Theonomy Is Wrong Part 2

By Paul Baumgartner

Fulfillment of The Law and Prophets

Jesus' salvation is complete. Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets. God gave us a new and better covenant through Jesus Christ, and this replaces the Mosaic Covenant with the Mosaic Law.

Hebrews 7:24 "but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens."

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

Matthew 26:53 "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” 55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled."

Mark 14:48 “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then everyone deserted him and fled."

Luke 18:31 "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him;"

Luke 22:36 "He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors;’ and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

John 19:28 "Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

Romans 13:8 "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

Matthew 26:27 "Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

2 Corinthians 3:6 "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

2 Corinthians 3:13 "We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts."

Hebrews 7:22 "Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant."

Hebrews 8:6 "But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another."

Hebrews 8:10 "This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

Hebrews 8:13 "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."

Hebrews 9:15 "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

Now in light of all these scriptures, for someone to advise that the Mosaic Law must be implemented into civil law, so that people can live righteous lives, you have to deny the price that Jesus paid on the cross to establish the new covenant. You have to deny all these scriptures and deny that Jesus Christ is the mediator of this new covenant that he established.

Only Sacrifices Were Replaced

A Theonomist may say, "The ONLY thing replaced at the cross were the blood sacrifice laws contained in ordinances that were added AFTER Abraham."

First, let’s see what was involved in the Old Covenant according to the Old Covenant:

God makes a covenant with Noah that basically involves God's promise to spare the whole world from destruction by flooding. This also involves God's command for them to be fruitful and fill the earth, as well as accounting for the life of human beings.

Genesis 9:1 "Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.

6 “Whoever sheds human blood,

by humans shall their blood be shed;

for in the image of God

has God made mankind.

7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 "And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

God makes a covenant with Abraham. This involves promising a land to Abraham as well as promising him an heir, the promise to give him so many descendants that many nations would come from him, and the requirement of circumcision. Read Genesis 15 to 17.

In Exodus, the Mosaic covenant starts to appear. This covenant includes the 10 commandments written on stone tablets.

Exodus 16:34 - "As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved."

The Mosaic covenant includes a Book of the Covenant with commands for the people to obey.

Exodus 24:6-8New International Version (NIV)

6 "Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”

8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

The Mosaic covenant involved grain offerings:

Leviticus 2:13 "Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings."

The Mosaic covenant involved rewards for keeping Gods decrees and commands, as well as punishments for disobedience:

Leviticus 26 New International Version (NIV)

Reward for Obedience

“‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.

2 “‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.

3 “‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

6 “‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

9 “‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. 11 I will put my dwelling place[a] among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

Punishment for Disobedience

14 “‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.

18 “‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. 19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit.

21 “‘If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. 22 I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.

23 “‘If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, 24 I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. 25 And I will bring the sword on you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. 26 When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

27 “‘If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, 28 then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies[b] on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. 31 I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. 32 I myself will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. 34 Then the land will enjoy its Sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the Sabbaths you lived in it.

36 “‘As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. 37 They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. 39 Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their ancestors’ sins they will waste away.

40 “‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, 41 which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. 44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’ 46 These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses."

Notice in Leviticus 26, that the covenant can be broken by the Israelites.

The Mosaic Covenant involved God speaking to Moses from above the ark:

Numbers 7:89 "When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the Ark of the Covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him."

It is specifically emphasized that this Mosaic covenant was not made with any ancestors, but with the people of Moses time.

Deuteronomy 5:3 "It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today."

It included the laws given through Moses:

Deuteronomy 7:12 "If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors."

It involved a priesthood:

Deuteronomy 10:8 "At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today."

The breaking of the Mosaic covenant was foretold:

Deuteronomy 31:16 "And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them."

Solomon Broke the covenant, and the kingdom would be torn away from him:

1 Kings 11:11 "So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates."

Israelites reject the Mosaic covenant:

1 Kings 19:10 "He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

A future covenant promised to those that repent involves a redeemer and God's words will always be on their lips:

Isaiah 59:20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion,

to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”

declares the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord."

