tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127463054772667854.post541811146724936704..comments2022-05-31T12:57:07.455-05:00Comments on By His Grace and For His Glory: Oh How I Love Thy Law - Psalm 119:97Dale Crawfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02513337455078690085noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127463054772667854.post-43124103554554065902013-02-08T11:43:15.353-06:002013-02-08T11:43:15.353-06:00Thanks Chad. Good questions.Thanks Chad. Good questions.Dale Crawfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02513337455078690085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127463054772667854.post-20463270836898387122013-02-08T11:36:55.705-06:002013-02-08T11:36:55.705-06:00Excellent post Pastor Dale. The eternal God has an...Excellent post Pastor Dale. The eternal God has an eternal Law. The Reformers and Puritan’s understood law and grace as complimentary aspects of God’s redemptive plan. They modeled their confessions (such as the 1689 LBC) off of this understanding. But today, law and grace are treated more like oil and water; they simply don’t mix. Having a clear understanding of what God requires of the believer affects how we live for God. Churches that teach the Decalogue as still binding tend to emphasize holiness because provides the right balance with the Gospel. Lord willing, the old saying, “What comes around goes around” will be proven to be true as it relates to Law and Gospel theology in Reformed circles. What is viewed as archaic today will be recognized as cutting edge tomorrow.<br /><br />I would love to see more open, humble, honest debates that go to the Bible in the spirit of Christian unity. Here are some questions that should be asked by someone who may contemplate this issue:<br /><br />1. Is the Bible clear about what sins Christ died for? <br />2. What Law does God write upon the heart of those in the New Covenant? <br />3. Why did the “Book of the Law” go beside the Ark of the Covenant but the Decalogue went inside of it? Does this mean that Israel understood them as distinct? <br />4. What Law convicted Paul of his sin? <br />5. What Law does Jesus and Paul refer to and expand regarding Christian ethics? Why does Paul point to the Decalogue for practical living in most of his letters?<br />6. Are there Trinitarian issues with having a Law of God in the OT and a Law of Christ in the NT? If God never changes then how can He have two moral standards to judge sin? <br />7. Could it be possible that the Decalogue is the true law of liberty? Those who live by it are free to not sin.<br />8. What is the role of the Law in our sanctification? <br />9. Why do we still use the 10 commandments in evangelism if we don’t believe it is still binding?<br />10. Does Occam’s razor apply here? After all, God is not the God of confusion.<br />11. Why do people who keep the Sabbath call it a delight? Is it to make them feel better about themselves or do they really delight in it? Are today’s Sabbatarians legalistic like the Pharisees or do they practice it like Jesus did? <br />12. Why do we call Sunday the "Lord's Day?" What is He really Lord over on that day that is different from other days? Does the 4th commandment say that it has to be on Saturday or do we read that into the text? <br />13. Why do the older SBC confessions like the Abstract of Principles and original Baptist Faith and Message teach that only acts of worship, mercy, and necessary are allowed on the Lord's Day? Why has that changed with recent confessions?<br />14. What does it really mean to be set apart from the world and has the church lost much influence by disregarding the Sabbath?<br />15. Is there a distinction between ceremonial Sabbaths (Col 2:18) and the 4th commandment Sabbath?<br />16. When people say things like, “We should keep the principles of the Sabbath and the tithe today, but we’re not required to keep them”, are they showing the Decalogue to be written on their consciences? <br />17. How did the Reformers and Puritans understand Law and Gospel theology? Why did Augustine call the Scriptures, “The Scriptures of the Law and the Gospel?”Chad C.noreply@blogger.com