God's Law in Modern Society | Part 1

so I want to start this by reading just this is going to be an extended reading of dr. boots first a couple pages here starting in page 253 of mission of God I think it'll help to give a little bit of background relevance historical study that's important so this is something that's often missed by us today as modern evangelicals we miss the fact that as Christendom has been moving throughout the world since the inception of the church the kingdom of God in the world as the gospel was proclaimed in any society and as that society was transformed all the way up to its level of governments it was always assumed it's just assumed in Christian to societies that you look to the law of God as the standard of righteousness and justice in a society it was just assumed so whether you're talking about Ireland converting to Christ and pointing to the law of God whether you're talking about John Knox and Scotland whether you're talking about the Puritans coming over to the United States and pointing to the law of God we're gonna actually show some examples of that tonight it was just assumed if you were the king of a Christian nation it was assumed that as the king you had the duty you were duty-bound to obey God to to increase the gospel of Jesus Christ and to point to the law of God in your statutes and so it was assumed that a king had to obey God's law and point to God's law doctor boot gives some examples of that but first to this quote from Samuel Rutherford he says to me it is a wonder that the old and new Testament which contain of an exact system and body of all morals should not be the only rule of all morals doctor boot continues he says in the ninth century ad King Alfred the Great inaugurated codified the great eggnog yer ated codified English law with the Ten Commandments in ad 1540 King Henry the eighth established seven cities of refuge based on the biblical model of numbers 27 one through eleven the Puritan settlers of New England self-consciously plan their and wealth after the pattern of biblical law as can be seen from the order of the general Court of Massachusetts 1636 in the general laws of Plymouth Colony 1658 English canon law was so substantially drawn from biblical law that in regard to biblical regulations concerning inheritance and English inheritance law the nineteenth-century jurist Sir Frederick said of numbers 27 1 through 11 that it was the earliest recorded case which is still of authority when the civil government of Israel was established God addressed the seventy elders of the people and poured out his spirit upon them meaning the first Pentecost was a civil affair at the ordination of civil authorities numbers 1116 through 17 a similar Pentecost event later occurred at the anointing of Saul which marked the beginning of a second form of civil government in Israel a transition from a Commonwealth to a monarchy in first samuel 10 1 through 7 the early church continued such rites of Coronation or anointing this is where it gets really interesting the form of the rite which highlights the role of God God's law in rcent history remains with us the oath required of queen elizabeth ii the head of the state of Great Britain and Canada stated quote will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of God and the true profession of the gospel will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed religion established by law after this oath the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland brought to the Queen the Bible saying quote our gracious Queen to keep your magistrate majesty ever mindful of the law and the gospel of God is the rule for the whole of life and government of Christian princes we present you with this book the most valuable thing that this world affords here is wisdom this is the Royal law these are the lively Oracles of God that's tremendous and then since it interesting this past year God's given our our family our church an opportunity to minister in a more direct sense in Ireland so as you all know God used our ministry around the world he continues to do so daily all around the world so it's not just our state not just our cities it's not just our own nation it's it's literally a global Ministry of teaching and it has tremendous impact God has really used us in powerful ways but going to Ireland twice this year we went for a kind of a whirlwind whirlwind trip recently one of the things that causes great effect to any believer who cares about this kind of stuff christened um the kingdom of God in history is when you go to a place like Ireland this is a nation that was so dramatically impacted by the gospel by the kingdom of God that though the culture of the West wants to abandon Jesus wants to abandon God's law and move into autonomy and away from Fionna me God's law you can't get rid of all the vestiges of the Christian civilization it is unavoidable it's unmistakable it's interesting here the United States we I think done a lot of work over the last generation to sort of erase a lot of that history some of it still exists it's hanging around here and there a lot in New England still is hanging around in on the East Coast Washington DC there's still some remnants in Virginia those sorts of things you do see the vestiges of the Christian civilization but it's unmistakable when you go to a place like Ireland you can't turn a corner without seeing the history of the kingdom of God still prevalent and hanging out in Ireland but what's interesting is is considering that just one point what we saw when we were there we're trying to offer support to the church in Ireland because they're about to try to legalize abortion in Ireland they're standing on their last leg right now what you see is and they clearly understood it the thirty thousand people of the march clearly understood this they understood it better than we do here is the one thing Zach I forgot to tell you that they understood and was different in their narrative and their rhetoric then we get here with the pro-choicers we actually collide with they said on a number of occasions that they knew that this was because of the law of God and the church they said this is about religion this is about the church this is about Jesus so the difference between their signs and our signs they were near-identical so our pro-choice movement is influencing them but they actually had signs that were more overt in terms of coming against Christ and the Scriptures that was the difference and I think that it's more easy for them to see it because they're they're hanging out with all of the remnants of this old Christian civilization and it's unavoidable but listen to this after the anointing continue on page 254 after the anointing which cited the anointing of solemn and the Archbishop of York presented the Queen with a sort of state during which she is charged to wield listen to this the sword of justice in God's Authority by stopping the growth of iniquity protecting the church defending orphans and widows restoring punishing and reforming were required in service the Lord Jesus Christ that's powerful right for a leader to be given that charge when the orb with the cross was then given to Queen Elizabeth the second the archbishop declared received this orb set under the cross and remember that the whole world is subject to the power and Empire of Christ our Redeemer through the faith was perhaps though the faith was perhaps absent this whole service bore testament to the ancient coronation service in Israel and to the abiding relevance and authority of biblical law to the socio-political cultural and political spheres clearly declaring that the civil order is directly under the accountable under and accountable to God being established by his decree as part of his kingdom reign formerly when the incoming president of the United States took the oath of office it was done not on a closed Bible but on a Bible open to Deuteronomy 28 invoking the blessings and cursings of the law for obedience or disobedience these O's were taken with great seriousness because God's law was seen as a serious matter so I think that's a good section to begin with in this study of the law of God it's abiding relevance in modern society dr. bhoot points to the fact that wherever the gospel has connected wherever the gospel has transformed you always see those marks of the law of God as having a biding relevance today let me just consider the fact that the president of these United States put his hand not just on a closed Bible but on Deuteronomy chapter 28 which is the section Deuteronomy means deutero means second and anomie it comes from the Greek word namaz so it's deutero namaste so it's Deuteronomy as the second restating of the law but it includes within Deuteronomy 28 the section of the blessings and cursings if you disobey God's law and so to have a President of the United States places hand directly on Deuteronomy 28 says a lot in terms of what they understood about the role of God's law the authority of God's law and the need for obedience in a nation so that's significant we could listen this is six six months I need to cram into two nights okay so we're gonna go relatively fast here and I'm not gonna talk about everything that I want to though I am tempted to let's talk first and foremost about the theological foundations of the law of God there are so many misconceptions today in modern evangelical and modern evangelicalism