The New Calvinist Takeover of Southwood Presbyterian Church: Part 8 correction; The New Calvinist Indicative / Imperative Hermeneutic
Chapter 12: The Truth About New Calvinism; Its History, Doctrine, and Character
Chapter 12: The Truth About New Calvinism; Its History, Doctrine, and Character
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
We are do deduce theological truth from didactic passages not hortatory passages in which an issue is being discussed specifically. For example, we would not go to Peter’s first epistle in which he wrote, “love shall cover the multitude of sins” to develop our doctrine of justification before God. If we want to learn about the doctrine of justification, we need to study Romans 1-5.
If we are going to learn about sanctification, we need to look for passages in which that doctrine is being discussed specifically. I think most would agree the classic passage on sanctification in the NT Scriptures is Romans 6. Even a cursory examination of that chapter reveals that the imperatives are based on the indicatives. There is not a single imperative in verses 1-10 of that chapter. The reality [indicative statement] of our death to sin’s reigning power doesn’t need to be restated every time a biblical writer exhorts his readers to obedience. The order is established in this classic passage on sanctification. The pattern is established there. Produce all the imperatives you can find in hortatory NT passages; they are all based on the pattern the apostle has established in that classic passage.
Of course, there are hortatory passages in the New Testament Scriptures that are not immediately preceded by indicative statements. At times the imperative precedes, but depends on the indicative that follows. There are times when all we find in an immediate context are imperative statements. But, those imperatives still hang on God’s accomplishment of redemption, forgiveness and cleansing, in the finished work of Christ. In Eph. 4:1, Paul begins a lengthy application of what he has written in chapters 1-3. Every thing he exhorts us to do is based on the calling with which we have been called.
And do you not understand that “grounded on” and “based on” are synonymous?
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