Christianity and the Law Pt 1

0:00 All right, if you have a Bible, you can go ahead and open up to James will be there just for a couple of minutes. Then we're going to be looking at a lot of scriptures in the first hour, a lot of scripture in the first hour. So for the last I'd have to go back and look at the beginning date. For the last few weeks, it's been definitely been a few weeks. We have not only here it behind the pulpit, but also behind the microphone. For the podcast, I've been doing a lot of discussion about sin in the life of a believer and how the church tries to respond to it, and how it fails to respond to it, and how it almost creates a fraudulent narrative about sin and the life of a believer.

0:49 So we've been talking a lot about that. We really started by kind of looking at how lordship would address the issue, and it doesn't do a very good job in addressing the issue and basically just throws people out of the Kingdom of God. And if you fail, then they just disassociate themselves with you because you're just an unbeliever. So we looked a little bit about that, and we started looking at a lot of other different things in relation to this. So and then also I came across the book Six Secrets of the Christian Life and started working through that and looking at their theory. We also spent some time looking at kind of throughout church history how different theological systems have kind of understood, you know, how to deal with the reality of sin.

1:33 We've talked about those. So we're going to go back to some of the things that we've established. Some of this I've repeated countless times on the podcast. I think I repeated some of this for the first time last week here at the church. But according to the book Six Secrets of the Christian Life, they try to put forth an idea to try to explain sin and the life of a believer. And remember they started with this Number one. I've got a bunch of things written down here. Number one, the Christian body is dead. All right, So the physical body is dead. Now what did they mean by that, Well, well you'll find out in a minute. So number one, the Christian body is dead. Number two, the nature and heart of a believer is completely changed.

2:22 It is transformed. You basically have a sinless nature, a sinless heart. There is no sin left inside of you, basically, at least in your heart or nature. Okay. Number three, the body, because it is dead, cannot respond to that new nature or that new heart, or you can use those synonymous. We'll get into that discussion here in a minute. So what was Number one? Body is dead. Number two, everything on the inside is great. Okay, so there's no problem on the inside of you. But number three respond to all of. That wonderful stuff on the inside. So number four, a resurrection of the body must happen. Now this is not referring to a resurrection in eschatology, but a resurrection must happen in our life because and then logically, what should that mean. Well, once my body is resurrected and I have everything is perfect on the inside, at least theoretically, what should be the end result should be no sin? Okay.

3:30 I haven't gotten far enough in the book to know if they ever acknowledge that. I don't think they're ever going to acknowledge that. But okay, However, once you move from that chapter that kind of explains that problem or explains it that way, it's really weird because they immediately backtrack on the resurrection talk and then they kind of talk about a progressive transformation. Well that's not a resurrection, that's something other. So then they said, remember what do we need? We need a mirror. So what we need is we supposedly if we look into our Bibles, then will slowly, surely be transformed. But that's different than the resurrection, they said, which is kind of confusing.

4:13 So we looked at that. Then on the podcast, I said, Okay, here's what we need to do. We need to get a knife and we need to open up one of these dead bodies and see if we can figure out exactly what's going on. So then it started a long discussion on the podcast about how Christians understand the internal makeup of a believer, and it gets so confounding and confusing. Right, so do we have as a believer? Do we have a new heart and an old heart? Or does a new heart replace the old heart? So do we have two hearts? Right? Not only that? Is heart and nature the same? Or are they separate?

4:56 So do we have a new heart but old nature? Or we have new heart and new nature? Right? Or is heart, nature and mind? Are they all the same? Are they different? And it's just confounding and confusing because Christians put it this way, nobody has a clue, right, It's just it's completely confusing. If you go back to Hebrew thought, then well they kind of group all of this together. So it didn't just we couldn't come up with a good answer. We couldn't come up with a good answer. So we looked at the Christian body is dead. The nature and heart is changed. If again separating them that way, the body can't respond to the new nature.

5:41 Our resurrection must have happened. We need a mirror, I said, get a knife. We opened up the body. Nobody can really explain how the makeup works. Then it got really weird. Then they said to go to James chapter one, verse twenty two and twenty three. James Chapter one, verse twenty two and twenty three. And we read these words, but be doers of the word and not hearers, only deceiving your own selves. For if any man be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face and a glass, For he beholdeth himself, goeth his way and straightway, forgetteth what manner of man. He was? All right now when you read James one twenty two through twenty three. Now, I don't have time to go back through all of this.

6:36 I spent over an hour in the podcast dealing with this, and this is the most confounding, confusing thing I may have ever read in my life. But okay, when you read James one, twenty two and twenty three and it says as a man beholds his natural face, how do y'all interpret what's being said there? Okay? Is this giving us some kind of spirit siritual insight or how do you understand this? Just just giving an illustration?