A new covenant promised that will be unlike the old covenant. God's law will be in their minds and hearts. According to this, God's laws will Not be in books or civil law.

Jeremiah 31:31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,

“when I will make a new covenant

with the people of Israel

and with the people of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenant

I made with their ancestors

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,

though I was a husband to them,”

declares the Lord.

33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel

after that time,” declares the Lord.

“I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

34 No longer will they teach their neighbor,

or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest,”

declares the Lord.

“For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more.”

Therefore, even according to the Old Testament, the way that God's laws would be written and kept would be different. They would NOT be laws written in a book and kept by civil government. They would be kept in the minds of people and written on their hearts.

Romans 2

The Theonomist will read meaning into Romans 2 and say it shows that the Mosaic Law applies to Gentiles. Romans 2 says very much the opposite of the idea that the law was given to the gentiles. Here is the text of Romans 2:

"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism. 12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them. 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."

First, it says, "God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth." It Does Not say that God's judgement is based on his Mosaic Law. Verse twelve makes a separation between Jew and Gentile where the Law is concerned. "12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law." Verse 14 explicitly says that the Gentiles do not have the Law. "14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law." This verse also explicitly says that the Gentiles do what is right by the law, not because they have the law, but "by nature." In other words, they are not required to obey the Law, but should know right from wrong "by Nature." Verse 15 talks about the requirements of the Law, not the law itself. "15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them." So it does not say that the Gentiles in fact know the law. The Gentiles know the requirements of right through their "consciences."

The text goes on to mention that the Gentiles do not have the written code and could do right without it. "So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code..." Therefore, the Gentile is not required to have the written code of the Law or to obey everything in it since he is not required to be circumcised. The Gentile is merely required to do what is right, and that is something that is apart from the Law, even though it is in the law. Therefore, Romans 2 does not speak about or necessitate Theonomy for Gentiles, but rather the text affirms that the Gentiles do not need the law. Genesis 9 The Theonomist will use eisegesis (reading something into the text) to infer what one would say or believe about Genesis 9. In Genesis 9 you have a covenant with Noah. This is not to be confused with the Covenant that he made with the Israelites, but the Theonomist reads that meaning into the text. As we saw in Romans 2, one does not need to have a covenant with God at all to know that murder is wrong. Just because God gave this one command to Adam or to Noah does not mean that all of the Covenant with Israel was also given to them at that time.

All this shows that Theonomy is a thought made up in the minds of people that they try to read into the Bible in various places where it does not exist. Now let's take a look at that Reference in Matthew 5:19. Here, I'll quote Matt. 5:17-20: "17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

The Theonomist will make a point about "For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law..." They infer from this that the Mosaic Law itself in immutable for all time. Now let's think about that. The Mosaic Law is something that God created for a specific people, at a specific time, in a specific culture. Culture changes, people change. Laws will have to change because people and culture change. Now God made the galaxies. Are the galaxies immutable? Nothing is immutable except God himself. Let's look at the context here. Jesus is a Jew and he is speaking to Jews. So far, we have established that the Law of the Old Testament Law was only applied to the Jews. Are you a Gentile that is circumcised? Are you a Gentile that keeps all the ritual sacrifices? Are you a Gentile and keeping all of the kosher regulations? All that is part of the Old Covenant Law? Why are you not keeping all of that? If you really believe in Theonomy, then you have some explaining to do. Are you truly a teacher of the law, or just pretending to teach it?

Please explain that.

Now, let's look at what Jesus' whole point is in this passage. We find that in verse 20, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Wow! So you can diligently keep all of the requirements of the Old Testament law as the Pharisees and especially teachers of the law did in that day and Not make it to heaven! You can be circumcised, eat only kosher foods, and keep all the sacrifices and laws and still Not make it to heaven! What were these diligent law-keepers missing? And what is the Law for if it cannot bring salvation? Aha! I see, he clarifies it further in the following verses: 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘fool,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell." and, 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

So, the Law was insufficient in that it said, "Do not commit murder and do not commit adultery." But Jesus said God expects more, that is the principles that should have been learned by the Law, that is, also do not hate others, treat others respectfully, and do not lust.

