The Law of God

Welcome to No Compromise Radio Ministry. Michael Lee Haferhoff here, Duplex Gratia Radio, just back from Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha is in Nebraska, and Nebraska's license plates last time I looked said, Nebraska, the good life.

It didn't have a question mark after that. There are other slogans with Nebraska. I think one was, you know, not for everyone, Nebraska, not for everyone. Anyway, just to give you a quick update on Omaha Bible Church and the Pactam, I was pleased to be at the second annual Pactam conference.

The third one next year, next October, I think third and fourth is with Chris Larson of Ligonier, Michael Beck from, well, he's South African, but he lives in New Zedland, and Harrison Perkins, and Pat and myself.

This last one was called The Law of God. So guess what one is next year? The Gospel of God. And I had a great time in Omaha. So the fun part was, it's always good to speak at Omaha Bible Church because that's where Pat has been for 25-ish years, 26, something like that.

And my mother attended that church and worshiped there, taught the ladies Bible study. So I know a lot of ladies there who were, and men too, who were affected by my mom and used by the Lord, as moms are used by the Lord.

It's hard to talk, you know, on radio. And, you know, one lady, she named her daughter Carla. That's my mom's name. So it's sweet to see the Omaha Bible Church people. Nice to have, you know, armed guards like Jordan around and others.

And Patrick, not Abendroth, but another Patrick. And greeters, happy, wonderful singing, and the list goes on. So that's kind of like Omaha Bible Church. And then the Pactam Conference itself. I've gotten a couple of emails.

They said it's best to have some Dunkin' Donuts, which I rarely have, but when you're traveling and then you come back and you, you know, jet lag, boy, this show is rotten so far. Pactam Conference, Law of God, J .V. Fesco, David Van Drunen, Pat and myself.

I did a preacher's tune-up on Friday. And then I spoke on legalism and antinomianism on Saturday. Sunday, I did the Q and A for Sunday school. And when you're sitting next to Fesco and Van Drunen, you just try not to say anything that's too embarrassing, you know, so you don't want to have Van Drunen look over at you like, what are you doing?

But I think he did a couple of times. Mike Grimes asked him a question once. And David said something like, I don't really like those questions. Oh, it was like, which theologians have influenced you the most?

Well, I don't really like those questions. Then he went on to answer it in some way, shape or form. That was fun. Good to hang out with the speakers behind the scenes. Both David and John Fesco, very godly, had plenty of time to talk to people, answer questions, not just for the other speakers, but lay people, acted pastorally.

I was very thankful for that. Pat did a great job putting the conference on. I want to say about 400 people. I probably learned more at that conference from Fesco and Van Drunen than I have at 10 other pastors' conferences put together.

Really, really excellent. And then it was similar to Shepherd's Conference in the sense that lots of friends there, lots of fellowship, talking, encouraging, being encouraged. And so next year, the Pactum can probably register sometime soon.

Pat's already working on the pre-conference stuff. And I will probably post all the Pactum shows on No Compromise Radio once Pat does. So Pat obviously gets first dibs, and then I'll post after that.

The Law of God and the 1689 Confession

The Law of God, which made me think about the law of God in the Confession. Now, I could probably quote more from the Westminster Confession than I could London Baptist, or I do probably quote from that more.

But there are some exceptions. Active obedience stuff, I think, is better in London Baptist Confession. Baptism section's better. Here's chapter 19, London Baptist Confession, 1689, the second London Baptist Confession.

I have the 1644 here somewhere, and I know there are other years they did X, Y, and Z to it, but we've got 1689 here. The Law of God. God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in his heart, and a particular precept of not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, by which he bound him in all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience, promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it, and endued him with power and ability to keep it.

So, there we have from Westminster as well from the perfect, excuse me, the personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience. That's right from the peeps, right? That's the peep section. We need a t-shirt on that.

Pat's really good at making the t-shirts. Final justification is a lie, etc. So, we also have here number two in the Law of God. I just thought it'd be good to read because I've been thinking about the Law of God since that was the conference title.

The same law that was first written in the heart of man continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness after the fall, and was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai in ten commandments and written in two tablets, the four first containing our duty towards God and the other six our duty to man.

Number three, besides this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel ceremonial laws containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits, and partly holding forth diverse instructions of moral duties, all which ceremonial laws, being appointed only to the time of the Reformation, are by Jesus Christ, the true Messiah and only lawgiver, who was furnished with power from the Father, for that end abrogated and taken away.

