffer in Hell! Who can tell what the unmixed wrath, the fiery indignation, the endless curse of Almighty God is? Who can set forth what sin deserves, and what is the obstinate sinner's due?
They weep, they wail, they gnash their teeth. They are tormented in eternal flames. In every member of the body, in every power of the soul--the lost in Hell will suffer. Memory, conscience, and the imagination--will especially increase their agonies! And hopeless despair will render their doom indescribably dreadful!
What do they suffer in Hell? Tell! O tell me--what God can justly inflict, what an immortal man can bear, what the threatenings of the violated law require, and how devils can add to the torments of lost souls--and I will tell you what they may suffer in Hell!
But, O! may you never know in your own experience what lost souls have to endure, and endure forever! Could we but lift the veil that conceals that awful place from our view, and see but for five minutes the agonies of those in Hell--we would never forget the sight! Our flesh would tremble, our hair would stand up on our heads, and our souls would be paralyzed with horror!
HELL! Who will yet go to Hell? Who? Perhaps the reader of these lines! Who? ah, perhaps many of whom we have now no suspicion! Will any of our children go there? Will any of our brothers or sisters go there? Will any of the members of the church go there? Will any of this congregation go there?
Who will go there? All liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with brimstone and fire. All swearers, all drunkards--will find a place set apart in Hell for them. All immoral people; all covetous and dishonest people--all will find a place in Hell prepared for them.
Who will go to Hell? All who live and die impenitent; "for unless you repent--you shall all likewise perish!" All unbelievers; for "he who believes not, shall be damned!" All who are in their natural state; for "unless a man is born again--he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Without faith in Christ, and repentance toward God; without love to God and man, the proof and evidence of the new birth; without union to Christ, and the possession of the Spirit of Christ--there is no escaping the wrath to come--the person must go to Hell! O solemn consideration! Let a man therefore examine himself, whether he is in the faith; let each man and woman prove their own selves, and see if Christ is in them.
HELL! How may we escape it? Only by fleeing to Jesus, by believing in Jesus, and receiving the Spirit of Jesus. No one can save us but Jesus, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we can be saved. Jesus has done all that is necessary to save souls from Hell, and he is ready to put on our account--what he has done to us; whenever we go to him, plead with him, trust in him, and commit our souls to him. We need not go to Hell, for Jesus is both able and willing to save us; and yet we must go to Hell, unless we apply to him, to be saved by him.
As therefore Hell is so dreadful; as the punishments of Hell are eternal; as once lost, we are lost irrecoverably--as no one can save us but Jesus--and as Jesus will only save those who make personal application to him--let us at once, with all our hearts and souls, apply to Christ! "Behold! now is the accepted time. Behold! now is the day of salvation." Let us then "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon!" Isaiah 55:6-7
HELL! What is it? It is God's great prison, where His criminals are confined. It is the place of punishment--where the wages of sin are paid. It is the house of despair, the residence of desperation, the dwelling-place of the worm that never dies. It is called the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. It is a place of terrible torture, dreadful agony, and soul-racking remorse. Hope never enters there. Repose is never enjoyed there. Light never shines there. But all is pain, gloom, restless agony, and indescribable torment! There is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth--forever!
HELL! Who are there? The rich man, at whose gate Lazarus lay, is there. Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is there. Cain, who slew his brother, is there. Demas, who preferred the world to Christ, is there. The covetous and thieves are there! The immoral and liars are there! The proud and vain are there! All who made light of the Gospel are there! All who neglected the great salvation are there! All who worshiped the Roman beast are there! And they are all "tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb! The smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever--and they have no rest day nor night!"
Many perhaps whom you have known are there! Some of our relations even may be there! Old friends of ours may be there. Some who lived in the same street, met in the same place of worship, and whom we once hoped to meet in Heaven--are there!
Who are there? Why, we were nearly there ourselves! We lay at the entrance of Hell! We were within a few inches of Hell! A slight accident, a stroke, or a disease--would have sent us there. Yes--but for free and sovereign grace--WE would have been in Hell!
"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life!" Revelation 21:27
"Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying!" Revelation 22:15
HELL! What do they suffer there? No tongue can tell. No pen can write; no heart can conceive--what lost souls suffer in Hell! Who can tell what the unmixed wrath, the fiery indignation, the endless curse of Almighty God is? Who can set forth what sin deserves, and what is the obstinate sinner's due?