7:17 Okay, just an illustration, and the point is what's the point of the illustration? So okay, all right, So it's not trying to give us some great spiritual insight, right, okay? Well, according to six Secrets of the Christian Life, secret number three is that what that text is saying is the way to kind of fix your Christian life is that when it says you behold your natural face, what that actually means is that you open the Bible and what you see is not your sin, but what you see see, well, you see your new nature. And that when you see your new nature, the whole secret of the Christian life is seeing your new nature and then attempting to live consistent with your new nature, so that the answer to the problem is you just need to see how you've been created in the image of God and now you have a sinless heart and a sinless nature. You just need to see that reality because if you see that reality, then maybe that reality will slowly become more of a reality in your life. Why, I don't know why. Well, I mean, there's a million problems with that because it's based on the presupposition of what that everything inside of us has been completely changed, right, meaning then where does

8:49 sin come from? What comes from? Of course, according to their theory, because the body is dead. So the way to wake up the body, according to them is look into the mirror. I guess once again, then go back to the mirror concept. And now what you need to see is not only do we see God when we look at the scriptures, we see ourselves. Now typically when we say that, we think of that in a negative way, right, when we see ourselves, what do we see sin? But they're like no, no, no, no no. If you really look into the word, what you see is you see God. And when you see God. You know that you have been created in a sense, recreated in His image. You have a sinless nature, you have a sinless heart. So now you can get your dead body, hopefully to become more responsive because now it sees what it really is. So the problem is you just don't see what you really are. You're beholding the wrong concept.

9:43 You just need to see how perfect you are and then that perfection can start becoming a reality. No, no, this comes from free grace movement, the opposite of lordship. Right, but no matter. The point is whether your lordship, whether your free grace, whether your holiness, It doesn't matter the movement. Everyone has to deal with what reality that we still sin. But nobody will. Just accept that. Nobody wants to acce Christianity is unwilling to accept it. Now we talked about we talked a little bit about this last week when we went through all the philological systems and how they deal with sin. Right and Lutherans and Luther and Augustine with but the only two who really acknowledge what we still sin.

10:37 We still sin. Almost everyone else tries to say, oh, you've been transformed. So this is a bizarre way of looking at it, and I don't even know what to do with that. So then from there we ended up in Psalm one eight. If you want to go to one O eight. This is again Weich spent about an hour and something on the Podcas asked about this as well, someone Owait. Now, the only reason we. Ended up in someone o Wait is because I was getting so frustrated with the book and so frustrated with all of this. I went to someone await to try to find. Something else to talk about because I was losing my mind. So I went to someone Oh wait, this got bizarre because I was reviewing a sermon. I only made it five minutes into the sermon because it was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my entire life. But someone o Wait, Oh God, my heart is fixed. Okay.

11:32 What we found out here is that David's heart was immutable. David's heart was immutable, unchangeable, and which was bizarre beyond me. But you see where it says my heart is someone await verse one. Well, so then what we decided to do is we spent in over an hour trying to understand the Hebrew understanding of heart, which sounds like if if you really look at their understanding of heart. That would involve everything. It would heart and nature would have to be used synonymous. So we thought we were going to get somewhat better with that, but then it gets confusing because in Hebrew thought, heart and mind are basically the same thing.

12:18 But then that becomes very confusing because. Paul and Roman seven seems to separate the mind from the rest of the person. So we still and some argue, well, Paul was no longer using Hebrew thought, he was using Roman thought, so we don't have an answer to that either. But we started again still trying to figure out what is the makeup of a Christian? Do have a new mind? Do you have a new heart? What's new? What's old? And again nobody can even articulate it. Let's just remember this, going through all of this, what do we end up with after looking at all of those things? And I still got Secret four, five and six to work through. But what do we what's the end result after all of that?

13:00 We still sin. And nobody can just admit that fact. All right, So here's what we're going to do for the next Saturn't and how long we've got Now? All right, we've got about forty five minutes. Here's what we're gonna do. We took a journey through Christian theology looking at how they understood Christians and sin, right, and we saw some just bizarre, well almost all of them. No matter how hard they tried, the end result, they still had to acknowledge what we still they didn't. They were had a hard time admitting it, but they couldn't because Christians just don't know what to do with that fact. Right, So now we're gonna do this. All right, We're going to start with this. We're gonna go through a bunch of scriptures here and you'll start figuring out what they are about here in a minute or all right, you're ready, got a Leviticus chapter eleven, Leviticus chapter eleven. Leviticus chapter eleven.

14:16 All right, everybody there, Leviticus chapter eleven. Start in verse forty four. For I am the Lord your God, you shall there ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am holy. Neither shaw you defollow yourself with any manner of creeping things that creepeth upon the earth. All right, So just may you may write down the scripture reference and let's just write down what are the people being called to do here? Two things. Sanctify themselves, which is an interesting concept, right. Why is that an interesting concept?