1) So to infer that the Old Testament covenant is expected out of Gentiles from this passage is reading something into it. A Gentile does not need to observe the Old Covenant Law and that does not take away from it at all. The Old Covenant Law is still there unchanged for the Jews. Furthermore, none of the Old Testament Law or the fulfillment thereof will help anyone get to heaven, not even a Jew.

2) It is really the matters of the heart that God wants us to serve and not the Law. So in this way, by defining what God really wants, Jesus fulfills the Law. Fulfillment means, "bring to completion or reality." Notice also that what Jesus says about the preservation of the Law: "not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." So until everything is accomplished, completed, or fulfilled...

But wait, Jesus said he came to fulfill the law.

Common Theonomy Fallacies

Theonomists will commit various argumentive fallacies. Be aware of them. Point them out. Don’t fall for them and don’t use them yourself.

1) Equating moral law or moral truth with Mosaic Law.

2) Attributing Mosaic Law to God’s revelation to Adam or Abraham.

3) Circular arguments. They will bring up an argument that you already refuted, ignoring that you already refuted that.

4) Deleting your previous statements on blogs. Start your entries. Don’t make a sub entry of their entry.

5) Inducing their own thoughts to “complete the dots” into similarities between God’s different revelations – Mosaic / Adamic / Abrahamic. Biblical Doctrine cannot be made up on missing links. Biblical Doctrine has to be based on Biblical teaching.

6) Equating conscience with Mosaic Law. If this was true, there would be no need for any laws.

7) Saying that because a part of Mosaic Law was there, the rest must have been. See # 10.

8) Double or triple teaming you. Just stay calm and deal with one person at a time.

9) Note that God does not command Adam to observe the Sabbath. Theonomists will say that he did. It is true that the day of rest is used as a justification for the Sabbath in Genesis 2, but nowhere does it say that this observance was given to Adam. See #10.

10) Also another fallacy argument – asking you to disprove their idea that the Mosaic Law was given to Adam or Abraham. It is up to them to prove their statement. Deuteronomy 5:3 works here also. "It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today."

Theonomy Arguments

Theonomists claim that the Old Testament law is for all nations and for all time, but this is just false. One Theonomy argument is that when Noah got off the ark, he made sacrifices for the entire human race. This is false. Nowhere does it say the sacrifices that Noah made were for the entire race. Also, Noah was before the Old Testament law, so how could the Old Testament law be applied in this instance? Theonomists may say that God required Noah to shed the blood of those who commit capital crimes, but there is no meaning given to the sacrifices in Genesis 8. Pre-Mosaic sacrifice usually went like this: somebody decided that he or she owed something to a god, or that he or she wanted something from a god or that something was owed to a god. It may have been a thanks offering for a favor received or an offering for a wanted favor.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/religion/sacrifice

htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_sacrifice

The Genesis 8 text flows in accordance with this more ancient meaning. Noah was thankful that the flood had ended and God saved him and his family from the flood. So he gave a sacrifice of thanks. To give more meaning to this sacrifice is to read meaning into the text. This is called eisegesis. The true scholar uses exegesis, that is, he takes the meaning out from the text.

Theonomy claims that Pharaoh was judged by God's law in Genesis 12. This is false. Again, this is before the Old Testament law was given. Even in the text of this passage, Pharaoh says, "Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” So Pharaoh judged himself even by his own standard. There is no mention at all of The Old Testament law or Old Testament covenant in this passage. It just has not been established. Again, to equate this to the Old Testament Covenant is to read mining into it. This is not scholarly.