They weep, they wail, they gnash their teeth. They are tormented in eternal flames. In every member of the body, in every power of the soul--the lost in Hell will suffer. Memory, conscience, and the imagination--will especially increase their agonies! And hopeless despair will render their doom indescribably dreadful!
What do they suffer in Hell? Tell! O tell me--what God can justly inflict, what an immortal man can bear, what the threatenings of the violated law require, and how devils can add to the torments of lost souls--and I will tell you what they may suffer in Hell!
But, O! may you never know in your own experience what lost souls have to endure, and endure forever! Could we but lift the veil that conceals that awful place from our view, and see but for five minutes the agonies of those in Hell--we would never forget the sight! Our flesh would tremble, our hair would stand up on our heads, and our souls would be paralyzed with horror!
HELL! Who will yet go to Hell? Who? Perhaps the reader of these lines! Who? ah, perhaps many of whom we have now no suspicion! Will any of our children go there? Will any of our brothers or sisters go there? Will any of the members of the church go there? Will any of this congregation go there?
Who will go there? All liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with brimstone and fire. All swearers, all drunkards--will find a place set apart in Hell for them. All immoral people; all covetous and dishonest people--all will find a place in Hell prepared for them.
Who will go to Hell? All who live and die impenitent; "for unless you repent--you shall all likewise perish!" All unbelievers; for "he who believes not, shall be damned!" All who are in their natural state; for "unless a man is born again--he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Without faith in Christ, and repentance toward God; without love to God and man, the proof and evidence of the new birth; without union to Christ, and the possession of the Spirit of Christ--there is no escaping the wrath to come--the person must go to Hell! O solemn consideration! Let a man therefore examine himself, whether he is in the faith; let each man and woman prove their own selves, and see if Christ is in them.
HELL! How may we escape it? Only by fleeing to Jesus, by believing in Jesus, and receiving the Spirit of Jesus. No one can save us but Jesus, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we can be saved. Jesus has done all that is necessary to save souls from Hell, and he is ready to put on our account--what he has done to us; whenever we go to him, plead with him, trust in him, and commit our souls to him. We need not go to Hell, for Jesus is both able and willing to save us; and yet we must go to Hell, unless we apply to him, to be saved by him.
As therefore Hell is so dreadful; as the punishments of Hell are eternal; as once lost, we are lost irrecoverably--as no one can save us but Jesus--and as Jesus will only save those who make personal application to him--let us at once, with all our hearts and souls, apply to Christ! "Behold! now is the accepted time. Behold! now is the day of salvation." Let us then "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon!" Isaiah 55:6-7
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Why Have I Found Grace?
“Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?” (Ruth 2:10)
This incident was when Ruth confronted her kinsman redeemer Boaz. Personally, I feel this quite frequent (most every day) when I think about how gracious God has been to me and of what Christ Jesus did for me on that old rugged cross. Just how could He pour out His life giving blood for such a horrid sinner as I? This is, without any doubt, far beyond the comprehension of my finite little brain! How can one get even the tiniest foot hold on understanding such an enormous mystery of the mind and heart of God? True brethren share the same perplexity of the event of grace gifted upon their eternal souls. Shall not the thought humble the mightiest saint?
The great Apostle Paul was limited in the midst of inspiration to explain this unfathomable mystery of bestowed grace. In a brief glimpse the Spirit reveals in reference to Jacob and Esau: “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;” (Rom. 9:11) In continuation of the revelation the Spirit instructs Paul to write of God’s grace: “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Rom. 9:15-16) Paul is simply instructed to write that the mercy of the giving of God’s grace lies in the mind and the purpose of God. All we are privy to is that the gift of grace is according to the purpose of God, and the “Why?” is none of our business. God is good at drowning men’s pathetic theologies!
Still, after thirty-six years of preaching, I never cease to be amazed at how many proclaim they know the mind of God in His sovereign bestowal of His divine grace upon an ungodly, sin-filled creature. We are worthy of no more than eternal condemnation! We deserve the fiery pits of Hell! How dare we presume to fine even a micro spec of heavenly worthiness within ourselves? Shall we all not find ourselves dumb-struck and cry out to our Redeemer: “Why have I found grace in thine eyes,”? O the mystery of His grace!!!
From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr
This incident was when Ruth confronted her kinsman redeemer Boaz. Personally, I feel this quite frequent (most every day) when I think about how gracious God has been to me and of what Christ Jesus did for me on that old rugged cross. Just how could He pour out His life giving blood for such a horrid sinner as I? This is, without any doubt, far beyond the comprehension of my finite little brain! How can one get even the tiniest foot hold on understanding such an enormous mystery of the mind and heart of God? True brethren share the same perplexity of the event of grace gifted upon their eternal souls. Shall not the thought humble the mightiest saint?
