davidbu@tekigm2.men.tek.com (David Buxton) (11/24/89)
It is my observation that the writings of Paul are largely where people
find their texts by which to do away with the law. Please consider the
following three texts:
"Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our
dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these
matters. His letters contain some things that are HARD TO UNDERSTAND,
which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other
Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since
you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried
away by the ERROR of LAWLESS men and fall from your secure position.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:15-
18)
"There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and
destroy. . . . ." (James 4:12)
"I know that his commandments lead to everlasting life. Whatever I
say is what the Father has told me to say." (John 12:50)
First we see Peter warning about what lawless men can do with Paul's writ-
ings. Second we see that only God, and not Paul, is the lawgiver and
judge. When it comes to salvation, only God is the law giver and there are
plenty of texts that say that God does not change and so why would He
change or take away the law that He wrote with His own hand at Mt. Sinaii?
In the OT we find it clearly stated over and over again - blessings to
those who keep God's commandments and the consequences of not doing so.
With all these clear statements about the law and that God does not change,
how possibly can God have come to longer care about His law? I find such a
notion to be incomprehensible.
Without using Paul writings (or Luke's who was also not a direct disciple
of Jesus) can anyone put together a solid scriptural proof for the law
being done away with? My finding is that if you carefully read all of what
Paul has to say that you will find the right balance of scripture that does
not do away with the law of God.
I think we can agree that God is the only law giver relative to salvation.
With that in mind I read first what Jesus has to say about the law and read
carefully about the example that He set. Clearly Jesus swept aside the
Mishna of His day and clearly He did keep the law of God and upheld it
before us.
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have
kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love." (John 15:10)
Next I think it is important to read what the close disciples of Jesus had
to say about the law. The ink dried on what they wrote after Jesus'
resurrection, after Jesus returned to heaven. I place them next because
they had the closest experience with Jesus.
Next I turn to Paul's writings and find what at first appears to be some
inconsistencies. If I compare what Paul writes with what I find in the
Bible as a whole I find that I can readily understand what Paul is saying
and that he is not abolishing God's law. If you are puzzled I be delighted
to help. I find both that Paul makes sense and that Paul does not do away
with the Decalogue.
If you start simply with selected texts on what Paul says about the law and
put off consulting the rest of the Bible then I can see how you can con-
clude that the law is set aside. Consider the first texts that I sited.
Are you 100% sure that your salvation is secure by accepting a notion that
the law was done away with? Consider the following NT texts before you
rest on such a conclusion:
Not every one who says Lord Lord will enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father. (Matt. 7:21-23)
"They worship me in vain; their teachings are but the commandments of
men. You have let go of the commandments of God and are holding on to
the traditions of men. And he said to them: 'You have a fine way of
setting aside the commandments of God in order to observe your own
traditions!" (Mark 7:7-9)
"Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have
handed down. And you do many things like that.". (Mark 7:13)
"It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear, than for the least
stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law." (Luke 16:17)
"If you love me keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
We ought to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)
I delight in the law. (Rom. 7:22)
"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives free-
dom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but
doing it -- he will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:25)
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is
guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10)
Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1
John 2:3,4)
Sin is the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4)
"This is love for God: to obey his commandments and his commandments
are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3)
This is love, that we walk after his commandments. (2 John 1:6)
I write no new commandment unto you. It is simply the Old Commandment
that you had from the beginning. The New Commandment is a new under-
standing of the Old Commandment. (1 John 2:7,8)
The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the
remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ. (Rev. 12:17)
"Here is the patience of the saints: Here are they that keep the com-
mandments of God." (Rev. 14:12)
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to
the tree of life. (Rev. 22:14)
Before you conclude that you are exempt because you are not a Jew ask if
yourself - are you a 'Spiritual Jew'? As a Spiritual Jew you inherit the
promised blessings that God offers to those who keep His commandments.
What is a spiritual Jew?
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that
time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write
them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my peo-
ple." (Heb. 8:10) (Heb. 10:16)
Lest you propose that this is a new law unique to the NT read what comes
right after the Decalogue in Deuteronomy chapter 5.
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I com-
mand thee this day, shall be in thine heart; you shall teach them
diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you
rise up." (Deut 6:5-7)
Clearly Paul is quoting from the Old Testament in Hebrews 8.
Dave (David E. Buxton)
davidbu@tekigm2.MEN.TEK.COMMATH1H3@uhvax1.uh.edu (David H. Wagner) (12/07/89)
In article <Nov.23.22.20.55.1989.26693@athos.rutgers.edu>, davidbu@tekigm2.men.tek.com (David Buxton) writes: > It is my observation that the writings of Paul are largely where people > find their texts by which to do away with the law. I think the Lutheran belief on "justication by grace, through faith, apart from works" must surely be the mathematical extreme point among Christians on this issue -- which is not to say that Lutherans are wrong, but that others believe or practice some interpolation between the Lutheran faith and works-righteousness, i.e. (other church) = (epsilon)*(works) + (1-epsilon)*grace. I don't mean this to be offensive, but I am just trying to define "extreme point". My main point is that even Lutherans, and I would dare say no Christian, would assert that Paul, or any Christian, did or does away with the Law. In the New Testament, however, the Law has a different purpose. Lutherans worked this out pretty well in the Formula of Concord. They had to, because the Lutheran belief is vulnerable to misinterpretation of a kind that would minimize or "do away" with the Law. I don't have the Formula in front of me, but I think I can summarize it on this point. The purpose of the Law is different for the unbeliever than for the believer. For the unbeliever, the Law: 1. Shows him his sin, and the need for forgiveness. 2. Acts as a curb against unrighteousness (i.e., to preserve peace in society). For the believer, the Law serves the above purposes also, but in addition, the Law serves as a guide for our sanctification. The Law has this effect only on the believer, because only the believer has the new man created in him so that he can respond to the Law with obedience. The works that result from this do not however, serve the purpose of earning or contributing to salvation. They are simply the evidence of salvation. Many of the scriptures cited in the first posting on this subject address the problem that false teachers were teaching faith without works. I think the passage from Peter falls in this category, although mainly it addressed scoffers who denied that judgement day would come (As do many modern 'theologians'). I might suggest that the fact that the scriptures testify that the teaching of faith without works was a problem in the early church, is a witness that the Lutheran viewpoint is the one that was preached by Paul, but misunderstood or misconstrued by some. 'nuff said for now. David H. Wagner My opinions and beliefs are completely separated from my employer's lack thereof. [There are certainly groups other than Lutheran that believe in justification by faith alone. Indeed I think this is a fairly common Protestant belief. (other church) = (epsilon)*(works) + (1-epsilon)*grace The problem is what to put on the left of the equation. I think generally Protestants (and probably also Catholics) don't consider works and grace as different points along the same axis. Rather they see them as playing rather different roles. What those roles are and how they fit together may differ. But I think this is more an issue of topology than different constants in a linear combination. Note also that Law and works are not synonymous. Although Protestants believe you are not saved by good works, they certainly expect Christians to do good works. Thus I think everyone agrees that they have relevance to Christians in at least some context. There are some Protestants that do not believe the Law has any relevance for Christians. I think this means that you are not a mathematical extreme point after all... --clh]