in regards to the law of God and modern society when you talk about the law of God today with the average evangelical we get this often sometimes people will point to the Old Testament and what will they say they'll say well that's the Old Testament we're not under the law we're under grace massive misuse of that text completely out of context you could quote right back to them Romans chapter 3 verse 31 where Paul says do we then make void the law through faith and he says no we actually establish the law so where do we go is Paul talking on a both sides of his mouth there oftentimes people point in a New Testament today as modern evangelicals in the West and they say well we're under Jesus now we're under grace that old god of the Old Testament was a tyrant he was he was heavy-handed he was full of wrath but Jesus is full of grace so we really create this very strange fictional idea that we have the father as this wrathful vengeful sort of mean-spirited harsh heavy-handed God and you have Jesus who's sort of the loving person who stands in God's way saying be gracious don't forget to be loving completely a false god I'll just say it not in the in that way it's a false god it's an unbiblical notion but we need to think about the law in proper perspective because when you tell the modern evangelical I believe that the law of God is good it is holy it is just and they God requires of everybody to obey his law when you say the law of God has abiding relevance today in modern society in every realm sometimes people have misconceptions misunderstandings as to what you mean by that so let's start with the law of God in proper perspective so first text the Bible says that the law of God is good Romans chapter 7 I want you to go to your Bibles if you would Romans chapter 7 we're gonna spend more time tonight in the Bible than we are in Joseph's boot I'll let you I want to encourage you by the way as you get to Roman's 7 to not miss the discussion sit in my right hand by dr. boots make sure you read that discussion will try to touch it where we can but I want to lay down more the theological stuff that boot addresses in the book but doesn't spend a lot of time unpacking Romans chapter 7 verse 12 the Apostle Paul talking about the law of God says so the law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good so the law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good now this is I believe in the context of the Apostle Paul setting up an example of a Jew under Torah who is not in the spirit I actually disagree with many of the people that apply Romans chapter 7 to paul's current experience often times people point to this text as the struggle that Christians have with their own sin I do not believe that so Paul is talking about their I agree with many commentators that the Apostle Paul is actually sending up an example and we can't go into all those details tonight but of a Jew under Torah without the Spirit of God I think proof of that is in Romans 8:1 if you want to just at least have that as something to meditate on in Romans chapter 8 1 he says there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ from the law of sin and death which is what he was discussing in Romans chapter 7 so I think the discussion there has to do with not the law being this awful awful thing he's talking about what it was like to be a Jew who was still without Christ in the flesh under the law they may have have in their inward man delighted in the law of God but they couldn't do it and Paul's discussion is in Romans 8 those who were in the flesh cannot submit to the law of God they're not even able to please God but you are not in the flesh you are in the spirits and now we can do with what the law required ultimately because we are not in the flesh but in the spirit but here's my point not to get into a whole theological discussion on that when we did our Romans study years ago I went into that and unpack that but that's not the point here the point here is this how does Paul talk in the New Covenant post Christ post cross post resurrection post ascension so all the work of Jesus is behind him now and how does he then talk about the law of God under the New Covenant with Jesus now on his throne with his Redemption accomplished he says this about the law of God the law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good that's what Paul says about the law of God again think about the context that's in the New Covenant Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 8 this is how God speaks about his law Deuteronomy if you if you would go to your text so you can see I want you to know that this is the Word of God speaking here and not merely your pastor Rome Deuteronomy chapter 4 in verse I might have quoted the wrong route or don't here we go see let's start in verse 5 see I have taught you statutes and rules as the Lord my God commanded me that you should do them in a land that you are entering to take possession of it keep them and do them for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who when they hear all these statutes will say surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people for what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call upon him and here it is and what great nation is there that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today that's a testimony of God's Word about God's standards in the Old Testament now let me just ask a very personal question now when you came to Christ and you began to read the Old Testament how did you feel when you got to Leviticus and Deuteronomy generally people say oh it's tough stuff don't understand it right and that's you know understandable many ways if you don't have any context and you open your Bible up and you start reading these laws of God sometimes people say I have no idea what the context is I don't even know what the story is here I don't understand the narrative I don't know what these are for you start reading about the laws for the priests you start reading the holiness code where God is separating Israel and their behavior from the other nations he's putting training wheels on his people to teach them to be separate to be holy to be different than the Gentiles they look different they act different they smell they literally smell different you can smell the worship in Jerusalem as is prescribed in the Pentateuch in God's law everything about Israel was sort of shaping them to prepare them for the Messiah everything's pointing to Jesus the priest is pointing to Jesus the temples pointing to Jesus the Holy of Holies and the veil that is there is pointing to realities that existed where they were separated from God and couldn't interest presence they had all the animal sacrifices the blood of bulls and goats they have Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement every year that's an annual reminder of their sin and their separation from God it's this constant reminder and God is giving Israel these training wheels so to speak this is how you are to be separate and they understood that the New Covenant was coming and there was going to be a new way where now the law of God is no longer on stone tablets outside of them it's internalized they have sort of these training wheels they're waiting for the big day where Messiah arrives and things do transform and change they're waiting for those realities but remember that as you as you look at Leviticus and Deuteronomy though some of it may seem strange to us and difficult to us it was a tremendous blessing and God calls it a blessing he said this is how this is how people will respond when they hear about these laws and statutes that I've given to you not the way the modern evangelical responds today Oh God's a big Meany he's a super harsh god but they'll respond in this way what great nation is there that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I said before you today so much for being a massive burden so much for being harsh this says the law of God is good and it was supposed to be their wisdom and the side of the peoples so that people saw the law of God in this nation and they said what kind of God is this what kind of nation is this that has these kinds of laws and statutes consider for a moment just as an excursion Nations surrounding Israel we have records of a lot of what those pagan nations said and what they did in terms of statutes and law and it's it's a mess you have injustice rampant in these nations in justice for the orphan the widow injustice in terms of property injustice in terms of how you bring harmony when the crime was made so for example in the law of God if there is is theft there has to be harmony brought it's not about a prison system it's not about cutting someone's hand off which they still practices some Arab countries today you still something you lose your hand that would be considered excessive God says I for eye tooth for tooth you have to have equal justice whatever the crime was it has to be equal justice you can't go over and you don't want to go under and the law of God you have you have to pay it back and you have to pay it back double you see have essentially reconciliation made in God's law there has to be justice today in our system of government today in our judicial system we have it's a it's a mess in terms of standards people can get essentially punished put into prison called all manner of things with no eyewitnesses no evidence