14:58 Well? Because yeah, tip the Christian Church says we don't do it, God does it for us, which, then you see always the problem that leads to like this is what's maddening to me listening to sermons. Right if you say God is the one who doesn't what's the problem with that? Right? Well, if if God is the one sanctifying me, any lack of sanctification in my life, it's God's fault. Nobody wants to admit that, but it is. You say, well, no, no, no, no, no no no no no no, we do it. Well if we do it, well then it's not God doing it. So how much how this is a how sanctified can a sinner make themselves if the sin is inside of them? Well we know this, we know we can't get what we can't get the perfect so meaning I don't even know what that even means at the point, right, it becomes ridiculous.

16:02 What's the second thing that said, so sanctify ourselves? Okay? Does that come next? Or is there something before after? Right? After, Yeah, you shall be holy? How holy? For I am holy? What's the holiness standard here? Yeah? I need to be holy because God is holy. So the holiness being called for is God's holiness? And how holy is God? Now? Immanally? When you read that, when you read that in twenty twenty four, in this church, we should all read that and do what we should be what unable? Now? Most of your Christian life, when you heard sermons that read this, you were given the impression.

16:51 What that you can? Does? Everybody understand that that is preached in church after church after church after church as if you can do it now, they'll say, but God is the one who does it for us. But again, if God is the one who does it for us, then what should be the end result? We should be able to make it? Right? All right? So just see that? And what's is there another thing here? Someone just mentioned it? Don't defil yourself with any manner of creeping things that creep it upon the earth. Now, this obviously is connecting this to mosaic laws, right, okay, But the point is sanctify yourself, be holy as God is holy, and do not defile yourself.

17:38 All right? That's that sounds pretty pretty straightforward. Does it not. Go to Leviticus chapter nineteen. Yes, what does he say at the end? Yeah? All right, so once again it's just stressed. It's distressed. There's no where, there's no question about this. You can't modify this. The holiness being called for is the holiness of God. Look at Leviticus nineteen two. What does it say, speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, you should be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy. Once again, what holiness is he calling for?

18:23 His holiness? All right? That's that's pretty concerning, is it not. Go to Leviticus chapter twenty. Leviticus chapter twenty, everybody there, look at verse seven. What do we read? Sanctify yourselves therefore. And be holy? For I am the Lord your God, and you shall keep my statutes and do them. I am the Lord which sanctify you. Oh, there is as interesting. We got to sanctify yourself and God doing the sanctifying. All right, already, that creates kind of a riddle. But the bottom line is what should we be holy? As God is holy?

19:14 How about Deuteronomy chapter eighteen. Deuteronomy chapter eighteen, verse thirteen. What does it read? How does it read thou should be perfect with the Lord that God. Some translations, guess how they translate it blameless. Now that's interesting blameless because a lot of people know blameless from one Timothy where it gives the requirements of a pastor to be blameless. Everyone is called to be the exact same way. Everyone will put that response that standar on the pastor that that's a responsibility for everyone. Everyone should be held to the same standard. Now, how we typically try to say blameless and so a lot of times, well they'll say, well, the pastors to be blameless, and then they kind of modify exactly what that means. Well, the word blameless here means uh, some translations perfect are wholehearted? Immediately, what should everyone doll say? Oh, to be wholehearted? That would mean your entire heart is consecrated and dedicated to whom God. Okay, yeah, it does that work behind the pulpit or in the view. Okay, come on, is anyone blameless? Now? If you say blameless?

20:47 Now you can do a lot of modifying. Everyone loves to play games with this stuff, right, But here's the thing. What's God's standard perfection, any lack of perfection? Am I blameless? If you'll just be like remotely honest with yourself? Right? Okay? Yeah? Yeah? How about Exodus chapter nineteen. Well, that's going to be the issue because ninety nine percent of churches would argue that you're wrong. Exodus nineteen, starting verse five, nineteen five.

21:33 What do we have here? If you will obey my voice? Indeed, you can keep my covenant, and you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all the people, for all the earth is mining. You should be unto me, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak until the children of Israel. All right, So once again there's this call to be something to obey. Go to Psalm fifteen. Now I remember struggling with this psalm greatly as a young believer. Countless times.

22:20 There were countless times if I had an opportunity to preach, I thought about trying to preach this psalm, right, and Lordship taught me how to interpret it. Which, yeah, I regret to this day that I ever bought MacArthur's book. All right, but here we go, Psalm fifteen, Verse one, our Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle, who should dwell in thy holy hill. Now, this immediately basically is that, how could we translate a paraphrase Psalm fifteen to one who gets into heaven? And then what does it say here? That walketh up brightly, worketh righteousness, speaks truth in the heart, back biteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor take up a reproach against his neighbor.

23:12 And whose eyes of all person is contemned. But he honorth them that fear the Lord. He that swearth to his own hurt, and changeth not, He that putteth not his money to usury, or taketh reward against the innocent. He that do with those things. Shall never be moved. Now, how does lordship interpret that? Yeah, this is the proof of your salvation. You've got to do these things to prove that you're saved right now. Amazingly, though, there's a lot of things not mentioned there, okay, but that we typically focus on. Right It focuses on maybe sins that people wouldn't even think about. But that's a lordship handles in what But anyone who's lordship what should they immediately do when they start reading through that right?

