Did Christ Condemn the Law and Separation?

There is a large movement within Fundamentalism today which states: “We must be about Christ’s love and not legalism and do’s and don’ts. This movement would gladly usher in contemporary worship, music and general looseness in standards–all in the name of obeying and imitating Christ’s example. Alright, let’s assume they are all genuinely convinced Christ preached such a message. (I believe this a grandiose cop-out.)

Regardless of their sincerity or motive for propagating said message, Christ’s own words debunk and utterly destroy such a notion.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 that he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. It is very important to note that Christ never condemned one’s attempt to follow the law. Many love to quote passages where Christ condemned the Pharisees for their fake religious show and their corrupt perversion of righteousness. CHRIST NEVER CONDEMNED RIGHTEOUS LIVING OR FOLLOWING THE LAW.

Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 5:17 that the law is good and not to be done away with. In other words, righteous and separated living is both commanded and promoted by Jesus Christ. Let’s go a step farther; SEPARATION WAS PROMOTED AND COMMANDED BY CHRIST. Revelation 2:2-3, which are the words of Christ given directly to John, commends the Ephesian church for taking a quite staunch stand against false doctrine and those who would pervert the church unto worldliness or compromise.

²I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

 ³And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Christ makes one stipulation for taking such a stand of separation: IT MUST BE DONE PRIMARILY OUT OF DEVOTION TO AND LOVE FOR GOD AND IN A LOVING SPIRIT TOWARDS OTHER MEN. Revelation 2:4-5 clarifies this:

⁴Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

 ⁵Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

What are “the first works” referenced in verse 5? Matthew 22:37-40 says:

³⁷Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 ³⁸This is the first and great commandment.

 ³⁹And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

So we can plainly see from Scripture, and more specifically Christ’s very words, that this notion of all love and no separation is unBiblical and has no foundation whatsoever.

It is very easy for worldly Christians to pick and pull verses where Christ blasted the Pharisees and make a psuedo-Biblical case for slack standards. This in short is what is going on today.

Regardless of where worldly saints attempt to gather such a notion, they site Christ as the source.

 

Holiness Series: Part 1

The other day I was looking through my dad’s old library and I found a book of topical references written by A. W. Tozer. I thought that book book would make a great resource for doing topic studies.  Hopefully I will have time to write out my own personal findings and thoughts on each of the several dozen references on HOLINESS.

Here are the first two references.

Romans 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

This passage is a great companion passage to the one below. I hope to discuss Ephesians 1:4 in more detail.

Ephesians 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Note: This is a “proof” text for Reformed theologians who argue for unconditional election and predestination.

Though I once believed that, I am convinced now that the emphasis is on what we as God’s chosen children are chosen to: “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” If I simply and objectively read this text, I cannot come up with unconditional election or double predestination, but I can say without doubt or question that you and I as God’s children were predestined to be holy and without blame before him in the love of Jesus Christ. Even in the Geneva Bible’s notes, the Reformed commentators note plainly that the ultimate point of this text is to emphasize our choseness unto holiness.

I am convinced even more that the Reformed doctrine of predestination double takes the point away from the holiness and Christlikeness God’s forknown children are to have and shifts the focus to elect or reprobate. I don’t see God in this passage as choosing one to Hell and one to Heaven; I see God knowing all those who would come to Him in response to His free gift of salvation for all and then predestinating them unto holiness and becoming conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

What a precious truth! God has not chose some unto life and others unto death! He has freely offered eternal salvation unto all. He has also predestined those who will come unto Him to be conformed to Christ and live holy lives.

Please don’t be angry at me for saying this, but I see a trend in modern Reformed circles on trying to focus on people being reprobated or elected and not preaching on practical holiness and separation from the world.  I realize that many in the Baptist Church could also be accused of not being holy or separate, and that is a shame and a disgrace both to the historic Baptist Church and to Christ, but I am saying that I see a general and typical lack of holiness and practical separation from the Reformed and a shift of focus to the doctrines of “Grace.” I try not to offend you if you are Reformed, but my point is that they are not focusing on the point of the issue of predestination and are focusing on the invented doctrine of Augustine–who was neither right doctrinally or regenerated.

I trust that we as God’s children will focus not on man-made doctrines but on the fact that God has offered salvation unto all and has predestined all those who come to Him to be holy and separate from this vile world.