you can have people whose lives are literally destroyed turn upside down because there's no act absolute standards of what is actually just in terms of even receiving an accusation against somebody the law of God protects us in our society today you can rape a woman you can confess to it you can be guilty of raping a woman in our society today we so devalue the victim today and so devalue women and their dignity that we actually have people that have been in and out of prison for rape the law of God says if you're a convicted rapist if you did that crime if it's proven that you actually did it you die that's how much God values the woman in God's society and so God has a system of justice and righteousness another example and here's what we'll just do this in a way where we all get involved everyone have their Bibles turn in your Bible to the supreme passage on the law what would that be psalm 119 there you go psalm 119 the oldest sorry nothing oldest the longest chapter of the Bible in the Bible psalm 119 hears they're likely to do in this very very long psalm if you would find me a passage in psalm 119 that talks about the goodness of God's law its abiding nature its righteousness its justice just go ahead and just peruse through psalm 119 and nice and loud so that it gets into the microphone give me the reference and tell me the verse okay is that relevant today is it relevant today do you think psalm 119 1 is relevant today absolutely which law is being described here very good but in terms of the psalmist and when he's writing this is he writing it pre Christ or Post Christ pre and so which law is he referring to the Old Testament law give me another one somebody else yes for 72 nice and loud we don't believe that just be transparent you got it you got it you got a box of treasure just filled with gold and silver and you've got the law of God the five books of Moses nobody's looking which do you grab right yes right right the law of God okay very good Jim thank you more nice and loud guys so it gets into the microphone if you would there are lots of choices verse 90 go ahead Dustin please 92 very good how about this one 97 oh how I love your law it is my meditation all the day god I love your law I think about it all the time all the time your law how about verse 33 teach me O Lord the way of your statutes and I will keep it to the end give me understanding that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart lead me in the path of your Commandments for I delight in it incline my heart to your testimonies and not to selfish gain look at this one powerful verse 40 behold I long for your precepts in your righteousness give me life more okay it's almost like that should be backwards right that's right that's right how about 105 your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path I have sworn an oath and confirmed it to keep your righteous rules verse of 111 your testimonies are my heritage forever for they are the joy of my heart i incline my heart to perform your statutes forever to the end and here we go verse 113 I hate the double minded but I love your law I love your law so I would just encourage you guys to just read through so psalm 119 that is how God speaks about his law next verse go to Hebrews chapter 2 verse 2 the writer of the Hebrews talks about the law of God and listen to what he says a start in verse 1 therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard lest we drift away from it for since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution so the writer of Hebrews speaking about the law of God said that every transgression or disobedience received a what retribution just so every transgression received a just retribution God's law his response to sin to crime in the world was just just penalties so God's law is good God's law was supposed to be the standard of righteousness that caused other nations to look in at Israel and to say wow what kind of God is this psalm 119 is descriptive of God's love for the law and it is descriptive of how our love for the law should be Hebrews chapter 2 verse 2 talks about the penalties were just now let's talk about the law of God in proper perspective in terms of what the law is not able to do and for that go to Romans chapter 3 Romans chapter 3 will move rather quickly through these because I think most of us understand this clearly Romans chapter 3 here's what the Bible says about the law of God after the long description in verses 10 through 18 of our sinful condition here's what Paul says about the law of God now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God so what's the scope of the law of God it's the whole world whole world people often say well that's just the law of God concerning Israel God's not concerned about it for anybody else but Paul says this in Romans 3 about that he says the law was supposed to shut you up number one takes away your excuses the law closes your mouth and the whole world may be held accountable to God here we go verse 24 by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight since through the law comes knowledge of sin so here's what the law of God cannot do it will justify nobody the word justify means to declare righteous to be declared righteous and so the law of God will declare nobody will be declared righteous justified in God's sight through the law because the law only brings the knowledge of sin I think there's two ways you can look at that one it brings the knowledge of sin because it describes our sin it talks about specific law ways that we're guilty but I think there's more to this personally in terms of what Paul describes here in this chapter I think that when the law of God comes on to a sinful heart it increases our knowledge of sin because what does law of God do to a fallen sinful person make them not sin it creates within us even more of a desire to sin there's sort of a hostility in a rebellion rebellion and it causes us to sort of have more intimacy with that sin knowledge with that sin now here's what the law of God can't do it can justify nobody and it says verse 21 but now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law although the law in the prof bear witness to it the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe for there is no distinction for all of sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by His grace as a gift same essential word there Paul is giving you a gift gift that's what he says by His grace as a gift by his gift as a gift and this is the description here of God being just because Jesus is a propitiation God displays him publicly because of his divine forbearance he passed over former sins was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just because he's not ignoring sin and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus is the one who declares people righteous now here we go Romans 3:28 in terms of what the Bible says through divine inspiration about the law and its ability to justify anybody nobody will be justified but in Romans 3:28 it says clearly we hold that one is justified declared righteous by faith apart from works of the law because we're in a fallen state because we are rebels against God because we have violated and transgressed God's law James says in James 2:10 whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumbles in 1 point he's guilty of all of it break one part of the law you're a transgressor of the law you are guilty you are condemned and Paul says this we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works with a lot of people say this where do you ever get the idea that the Bible says we are saved through faith alone well where do you want to start you want to go back to Genesis or would you like to just land on Paul and Romans 3:28 faith apart from the works of the law is faith by itself faith alone and so law and proper perspective cannot justify any of us and quickly go to Galatians chapter 3 very clearly the limitations of the law of God quick context not assuming that anybody that everyone knows the context here Paul is addressing the problem of the Judaizers who were attempting to add circumcision the law of God to New Covenant believers saying it was not just faith in Jesus that justifies us but you also must essentially take this one part of the law you've got to keep the Jewish circumcision you got I've essentially become circumcised to really be in Jesus so it was faith plus one part of the law circumcision here's a Paul says to that mess o foolish Galatians that's not very nice o foolish Galatians who has bewitched you it was before your eyes that Jesus Christ is publicly portrayed as crucified let me ask you only this did you receive the spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith what should be the answer to that question how'd you do it did you hear the gospel and believe is that how you is that how you entered into this or did you do it through works of the law that's why says foolish Galatians just think about it how did you come into Christ how did that happen and so he says this are you so foolish having begun by the spirit are you now being perfected by the flesh did you suffer so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain does he who supplies a spirit to you and works among you do so by works of the law or by hearing with faith just as abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham and the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying