Wes said: The Christian community as a whole has rejected antinomianism over the years for several reasons. It has regarded the view as damaging to the unity of the Bible, which demands that one part of the divine revelation must not contradict another. Even more important, it has argued that antinomians misunderstood the nature of justification by faith, which, though granted apart from the works of the law, is not sanctification. In general, orthodoxy teaches that the moral principles of the law are still valid, not as objective strivings but as fruits of the Holy Spirit at work in the life of the believer. This disposes of the objection that since the law is too demanding to be kept, it can be completely thrust aside as irrelevant to the individual living under grace.
The Christian community as a whole has NOT rejected the truth that the Gospel is the believer’s rule of life not the law. They may reject ‘Antinomianism’, but then that is something different.
The fact that Luther, Huntington, Toplady, Gadsby and many more preached these things shows the falsity of your assertions.
Your comment here “In general, orthodoxy teaches that the moral principles of the law are still valid, not as objective strivings but as fruits of the Holy Spirit at work in the life of the believer” is, I am sad to say, sleight of hand. The fact is that by putting believers under the law as a rule of life you are going against the work of the Spirit, and encouraging works of the flesh, as objective strivings. You try to represent it as ‘fruit of the Spirit’ here but that is not in accord with scripture, for…
“If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law”. Gal 5:18.
(A verse taken from the very chapter which goes on to describe the fruit of the Spirit!)
Also, your appeal to history, to ‘orthodoxy’ in the church, is much the same appeal that the Roman Catholic Church opponents of the Reformers would have made when these ‘upstarts’ started to preach the doctrine of ‘Justification by Faith alone’ – “Oh dear, orthodoxy doesn’t teach that Antinomian error! Just read Saint so and so, or Friar so and so…..”. By all means, value sound doctrine, but underlying your sentiments are too strong an appeal to your heritage. You claim to be a child of the Reformation but you lack its spirit and its emphasis on the authority of the scriptures. Sola scriptura Sir. Your sentiments would have opposed the Reformation, not supported it.
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Your view of grace suggests no usefulness for the law in the life of the believer. In fact you go out of your way to make your antinomian views clear by using terms like, “the law is dead,” “to abolish the law,” and “the law is crucified and dead to us.” However as I have pointed out in my previous replies to you and Mark faith doesn’t make the law void, rather it establishes it.
Oh I don't say there is no usefulness in the law for the believer. It is part of scripture and we read that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2 Timothy 3:16. But nevertheless we should rightly divide the word of God, and if God says that we are no longer under the law but under grace then so we are. The law certainly reveals God's holiness, justice and goodness, but it is not binding on the believer, he is not under it, it is not his rule of life. The law demands righteousness but doesn't give it. The Gospel actually brings in the Righteousness of God. Once the schoolmaster and Moses have done their work, and we have been led to Christ, and faith has come then we are no longer under the schoolmaster. We are dead to it by the body of Christ. Certainly what it says is true, but Christ has fulfilled all its demands and all our righteousness is to be found in Christ. The just shall live by faith.
It is interesting that the quotes here which you attribute to me were actually made by Luther. I think I worded things slightly differently, but nevertheless you obviously reject Luther’s counsel too. The counsel of one of the most important of the Reformers who risked life and all to stand up and preach the truth of the Gospel of Christ, despite the opposition of the 'church' at the time.
The Gospel I preach is NOT Antinomianism. It is free and Sovereign Grace from start to finish, which gives all the glory to God for our justification, sanctification, glorification. It mixes no works of man with the works of God. All is of grace. It is the very same Gospel preached by Christ and the Apostles at the beginning and which continues to be preached by those despised, maligned, rejected servants of God in the church down through history, who suffer just what the prophets of old did, and their Master the Lord Jesus Christ did – persecution for righteousness sake.
It is the Gospel of which Paul writes in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto Salvation”. The power of God unto Salvation! How is that Paul? Well Ian, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith”. The righteousness of God! That righteousness, revealed in the Gospel, in Christ, which fulfils all the law’s demands (Romans 8:3-4). By what means Paul? By faith Ian, for …
The Just shall live by faith.
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“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:3-4
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 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. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:28-39
