The Herald of Truth Ministries Video

3 Responses to The Herald of Truth Ministries Video

1. Tim Archer says:

   December 5, 2011 at 9:23 pm

   :->>

   All is forgiven.
2. Jack Exum Jr says:

   December 9, 2011 at 10:06 am

   Jay,
   I have a question…. what is anti nomianism… and would you say your teaching leans that way… (I get emails)…
   Thank you,
3. Jay Guin says:

   December 10, 2011 at 4:06 pm

   Jack,

   The same allegation was made against Paul —

   (Rom 3:8 ESV) 8 And why not do evil that good may come?–as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

   Paul refused to require obedience to the Torah’s commands re circumcision, clean foods, holy days, and such as a condition of salvation. He argued his position by insisting on salvation by faith rather than works. His opponents accused him of antinomianism, that is, being anti-law, not requiring any obedience at all.

   Paul considered those who reason thus to be condemned — and justly so. I would far rather be with Paul, suffering the slander, than with those guilty of the slander.

   I no more teach antinomianism than Paul did, but any student of Paul knows that he frequently felt obliged to defend himself from the accusation. If I suffer from the same problem, then I’m in good company and likely about where I need to be theologically — not actually teaching antinomianism, of course, but so far removed from legalism that a died-in-the-wool legalist thinks so. They thought the same of Paul.

   But what did Paul really teach?

   (Rom 6:1-18 ESV) What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

   But here’s the thing — we are saved by faith, in order to live in righteousness. But the salvation comes first. Living in righteousness is a result, not a condition. Those who are saved will live righteously. You can even fall away if you rebel against God. But for those saved, obedience is “from the heart” (v. 17) because our hearts have been circumcised by the Spirit (Rom 2:29) and so we are led by the Spirit (Rom 8:14). And the test is thus whether we are led by the Spirit (Rom 8:9-11), not whether we get instrumental music or whatever right.

   If we’re truly led by the Spirit, then we’ll be less than perfect, but God will judge our hearts, and we’ll stand at Judgment, because God will make us stand (Rom 14:4).

   You tell your 4-year old daugher to clean her dress shoes. She dutifully puts them in a sink filled with soapy water — just the way she helped clean the dished the night before. The shoes are ruined. Only a monster would punish her. In her heart, she was obedient. But any parent would also instruct her and be confident that such an obedient child will get it right the next time — and yet expect her to make the mistakes that all children make.

   Just so, we children of God stand before God based on the state of our hearts, but because we are obedient children, we welcome instruction. And because we are only children, we sometimes misunderstand. We’re still good with God.

   Does that mean it’s “okay” to soak your dress shoes in a sink of water? Well, that’s the wrong question, isn’t it? I mean, the question itself entirely misses the point. No, it’s not okay! Shoes cost money! But the daughter isn’t punished because good parents judge the heart, and because of her heart, punishment isn’t necessary or even helpful.

   (Rom 14:4-5 ESV) 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

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