24:09 And you should be like, ok, what what does it mean to walk up rightly? Right? Right? But it's still giving the same moral requirement to be basically in the presence of God right, So same concept is still there. Right. So the end result is, if you look at that list and you're honest with yourself, can you see yourself there at some in some way, shape or form being guilty of something? I mean to walk up rightly? What does that mean? Well, guess what immediately the study Bible I'm looking at. Guess what immediately it says to walk up rightly and work with righteous, be holy? So walk up right and work with righteous and speak at the truth in his heart. Now, well, that means your heart would be right and your actions would be right. That's basically saying you'll be perfect. How can any lordship person tell everyone that's a proof of salvation?

25:11 Because if that's the proof of salvation, what should everyone say or not say? Because no one pulls that off. MacArthur may think he pulls it off, but he doesn't pull that off. Nobody does. Is everybody getting an idea? Go to Psalm twenty four. Well, that's what should be happening here. Okay, Psal, I'm twenty four verse three. Everybody there. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, who shall stand in his holy place, he that hath Oh, look at the next one, and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

26:00 Now just look at that. Come on, a pure heart, A pure heart would be free from what all sin? If there's no sin in the heart, there should be no sin where in the action? Right, okay? Right? That that should be the way it works. Okay, I mean, are you getting an idea? Go to Matthew chapter five. I mean, I mean, if we need more scriptures, I can give us more. But I'm gonna drive this point home as much as i can. Matthew five, verse forty eight. This is right there in the Sermon on the Mouth, that is one of the most misunderstood sermons in the entire Bible.

26:42 Matthew five forty eight. What does it say, be ye perfect now immediately when you read that, what should you do? I can't do this right? How about one Peter chapter one? Everyone should know which I'm getting ready to read first Peter chapter one. Now you know exactly what I'm going to quote here, First Peter chapter one, verse fifteen. But as he has called you is holy, be holy, and all manner of conversation are all manner of life, because it is written quoting from Lemnicus, be holy, for I am holy. Go to Ephesians chapter one, Fesians chapter one, verse four.

27:46 Fusians one four. According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be what's the word before blameless? We should be holy and without blame. Right, That's how it is in the King James, how it is in the NIV. Right, we should be holy without blame. How about Philippians chapter two. Told you we're going to look at a lot of scriptures. Philippians chapter two, verse fourteen through fifteen. Do all things without murmuring and disputing? Already, are you in trouble? Yeah?

28:27 I mean, can we all agree we're in trouble that you may be? So? In other words, how can I be blameless? I gotta do all things without murmuring and disputing. So, in other words, to be blameless, I can't even murmur and dispute. Does everyone understand like these standard here, and guess who's to be blameless? Not only the pastors to blameless? Who else is to be blameless? Everyone's sitting in the pew, the people in the pew judging the pastor whether he's blameless or not blameless. They're not blameless, so who can judge anybody? Well? Wait, that was the Romans two to one thing that we spent time on. Right, everybody see that?

29:09 All right? How about Hebrews chapter twelve, verse fourteen. Hebrews twelve fourteen, without which no one shall see the Lord. Now, we went to Kansas City for a Sovereign Grace conference and that was the theme. Verse without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Guess what the concept was, Unless you're holy, you're not saved. Well, now, at that time, I was sitting there going amen, Amen. I was saying amen. Well, I was not holy, but everyone there obviously thought that they were sure. It's ridiculous. If we say without holiness, no one will see the Lord, then obviously we have to find how am I going to see God? Which would that would fit perfectly with those psalms? Right? All right, so then immediately the question is, well, then, how am I ever going to see God? Amen?

30:21 Right? How about Second Peter, Second Peter, Chapter three, Second Peter, Chapter three, Verse eleven. Yeah, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved? What manner of person's ought you to be? In? All holy conversation and. Godliness? Now here's how here's a summary of everything we just looked at. According to the Bill narrative, the command for holiness and perfection stems from God's desire for his people to reflect his character. The call to holy is central both to the Old and New Testament, linking God's nature with the ethical and moral lives of his people. The commands to be perfect and to strive for holiness set a high standard that believers are encouraged to pursue not by their own strength, but through the grace and empowerment of God. Now that's a typical Christian answer, right, Hey, how do we get there? God helps us? I am so sick of that, Like, I am so done with that?