in you shall all the nations be blessed so then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham the man of faith and here we go for all who rely on works of the law are under a curse for it is written cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law for the righteous shall live by faith but the law is not of faith rather the one who does them shall live by them Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone who has hanged on a tree so that it is in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promise spirit faith here we go the law of God does come with a curse because it is God's holy and righteous law because it is his standard and so if you come to God and you say God I want to obey your law and I want to be seen righteous through it's your standards well James chapter 2 verse 10 you break one commandment you're a transgressor the entire thing it's like that window that somebody knocks a golf ball through right so you're all one of those sort of retirement community have a couple of those out here right retirement communities with the golf courses in them and everything else I hate golf I think that there will be no golf in the new heavens new earth because that's actually being played in hell so so it's that golf ball that comes through the window right and someone knocks it through the window and it just takes out a corner guy comes outside and says hey this golf ball came through my window and the guy says chill it's just a piece the problem with that is yeah it's a small piece of the problem is you've broke the entire thing the whole thing needs to be replaced a small crack breaks the entire unit and so when you look at the law of God and you see God's holy and righteous standards Israel was not supposed to see in that oh this is how I'm justified before God because they were supposed to understand from Abraham their father and the faith abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness when over four hundred years before the law was even given it was never meant to justify anybody but the law is God's righteous good and holy standard and you are to obey and the curse of it all is cursed is everyone who does not do all of this but the beauty of the gospel is not that the law is a evil thing a horrific thing it's a good thing but it's a curse because it's God's standard and we're in the flesh we are fallen we're sinful we are hostile but Jesus becomes a curse for us he obeys the law of God perfectly to every single part of it and yet he goes to that cross and dies a death as though he didn't obey it so that we could have his perfect obedience and his perfect life counted on our behalf quick text just to have on the ready in terms of the law of God justifying nobody here's a Paul says in verse 21 of chapter 2 I do not notify the grace of God for if righteousness were through the law than Christ died for no purpose I did not nullify the grace of God you want to void the grace of God you want a religion that makes nothing of God's grace then try to get righteous through the law to any degree don't forget Paul here isn't fighting people who are saying it's every part and piece of the law and Jesus right they were saying it's faith in Jesus all that except you've got to at least keep the Jewish circumcision abide by that he says do that you're under a curse to fulfill all of it how you doing Galatians chapter 5 final point here in terms of law and proper perspective here's a Paul says first one for freedom Christ has set us free stand firm therefore and do not subject me subject do not submit again to a yoke of slavery look I Paul say to you that if you accept circumcision Christ will be of no advantage to you I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he has obligated to keep the whole law you are severed from Christ you who would be justified by the law you have fallen away from grace so Paul says you want to do it do all of it you want to submit to that standard then go ahead and take it if that's how you want to be justified he says now you're obligated to do the entire thing and now Christ is of no benefit to you and of course you have the famous portion here where Paul says in verse 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves harsh words Apostle Paul is saying these guys I like to play with knives they want to bring you under the knife they want to put you under the law like that he says I hope when they do it they slip and they cut themselves off that's what he says so law and proper perspective that's what the Bible teaches I'm going to point you to one quick thing in terms of this will help extend the discussion I want to point you to three chapters and I'll say it just quickly I'm not gonna go into detail Romans chapter 5 the Apostle Paul gives you two people who does he give you in Romans five Adam in Christ he says you're either in Adam or you are in Christ so he gives you that that contrast there and he says Adam or Jesus is if you're an Adam you get death you get condemnation if you get a year in Christ you get righteousness and the gift of eternal life so you have Adam you have Jesus you have death and condemnation life and righteousness Romans chapter six in Romans chapter six the Apostle Paul gives you another example of two things opposed to one another contrast to and that is death and life he says do we continue in sin so that grace may abound may it never be how shall we who died to sin continue to live in it so you have Adam in Jesus you have death to life and then in Romans chapter seven as the Apostle Paul describes the law of God and the inability to actually do it outside of the Spirit he moves into Romans 8 this is one appoint you to to show you Paul's consistency Adam Jesus death and life and now you have flesh and spirit and he says those who were in the flesh if you're in the flesh they cannot submit to the law of God they're not even able to do so he says but you're not in the flesh you're in the spirit so Adam Jesus death and life and then we have flesh and spirit and there is the difference how do we now relate to the law of God we're not in the flesh I'm not in the flesh where I am unable to submit to God's law unable to do what's pleasing to God now I am energized and empowered by the spirit now I've gone from death to life I'm no longer in Adam now I'm in Jesus and dwelt by the spirit so now Christians relate to the law of God in an entirely new way Christians who were involved by the Spirit of God no longer in the flesh now in Jesus don't relate to the law in terms of we relate to the law a new way because we're empowered by God's Spirit and we no longer exist now in this hostile place towards the law of God with it existing on stone tablets outside of us now it is actually taken residence up inside in our inward parts next let's talk about God's promised Redemption spirit and law now this is very very important because we talk about the law of God it can't merely be hodgepodge proof texts here and there about the law of God it was one of the frustrating things for me in Bible College and growing up in a dispensational premillennial context in Bible College I was extremely confused about the law of God and is mostly because I had learned via proof texting and so there were a lot of difficult things to overcome in terms of reading the Bible and having really understanding any understand what's even happening when you understand the entire scope and the entire symphony of history and what God is doing in history the law of God finds its proper place you don't use it to be justified but you also don't diss it and disregard it so God's promised Redemption spirit and law what does the entire symphony say first Isaiah 53 Redemption salvation now it won't belabor that point tonight because that's not the specific topic of the evening but Isaiah 53 gives you that wonderful testimony long before Jesus comes about what about the coming Redemption what's it say he'd be numbered with the transgressors he'd be pierced through for our transgressions he'd be counted among the rebels he justified the many as he would bear their iniquities they knew that their sins were being taken care of and God promised Redemption so now watch now that law that we relate to in terms of death and condemnation and curse now that law that we violated all of our sins and transgressions are dealt with in the Messiah so that we are forgiven our sins are covered Jesus gives us Redemption from our violation of the law of God next the spirit the Spirit of God Old Testament Ezekiel chapter 36 Ezekiel 36 beautiful passage that we love reform folks love is equal 36 and for good reason but this is one of the important things to note mark this down that the law of God was going to be a constituent element of what God was gonna do in the new covenant he zico chapter 36 God speaks to his people and he says let starting in verse 15 and I will not let you hear any more their approach to the nations and you shall no longer bear the disgrace of the peoples and no longer caused your nation to stumble declares the Lord God in verse 22 actually starting 21 but I had concern for my holy name which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came God says here I'm acting now because you've profaned my name among the nations so watch what God does in the new covenant with his spirit and the constituent element of his law is God vindicating the holiness of his great name