With all this talk of radical Islamic Law (“Sharia”) in England, here is something truly unique to meditate on:
If you ever want to know just how radical the Gospel is, then place the word “Sharia” everywhere Paul mentions the “Law”:
Romans 3:21 “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law (Sharia), has been made known…”
Romans 3:27 “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law (Sharia)? No, but on that of faith…”
Here’s the one that really got me, Romans 10:4, “Christ is the end of the law (Sharia) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes…”
Isn’t that incredible? Christ’s death and resurrection made satisfaction for the Law (Sharia) so that we may be free. So as Christians in America, what should our response be to our English brethren? Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Let us love and sing and wonder,
Let us praise the Savior’s Name!
He has hushed the law’s loud thunder,
He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame.
He has washed us with His blood,
He has brought us nigh to God.
Let us love the Lord Who bought us,
Pitied us when enemies,
Called us by His grace, and taught us,
Gave us ears and gave us eyes:
He has washed us with His blood,
He presents our souls to God.
Let us wonder; grace and justice
Join and point to mercy’s store;
When through grace in Christ our trust is,
Justice smiles and asks no more:
He Who washed us with His blood
Has secured our way to God.” Amen!
- John Newton, “Let us Love and Sing and Wonder”
For a great rendition of this hymn, click here!
March 6, 2008 at 12:23 am
I’m not sure that works with these:
I don’t think we as Christians establish Sharia law through faith, nor do I think that God’s intention of Sharia law was for it to result in life. Sin (lawlessness) kills, not the Law. The Law of God is holy, righteous, and good. I don’t think the same can be said for Sharia law.
Grace and peace in Christ,
Ron
March 6, 2008 at 5:05 am
Hi Ron,
We’re glad to have you here and part of the discussion. I might not have made myself clear enough, and I apologize. I don’t believe that the “Sharia” law was established by God, but by men (and devils). This is obviously not a Law revealed by God, but rather by a twisted conscience. Never the less, when Christ came, he fulfilled the demands of the Law which we could not, and also quiets a troubled conscience. As St. Paul declares in Galatians we are not saved by observance of the Law, but by Christ who was born under law to redeem those under the Law. On the contrary, those who seek to justify themselves through the Law will be damned because they are in effect rejecting the promise of Salvation in Christ. I was merely making a point, that if Christ has set us free, why would we want to enslave ourselves to a road of endless demands which can never be fulfilled. On the contrary, proper use of the Law should always drive a sinner to Christ.
And I agree with you, the Law of God is holy, right, and good. But, I disagree with you in some ways and I’ll let this hymn illustrate my point:
The law of God is good and wise,
And sets His will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress.
The law is good, but since the fall
Its holiness condemns us all;
It dooms us for our sin to die
And has no power to justify.
To Jesus we for refuge flee,
Who from the curse has set us free,
And humbly worship at His throne,
Saved by His grace through faith alone.
You say it is “sin” that kills and not the law, but I say, it is the law (God’s Holiness) which condemns sin. However (and thank God), so as to be Just and the one who justifies Christ became the curse so that we might be free from the righteous demands we could never keep.
March 6, 2008 at 5:54 am
I also commented on your post, but it’s not showing up I think.
March 6, 2008 at 7:36 am
St. Paul said that it was sin and not the Law that kills (Romans 7:10-12). The Law was meant for life. And now that we are freed from sin, we are free to obey the Law (Romans 6).
First, that is only one use of the Law, according to Lutheran standards as I understand them in the Articles of Concord. What about the third use of the Law (See chapter 6)? Further, God’s laws are not burdensome. We were slaves to sin, not the Law, but now we are slaves to righteousness which can only be defined by God’s Law. (Romans 6 again)
How do you handle Paul’s statement in Romans 3:31 that we establish the Law through faith? You say the Law presents us with “endless demands which can never be fulfilled”, but Romans 13:8-10 says we can fulfill the Law by loving our brethren.
So, as I see it in both our traditions as well as biblically, the Law is still demanded by God, even more so to those who are in Christ. We must continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling because He is working in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Phil 2:12-13).
Grace and peace in Christ.
Ron
March 6, 2008 at 11:03 am
I tell you what, answer these questions, and then we will go from there:
How is a man justified?