The great Apostle Paul was limited in the midst of inspiration to explain this unfathomable mystery of bestowed grace. In a brief glimpse the Spirit reveals in reference to Jacob and Esau: “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;” (Rom. 9:11) In continuation of the revelation the Spirit instructs Paul to write of God’s grace: “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Rom. 9:15-16) Paul is simply instructed to write that the mercy of the giving of God’s grace lies in the mind and the purpose of God. All we are privy to is that the gift of grace is according to the purpose of God, and the “Why?” is none of our business. God is good at drowning men’s pathetic theologies!
Still, after thirty-six years of preaching, I never cease to be amazed at how many proclaim they know the mind of God in His sovereign bestowal of His divine grace upon an ungodly, sin-filled creature. We are worthy of no more than eternal condemnation! We deserve the fiery pits of Hell! How dare we presume to fine even a micro spec of heavenly worthiness within ourselves? Shall we all not find ourselves dumb-struck and cry out to our Redeemer: “Why have I found grace in thine eyes,”? O the mystery of His grace!!!
From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Cry Aloud, Spare Not
“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. … Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.” (Is. 58:1, 4)
Why do you do what you do in your conduct of religion? Is it about you, or is it about seeking true godliness with the Father? Religious activities have never saved anyone, yet, multitudes still grope in the darkness laboring under their own agendas to please a God Who is not amused with their pathetic efforts. Does God unveil His predetermined way of righteousness just so man can declare it mere balderdash, and recreate an alternative way to his liking? Is God so pitifully weak as to cower down to the creativeness of man?
Men of God wake up, hear the voice of the LORD, cry aloud, and spare not the preposterous pride of men! Pray for the courage that with all boldness we might loudly proclaim: “Thus saith the LORD our God!” Do not worm your way out of your duty in fear of hurting poor little so-and-so’s feelings. If they want to take their marbles and go home, LET THEM! Is the sovereign eternal God of the heaven the least bit intimidated? God forbid such notions!!!
Let us be honest, most religious folk are marching to the tune of their own hidden agendas, and the truth of God is nowhere in their calculations. They expect, yea, even demand that God hear their voices and their beckoning orders. The Almighty shall not hear nor respond to their pompous struts of peacockism! He is GOD, but who art thou? Men are not saved by hearing what they want to hear; they are saved by the honest forthright preaching of the Word!!!
Declare plainly and directly the words of His mouth, and “it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Is. 55:11) God’s Word cannot and will not be negated by the whimsical crude imaginations of men. It will bring repentance, or it will bring condemnation. It will fulfill that which it has been sent out to accomplish. The fear of the congregation is the ruination of Spirit led preaching of the Word. Brethren, fear none of those things that might befall you; rather, fear degrading the blood of the Lamb!
From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.
Why do you do what you do in your conduct of religion? Is it about you, or is it about seeking true godliness with the Father? Religious activities have never saved anyone, yet, multitudes still grope in the darkness laboring under their own agendas to please a God Who is not amused with their pathetic efforts. Does God unveil His predetermined way of righteousness just so man can declare it mere balderdash, and recreate an alternative way to his liking? Is God so pitifully weak as to cower down to the creativeness of man?
Men of God wake up, hear the voice of the LORD, cry aloud, and spare not the preposterous pride of men! Pray for the courage that with all boldness we might loudly proclaim: “Thus saith the LORD our God!” Do not worm your way out of your duty in fear of hurting poor little so-and-so’s feelings. If they want to take their marbles and go home, LET THEM! Is the sovereign eternal God of the heaven the least bit intimidated? God forbid such notions!!!
Let us be honest, most religious folk are marching to the tune of their own hidden agendas, and the truth of God is nowhere in their calculations. They expect, yea, even demand that God hear their voices and their beckoning orders. The Almighty shall not hear nor respond to their pompous struts of peacockism! He is GOD, but who art thou? Men are not saved by hearing what they want to hear; they are saved by the honest forthright preaching of the Word!!!
Declare plainly and directly the words of His mouth, and “it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Is. 55:11) God’s Word cannot and will not be negated by the whimsical crude imaginations of men. It will bring repentance, or it will bring condemnation. It will fulfill that which it has been sent out to accomplish. The fear of the congregation is the ruination of Spirit led preaching of the Word. Brethren, fear none of those things that might befall you; rather, fear degrading the blood of the Lamb!