By the way, when you think about the law, regularly you'll think about kinds of laws and uses of laws. And so, when you hear the word kinds and uses, just make sure you don't confuse them. And we would say there are three kinds and three uses of the law, right?

There's all kinds of laws in the Bible. There are three kinds, and the three kinds that theologians use typically are moral law, think ten commandments, civil law, think Israel, how to live as a nation, laws to govern them, and then ceremonial laws, that we just read there in Lennon Baptist Confession chapter 19, number three, has ceremonial and moral.

And so, those ceremonial were, as the 1689 says, prefiguring Christ, et cetera. So, obviously, we're not geopolitical Israel. So, we're not under that law. Certainly, you can learn things from that. Equity stuff, general equity.

Is that all right to say general equity? Forced general equity. Forced equity, that's what theonomy is now. And ceremonial, of course, we have Christ. And then it says in number four, to them also he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any now by virtue of that institution, their general equity only being of modern use.

I guess if it says general equity here in Lennon Baptist Confession 19 .4, we can. So, right there, there are the three kinds of law, moral, ceremonial, and civil. And if you get those things right, you're going to be helped in your Bible interpretation.

Now, some will say, oh, there's no such thing as that trifold trifurcation. Is that a repetition? Trifold bifurcation, a bifold trifurcation, a trifold trifurcation, tricycles, trivium. A trifurcation like that is not found in the Bible, some will say.

I think D .A. Carson says that. Quite a few dispensationalists say that. But those are good ways to look at it, three kinds. And then there are three uses of the law, right? God doesn't change. His law is a reflection of His nature and His essence, and therefore the law doesn't change.

Just our relationship to the law changes. And so, for unbelievers, the law of God is like a mirror to show them their sin. The law of God in the second use is like a curb, and it curbs both unbelievers and believers, restrains in the civil realm.

And then for the believers only, we have the law as a guide, because the law doesn't condemn believers. Jesus has taken our condemnation, and now the law just guides us. So, let's see if that's shown forth.

Let's see if that shines forth in the rest of the London Baptist Confession. By the way, I'm reading from Pat Avendross' London Baptist Confession introduction booklet. So, he has the 1689, but then he's got an introduction on why confessions are good, especially for biblicists and people that come out of backgrounds like we did, or maybe like you did.

1905. The moral law does forever bind all as well-justified persons as others to the obedience thereof, and that not only in regard of the manner contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator who gave it.

Neither does Christ in the gospel any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation. And for those that get accused of antinomianism, our statement of faith has this very thing that it's to be strengthened, right?

We don't say, forget the law. Free from the law, oh happy condition. I can freely sin, and there's no... I forgot the book. Free from the law, oh happy condition. I can still sin and still have remission.

See, I knew I would remember it. It's not that hard, is it? No, I don't think it's that hard. Number six, law of God, Lenin Baptist Confession. Quite a few Baptists at the Pactum Conference, and quite a few Presbyterians, and we all got along.

We had to sit on different sides of the sanctuary. Actually, Fesco and van Drunen are both OPC. Pat and myself are both non-affiliated, independent assassins for hire. Nineteen six, although true believers are not under the law as a covenant of works to be thereby justified or condemned, first use, yet it is of great use to them as well as to others, in that as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly.

Isn't that interesting? So, the third use of the law, believers are under, but it's not a covenant of works, do this and live, and if you disobey, you're damned. Do this and be damned, because Christ has paid for our sins, and now the law guides us.

It still tells us what's best, and if you say things like, well, love God and love neighbor. Let's particularly look at a love neighbor one. Don't look at a woman with lust. I mean, that has to do with loving God as well, but don't look at a woman with lust.

For the unbeliever, if he or she does look at somebody with lust, that shows that they're a sinner and they need a savior, and it's to shut their mouth, Romans 3, 19, so that they realize there's a reason why Jesus came, not just to be an example, although he was a good example, but since you can't live up to his example, you've got to have him for a substitute.

So, then the unbeliever says, okay, I see my sins. Lord, have mercy on me. Well, are believers supposed to keep their eyes focused on only their wife or spouse? Yes, because it's good for them. It's good for the society, and it honors the Lord God.

So, it's a good guide. Christians are not supposed to look at someone with lust. If they ever do, are they damned? No, they shouldn't look. They should repent, but if they do, they're not damned. So, 1689, law of God number six goes on to talk about the third use of the law, discovering also the sinful pollutions of their natures, hearts, and lives, so as examining themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against sin.

