The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Question for Ian Potts on the WCF

And lest this be misconstrued so that the rest of the members who debated with Mr. Potts think perhaps that I thought less of your methods. That is a false thought I think all of you did wonderful while discussing with Mr. Potts.


Pete

Now that deserves a hearty "Amen!" <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

James if you wish to continue debating with Mr Potts ,I am sure he would be quite happy to oblige - simply visit his website <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

As I've read through the various threads involving Ian Potts and the Christian's position vis-a-vis the law, I can't help feeling that the different views are not as far apart as they may seem. Neither Gadsby nor Huntington (nor, I'm sure, Ian) advocated a sinful lifestyle, and none of the WCF writers ever suggested that one could be saved by keeping the law. The controversy hinges on the understanding of the phrase 'rule of life.'

Well, for me to say that God's law is my rule of life means no more (and no less!) than that I endeavour to keep God's commands, not in order to be saved, but because I am saved! The Christian is in the position of the freed slave in Exodus 21:5-7; he is free from the law as something that condemns him. Instead he is a willing bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and cries out, 'Sacrifice and offering you did not desire; my ears you have opened ('pierced').....I delight to do your will, O my God, and YOUR LAW IS WITHIN MY HEART' (Psalm 40: 6-8).

Now will someone say that Christ's commands are different from those of God the Father? I don't think so. Consider the 10 Commandments:-
1. 'You shall have no other Gods before me.'
1Cor 10:21. 'You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons......'

2. 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image.....'
1John 5:21. 'Little children, keep yourselves from idols.'

3. 'You shall not take the LORD your God's name in vain.'
Matt 5:34. 'But I say to you, do not swear at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth for it is His footstool.'

4. 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.'
Luke 4:16. 'AS HIS CUSTOM WAS, He went into thev Synagogue on the Sabbath day.'
Acts 20:7. 'Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together....'.

5. 'Honour your father and mother.'
Eph 6:1-3. 'Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.........'.

6. 'You shall not murder.'
Rev 21:8. 'But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers......shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire.'

7. 'You shall not commit adultery.'
1Cor 6:9ff. 'Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites.....will inherit the KIngdom of God.'

8. 'You shall not steal.'
Eph 4:28. 'Let him who stole steal no longer.'

9. 'You shall not bear false witness.'
Rev 22:15. 'But outside are dogs and sorcerers.....and whoever loves and practises a lie.'

10. 'You shall not covet.'
Eph 5:5. 'For this you know, that no......covetous man, who is an idolator, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of God.'

It would be interesting to ask Mr Gadsby or whoever, which of these commandments the New testament has made obsolete. Perhaps Bookmark can tell us.

We know that we cannot keep God's commands in our own strength; we must be born again, of water and the Spirit:-

'Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols......I will put My Spirit in you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgements and do them' (Ezek 36:25,27).

'Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity (Psalm 32:2). Amen! But blessed also is the man whose 'delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditats day and night' (Psalm 1:2).

We are free from the law and dead to the law in respect of its condemnation and sanctions. It is no longer our tutor to lead us to Christ; but having learned of our tutor, we do not therefore despise his teaching. Not at all! Rather we say to God, 'Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day (Psalm 119:97), and we can even add that, 'unless your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction (v92).

OK, guys! Come and shoot me down! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bif.gif" alt="" /> What haven't I understood?

Blessings to all,
Steve

There is no Faith in your walk then ? - just law ?

Thank you for your kind words. I seek to do what I can to bring light rather than heat!

In Christ,

James.

Hi Mark,
I don't understand what you mean.If I didn't believe it was true, I wouldn't have spent time typing it.

Steve

Spot on from what I see, Steve! We are freed from the condemnation of the law, that we might obey it in joy for our deliverance!

Kyle ,you said that "we might obey it(the law) in joy for our deliverance!"

Care to explain what you mean please <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shrug.gif" alt="" />

Potts, Gadsby and Huntington, as you rightly say do not advocate a sinful lifestyle-nor do I btw .

These men live by FAITH but you seem to be advocating living by LAW. May I respectfully suggest you re-read Potts's posts again lest we have to repeat ourselves.

Mark, Mark... us following the commands of the Bible means nothing without faith. I think that must have been stated somewhere already. But with faith, we endeavour to be holy- knowing that our own effort cannot accomplish anything on its own. We don't have the ability to follow God's commands. It is His power in our lives (which is accepted by faith) which enables us to live like Him.

But this doesn't discount the fact that we are expected to follow His commands, and put forth our effort. There's this synergystic mystery of us working with the Lord. This is basic to the whole understanding of sanctification. Read the following two verses carefully, realizing the full meaning of both verses.

Phil. 2:12 Therefore ...work our your salvation with fear and trembling,

13 for it is God who works in you, to will and to act, according to His good purpose."

Mark,

I mean that it is our joy to live in obedience to God's law unto our sanctification. Of course, all attempts to obey that law are worthless without the presence of faith, through which we trust on Christ who has delivered us from the condemnation of the law.

Mark,
Why do you think that living in obedience to the law [not meaning being justified by law-keeping] and faith are somehow opposed to one another?

Romans 15 v.14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, [1] that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed,

Romans 16 v.25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Thanks Susan but we've been through that so much lately in other threads we are going in circles. (see the Antinomian/Westminster/Horeb threads)

I shall leave the Antinomian/Legalism threads as I have much to study myself still.

And the law is not of faith;but,The man that doeth them shall live by them . Galatians 3:12


But before faith came, we were kept under the law,shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster.Galatians 3: 23-25.