From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Understanding Law, Gospel and Works
Here is a link on Covenant Theology by Ligon Duncan. http://www.fpcjackson.org/resources/apologetics/covenant%20theology%20&%20justification/ligons_covtheology/08.htm
This is a segment from his study on the Mosaic covenant. How is the moral law of God to be viewed by believers today? Does dispensationalism naturally lead to a poor view of the law/ gospel distinction as well as a rejection of Lordship doctrine rightly defined?
..........Jesus and Paul stress that our judgment will be by works. In all these ways, we see that the moral law of the Mosaic era continues to be relevant to believers. Paul stresses that blessing comes from keeping the law. Look at Ephesians 6:2. You remember his emphasis? This is the only commandment with a promise. Obedience to parents yields living long in the land of your fathers. Jesus stresses that blessing comes from obedience. In Matthew 5:17-19, He who teaches and keeps all the law, he will be blessed, he will be considered great in the kingdom. In Matthew 7 verses 24-27, the culmination of the Sermon on the Mount, what is Jesus’ point? It was the man who acted upon the demands, the claims of Christ, building his house on the rock, he was the one whose house stood up under the waves. He didn’t just hear the words and think that they were really nice, and was deeply moved by them; he built his house on the rock. The blessing comes from obedience. Hebrews 12:6 stresses that chastening will be done to those who violate God’s law. I Corinthians 11 verses 30-32 teaches the same thing, in the context of the Lord’s Supper of all things. When Paul said, “and many of you are asleep,” he didn’t mean they were taking a long nap. Chastening comes from taking the Lord’s Supper in a flippant way and not discerning the body. That is not manifesting a true connection, appreciation for a mutual love for those in the body. So there is blessing and cursing in the New Covenant, which again shows the continuing function of the law. And as we said, Christians under the New Covenant will be judged by works. Matthew 25 verses 31-33, II Corinthians 5:10,
Now friends this reminds us why it is so important for us to understand justification, sanctification, and the relationship between law and gospel. Because if you don’t understand those things, you cannot preach the Gospel that Paul preached.
You have to preach a justification that has absolutely nothing to do with personal obedience and law keeping, while at the same time, stressing that there is no such thing as a justification without a corresponding sanctification.
And so you have to stress the freeness of grace and justification, while simultaneously stressing that grace reigns in righteousness, to borrow Paul’s words from the end of chapter 5 of the book of Romans, remembering that the purpose of grace in the life of believers is not fire insurance, but it is that we would be transformed into the image of the Son, and restored to the fullness of our humanity. And so Lordship, you see, is not peripheral to Christian experience; it is the ultimate expression of Christian experience.
It is the purpose that God is working for us. And so faith and works must be present in the believer’s life. James’ words, in James chapter 2 are not antiPauline, they are quintessentially Pauline. Paul couldn’t have said it better himself. In fact, he did on a few occasions, say precisely what James says in James chapter 2.
You have to understand those things as we proclaim the Gospel. And if you know this is one of the things that we just need to rehearse, this is one that you are called upon to meditate upon over and over, and over and over. And I will confess, I am slow, these things didn’t come together for me, until I had been working them through for seven years in the context of study in seminary, and in postgraduate training. You have got to commit yourself to reflection and meditation, so you can preach a Gospel of grace which is absolutely free. A justification that has nothing to do whatsoever with me, with what I have done, but at that same time, to stress that grace always reigns in righteousness and that he who has faith has works, and that is a Pauline Gospel.
Now this emphasis is seen elsewhere in the New Testament call to obedience. The Christian life, according to the New Testament, is characterized by joyful obedience. We see it in John 14:15, in Jesus’ word to His disciples. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” “Love to God,” F.F. Bruce says, “love to God and obedience to God are so completely involved in each other, that anyone of them implies the other two.” You can’t love God without obeying Him. And that is exactly what James is poking at. He is saying, “Well, you say you love God, but you don’t obey Him? Well, I don’t believe you love Him.” And that is just what John says in I John. “You hate your brother. Well, God said, ‘don’t hate your brother.’” ‘In fact God said, ‘love your brother.’ So, you don’t love God. They go together.”
