A Question of Law
I am pleased that the exodus gang is no longer bewildered by the discussion of law and gospel; obviously, this post has generated 106 comments and counting. The laity has begun dialoging full throttle on this issue, and that is really, really bad news for the New Calvinists—pun intended.
However, I would like to shortly address a hefty question by one of the participants. This question will be addressed in more detail at a later date along with the subject of atonement which we find to be another serious Achilles’ heel for Calvinism—new and old. Here is the question:
Ok, not to throw a monkey wrench into the mix but I would love to hear from folks here what they think this passage is telling us in context of the entire book:
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Especially verse 15!!!
Ok, I have to go meet someone shortly in regard to the facility we will be renting for TANC 2014, but I am compelled to address this question with at least a short volley.
When we get past Calvinist propaganda about the Jewish leadership of that day, and also have a working understanding of justification and sanctification, this passage is fairly easy to understand. The subject is Jewish religious academia as set against the Gentiles Paul is writing to. The Jews are the ones who have the law. The unsaved Gentiles will parish without the law and will be judged by the law written on their hearts. ALL people born into the world have the works of God written on their hearts. Unsaved people who know nothing of the Bible will be judged by that law.
However, the Jews will be judged by both. And, and this is a big AND, the Jewish rendition of the law, especially among the Pharisees, was antinomian in nature. They were experts at relaxing the law. While priding themselves at, “We have the law” and looking up their noses at the Gentiles, the Gentiles were better at following the law written on their own hearts than the Jews were at obeying the law God entrusted them with. The Jews believed, like Calvinists, that the law was the standard for justification/righteousness; therefore, they dumbed it down with their tradition because obviously it can’t be kept perfectly (primarily salvation by circumcision).
But, and this is a big, BUT, what they missed is that when the law is separated from righteousness, the saved person zealously pursues the “law of liberty” in love. So, and this is a big, SO…
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
The Pharisees were only hearers of the law and not doers, just like the Calvinist prognosticators of gospel contemplationism in our day. A believer will be justified apart from the law because his/her life zealously pursues its truth out of love.
Moreover, the unsaved will be judged by law because they are still under it. The saved will not be judged by the law, their works will be evaluated to determine rewards. The Jews will be judged by both laws; those without the law will be judged for violating their consciences that administer the law written on their hearts.
Gotta go. Sorry for the typos.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
Reblogged this on Clearcreek Chapel Watch.
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Jesus’ obedience was to the Father. How many times did he talk about this while on earth? His love and obedience to Father superceded everything that obedience to the law could produce. I believe the Apostle Paul stated this and the book of Hebrews expounds it.
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“They were experts at relaxing the law.”
Can you give an example. I thought they did the opposite as adding to it making hard burdens on people. There was no love, either. I mean when you are “tithing” dill weed you are sort of missing the point. Also, the woman caught in adultery…..to trip up Jesus…where was her co conspirator? The man who was with her? The examples are endless but all point to them twisting the laws to make them burdensome for some and a chance to look pious for others.
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Matt15: 1-9 is a good example.
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David —
What do you think Jesus response would have been if the man and woman were both standing before the group with stones?
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Bridget,
Of course, his obedience was to his Father, but to what standard was anyone under the Mosaic covenant held if not the law. Jesus was born and lived under the law.
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david,good point,i was wondering about the passage in regards to the topic.how about the time Jesus railed on the phariees about cleaning their hands and cups or something like that,and neglecting the weightier matters of the law,like justice and mercy?hmmm
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Because when you justify yourself by the law, you have to dumb the law down. When you have been transformed from the law of death and sin to the law of love and life, the law cannot condemn you and you are free to pursue it.
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Lydia SoP,
Regarding the Pharisees, I have done a little bit of digging for my Tuesday night Bible study on Acts. The Pharisees were more than just a group of religious experts, they were a very influential political sect. The word “Pharisee” is derived from the Hebrew word “paw-rash”, which means to disperse or divide or separate. So the Pharisees were in essence political “separatists”. This characteristic made the Pharisees very popular among the general population, the working class, and they played upon the people’s oppression by the Roman government.
The second area of distinction, particularly between Pharisees and Sadducees, had to do with the Law. The Sadducees held to a strict interpretation of the written law only, in other words, only that law that was specifically given by God to Moses and recorded in the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). There was, however a tradition of oral law that came into existence over time, and this oral law eventually became codified into a written from called the Talmud. It was this codified oral tradition to which the Pharisees held, and they held the Talmud to the same standard of authority as the Torah, the Law of Moses.
So, by holding the Talmud to the same standard as the Law (and in many instances holding as supierior to the law), they were relaxing the Law in favor of the Talmud. This is what Jesus accused them of when He said you have made the law of none effect by holding to your tradition. Their influence and favor with the people would have given them a perfect platform for not only relaxing the law themselves, but teaching others to do so as well! What a tremendous burden they laid upon the people (but yet they themselves did not deign to keep!)
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