How is a man sanctified?
Where should a mans hope rest?
They’re not meant to trap you, but I just want to know where you are coming from, and like I said earlier, we can go from there.
March 6, 2008 at 2:47 pm
OK, I don’t think I’m making myself clear enough, and I think you might have me “penned” as an Anti-nomian, which I am certainly not. When I said that we must not enslave ourselves to endless demands, I wasn’t saying that the Law must be thrown out. I was simply saying that seeking justification or salvation through observance of the Law leaves a man with endless demands that he could never fulfill, and ultimately results in eternal death.
We know, however, that as Christians, Christ fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law by becoming a curse for us. In light of this, we are free to serve God and our neighbors not out of fulfilling obligations (because Christ has already satisfied the Law), but out of a free and happy spirit. We can only do that though, if we stay mindful of the fact that Christ is the only hope for sinful men.
March 6, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I think we agree more than we realize. I think that for fear of legalism, many treat God’s Law as if it is the problem. But I think the apostle is clear that sin is the problem and the Law is simply a light shed on that problem. I believe we should be able to sing the praises of God’s Law with David in the Psalms:
A man is justified (as we historically define the term) when the Holy Spirit applies the redemption purchased by Christ to him by working faith in him. So, I hold to Sola Fide. But I do not think it against Sola Fide to enquire about the nature of the Fide. Justifying faith is no dead faith but worketh in love. (cf WCF XI.II where they allude to both Paul in Gal 5:6 and James chapter 2) The reformers wanted to be careful not to say that we are justified by works, but they also wanted to be careful to say that we cannot be justified without them. So they basically made obedience the essence of faith, which I believe is consistent with James 2.
But scripturally, this is not the only use of the word “justify”. Jesus, for instance, is justified at the resurrection. So there is the idea of vindication. Abraham was “counted righteous” in Genesis 15, but Hebrews 11 says he was already operating by faith back in Genesis 12 when he obeyed God’s call to move to another country. So, it appears that God at various points in Abraham’s life tested Him (like Genesis 22), and Abraham trusted Him and was declared righteous (or justified) each time. But I recognize that this is not the historical reformed definition of the word.
A man is sanctified as the Holy Spirit continues to work faith in him and that faith becomes flesh, i.e. he dies more and more to sin and lives more and more unto righteousness. This is not him who lives, but Christ living in him.
A man’s hope should rest squarely on the finished work of Christ, but as Calvin said, we are weak and we doubt, so God has given us signs like baptism to affirm our relationship with Jesus and connection with His redemptive work. Also, a life of growing holiness before God (not perfection, obviously) proves the genuineness of our faith and thus strengthens our assurance (cf a href=”http://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/ch_XVI.html”>WCF XVI.II)
March 6, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Well I’m encouraged by what I see here, there are obviously some points I disagree with or that need to be clarified more, but I think over all there is alot we agree upon. I had a feeling that semantics and general internet communication were getting in the way of what we were trying to say.
Also, I loved your comment about baptism it sounds so sweet in the ears of a Lutheran 
Especially because I can give you a quote from Luther that sounds exactly like Calvin’s.
BTW, I’m very intrigued by Calvin’s view of the Sacraments, it seems very different to the standard PCA understanding, and almost cryptically Lutheran. You’ll have to tell me more. Thanks for stopping by, and you and I can get a blog friendship going!
March 6, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Over time, the reformed churches in America have embraced a more revivalistic/individualistic view of the covenant, which relegates the sacraments to mere symbols. Not all Presbyterians are Presbyterians inwardly.
Some are really Baptists who water their kids at their baby dedications.
There is currently an ongoing effort within the more conservative American Presbyterian churches to bring back Calvin’s Calvinism. It has been met with much criticism and many have noted the similarity between this so-called new sacramentalism and the historic Lutheran tradition. Some have gone even further and called it the road back to Rome. But this high view of the sacraments was held by everyone who paved the way out of Rome.
March 7, 2008 at 3:42 am
Amen!
March 7, 2008 at 3:46 am
I love your last two sentences, if you don’t mind, I’m going to put you on our blogroll, and if you’d be so gracious you can do the same for us as well
March 7, 2008 at 4:58 am
Did it yesterday