31:36 Like how can Christians continue to think that God empower is may to be as holy as He is holy? Well? Guess what? In two thousand years of church history, God has never empowered anyone to do it? Well, no, but God. See, God wants you to get there. Now, just think how ridiculous is God wants you to be holy. God is empowered bring you to be holy, but nobody can be holy? Does everyone see the problem with that? Where's the because immediately where's the problem. Then it's either the problem is with whom God's power? Oh that's problematic, or somehow you say the problem is with me. But how can the problem be with me? If God is the one doing it, and if I can stop God from doing it, then I'm more powerful than God. You see, the whole thing falls completely and utterlyop This is like, this is why atheists mock Christianity all day.

32:37 The God who. Wants you to be holy, who'll sing you to hell for not being holy, is the same God who doesn't make you holy. And Christians walk right into the trap. We should never fall. We should be like, oh, no, he does make me holy. But I can't say that because Christians today are so Catholic they can't even understand that. They've denied the very thing Luther fought for. Because what's the answer. He did make us holy, but Christians don't seem to understand this concept.

33:19 They've abandoned it completely. So this all when we read all of those scriptures, we would classify them as what kind of scripture. Law they tell us what to do? So this what we're going to do is we're going to go through church history and we're going to look at are how Christians have understood the christians relationship to the law? Are you ready? Now? We're going to start in more modern times. I was going to save this to the end. This is a modern catechism. It's called the New City Catechism, the New City Catechism. They have the catechism, they have it, they have curriculum for kids and for churches.

34:07 It's called the New City Catechism. I've talked about it on the podcast of bazillion times. I've promoted it. There's an app for it. You can get an app for it. It's called the New City Catechism, all right. The New City Catechism includes several questions related to God's Law, which are drawn from historic Christian teaching and often feature a scripture reference to support the answer. Below are the relevant question and answers related to the law. Now, I'm not going to go through the entire Catechism and what it says about the law. But here we go. You ready question number seven? What does the law of God require? Come on, everyone, tell me, okay, yes, that Here's how it's described. This is how the Catechism answers that we love God with all of our heart, so mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves Matthew twenty two thirty seven through forty. Now I would add there that we are holy as God is holy, and that we love God with all of our heart, mind, body, and soul, and love our neighbors ourselfs Now, the reason they just quote that is they're quoting Matthew twenty two thirty seven through forty, where Jesus basically summarized the entire law and those two commands. Right. Well, if the entire law, now listen, if the entire law is reduced to those two commands, well, then either you believe we can do that or we can't do that. So what is the Catechism going to say? Well, you're ready for question eight? What is the law of God stated in the ten Commandments? Well, it goes through all the ten commandments. You shall have no other God

35:39 before him. You shall not make for yourself an idol. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. You should remember the Sabbath, keep it holy. You should honor your father and mother. You should not murder. You should not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You should not give false testimony. You shall not cove it. Right, here we go, question thirteen. I'm skipping down Question thirteen. You ready? Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly? You're ready answer? Since the fall, no human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly? Okay, all right? Now look at Romans three ten through twelve. Go to Romans three ten through twelve. Now you know these scriptures. What do they say?

36:54 No one, it keeps it going, it continues. No one does what seek God. All have turned aside. They've all become worthless. No one does good, not even one. Now in your entire Christian life, how have you always interpreted that passage the unbelievers? Yes, this is what you do to because what you now? I know. I know people get mad when I say this, But you know, whether Christians like it or not, we think we're better than everyone else. I mean, we do. We think we're better than everyone else. That's why church after church, you hear sermon after sermon, them, they them, they, it's always us against them because we're the good guys in the story and they're all the bad guys. Well, how the Catechism just apply that. They just applied that to everyone, including a believer. Now you do that in almost any church, you're gonna be You're gonna be thrown out.

37:57 They're gonna say no. Yes, that us, ladies and gentlemen, that's us, even after we are a believe. People saying no, we understand, we are is our understanding perfect? No, clearly not the New City Catechism, New City Catechism. All right, So then question fourteen. Did God create us unable to keep his law? No, but because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, we are all born in sin and guilt. Are you ready for this? Unable to keep God's law? Unable to keep God's law? The Catechism states, we are unable. Now listen, if we're unable, If we are unable, then what does that mean? If we're unable to keep the law, what does that mean? Logically, that ever great moral standard in this book, we're unable to keep.

39:08 Now why are we unable to keep it? Well? First, there I'm not now inside, but because I think this is very important to make sure we understand, because some people could look at it and say, well, I can keep that. Remember that was the Pharisees and the Sadducees thinking they could keep it. And why did Jesus have to come and demonstrate to them the external keeping of it. Is not the keeping of it. To keep it requires you to keep it internally and externally. So no one keeps it. No one, meaning everyone in every church is in a perpetual state of sin. While we turn around and then kick out people do this to people, why we're all in sin? Nobody seems to want to acknowledge this within Christianity. Since no one can keep the law, then what is its purpose?