Theonomists may claim that Hammurabi's Code was only for aristocrats. This is false. Hammurabi established his code because he decided everyone in his kingdom should adhere to the same law. It was found on many steles allover Mesopotamia. One stele of Hammurabi has been found as far north as Diyarbekir, where he claims the title "King of the Amorites". The Code of Hammurabi was inscribed on a stele and placed in a public place so that all could see it. It was written in Akkadian, the daily language of Babylon, and could therefore be read by any literate person in the city. Another stele was found on the other side of the empire in modern day Iran. The code of Hammurabi was concerned enough with the common man that it established a minimum wage.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CFkQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msmcpherson.com%2Fuploads%2F6%2F5%2F2%2F6%2F6526396%2Fmesopotamia.ppt&ei=rnbuVKrXHYqmgwT27YHoCw&usg=AFQjCNG6lzId_NqvLISAMz_HEyeJ-FzYLw&bvm=bv.86956481,d.eXY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi http://www.livescience.com/39393-code-of-hammurabi.html

http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-hammurabis-code http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi

Theonomists may say: "Leviticus 18 would be considered a very "Theonomic" passage of the Bible. It lists a number of sins, including homosexuality (v.22). Then it ends by saying that the Gentile nations would be judged and destroyed for their disobeying these very "Theonomic" verses." This is false. It does not say that these verses or commands were ever given to the Gentile nations. It does contrast God's commands with the practices of other nations. Verse 3 says, "You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices." Leviticus 18:24-30 does say: “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. 25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.’” There is no mention of God giving his commands or laws to the gentile nations here. To get the meaning out of the text, you find that God is simply saying that these nations defiled themselves with these sexual sins and that His commands to the Israelites was to not commit these sexual sins. Yes, God may judge people for these sins, but again, he is not giving the Old Testament, or Old Covenant, or Mosaic Law to the Gentiles here.

Theonomists may say "Jonah preached to Nineveh. He did not say that Nineveh should repent of its violations of the ersatz laws of Assyria's false gods, or it would be judged by the false gods of Assyria. Jonah represented the only true God and Theonomy. Assyria would subsequently rape and pillage Israel, and be destroyed by God for doing so, in violation of God's Law (Isaiah 10)." The Theonomist use of Jonah's message to Nineveh is false. Once again the Theonomist is putting meaning into the text instead of taking out the meaning that is there. In the book of Jonah, the message to the Ninevites is simply, "Let them give up their evil ways and their violence." There is no mention in the book of Jonah about giving God's law, the Old Testament or the Old Covenant or Moses' laws to the Ninevites. The meaning here is just simply that Jonah told them to give up their evil ways and their violence, or Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days.

The Theonomists use of Isaiah 10 to refer to "God's Law" again is false. There is no mention of "Law" here. It is just simply stating that God used Assyria to judge some unjust nations, and that he could also judge Assyria for its wrongdoing in the same way. Again, the Theonomist uses eisegesis. The use of exegesis gives us the true meaning, that God used Assyria to judge wrongdoers and that he could and would also judge Assyria by sending "a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors."

Theonomists may say, "Much of that section of the Bible called "the prophets" is against the Gentile nations for violating God's Law. Theonomy applies to all nations, not just Israel. This is false. Following are all the stated purposes of all the Old Testament prophets:

Isaiah 1: "The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem."

Jeremiah 1:16 "I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me."

Lamentations 1:8 "Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean."

Ezekiel 2:3 “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day."

Hosea 1:4 "I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel."

Amos 1:1 "The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel."

Micah 1:1 "the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem."

Haggai 1:12 "Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord."

Zechariah 1:3-4 "This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. 4 Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’"

Malachi 2:1-2 “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. 2 If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings."

So most of the prophets are for Israel or condemning Israel & yes it condemns Israel for not keeping God's law. Yes there are judgements for other nations in the prophets, but not once is this ever connected with the keeping of God's law, God's covenant, or the Law of Moses.