So, we see the law of God, and we realize, okay, it guides us. It directs us, and then it also helps us to say, you know, we still have sin in us, the flesh, and long for heaven. We ought to say to ourselves, I hate sin.

It's humiliating to sin, and then it says, together with a clear sight of the need they have of Christ and the perfection of his obedience. Wonderful. It is likewise of use to the regenerate to restrain their corruptions, in that it forbids sin, and the threatenings of it serve to show that even their sins deserve, and what afflictions in this life they may expect for them, although freed from the curse and unallayed rigor thereof.

Okay. See, that's why we have a conference on the law. The promises of it likewise show them God's approbation of obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof, unlike the fool, though not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works.

Very, very careful that they're trying not to, in any way, shape, or form, imply that believers are put underneath a covenant of works, if it were possible. To quote Scott Clark, So, as man's doing good and refraining from evil, because the law encourages to the one and defers from the other, is no evidence of his being under the law and not under grace.

And then, lastly, number seven, law of God, chapter 19, London Baptist Confession, 2nd London, 1689. Neither are the aforementioned uses of the law, contrary to the grace of the gospel, but do sweetly comply with it, the spirit of Christ subduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely and cheerfully, which the will of God revealed in the law requires to be done.

And I rarely read something that has so many commas in it. Mike, you sit in a room and you talk and laugh at your own jokes, inside jokes, that is. That is true. Talked to several pastors at the Omaha Pactom Conference, and some of them, Brandon, I'm trying to think of somebody else who I talked to, said, you know what, encouraged by law gospel stuff, assurance stuff, Christ-centered stuff.

And then I said, I'd love to have you on the Pactom. I can't invite people on the Pactom. I'd love to have No Compromise Radio. So in the months to come, we're going to have some guests, going to try to get the Wednesdays back up, ramped up again, talking to pastors, theologians, et cetera.

Mike Ebenroth, No Compromise Radio Ministry. Don't forget, we've got the Cancer Book, Assurance Book, Sexual Fidelity Book, all books that talk about law and gospel, whatever topic, whatever talking topic we talk about, we have law gospel stuff.

I was happy that Pat recommended Sexual Fidelity and the Cancer Book that talk about, that have embedded in them law gospel. The articles I wrote for Heidelblog, My Pilgrimage from Lordship to Law Gospel, law gospel stuff in there.

It's just everywhere. Watch out for Federal Visionists. Watch out for CREC. Watch out for Norman Shepardites. Watch out for Daniel Florites. Watch out for John Piperites. Watch out for Thomas Schreinerites.

Watch out for Bartites, Bardians. Watch out for, did I happen to mention Baxter? Oh, I know what I wanted to say. The last three to four weeks, I've been very, very good on Twitter. I've been more Grandpa Mike, as Steve Meister calls it.

Steve was there, by the way, at the Pactum Conference. He couldn't resist. I knew he had to come. And I've just tried to tweet shows. If there's American Gospel covering the Cancer Series, and there are, there's 17 short seven to 10 minute episodes for the Cancer Book, Cancer's Not Your Shepherd, that American Gospel has been promoting.

I'll just tweet that kind of stuff. Or if somebody has me mentioned in a tweet and I say, okay, you know, Kofi's got the tweet, Kofi was on there. Because Kofi goes to every conference. I think Kofi went to another conference right after the Pactum.

But I think it was up by Portland. So he probably drove from Medford. Good to see you, Kofi. Anyway, I've been good on Twitter. Been really trying hard. And I don't tweet until, you know, maybe after five o 'clock.

And it's just something with the show or I didn't really do quotes anymore or polls or anything like that. And in the conference, I was talking about Richard Baxter, and how he jams obedience into justification.

He jams obedience into faith. He has a wrong view of faith. He jams law into the gospel, and how it's wrong and it's legalistic. I talked about other subtle forms of legalism, but he's really bad. And does that mean everything he said was wrong?

Well, of course not. But if you have justification wrong, I don't really want to read you and reform Baxter. I think reform pastor by Baxter is, I think Carl Truman said, just awful. And I would agree.

I was giving a couple of Baxter quotes. I had 20 to give, but I ran out of time. And so I just gave one or two. And I just said he was a kook. Now, remember on No Compromise Radio, we used to have a kooks and Barneys session.

I did that when I did No Compromise TV. And I also did that early on, and we'd have kooks and Barneys. I think I did it when I was hosting Todd Friel's Wretched Radio. And a kook is just somebody in the water, and they don't know how to surf, and they mess it up for good surfers.

