The Law was Not Destroyed but Fulfilled in Christ

What is meant by free from the law? Romans 8:2.

In Christ every believer is totally free from the law. "We are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:15). We are not justified (Rom. 3:19-24), sanctified (Gal. 3:1-3), motivated (II Cor. 5:14), ruled (Tit. 2:11- 12), or glorified (Jude 24-25) by the law, but by grace.

"Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). Do you ask what that means? It means that Christ is the fulfillment of the law, the satisfaction of the law, and the termination of the law to all who believe on him unto life everlasting. It means that there is no righteousness to be had, of any kind, to any degree, by our own works of obedience to the law. The only way anyone can have righteousness before God is by faith in Christ. He is " The Lord Our Righteousness " (Jer. 23:6) and we are the righteousness of God in him (Jer. 33:16; II Cor. 5:21).

"Ye are become dead to the law by the body of Christ" (Rom. 7:4). Do you ask what that means? It means that if you are a believer, if Christ died for you, insofar as the law of God is concerned you are dead. It can make no demands upon you. It can require nothing from you. It can do nothing to you. If you and I are in Christ by faith, we have no covenant with the law, no curse from the law, and no commitment to the law.

This does not mean that we are against the law. God forbid! We are not antinomians. We delight in the law of God (Rom. 7:22). The real antinomian is the legalist who pretends to keep the law. He lowers the standard of the law to the measure of his own obedience. Otherwise he could find no comfort in his obedience. So the legalist turns the law of God into lasciviousness. That is a complimentary word for his pretended obedience to the law!

Why are we so dogmatic in declaring the believer’s freedom from the law, as it is set forth in the scriptures? Let me give you three reasons for our dogmatism: First, the legalist would rob Christ of the glory of his grace, making some part of salvation dependent upon the works of the law. Second, the legalist would rob the believer of the joy of faith, the joy of assurance, and the joy of service to Christ, making assurance to be based upon obedience and service to Christ mercenary acts. Third, the legalist would rob the world of the hope of salvation, for if salvation requires any good work from sinners then there is no hope.

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Sunday, January 20, 2008

Roderick Edwards- "Nobody Leaves the Family"

"Another aspect that has been revealing itself more & more, especially as I try to disengage from FP, is that it is a "club" which no one is supposed to ever leave...like the mafia catch-phrase that "no one ever leaves the family", it would seem FP is not something you are allowed to leave. But worse than that is that there are people who are part of the "club" who are not allowed to define it. This becomes evident in that when some FP challenge some of the more popular tenets of FP (such as "covenant creationism", "no more law", "no more need to be 'born-again'") these challengers are quickly reprimanded & the challenger is told that they aren't really FP unless they embrace these views. I imagine what it may have been like for an early Mormon or Jehovah's Witness who may have questioned some of those tenets. I am sure they were quickly told to get with the program or they are out of the club. The same happens within the club or cult of FP. Watch for it to happen as FP morphs more & more into a speculative chaos of humanistic, syncretistic, socialism by the guidance of the unofficial "leader" of FP."

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As for Rod's comment towards the issues that upsets him around those who hold to a Preteristic position, when it comes to eschatology, such as:

• it is a "club" which no one is supposed to ever leave

• some people of the club are not allowed to define it

• covenant creationism

• no more law

• no need to be born again

these are issues, or similar issues, in which you might find in other circles as well.

If you would go on Rod's Blog site and read the conversation between Kurt & Josh Brisby, you will be surprised how a simply matter over a theological issues causes the two to divide...examine what both sides share.

To answer the comment of it being a club thing, no, holding to the preteristic position is not like being a member of a club; although when you do find others of like faith, which you can do in all views, it does bring a since of peace to share with one another. Not only can we find friends who holds to similar issues but we also can find enemies as well. But when it comes to the saying that you can never leave, like Mormons, JWs, Iglesia ni Cristo and so forth, i would have to disagree with that comment. As you can see through observing Todd Dennis' site he has made it certain to list some from the past who has left and moved on to other views.

What most Sovereign grace Preterist are meaning to say, when it comes to never leaving, is that when you let the Scripture speaks for itself then why would we ever want to turn back to the old ways we once held onto.

Observe the two comments written below:

As we read the Bible, we must keep in mind the hermeneuticial principle of audience relevance, which seeks to discover what the original audience understood a passage to mean. The Bible is written "for" us, but it is not written "to" us. We must seek to understand what Scripture meant to its original audience, then we can apply it to ourselves. As you read the following scriptures, ask yourself these questions: Who is this written to? When was it written? When did they expect Christ to return?

Charles V said to Luther, "One friar who goes counter to all Christianity for 1,000 years must be wrong." Luther replied, "My conscience is captive to the Word of God . . . Here I stand, I can do no other." Luther went against the corrupt Christianity of the day, but he stuck to the Scripture. Sola Fide, and Sola Scriptura, were the cry of the Reformation.

I end this with and old comment from John Calvin

“Reformed and always reforming according to the word of God” is the full phrase that is often used to describe what it means to be a Presbyterian. We change. Our views change, our polity changes, and our theology changes over time. “According to the word of God” is a check on change. We don’t just change for the sake of change but we change in light of the presence of ongoing divine revelation. That is my phrase. Calvin would say that we must be reformed by scripture.

PS

For those of you who are diligently studying the Word of God, please let the Bible be your final authority and do not let these bashing differences from others determine what you will believe other then let the Word of God have the first and final say in all things.