Eric Alexander puts it this way. “The evidence of knowing God is obeying God. So the Christian life is characterized by joyful obedience.” This is not against the doctrine of grace. Listen to the words of Martin Luther, who wrote that radical treatise on Galatians, and who himself has been charged with nigh unto half a millennium, by the Roman Catholic Church as being the most wicked antinomian to ever walk the planet, “I would rather obey God than work miracles.” That is not the statement of an antinomian. “I would rather obey God than work miracles.” Now is that antiGospel? No. Obedience to God in the context of grace is, in fact, the ground of freedom because when we recognize it is God we obey, we are freed from the doctrines and opinions and commandments of men.
What is the most frustrating thing in life? To be judged by people on arbitrary standards that you have never seen written down anywhere. Where does it say that I have to wear my hair like that? Where does it say that I have to wear that kind of clothes to be accepted in your group? Where does it say that I have to drive that kind of car, live in that particular part of town? You aren’t their slave, they aren’t your master. God is your master. You are freed from the doctrines, opinions, and commandments of men. His law is the only standard by which you will be judged, because you are freed from the arbitrary and manmade standards of all your would be lords. And that is why even Seneca, the great Latin stoic, said to obey God is perfect liberty. Listen to Thomas Vincent, “God is the only Lord of the conscious, and though we are to obey magistrates and parents and masters, yet we are chiefly to do this because God requires us to do so. And if they command us to do anything which God does forbid, we are to refuse obedience, choosing to obey God rather than any man in this world.”
The charter of Christian freedom is that once we have appropriated the grace of Christ, the law becomes not a burdensome code that condemns us, but it becomes our charter of Christian freedom as the Gospel of Grace and the cross of Christ transforms it. It ceases to be our enemy. It is no longer designed to drive us in our sin to Christ, though it still performs that function. It is the mirror, the royal law, that we see our sin in that continues sends us back to Christ.
As Christians, we must learn how the law functions because it has multiple functions. The New Testament makes it very clear. That God’s revealed will as set forth in His word, and in His law, is the pattern of obedience which He calls us to follow. The revealed will of God is found in the Scriptures where the whole duty of man to God is made known, said Thomas Vincent. As we close, just listen to these words of the New Testament,
John 14:15. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
John 14:21. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him."
Galatians 3:10. “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM."
Ephesians 4:1. “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,”
Ephesians 4:17. “This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,”
Ephesians 6:6. “not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”
You couldn’t find a better description of the Christian ethic.
Phillipians 2:12. “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;”
I Timothy 6:14. “that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
I Timothy 6:18. “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,”
Hebrews 13:16. “And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
James 1:22. “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
Ligon Duncan
This is a segment from his study on the Mosaic covenant. How is the moral law of God to be viewed by believers today? Does dispensationalism naturally lead to a poor view of the law/ gospel distinction as well as a rejection of Lordship doctrine rightly defined?
..........Jesus and Paul stress that our judgment will be by works. In all these ways, we see that the moral law of the Mosaic era continues to be relevant to believers. Paul stresses that blessing comes from keeping the law. Look at Ephesians 6:2. You remember his emphasis? This is the only commandment with a promise. Obedience to parents yields living long in the land of your fathers. Jesus stresses that blessing comes from obedience. In Matthew 5:17-19, He who teaches and keeps all the law, he will be blessed, he will be considered great in the kingdom. In Matthew 7 verses 24-27, the culmination of the Sermon on the Mount, what is Jesus’ point? It was the man who acted upon the demands, the claims of Christ, building his house on the rock, he was the one whose house stood up under the waves. He didn’t just hear the words and think that they were really nice, and was deeply moved by them; he built his house on the rock. The blessing comes from obedience. Hebrews 12:6 stresses that chastening will be done to those who violate God’s law. I Corinthians 11 verses 30-32 teaches the same thing, in the context of the Lord’s Supper of all things. When Paul said, “and many of you are asleep,” he didn’t mean they were taking a long nap. Chastening comes from taking the Lord’s Supper in a flippant way and not discerning the body. That is not manifesting a true connection, appreciation for a mutual love for those in the body. So there is blessing and cursing in the New Covenant, which again shows the continuing function of the law. And as we said, Christians under the New Covenant will be judged by works. Matthew 25 verses 31-33, II Corinthians 5:10,
Now friends this reminds us why it is so important for us to understand justification, sanctification, and the relationship between law and gospel. Because if you don’t understand those things, you cannot preach the Gospel that Paul preached.
You have to preach a justification that has absolutely nothing to do with personal obedience and law keeping, while at the same time, stressing that there is no such thing as a justification without a corresponding sanctification.