because he says Israel my called my chosen people you've profaned me among all the nations and God says I'm jealous for my fame I'm jealous for my name and so what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna vindicate my holy name verse 22 therefore says say to the house of Israel thus says Lord God it is not for your sake o house of Israel that I'm about to act but for the sake of my Holy Name which you have profaned among the nations to which you came and I will vindicate the holiness of my great name which has been profaned among the nations and which you have profaned among them and the nations will know that I am the Lord declares the Lord God went through you I vindicate my what holiness God saying look this is what I'm going to do in a new covenant I'm gonna vindicate my holiness so much for God not being concerned with sanctification so much for the idea that you can be a quote-unquote little Christian I mean isn't God essentially dismissing that idea here it's but your sin has profaned my name among nations and so I'm not doing this for your sake I'm doing it for my name I'm gonna vindicate myself because you have profaned me I'm gonna vindicate the holiness of my name and here's what he says he's gonna do first 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land and I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness --is and from all your idols I will cleanse you there's that cleansing of our sin and I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules so if you notice when God speaks about the New Covenant and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God he says hey I'm doing it not for you but for my name be you've profaned my name among the nation's see this is what I will do I will clean you of all your sin I will give you a new heart I will put my spirit within you and I will cause you to obey my statutes you've profaned my name you've disregarded my holiness you've you've tried to bring shame to me through your sin and disobedience to my law I will do something in the New Covenant where I will empower you to obey my statutes to bring glory to my holy name that's what God is teaching there Ezekiel 36 next Isaiah chapter 2 the law of God again is a constituent element of what God does in the kingdom of God under the new covenant Isaiah chapter 2 here is I love to unpack all these details and the beautiful imagery here but this is what you need to hear chapter 2 verse 1 the word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem it shall come to pass in the latter days of the mountain the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains and should be lifted above the hills now obviously you see the imagery there that's not literal that's imagery and all the nations shall flow to it they're coming up the mountain of God and many people's shall come and say come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths for out of Zion shall go the Torah the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem so note that God's promised Redemption spirit and law demonstrates that the law of God the Torah is a constituent element of what he does in the New Covenant Isaiah chapter 2 another one famous tax Jeremiah 31:31 go there Jeremiah 31:31 another example of the law of God we can stitch you an element of the New Covenant 31 31 behold the days are coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel in the house of Judah here's a new covenant promise not like the covenant that i made with their fathers in the day when i took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt my covenant that they broke though I was their husband declares the Lord but this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days declares the Lord I will put my law within them and I will write it on their hearts and I will be their God and they should be my people and no longer so each one teaches neighbor and each his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest declares the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more so again another example of the anticipation of the kingdom of God and a new covenant is that the Spirit of God is poured out people are empowered to obey God God's law the Torah goes from stone tablets outside the people of God written code to now because of the spirits and dwelling it's now internalized and they are empowered by God to do it from within from the hearts last text many more can be demonstrated but let's go to texe Isaiah chapter 42 Isaiah chapter 42 first one behold my servant whom I uphold my chosen and whom my soul delights is about Messiah I have put my spirit upon him he will bring forth justice to the nation's he will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street a bruised Reed he will not break in a faintly burning wick he will not quench he will faithfully bring forth justice he will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands wait for his law so you have to ask some questions about this is this about heaven one day well it couldn't be about heaven one day there's no need for God to to not grow tired and weary in establishing justice in heaven a place where there is no sin this is clearly a promise of the scope of the work of the Messiah is that when Jesus comes and he has come he will work to bring forth justice to the nation's and notice that it says he won't grow faint or be discouraged until he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands are what waiting for his law so much for being a curse or a burden the coastlands waiting for his law injustice okay so now quickly to questions what was Jesus relationship to the law and Paul's relationship to the law so to do that let's go quickly to Matthew chapter 5 verses 17 through 19 Matthew 5 Jesus says do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them for truly I say to you until heaven and earth pass away not an iota not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these Commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven but whoever one does them and two teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven whoever does them whoever teaches them will be called great they can't ever have a quick point here I said it often but make sure you guys know it do not think that I have come do not think in the Greek is may nama set day now we don't often know what why is that so important but in the Greek it's a very very strong strong way to say don't even begin to think Jesus doesn't say to his opponents stop thinking he says don't even start thinking don't let it enter your mind don't begin entertaining the thought that I've come to abolish the law of the prophets I have not come to abolish the law or the prophets but to fulfill them to put the law into its proper place that's Jesus relationship to the law one more text with the Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 22 same book move on down to Matthew chapter 22 here's what Jesus says about the law of God verses 36 through 40 important one most people have memorized teacher which is the Great Commandment in the law and he said to them to him you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind this is the great in first commandment and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself notice he's quoting from what he's quoting from the Old Testament he's quoting from the law of God that's not a new thing that's like a we have a new way of doing this new covenant totally different thing right Jesus says here's the great Commandments one love God to love your neighbor now note what Jesus says here ready he says on these two Commandments depend what all the law and the prophets so consider this for a moment today when you speak to the average evangelical and maybe they say the law of God is no longer abiding and relevant today no longer has any value or meaning it's done away with it's it's gone it's abolished contradicting Jesus we're not under the law were under grace ask the question are these two commandments abiding and true in the new covenants that you're to love the Lord your God with our heart soul mind and strength and you're to love your neighbor as you love yourself are those two Commandments still obligatory today what are they at what are they going to say absolutely love God love neighbor say thank you you just gave me all the law in the prophets if love for God and love for neighbor are still abiding and relevant today then then watch the Old Testament is an unpacking of what it means to love God and love your neighbour in every instance it is love for God and love for neighbor that's Jesus relationship to the law let's look at Paul's relationship to the law in Romans chapter 3 verse 28 Paul says what therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law Paul teaches that justification can only take place through faith alone apart from any work of law if you mix law with faith in order to be justified Paul says anathema false gospel Galatians chapter one now here's an important one and I want you to see it in Romans chapter 3 verse 31 when Paul just finished explaining the glory of the gospel and Jesus taking the wrath of God the propitiation absorbing it into itself an exhausting God's wrath in our place being a diversion of God's wrath in our place after it talks about the law justifying no flesh after he talks about all of our sin all of our unrighteousness after he talks about Christ being the source after he says that