Justification and adoption are not proportional to one's personal obedience in that all Christians no matter the degree of sanctification receive the same forgiveness and sonship in Christ. It is equally true that blessings peculiar to salvation are often proportional to the degree of obedience that is exercised by grace through faith. The principle that greater faith working itself out in greater love and obedience often yields greater blessings is not peculiar to Sinai in general and the land stipulations in particular. Accordingly, with respect to Israel’s occupancy of the land, what God determined to be (as Kline referred to it as) an “appropriate measure of national fidelity” need not be thought of in terms of God’s prelapsarian covenant with Adam. “If you obey me I will bless you…” is equally true under Christ as it was under Moses. Accordingly, why should we believe that any proverbial principles put into practice that yield fruit and, therefore, increase of blessing are best considered as a display or recapitulation of the covenant of works? Sinai, plain and simple, was an administration of the covenant of grace - no more no less. The emperor has no clothes.
Ron
Counter since: 9/6/2006
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Ron
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Ron - good looking sight.
ReplyDeleteMay I humbly suggest that this post needs some fleshing out? Some of the propositions are quite bold and may need some further qualifying to harmonize with the whole. For instance, you say
"The principle that greater faith working itself out in greater love and obedience often yields greater blessings..."
This statement is true to the extent that it hinges on "often." As in, often this appears to be true, but obedience does not hamstring God into greater blessing on our terms. Regardless, more work needs to be done reconciling the preceding quote with this:
"“If you obey me I will bless you…” is equally true under Christ as it was under Moses... Sinai, plain and simple, was an administration of the covenant of grace - no more no less."
How you expect to state the above without even dealing with Old/New tensions in the Gospels and Paul seems a bit premature even for a blog post. Claiming the emperor has no clothes may be a very true and exciting claim. If it is true, however, I want to enjoy it with you and see the reasons bolstering it.
I look forward to reading more from you!
Hi Blund,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts...
”Ron - good looking sight.”
Aesthetically or in content? :)
“May I humbly suggest that this post needs some fleshing out? Some of the propositions are quite bold and may need some further qualifying to harmonize with the whole. For instance, you say"The principle that greater faith working itself out in greater love and obedience often yields greater blessings..."”
“This statement is true to the extent that it hinges on "often." As in, often this appears to be true, but obedience does not hamstring God into greater blessing on our terms.
Yes, that is correct. Doesn't my statement imply just that?
"“If you obey me I will bless you…” is equally true under Christ as it was under Moses... Sinai, plain and simple, was an administration of the covenant of grace - no more no less.” How you expect to state the above without even dealing with Old/New tensions in the Gospels and Paul seems a bit premature even for a blog post.”
What tensions are there under the older economy? As I pointed out, if Horton wishes to say that continued blessings based upon continued obedience are prelapsarian in nature, then he should be willing to argue that continued blessings for my children under the newer economy are the same in nature in all those cases where God indexes their blessings to obedience, which you grant He often does. Consequently, there is no difference in either economy in that regard, and since we’re not willing to talk about proverbial parenting under the newer economy in light of the prelapsarian period, it would be arbitrary and inconsistent to single out the Mosaic economy as he does. Accordingly, the Mosaic economy is not different from the newer economy with respect to the principle of obedience and blessing. Accordingly, it should simply be regarded as an administration of the covenant of grace. So indeed the emperor has no clothes since the Klinian claim suggests that the offer under Moses is different than that under grace.
“I look forward to reading more from you!”
Thanks. I hope to write more, Lord willing. I suggest you read:
http://reformedapologist.blogspot.com/2006/08/hortons-law-gospel-run-amuck.html
http://reformedapologist.blogspot.com/2006/04/more-confusion-over-covenant-of-grace.html
http://reformedapologist.blogspot.com/2006/04/quick-elaboration-on-conditions.html
Ron