And so you have to stress the freeness of grace and justification, while simultaneously stressing that grace reigns in righteousness, to borrow Paul’s words from the end of chapter 5 of the book of Romans, remembering that the purpose of grace in the life of believers is not fire insurance, but it is that we would be transformed into the image of the Son, and restored to the fullness of our humanity. And so Lordship, you see, is not peripheral to Christian experience; it is the ultimate expression of Christian experience.
It is the purpose that God is working for us. And so faith and works must be present in the believer’s life. James’ words, in James chapter 2 are not antiPauline, they are quintessentially Pauline. Paul couldn’t have said it better himself. In fact, he did on a few occasions, say precisely what James says in James chapter 2.
You have to understand those things as we proclaim the Gospel. And if you know this is one of the things that we just need to rehearse, this is one that you are called upon to meditate upon over and over, and over and over. And I will confess, I am slow, these things didn’t come together for me, until I had been working them through for seven years in the context of study in seminary, and in postgraduate training. You have got to commit yourself to reflection and meditation, so you can preach a Gospel of grace which is absolutely free. A justification that has nothing to do whatsoever with me, with what I have done, but at that same time, to stress that grace always reigns in righteousness and that he who has faith has works, and that is a Pauline Gospel.
Now this emphasis is seen elsewhere in the New Testament call to obedience. The Christian life, according to the New Testament, is characterized by joyful obedience. We see it in John 14:15, in Jesus’ word to His disciples. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” “Love to God,” F.F. Bruce says, “love to God and obedience to God are so completely involved in each other, that anyone of them implies the other two.” You can’t love God without obeying Him. And that is exactly what James is poking at. He is saying, “Well, you say you love God, but you don’t obey Him? Well, I don’t believe you love Him.” And that is just what John says in I John. “You hate your brother. Well, God said, ‘don’t hate your brother.’” ‘In fact God said, ‘love your brother.’ So, you don’t love God. They go together.”
Eric Alexander puts it this way. “The evidence of knowing God is obeying God. So the Christian life is characterized by joyful obedience.” This is not against the doctrine of grace. Listen to the words of Martin Luther, who wrote that radical treatise on Galatians, and who himself has been charged with nigh unto half a millennium, by the Roman Catholic Church as being the most wicked antinomian to ever walk the planet, “I would rather obey God than work miracles.” That is not the statement of an antinomian. “I would rather obey God than work miracles.” Now is that antiGospel? No. Obedience to God in the context of grace is, in fact, the ground of freedom because when we recognize it is God we obey, we are freed from the doctrines and opinions and commandments of men.
What is the most frustrating thing in life? To be judged by people on arbitrary standards that you have never seen written down anywhere. Where does it say that I have to wear my hair like that? Where does it say that I have to wear that kind of clothes to be accepted in your group? Where does it say that I have to drive that kind of car, live in that particular part of town? You aren’t their slave, they aren’t your master. God is your master. You are freed from the doctrines, opinions, and commandments of men. His law is the only standard by which you will be judged, because you are freed from the arbitrary and manmade standards of all your would be lords. And that is why even Seneca, the great Latin stoic, said to obey God is perfect liberty. Listen to Thomas Vincent, “God is the only Lord of the conscious, and though we are to obey magistrates and parents and masters, yet we are chiefly to do this because God requires us to do so. And if they command us to do anything which God does forbid, we are to refuse obedience, choosing to obey God rather than any man in this world.”
The charter of Christian freedom is that once we have appropriated the grace of Christ, the law becomes not a burdensome code that condemns us, but it becomes our charter of Christian freedom as the Gospel of Grace and the cross of Christ transforms it. It ceases to be our enemy. It is no longer designed to drive us in our sin to Christ, though it still performs that function. It is the mirror, the royal law, that we see our sin in that continues sends us back to Christ.
As Christians, we must learn how the law functions because it has multiple functions. The New Testament makes it very clear. That God’s revealed will as set forth in His word, and in His law, is the pattern of obedience which He calls us to follow. The revealed will of God is found in the Scriptures where the whole duty of man to God is made known, said Thomas Vincent. As we close, just listen to these words of the New Testament,
John 14:15. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
John 14:21. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him."
Galatians 3:10. “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM."
Ephesians 4:1. “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,”
Ephesians 4:17. “This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,”
Ephesians 6:6. “not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”
You couldn’t find a better description of the Christian ethic.
Phillipians 2:12. “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;”
I Timothy 6:14. “that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
I Timothy 6:18. “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,”
Hebrews 13:16. “And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
James 1:22. “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
Ligon Duncan
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