it is a gift of God's grace through the redemption that's in Jesus all through faith here's what he says now is our relationship to the law in the New Covenant he says Romans 3:31 do we then overthrow the law by this faith and there's the question of the night because of Christ because of the gospel because of justification through faith alone apart from any work of law because of the perpetuation that's Jesus because of redemption do we now take the law and say overthrow it void the law it's no longer relevant here's Paul's answer in the same text about justification through faith alone he says by no means on the contrary we establish the law we uphold the law because of faith in Jesus the law is now not voided it's not now done away with because of Jesus because we're justified through faith because we are now indwelt by the spirit because we're in Jesus we established the law and wouldn't you know it because the Old Covenant promises about the New Covenant said what about the law that the Spirit of God we poured out we'd be empowered by God's Spirit the law would be internalized now the law would go forth from Zion that coastlands wait for God's law God would now have us in a new relationship with him in his law different from the Old Covenant but here's something interesting it's a little-known text that's important I want you to think about when this text or this event happens Acts chapter 25 Acts chapter 25 this is the Apostle Paul as the church is on the move now proclaiming the gospel they're going into cities and preaching the gospel there's conflict happening they're godly troublemakers Paul is getting beat up he's hungry he's in rags well now Paul enters into the part of his life where he is facing trial acts 25 verse 11 now I want you to consider the time this again I'll say this a lot is post Christ post cross post resurrection post ascension that might not mean a lot to you at the moment but in terms of theological discussion that we get in to with brothers and sisters that may disagree with our thesis this is tremendously important this is not in the area before Jesus or even during his earthly ministry this is everything's accomplished this is what Paul says about the law Paul is essentially now being accused and let's start I'm gonna the text is 11 I want you to start in verse 6 after he stayed among them not more than 8 or 10 days he went down to Caesarea and the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought when he derived the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him bringing many in serious charges against him that they could not prove Paul argued in his defence neither against the law of the Jews nor against the temple nor against Caesar have I committed any offence pause neither against the law of the Jews nor against the temple nor against Caesar have I committed any offense but fastest wishing to do the Jews a favor said to Paul do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me but Paul said I am standing before Caesars tribunal where I ought to be tried to the Jews I've done no wrong as yourself know very well verse 11 if then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die I do not seek to escape death but there's nothing to their charges against me no one can give me up to them I appeal to Caesar so the Jews are actually planning to ambush to kill Paul on the way the Jews are bringing charges against Paul that he's sinned against the temple against the law of God and now Paul says is this watch new covenant if I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die I do not seek to escape death what's Paul's relationship to the law here what's he say in this premiere opportunity for Paul to say none of those just penalties are necessary anymore none of them are valid in a new covenant the Apostle Paul says on record trial he says this if I've done anything worthy of death I don't object to dying that's Paul's relationship to the law a lot of Christians will say today well the law of God and adjust that P nology of the Old Testament God's penalties that he has in his law those are no longer necessary anymore those aren't just any longer we just do away with all of those because we're in Christ now Paul doesn't have that perspective of the law Paul says this if I'm guilty of the law of God and anything even to the degree of capital punishment I don't object to dying now they can't prove anything they're saying but if it were true under the New Covenant on an objective dime if I deserve a just penalty then I don't object to it that's Paul's position on the law of God significant so Paul says I don't objected dying last text on Paul and his relationship to the law first Timothy first Timothy chapter 1 this is a significant one first Timothy chapter 1 and look at verse 8 this is Paul now we know that the law is what good once you say this crisis on his throne Christ has accomplished redemption and he says in the New Covenant what the law of God is a awful curse it is so harsh it is so just wrathful he says we know the law is good if one uses it lawfully understanding this that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and sinners for the unholy and profane for those who strike their fathers and mothers for murderers the sexually immoral men who practice homosexuality in slavers Liars perjurers and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the Blessed God which with I have been entrusted Paul takes a lot of sins and crimes criminal offenses I'll just say this quickly fellas you guys are new to this discussion in the Old Testament and of course in our new there's a difference between sins and crimes right some some sins are also crimes but not all sins are crimes just as an example in the Old Testament drunkenness is a sin it's a very serious sin in the Old Testament drunkenness is seen as a sin but there are no judicial penalties for drunkenness right so another example is coveting in the law of God is a sin but coveting isn't punished in the judicial system okay so it's a sin but not a crime so when you look at this text before us Paul says the law of God is good it's not for the the obedient it's for the disobedient and he names particular sins in crimes that were even punishable listen by death in the Old Testament and this is what he says about those passages it's not good it's no longer relevant that's not what he says he says that sexually immoral men who practice homosexuality and slavers Liars perjurers and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine doctrine in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the Blessed God which wit with which I have been entrusted in accordance with the gospel the law of God is good here's a list of sins and crimes and it's just in accordance with the gospel that's Paul's relationship to the law now the question is this it's not a question of whether or not we'll be ruled by the law of a God it's always a question not of whether we will have a god of the system whether we will have a theocracy but which God and what laws so for example if you were in a Muslim country predominantly Muslim from top to bottom which law do does that country hold to which law Allah Allah is God obey Him that's his law now we disagree by the way and we think those that system of law is wicked and evil and in many respects of course but the point is is there being consistent you can't fault them for their consistency if Allah is God obey Him now if you look in another country for example if you look in a Christian civilization a Christian country in history where Jesus Christ is proclaimed as Lord which law did they look to the law of God that's an historic that's a reality of history now if you look at modern society humanists atheist secularists they say no to Jesus no to God we are autonomous we will govern ourselves society determines what's right and what's wrong then the people are ultimately the ultimate in the system and it is the law of demas democracy means demas right Dimas it means people democracy means the people determine and decide and so Dimas rules and it's Dimas is law so it's a question of Fionna me or autonomy do we obey God's law or are we autonomous and create our own law that's the major question carmen just say this quick carmen it's blinking does that mean it's gonna lose how much time we have left okay I'll try to go kind of fast what time is it by the way what's that a 50 okay so here's the question with all of this lay down the law on proper perspective with God's promised redemption spirit and law with Jesus relationship to the law with Paul's relationship to the law understanding fionna me God's law they asana mosque odds law verses autonomy self law the question is this it'd be good to answer this our rulers today required to obey Jesus that's the question does God require today rulers to obey Jesus specifically well I would argue that the bible says psalm 110:1 the lord said unto my lord sit at my right hand until i make all your enemies a footstool for your feet I would argue Psalm chapter 2 the father says to the son ask of me and I will give you the nation's for your inheritance the very ends of the earth for your possession and then God speaks directly to the kings of the earth and Psalm 2 and he says what obey the son or you will perish the Bible says that Jesus is the king of what kings and the Lord of is that current are we waiting for that that's today he's the king today of kings