And Barneys are too. So I had a kooks and Barneys award, and I just regularly say it. That guy's a kook. Don't be a kook. That's just how our family talks. That's how my children address me. And I said something about he's a kook.

And in the Greek transliteration, you spell it K-O-O-K, and I just got the cheap laugh. Because that's what we do. If you're not Van Droon and Urfesco, what are you going to do? And I think Kofi tweeted it.

Maybe somebody else did, but I think Kofi did. And then it's all kinds of Twitter stuff happening from that. There was a context to it all. I just didn't say it, although I'm not afraid to just tweet, Baxter was a kook, theologically.

Don't follow him. His church turned so sinning after he's dead. This is awful. Bad theology. Read John Owen, Volume 5, in the Banner of Truth, green version. Whole things against Baxter and his kooky justification view, jamming law gospel, talking about final justification, talking about losing justification.

Husbands and wives can be divorced. He uses that analogy. And so too, you can have your justification undone. So essentially get to work. Dear friend, I think it was Bolton that said, Samuel Bolton, we work not for our justification, but from it.

That's very, very important. So I said he was a kook. Kofi tweeted it. People were freaking out. And now in the last four days, today in real time, this is October 17th, it's been crazy. Baxter stuff all over.

And Tom Hicks does a great job about that. I think he did his PhD work on it. Of course, Scott Clark and Meister and all these guys, they understand. So anyway, I never thought a little throwaway comment.

People said, kook is used for surf language. Yeah, that's why I did it, brother. Oh, I think Mark Jones, he's the one that responded right away to Kofi. And then he had, I think on Facebook at a recent conference, a speaker, and then parentheses, foolishly called Richard Baxter a kook.

And then he had the book below of, I don't know, some, what he thought was a good Richard Baxter quote. So here's my point. I, trying to be grandpa Mike and sweet and kind, patient, long suffering, gentle, have not been tweeting.

The sarcastic scuds that are often associated with No Compromise Radio. See, even the name No Compromise makes you think, you know, probably a discernment ministry. Anyway, I'm still getting in trouble on Twitter anyway.

That's my point. Lastly, today on No Compromise Radio, I have something from my Rite of Baptism booklet that is published by the National Conference of Bishops of the United States and confirmed by the Apostolic See, S-E-E, liturgical press, Collegeville, Minnesota, popular liturgical library.

And you can get other things in this series, like the new rite for marriage and the nuptial mass, God's healing, holy anointing, the rite for confirmation, the liturgy for Christian burial. And while, I mean, I never talk about Thomas Aquinas really, but while I like certain things of Thomas Aquinas, I'm never swimming the Tiber and becoming Roman Catholic because I believe in Sola Fide.

I believe in Solus Christus. I'm a reformer. I don't believe in the seven sacraments. I don't believe in the mass. I don't believe in perpetual Virgin Mary stuff. I don't believe in tradition and papal seat.

And I don't believe in all these things. As John Lennon said, I don't believe in Zimmerman. But then he went on to say, I just believe in me, Yoko and me. I went and saw Thomas Joseph White talk about the incarnation at Harvard University, I don't know, a month ago or something.

My wife and I went. He's right on the incarnation. I just thought it'd be interesting to go. But just in case you think, because I've mentioned Thomas Aquinas before, it's Meister, he's the Thomist, hillbilly Thomist.

If you think somehow we're flirting around with that here at No Compromise Radio, because we have a Matthew Barrett book, or I think I have Protestants in Aquinas or something like that. Maybe that's a Vendrina book as well.

I'm just going to read you from the back of this rite of baptism, the lyrics to a song that I don't agree with, and that will be enough. Come alive, O child of Adam, as these cleansing waters flow. Trinity now lives within you, greatest gift God could bestow.

Flow, flow, flow, cleansing waters, here is God's kingdom anew. Flow, flow, flow, living waters, this soul is God's image too. Once he calmed the troubled waters as on Peter's boat he stood, may the waters from the heavens cleanse the world by an angry flood.

Flow, flow, flow, it goes on. Now he dwells, my child, within you, your souls hallowed by his grace, and our hearts are ever grateful as we leave this holy place. Flow, flow, flow, cleansing waters, here is God's kingdom anew.

Flow, flow, flow, living waters, this is God's image too. That's enough on No Compromise Radio Ministry. What do we entitle this show? Mike at NoCompromiseRadio .com. Don't forget, if you want to get some books, 10 or more of any of the ones on Amazon that are printed by NoCo Media, email me, Mike, at NoCompromiseRadio .com.