40:06 That's question fifteen? Since no one can keep the law, what is its purpose? Are you ready? That we may know the holy nature and will of God and the sinful nature and disobedience of our hearts and thus in need of a savior? The law teaches and exhorts us to live a life worthy of our savior. Basically, what does it tell us? The law just shows us that we're a sinner and we have to look for an answer where outside of ourselves. Now, this is where the rest of Christianity comes into play, because your theology is going to that answer is going to look different depending on the church you attend. So let's go throughout church history to kind of just see how church history handles this. Throughout church history, there have been a variety of las about the Christian and the Law of God. Some believe a Christian is incapable of keeping God's law even after salvation and.

41:06 Neither can keep it in this life. Others believe Christians can keep the law in this life, all right, So we're going to look. An outline here, all right. The relationship between the Christian and the Law of God has been a topic of interest and theological debate throughout church history, with diverse views e merging regarding whether and how Christians should can, or should. Obey the Law. The development of these systems and views can be traced throughout a throughout major theological shifts and key figures and church history. Are you ready, We're going to go through this and we're going to just see where we end up. We're going to start. Number one, the early Church first to third century, first to third century? What did the early Church think about the Christian and the law? Right?

42:00 You ready, the early Church first to third century. We're going to start first with the Jewish Christian context, because we know where does Christianity arise in what context Jewish system? Right? Okay? So in the earliest phase of Christianity, there was a debate about the role of the Mosaic law and the life of believers, particularly according to the gentile converts, and what did they hold To try to figure this out, the council. What council is that, the Jerusalem Council, and where do we read about that? Council Acts fifteen, all right, So this is the first attempt trying to figure this out. The Jerusalem Council dealt with whether gentile Christians were obliged to keep the Mosaic law, such as circumcision and dietary laws. The Apostles, led by Paul, concluded that salvation is by grace through faith, not by keeping the law, and that gentiles were not bound to the Mosaic law. So the main at the may at the at this early stage, it was mainly just trying to figure out, Hey, how much of the Mosaic law applies?

43:10 That was a big concept for them. And when they were referring to the Mosaic law, they were referring to which aspects of it? Dietary? What else? Okay? Circumcision? Right, okay, right, a lot. So so so you can remember, we usually break the law down into different kinds. Ceremonial Okay, what what? What would that include? Ceremonial laws would include what? Sacrifice? Okay?

43:51 Those things? All right? All right, Obviously they don't believe the Gentiles have to continue to do that, right because the new early Christians are going to say Christ was the sacrifice. Okay, so they don't have to keep all of the ceremonial laws the feast days sacrificial system. There was other kind of laws, which was the civil laws, which are no longer going to be applicable. Right they were living in the Rome system, and they're no longer living under a theocracy or even a monarch and a kind of a theocratic monarchy. I guess we could see it that way. They weren't living under that system anymore. So those laws are not even called for right now. Some people will say, well, the moral law still applies. Right now, the moral law may still apply, and that's where the issues are going to come in about the moral law.

44:36 But at this early stage, they're just. Trying to figure out what part of the Mosaic law still was applicable. Right, could Christians, especially Gentile Christians, be obligated to keep the Jewish law? The consensus was no, but there were variations and practices among Jewish and Gentile Christians, so there was the basic answer was no, but there was still going to be some dispute, right, and we know that dispute even lasts today. Correct. There's a group called the Seventh day Adventist. They believe what. Well, they're called the Seventh day Adventists for a reason. They worship on Saturday. They believe that the Sabbath was on Saturday, and the Sabbath is still binding. There are some believers who say, well, the Sabbath is still binding, but it's on Sunday. It's not Saturday, and so what do those churches call for that on Sunday You're not to do anything other than worship, rest, You're not to go no entertainment, you're not to go out to eat, you're not to do anything now, and they would make an argument for that. So these concepts still are with us today, meaning that after two thousand years there's still not even agreement on this, all right, everyone understand that, all right. So there's the that's basically the early Church first to third century, that's what they're trying to figure out. Also, during this time we have this Jewish situation, we have

46:07 the Church Fathers who kind of get involved, all right. Now, the early Church fathers emphasized that the law was fulfilled and christ and that Christians are no longer under the law in the sense of following the Jewish ceremonial law and civil aspects. However, they affirm the moral law summed up in the Ten Commandments as binding for Christians. So the early Church fathers move away from the civil and the ceremonial but they emphasized this idea of the moral law. The moral law is still binding. Now what do you mean by binding? What does it do? What does it not do? Now? So just right, make sure when you go back in church history, in many cases they were only trying to deal with one aspect of this controversy, right, They weren't necessarily trying to answer all of it. They were only focused on certain parts because what was happening in the early Church, well, there was the writing of what was what was being written during some of the early stages the New Testament, So there was a lot that was trying to figure out, right, because the New Testament writers may be saying things that weren't necessarily maybe sounded different than the Old Testament. So wait, how do we fit in? Like there was a lot of transitional stuff going on. Does that make sense? Right? There was a lot of stuff like that going on. By the time you get into the second century, you have the idea

47:40 that Christ fulfilled the law and believes and believers that Christ fulfilled the law and believers through the Holy Spirit or empowered to live according to God's will, though not perfectly. So by the time you get to the second century, this idea begins to emerge, which is what that believers are to keep the law right, Christ fulfilled it, but we are to start trying to keep the law, but we are empowered by God to keep it. There we go, We're empowered by God to keep it. But what did they have to. Throw in there at the end? Not perfectly? Oh that is so maddening. That is so maddening, right like it just from a logical standpoint, how can you how do you then even define that we have power?