This call to holiness is one that convicts and challenges me every day. I wish I was as obedient as I want to be and know I should be. I am humbled and shamed at times. Oh that God would give us a holy dissatisfaction with the things of Earth and an insatiable desire for holiness unto Christ. Amen.

Only One Response To Such Love

While in church Sunday morning, my pastor was preaching from Philippians 2 about the layman Epaphroditus. The point Paul made in that chapter was that Epaphroditus was not a pastor, nor a missionary, nor a great spiritual leader, but was faithful unto Christ to the point that he almost lost his life in the service of Christ.

As I listened to the text being read and commented upon, I could not help but make two observations:

First, this man must have loved the Lord and known the great debt he owed the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who risks their health and life for the cause of Christ must have a sincere and powerful conviction of the magnitude of love required for a holy God to send his only son, innocent and pure, to suffer, bleed and die for wicked, vile sinners as you and I.

Second, I am challenged and shamed at this man, obscure and hardly ever mentioned, who is honored for his devotion to Christ and the gospel. So many have paid so heavy and costly a price for the gospel, yet I struggle with fear and embarrassment when simply handing out a tract. Our “American Christian” culture teaches us to be accepted and loved by the world, when Christians of the past were burned alive, tortured and martyred in brutal manners. We know nothing of persecution! Our devotion to God is often so shallow it cannot even compare with that of heroes before us, and we have such a distant and lacking view of devotion. After seeing the awesome display of love from God and his precious redemption of sinful men, how can our response be anything but a life of pure and relentless devotion to Jesus Christ? How can we not respond with a life of service, whether secular or sacred, that is devoid of self concern and preservation? I humbly submit that any response to so great a salvation other than full devotion, love and self-sacrifice is both absurd and insane!

God is Good, in the New Testament and the Old

I have been reading in the Old Testament over the last several weeks; both in Genesis and in Exodus. I must confess that closer and more thorough meditation upon the text, especially in Exodus, has shown me with a renewed fervor that God is not more harsh in the Old testament and more forgiving in the New; He is love, has been love and will be forever.

He is a God that values human life, that desires man to walk and talk with Him, but He also must be treated with reverence and must be viewed as the holy and righteous God He is.

Today I was reading in the passages where God lays out the specific laws of His covenant with the people of Israel; I used to think of these bylaws as boring and irrelevant to me, a New testament Gentile, but now see that those bylaws illustrate principles that are above the dimension of time (or cannot become outdated.)

I now see that those laws, as all of the Old Testament laws do, point to command of loving God. If we love God as He commands us to, all other laws and rules are taken care of.

I am thrilled and warmed within once again to see that my God is a loving and caring God who wants to know me on the deepest levels; May we all know and love the LORD as He intends us to.

God bless,

K.D.W.

Even A Gentile Can Rejoice In Israel

Tonight is the first time in a while I have been able to write; I have been reading in Genesis and Exodus and especially loved this passage.

Genesis 12
1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

This passage is a wonderful one to reflect on, for it is here that God’s chosen people–the nation of Israel–have their beginning with Abram. This is the passage where the whole plan of redemption leads back to; this promise includes several things:

First, the land that Israel will possess forever. Second, the national existence of Israel forever. Third, blessings upon those who bless Israel and cursing upon those who curse her. And finally, the part that makes me–a Gentile–leap for joy; “And in thee shall all families of the Earth be blessed.” This phrase speaks of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the redeemer of mankind. Alleluia! Even though God’s initial dealings with with Israel as a nation, the promise of redemption would be extended to the Gentile. I can’t help but think of when Christ gave up the ghost on Calvary, the temple veil–the picture of man’s isolation from God–was rent in two from top to bottom, a literal picture of God tearing away the barrier because the way into His presence was made open by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, who made atonement for the sins of every man and woman on Earth–no matter how sinful or poor. Through Christ, all have a way to become a child of God and pass from death unto life. I am overjoyed to think on this blessed extension of God’s mercy to me, a Gentile dog and a sinner without hope, outside of Christ.

John 3:16 tells us that God loved us so much, even while we were sinners, that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us and bear the penalty for our sins. If we believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and His sacrifice for us on Calvary, and confess Him alone as our Lord and Savior, we are assured of everlasting life in the presence of Almighty God.

If you are already a child of God, rejoice with renewed joy. If you are still outside of God’s family, repent of your sins, trust in Christ and serve Him with your life.

God bless,

Ken Willis