and the Lord today of lords God expects them to obey Romans chapter 13 says about the civil governing authorities that the government is established by God and he says the role of government is to be God's deacon God's servant to punish the wicked and to protect the righteous that's the role of government established by God that doesn't mean every government does that but that's what God's prescribed role is for government so he says two things one all the kings of the earth you must now obey Jesus and he says to in Romans 13 you are to be God's servant wielding a sword of what justice so the question is ready if the government's in the world today are to obey Jesus will the sword of Justice the question is what justice by what standard does God require them to obey now it is a clear point and something we say all the time we believe as Christians as reformed Christians specifically that we have a revelational epistemology what's that mean ready how do I know something for certain is revealed by God seems simple right it's potent it's a powerful thing so the unbeliever says no to Jesus I don't want you and I want you in my thinking and I want you in my knowledge I don't want your law I don't want you to tell me what to do you have no authority over me and so that unbeliever now says well we have this problem this conflict between two people how do I solve the problem of the man raping the woman well I don't want to look to God's standards into his justice so now I look to self law and what I now do is I try to come up with something that becomes an arbitrary standard as to how I deal with the problem say rape well if the governing civil authorities are God's servant to wield justice does God want that civil authority to wield his standard of Justice or some other God's standard of justice so for example put this scenario before you you have God's law and his own revelation saying that if somebody steals something they have to pay it back double okay that's God's stipulated standard his own mouth his own law his law which is righteous and good and the penalty which is Hebrews two - just now you have another system that says Allah is God and here's how you deal with thieves cut their hands off question if the civil government is God's organism to establish or essentially execute justice which standard is God approve of restitution here's the question there's here's that here's that here's the answer there's no problem here of confusion we know what God stipulated standard is and we know what the Bible says about it it's good it's holy its righteous it's true it's a just penalty so any society that's transformed in Christ and has experienced Redemption isn't well by God spirits if those people have been changed by the gospel then that government will seek to submit to Jesus and obey his rule and they will look to his revealed standards as to what is actually just so I'll say this next is Jesus interested today in establishing justice in the world what do you think give me some give me some verses that tell me that Jesus is actually wise eya 42 psalm 110:1 putting his enemies under his feet but a good taxable display just display the scope as first Corinthians 15 it says Jesus is reigning now and he must reign until all enemies are put under his feet the last enemy he will defeat his death so every enemy and then finally death Colossians chapter 1 1 fast look at Colossians 1 and you know that I hate going this fast but I want to make sure I arm you guys with as much as possible here in Colossians chapter 1 Paul says this verse 15 he's the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation from by him all things were created in heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether Thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him and he is before all things and in him all things hold together and he is the head of the body the church he is the beginning the firstborn from the dead and in everything and everything he might be preeminent for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself what things all things whether on earth or in heaven making peace by the blood of the Cross so is Jesus concerned with earthly things or merely spiritual things he wants to reconcile all things where in heaven and where on earth all things reconciling all things to himself I point that out because our our millennial brothers and sisters will often say well this is merely a spiritual Kingdom with the spiritual emphasis spiritual realities but you can't get away from the fact that the Bible doesn't talk about the kingdom of God in that way with that kind of sharp duality the Bible talks about the spiritual kingdom of geez is having earthly impact that Jesus says all authority where in heaven and on earth has been given to me he's reconciling all things to himself whether on heaven or in heaven on earth and the Bible says clearly that the kingdom of Jesus will actually affect the world itself with the law of God and justice now actually being a focus and emphasis of God in the earth itself so there's no sharp dichotomy in Scripture between the heavens are the spiritual and the physical in the Bible Jesus is concerned with both both I do believe that the church is heavily impacted by Gnosticism and dualism to the degree that you have many brothers and sisters that acknowledge the fact that the Bible teaches that the kingdom of Jesus came in the first century and that it is advancing now but because they're so impacted by really an unbiblical dualism and even some forms of Gnosticism we make a sharp distinction and we say no it's just the spiritual that Jesus is concerned with not the physical so in that view the physical becomes really a kind of a throw away jeez God created the world physical and spiritual realities together and connected sin blew that up and so now God is focused on the spiritual with the physical being sort of a throwaway for now so that's a significant issue is Jesus concerned with justice in the world and law in the world and reconciliation in the world well he says as much but Matthew chapter 5 Jesus says that is the meek who shall inherit the earth and he also gives us a way to pray what did you say in that prayer he says what he says our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name may your name be holy that's a prayer prayer God your name be holy everywhere he says your kingdom come your will be done where on earth as it isn't have another example of Jesus if I could say it as as as much Jesus rejecting the dualism that is so prevalent within the church today on earth as it is in heaven so quickly I'll point to the hermeneutic and I'm gonna do it quickly while this cameras still running their hermeneutics in the New Testament this will be fast guys their hermeneutics the New Testament apostles and writers of Scripture assumed the abiding validity of the Old Testament law they assumed it they don't assume the law of God is defunct and over and gone but I'll pull out some verses here there and now those are relevant they always assume the law of God and it's abiding validity today unless they give explicit changes to the administration so for example when there's a change from the Old Testament to the New Testament the writers of Scripture give us what that change is example when the writer of Hebrews explicitly talks about this he talks about the new and better priests Jesus he talks about the temple he talks about Sabbath he talks about the animal sacrifices do we do those anymore of course not why because those shadows have been fulfilled in Jesus the Apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter 2 talks about the dietary restrictions the holiness code and he points to the fact that now God has abolished those Commandments why those are the training wheels right those are no longer relevant God has broke that down now and he's brought Jew and Gentile into one man so the Apostle Paul gives you that change so what we say is this the Apostles always assume the abiding validity of God's law and God gives us he's the only one that has the right to give us when there is a change of administration or a law to be actually now viewed or obeyed differently and so that's what the New Testament does the Apostles assumed it unless there are changes here's a couple examples quickly is the law of God relevant in the New Covenant today well how about animal husbandry laws first Timothy chapter 5 verse 18 first Corinthians 9 verse 9 it's assumed that you understand that you're not supposed to muzzle the ox wallet treads that's an animal husbandry law and what's it apply to the laborer is worthy of his wages if somebody is working for you then you pay them don't muzzle the ox wallet treads that's God's law his commandment that's assumed in the New Testament that's an animal husbandry law how about this one the judicial law of God 2nd Corinthians 13:1 Matthew 18 16 first Timothy 5:19 what's that about it's about nothing you can receive no charge against somebody unless it's on the basis of two to three witnesses and what's that from Deuteronomy chapter nineteen fifteen that no accusation can be made and no charge made unless it's on the basis of two to three witnesses the Apostles assume that standard after the Ascension of Jesus they apply to animal husbandry laws and take the general equity of it and judicial laws and judicial standards of how you actually bring charges against somebody or how about this