48:35 Do you see how ridiculous this is? This is claiming a power that can't even do what the power is supposedly trying to do. So then what's the proof that there's power? Hey, you've got power. I mean they can't get you the whole, can't get you to perfection, but you've got power. So then you're judging the power by what it's gonna be based off external things that you do or don't do. But let me make it very clear, get away from Christianity. You can go to Mormonism, you can go to Islam, you can go to Buddhism, you can go to any religious idea. And what will you hear stories of amongst the people I used to be this.

49:16 Way, Now I am transformed. Okay, Well, obviously people can be transferred. You can go to alcoholics anonymous, you can go to narcotics anonymous. People can make dramatic changes and their external behaviors through what self discipline and just deciding to do things. That's not so that don't say we have some power. That's so ridiculous to claim we have a power that other people don't when other people can do In many cases, other people outside of Christianity do better than we do. Remember, I've always struggled with that, right. I've always said, I just don't understand. Like you have a seventeen year old girl, sixteen year old girl decides she wants to be a nun and she gives her entire life to the Catholic Church. Now, whenever I say that, I usually you people, yeah, so wide, who cares? They just do it out of It's like they just do it.

50:19 Out of you know, legalism. Okay, well, if they can do it out of legalism, then what should we be able to do when God himself is supposedly empowering us to do it? Shouldn't we blow away a nun or a monk. You say that, and nobody in the church will be like, well, that is that's kind of true, right if they can dedicate give up everything for the church. I can't even read my Bible Monday through Friday in a meaningful, consistent way. I can't even show up to church. I mean all the things you think we'd be like, Well, if God is empowering me. There should be nobody on. Earth who could compare. Right, the power of God in me should put me at a level if I mean, there should be like I've got God in me. They don't.

51:10 They shouldn't even be. They should be flocking to the church to go How do you guys do it? You know why they don't flock to the church. They know us, right, we can try to convince them we're so different, but we're not that different. Does that make sense? So so it's already started. Now, there was some debate, some distinguished between the ceremonial law, which believers were you know, no longer had to do, and the moral law, which was still binding for Christians. So there was that making a major By the second century, there was this idea, Hey, it's the moral law, all that other law we don't have to worry about, and God is empowering us to do it. Yet they that had to admit, what could we can't do it perfectly? Just that how can logical minds process such a ridiculous concept that God, who can create the world in six days, can't get me to Holiness's This.

52:19 Is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. And look, if you want to go with that, well, God just designs it to be progressive. Well then back. Off when I don't do it the way you want me to do it, right, because it's God's fault. But I'm not allowed to say that. Well, then whose fault is it? It's mine? Well, then it's not God empowering me, all right, So then it goes all just gets so frustrating. Now we're going to go to the fourth to fifth century. Who's going to show up in the fourth and fifth century. I haven't mentioned any names before Aeronaeus and Justin Martyrs, or some of the people in the second and third century.

53:02 But now we get to the fourth fifth century, we got to mention these two people. Come on, oh, there we go. And if we have Augustin, who's going to be the other one starts with a P? I mean, come on, Augustine's I'm going to forever be attached to this guy, Pelagius. Right, we get to the Augustinian or the Augustine and Pelagian controversy. All right, The debate about human ability to keep the law became more pronounced in the context of the Pelagian controversy. The key figures were Pelagius and Augustine. What was Pelagius's view, Well, you should know his view by now, I've covered it countless times in this church. Pelagius was a British monk. There was this first problem. He was a monk. Right, why because you're here locked away, you can probably have a flawed idea, right, But he believed that humans are capable of keeping God's law.

54:00 Pelagius was the one who introduced that you can keep God's law. And what is the absolute foundational truth to his belief that you can keep the law. What is the foundational basis of his entire system? That we do not have a sinful nature. That's the foundational belief. So when I hear Christians say that we can keep the law, I just want to Oh, I just want to start breaking things. Okay, But here we go. We can keep the law through their natural ability without the necessity of divine grace. He argued that if God commands something, humans must have the natural capacity to fulfill it. Therefore, it was possible to live a sinless life and keep the law perfectly without the aid of grace. He denied original sin and emphasized free will Pelagianism. Humans can obey God's law perfectly. Salvation is by following God's commandments. Grace is merely an external aid or guide, but not essential for obedience. Now, Augustine's going to come along. Augustine obviously opposed Pallagius. He argued that, due to original sin, human beings are incapable of keeping God's law apart from the grace of God.

