The Wages of Sanctification
True, Hillary Clinton seems to be above the law unless she is the most misunderstood person who has ever lived in all of human history, and in fact, lightning does strike in the same place often. Furthermore, although the former is more likely the case, she would seem to be on her way to being rewarded with the presidency of the United States. It would “seem.”
Now enter a biblical principle that is a metaphysical reality according to God’s design of things; wages. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
This is the way the Bible frames it because of our limitations in understanding this concept thoroughly as God does (Rom 6:19): there are two masters in the world that pay wages; sin pays death wages, and righteousness pays life wages. EVERYONE is under one of these masters—one or the other. The Bible uses an employee/employer relationship to explain the metaphysical construct.
Secondly, depending on the master you are under, you only receive one or the other wage in varying degrees determined by the wage you don’t receive. Let me explain. Those under the sin master are enslaved to sin but free to do good works. Good works reduce the only wage they can receive; death, which is manifested in many, many various and sundry ways. These are the ones who are under the “law of sin and death” and receive less death for doing good works. Mankind is wired to love life, so minimal death can yield a pretty decent life experience.
Yes, obviously, unsaved people can do good works. Why? Because they are created in the image of God and have the works of His law written on their hearts administered by the conscience and either excusing their actions or accusing them (Rom 2:14-16). This is why final death wages (judgement) will be administered to unbelievers in varying degrees.
And of course, this truth turns Protestant orthodoxy completely on its head.
Now let’s turn our attention to the other master who pays life wages: righteousness. You are enslaved to righteousness; not in respect to the idea that you have to do right all the time because you have some sort of righteousness addiction, but rather that is the master you work for and are obligated to. This is the illustration the apostle Paul is using; the employee/employer motif.
However, don’t miss this: those “under law” or “under grace” have different types of desires. Those under law have sinful desires and a desire to have good life (happiness that comes from a clear conscience) while those under grace have the like desires of God’s Spirit because they are reborn of Him. This is why believers love God’s word and its truth while unbelievers are more or less indifferent to it. Those under grace have a remaining sin that dwells in mortality, but without the condemnation of the law, sin is stripped of its ultimate power to enslave. But, either party can become addicted to the desires which they obey.
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16).
You can frame this practically in regard to the fact that we are all creatures of habit. Can a Christian become addicted to some kind of sin by obeying its desire over and over again? Yes. Can an unbeliever avoid addictions through some motivation that wants to avoid death wages? Absolutely.
Back to those under grace. They are enslaved to righteousness but free to sin. They can only receive life wages, but the wage is offset by sin (Rom 6:20, 21). Let’s cite some examples, a few among many in regard to how this works itself out in life:
Ephesians 6:1 – Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
1 Peter 3:10 – “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; 11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Proverbs 13:15 – Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.
Now back to Hillary Clinton. This upside down world and its kingdoms will often have distorted justice, but one thing that can’t be avoided is life wages. The world would gladly give her the presidency, but all indications presently point to her failing heath preventing such. Yes, you may call it “karma” if you would like. Yes, you may say, “What goes around comes around.”
But all in all, it is God’s design for this present time. Those who are not his children will be paid more or less, now or later.
paul
The Higher Law of God?
In this post, I am not sure I adequately conveyed my thoughts so this post adds some clarification. If present-day calamities are God’s judgment against America prompting a call to “return to God,” how would America do so? So, when pastors call for America to “return to God,” how is the following assumption in anywise avoidable? “Do what the church says because we represent God’s authority on earth.” And consequently, if America refuses, calamities will occur. Is this not laying claim to a shadow theocracy? And if that theocracy becomes a reality, why wouldn’t evildoers be done away with to prevent natural calamities? Isn’t it better for one gay guy to die than thousands dying in an earthquake? And what would be considered ill behavior evoking the wrath of God? Here is the real point of the former post: the idea that God punishes countries with natural calamities because the people don’t listen to the church is merely one step from ISIS ideology.
And scarier yet is the idea that “God’s law” is a “higher law” than the American Constitution. And I will give you three wild guesses as to who they think the experts are in regard to God’s “higher law.” That would be the church (give me a break, the church doesn’t even have a proper understanding of justification). So, if the church oversees the higher law of God, and “man’s laws” should not have precedent, you do the math; everything would be good in the world if the church ruled on God’s behalf.
Christians consume everything labeled “Christian” that sounds good and pouring forth from the mouths of all who claim to be God’s anointed because they have been certified by puritanical seminaries. But if they would just read the Bible for themselves and have an original thought, they would see that all moral laws come from God. There is NO “higher law” of God, only more specific revelation, and in both cases, to be interpreted by every man, woman, and child according to their own consciences. Governments are God’s ministers to make sure they have the freedom to do so. As I stated in the other post, God’s kingdom is not presently on earth, and it is not the church’s role to rule here on God’s behalf.
The fact is, the works of God’s law are written on the hearts of every human being born into the world:
“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”
There is no “man’s law” as opposed to some higher law of God. We are not here to invoke God’s law on mankind via authority, we are here to appeal to the God-given consciences of men. Christians need to facilitate good governing as much as we are able. Good governments reward good and punish evil according to God’s purposes which does not include forced subservience because this is God’s kingdom—God’s kingdom is not here yet.
We are not here to promote a theocracy through the institutional church; we are “ambassadors” from a foreign country presently located in heaven. Our appeal is not an authority enforced by God through natural calamities. That notion is egregiously misguided.
paul
The Present Day Evangelical Theocracy
Did you know that evangelicals presently operate a theocracy in America? That’s right. In fact, according to them, the manifestation of it can be seen more and more in current events; namely, any and all natural and man-made calamities. Yep, whether tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, or terrorist attacks, God is judging America for not obeying His authority on earth, the church. And unless America “repents,” the Chief Shepherd will utterly destroy those who dare snub their noses at God’s anointed. Of course, it is framed in context of a direct insult to God, but who is the judge of that? Think about this: is not the assumption that any given calamity is an act of God’s vengeance utterly presumptuous?
Sure, it’s a theocracy only in their own minds constantly verbalized every time God smites America on their behalf because they are suffering under what many of them call the “satanic system of democracy,” but it is also a stark reminder of how these guys would govern if they were able to get in bed with the government. Let’s face it, 99.999% of all evangelicals think it would be absolutely wonderful if America was run by Christians as in the good ole’ days of colonial Puritanism. This displays a stunning ignorance of American history and biblical metaphysics.
And the beat goes on: they invoke the Bible, but in fact, the Bible states that “judgment begins in the house of God.” Sooooo, at what point in history did God judge the church? These guys never fail to make me think about jumping off of a bridge; if some guy goes into a church and shoots the place up, or if a church gets burned down, that’s “persecution,” or the devil’s work. But if the same happens to the world at large, it’s God’s judgment. Calgon take me away! We have a large evangelical church here in Xenia, Ohio that was recently flattened by a tornado and unfortunately rebuilt (as if we need yet another functioning Western style Hindu temple littering the landscape). What do you want to bet that not one soul in that place would disagree that terrorism is God’s judgment on America?
I will close this post with a thought. This thinking comes from the Reformation idea that God’s kingdom is on earth. If Christians would just thoughtfully read their own Bibles for themselves, they would undoubtedly be shocked to find out that God’s kingdom is not presently on earth. And this bad idea, actually false idea, is why evangelical leadership wants us to invest so much in the institutionalization of Christianity.
But it is all totally wrong-headed.
paul
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
From video interview July 12, 2009 regarding the 2009 Desiring God Conference: With Calvin in the Theater of God; September 25-27 2009 | “Why Doug Wilson”
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
1 comment