one of fusions chapter six verse one children obey your parents in the Lord it's the first commandment with what promise well what's that referring to the Decalogue the Ten Commandments so you have animal husbandry laws judicial law the Ten Commandments assumed just assume they don't say hey guys we know all that's defunct now all of its over now but we're gonna use this one in a new covenant they assume you're supposed to know this you're supposed to believe this you're supposed to obey this and finally proper place for ritual first Corinthians chapter five verse eight the Apostle Paul talks to us about obeying even Passover and doing it in the new covenant way to rid ourselves of malice rather than the leaven in the ritual to rid ourselves of malice and wickedness so I'm sure this is gonna go off in a second here but I just wanted to point you to just for fun a couple laws from the Puritans by the way the Puritans were not completely monolithic it's wrong to talk about the Puritans in terms of the Puritans had one view on anything they were Christians just like us and they screw things up a lot and they did a lot of things really really well so we're not highlighting the Puritans as perfect and utopia and let's get back to it but we do believe that the Puritans had an astonishing commitment to the glory of God in every realm and it's interesting as you look at the Puritans many of them pointed directly to the law of God let me just read these to you these are laws in New England colony capital laws murder capital laws if any person shall commit any wilfer willful murder upon premeditate premeditated malice hatred or cruelty not in a man's necessary and just defense so there's being able to defend yourself nor by mere casualty against his will he shall be put to death here it is Exodus 21:12 13 numbers 35 so here's the Puritans in their judicial system giving the code if you commit murder if it's not in self-defense if it wasn't by coercion then you must be put to death you receive the death penalty and what do they quote Mithras Allah they quote Exodus and numbers but here's my main point at the very end of this if God's Apostles in the New Testament assume the law of God down to animal husbandry the Decalogue God's judicial standards of bringing charges if they just assume it then we ought to assume it as well and the only time we have a right to say I'm no longer gonna obey even the least commandment there is where God through divine inspiration through his apostles and the New Testament authors tells us where there's a change make sense all right so questions I know I kept you a little later but I'm trying to cram six months into tonight so questions anybody Thomas [Music] because the investigation has to you don't like you said according to two or three business a lot of times today they do we can do that right that's right that's right and this is why we can't merely drop the laws of God piecemeal upon society because if you takes a capital punishment for murder and you put it into the hands of one of these unrighteous judges well now you've got a lot of innocent people who are gonna be put to death so what we would say is that transformation has to occur from the bottom up so that we actually hold to God's standards consistently so you can protect against people actually being executed through false accusations one another thing Thomas it's a huge blessing of the law of God is perjury today if you perjure yourself in court today smack at the hand maybe a fine but not much in God's law if you perjure yourself in court about somebody making an accusation and it's discovered that you lied in court then the law of God says that you will receive the penalty that they would have received had that you've been believed in your testimony so for example if somebody today makes a false accusation of rape well today people literally walk away from that let me give some guy a false accusation about rape nothing really happens maybe a fine maybe 10 1012 days in jail or maybe maybe not even that in God's law the penalty for raping a woman is the death penalty if you make a false accusation in God's law and the penalty would have been a death penalty that means that it also preserves women from making false accusations because it's the death penalty because it's such a horrific crime and it will say by the way something else here when we talk about the law of God a modern society and this is important we are not simply talking about P nology right we're not simply saying we really want capital punishment today next week you're gonna see that that's not even the main thing with the enemy and the law of God not to any degree yeah it's just a matter of justice it can have to do with theft it can have to do with property rights it can have to do with children obeying their parents and the Lord it could it could be about paying your employees for their labor and paying them time that's also a commandment of God so so many parts of the law of God and we're not merely talking about P nology and the penalties and capital punishment will say oh you just want death penalty no that actually is that is such a small part of God's law anyways it says like this little sliver yeah it's against its major crimes that's right that's right that's right such an extreme thing if you take a human's life then your life has to be taken God says it in Genesis he says it in Exodus he repeats it a number of times in the Bible God's standards about capital punishment in terms of life for life don't change and sit when we move away from that standard it creates people it gives people a boldness about their sin because they recognize I'm not really gonna receive any serious penalties I mean some people are career criminals they go in and out of jail and they're used to it these are their buddies for them it's not really this tragic circumstance but the law of God would give justice to the victim last thing I'll say because I know we're late here but the law of God is concerned with the victim not with the perpetrator our justice system today is more concerned with the perpetrator and how to what's the word it's I've had a long day that what's the R word rehabilitate yeah it's about rehabilitation today it's not about the victim right and you like think about this for a moment now what do we call our jails are our prison systems correction facility but where there's there's a P word there what is it penitentiary what's what's in penitentiary penitent so we we did we did move in fairly recent time we moved away from a system that was about reconciliation and payback and harmony to a system of penitence we try to get criminals to be penitent to be repentant and to change and be sorry over their sin whereas God's system says we're concerned about the victim we want this to be fixed not we just want the person to feel bad about what they've done and come back to society with a changed heart in mind they have to fix what they broke yes that's right and the taxpayers now say say I steal from you right I steal say I still I still 200 dollars from you and now the state gets involved and now the state considers themselves in control of this not you so in God's law you have the right to give me mercy and forgiveness and tell the state go away I'm letting them go all right you can tell the judge in God's law I tell you to let him go I'm giving mercy in God's law the victim always has control as to what you want to take place so the judge can say this is the penalty and you could say given mercy I'm not hold I'm not holding it against him but into today's society I still $200 from you and now I go to jail and let's say I go to jail for let's say I spend 30 days in the end up in the jail system right well that cost now the taxpayers in society a whole load of money to pay for the prisons pay for the lights the food the healthcare the judicial system everything else so my $200 just now cost the taxpayers five ten thousand fifteen thousand dollars so now society now becomes victim because of the jail system we have when in God's system it's a much simpler process of forcing me to pay you back right and no and we're not penalizing everybody else around or how about the rapist the rapist rapes say a child and goes away from 15 years right well that's 15 years at about say 40 to $50,000 a year well how much did that cost Society and what did they have to do with it what did the neighborhood around there have to do with that person's crime nothing but now they pay an unjust penalty for his crime whereas God's system would say this that person that rapes a child though we want them to experience the grace of Jesus there must be harmony brought in sin be capital punishment and so you rescue society you bring harmony and justice and so there's a lot of blessings and next week we're going to talk about that guy's the specific application how it works sound good

Channel: Apologia Studios

Views: 26,551

Keywords: jeff durbin, apologia church, apologia studios, theonomy, theonomy debate, j.d. hall, jordan hall, greg bahnsen, greg bahnsen debate, puritans, libertarianism, r.j. rushdoony, joel mcdurmon, gary demar, ron paul, ten commandments, calvinist movie, steven anderson, paul washer sermon, john piper sermon, john macarthur sermon, God's law, james white debate, new covenant theology, geoff volker

Id: bnphxze7da8

Length: 90min 28sec (5428 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 21 2017