55:21 He believed that because of the fall, human nature is thoroughly corrupted, and while grace enables believers to follow God's will, they will never perfectly keep the law in this life. Now, the only thing I would get upset with Augustine is is, once again, what did he say? God's grace enables us to follow God's will? No, Augustin No. If it enables us to keep God's will, then that would mean that we can. What we can keep it. See, even as far back as the second century, we see a problem. It's what was the problem Christians were So we're gonna have to stop here.

56:08 Well, we'll go back through this. We're just gonna cut I wanted to get to Romans four sixteen in the next hour and do the next therefore, But we can't get to that therefore yet because we had to finish this. But what do you see what was happening Going all the way back to the second century Christians struggled with the They struggled with this idea that we kept sinning. So to make themselves feel better, what did they say? Well, God is empowering us to do what to obey, But they knew they couldn't say to do it perfectly, that somehow was select ease their conscience. I don't know. I just I don't understand. Like I think the problem is is when we read the book, we spent like a what thirty minutes reading all their scriptures about do this, do this? Do that? I think there's something in our brain that says, well, if God tells me to do all of this, what's our art natural response to reading all those verses at telling us to do something that I've got to be able to do it to some level, right, So we so we do what. I know it's Pelagian, I know, but so that like, well, we can't be a Pelagian, but we just got to believe somehow that we can do it. Well, We'll say God is the one who's doing it. But that that only creates a different problem, right, you just flip the problem around. If if Pelagian says I can

57:39 without God, they're basically say we can with God. But both are claiming we can, but at the same time, well we can't. That makes new sense, Ladies and gentlemen. This just shows you that the early Church could not says this. Who could not figure this out? And I think the only person who an entire history of Christianity, I think the only person who started realizing this entire system was broke was Luther. I think Luther was the one who started going this is ridiculous. And why was Luther? What led Luther to realizing the system that wasn't working his own He was so sensitive to his own sin.

58:27 If we could get everyone to be as sensitive as Luther was to his sin, I think we could have a massive transformation in Christian theology. But the problem is he seemed to be the only person in church history you ever cared that much. Now, some people say cared that much because he had psychological problems, But his psychological problems deals with the reality that nobody wants to deal with every week, Christians around the world just seemed to think that they can pull it off and yet judge everyone else. And what did we read in Romans two to one? How can we judge when we do the same things? Paul understood, we shouldn't be going around judging.

59:09 But Christianity is what is Christianity known for? We condemn everyone. There's gotta be an answer somewhere in all of this. I don't know if we're gonna find an answer, but well, we're gonna go through. We made it up to the third and fourth century, right or fourth and fifth? Okay, you're right, fourth and fifth. I don't where have third come from, but all right, fourth and fifth. So we'll just go from fourth and fifth and we'll see if we can get to twenty twenty four and see where we have. I'm still trying to come up with an answer, right, I've argued and argued with Ai. AI doesn't know what to do with this. AI is like, AI is like, hey, look, here's the deal. If I stay with Christianity and what Christians have taught, I gotta say I gotta be able to tell you that you can do it. But then at the same time, AI is willing to admit, if you look at it from a logical standpoint, it makes absolutely no sense. That Christianity just makes no sense. But if I give you an answer from Christianity, but it logically it doesn't logically it makes no sense.

1:00:17 And I'm like, I know it doesn't make any sense logically, but. I'm not allowed to say that, right because if I say that, people are like, oh, you was no mean to Christianity. Now you should be by I shouldn't be the one bothered by it. You should be bothered by it. Because what is the reality that's been in your life since you became saved that you sin? Well, if you're in a perpetual state of sin, should that not bother you? What should the answer be? And if it doesn't bother you, don't get mad at me. That's for you to figure out. And I guess so there will be a change. You're you are just making up something, right, because I can find change where everywhere, right, I can find change everywhere.

1:01:05 I can find people who used to do these things and they stop doing this. They used to struggle with this and they stopped it and they and they can credit that change from everything. Counseling religion self discipline, martial arts. You name it. They find that thing that transform them. In fact, testimonials are not unique to Christianity. People from all backgrounds have their little testimonials. It doesn't prove anything. Christians are deluded into creating a fantasy world, and that fantasy world needs to be burnt to the ground so there's none of it left and then we can try to figure out what's the right way. Now. I still hold out hope that what God demands he provides. He just finds it in a way that no one wants to admit, and he provides it in an imputed way. And nobody likes imputed because imputed means that I am what I am not, I am what I am not. That is hard for Christians to process. All right, well, got we come before you this morning, or as we go through the rest of this history, help us try to understand our own flaws and failures and trying to understand this. Forgive us

1:02:38 for where we have misrepresented your word and what you have wanted us to understand, and forgive us for probably the condemnation that we've heaped upon others. And we asked this in Jesus name and gos people said