Theonomists may say that prison is never used as punishment in the Bible. This concept is false. Isaiah is a book written in Israel for Israelites. Isaiah 61:1 says, "the opening of the prison to those who are bound." This just cannot be used as an expression of freedom where the use of prisons is not extensive. Prison is expressly mentioned as a punishment for judgement of Gods laws in Ezra 7:25-26 "25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. 26 Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

Here is another ridiculous argument Theonomists use: "What textual basis do you have for believing that only parts of God's Law were revealed to mankind before the covenant with Israel?" My answer: What evidence do you have that they are fully the same. There is none. This has already been established because the texts of these are significantly different.

Another ridiculous argument Theonomists use: ""Kosher" regulations are not in the Bible." There are restrictions in the Old Testament about what to eat and not eat. My question to them: Do you eat pork? If so, you are not keeping the Old Testament law as you claim you should. Are you uncircumcised? If not, then you do not keep the Old Testament law as you claim one should. Do you keep all the sacrifices of the Mosaic covenant? If not, then you do not keep the Old Testament law as you claim one should. Do you keep all the seasonal festivities of the Mosaic covenant? If not, then you do not keep the Old Testament law as you claim one should. So what specific tradition that the Pharisees had was in direct violation of the law? Their traditions were supposed to define the law so it was easy to keep. However, they circumvented some of the law by keeping the ones they wanted to keep first and not keeping the spirit or principle of the law. Jesus gives the example of declaring something as "corban" or dedicated to God. The Pharisees would use this to keep from supporting their parents. Jesus is still saying that the use of rule-keeping is not sufficient. If you make more rules and some of the rules are broken, then you need more rules to make sure that the more important rules are not broken. This can lead to a never ending cycle of rulemaking. Jesus said, "I came to fulfill the Law." Jesus came, he died, and he rose from the dead. He fulfilled the law. It is accomplished & like he said on the cross, "It is finished." John 19:28-30: "Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." And as he said about keeping the law, "until everything is accomplished," now everything was accomplished. The law is now finished.

Theonomists will argue that the Law does require sincerity of the heart, and this is true in to some extent. They will say that it is an Anti-Theonomist argument that this is what is required. We need to remember that the Theonomist position is to enforce all of the Old Testament law into civil law for all peoples. Yet, sincereity of heart is required in both the Old and New Testament. One of the 10 commandments is, "Do not covet." How are you going to enforce, "Do not covet?" How are you going to enforce sincerity of heart? This just goes to prove that you cannot. Therefore, the Old Testament law was not meant to encompass all that would be needed for civil law, and it also goes beyond civil law. It also reaches into how one SHOULD live.

Theonomists may say it is ungodly and antichristian to claim that God's law is NOT perfect for every society, in every day and age. God's law IS for the administration of civil government. To claim otherwise is to claim assert that a Romans 13 government bears the sword in vain. God forbid! Here they are confusing Mosaic Law with other things like truth and spiritual laws. Even the Old Testament said that Mosaic Law was imperfect, was specific for a specific society and would have to be improved over time.

Implementing Theonomy

The Theonomist may say: "It’s not about creating a new Theocracy, but it’s about implementing and submitting to the right one. Man no less implements a theocracy when rejecting God's Law but just a false a pagan one." However, nowhere in the New Testament does it say that it is up to Christians to implement a new theocracy in society or civil law. The Christian must just individually allow God to write His law on their own heart. The lamb of God establishes his Kingdom in the Book of Revelation:Rev 5:9 " 9 And they sang a new song, saying:“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign[a] on the earth.”11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders." Revelation 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down."

What is the kingdom of God currently defined as for the Christian after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and before his return?

Romans 14:17: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,"

Jesus is the only priest in the new covenant:

Hebrews 7:11 "If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”[a]18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’”[b]22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely[c] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever."

Thus, in the current era there is no human, Christian priests or magistrates administrating Mosaic Law. With the new covenant, God writes his laws on the hearts of the believers:

It Is Finished

Jesus' salvation is complete. Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets. God gave us a new and better covenant through Jesus Christ, and this replaces the Mosaic Covenant of Law.

Hebrews 7:24 "but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely[a] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens."

Luke 22:36 "He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’[a]; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

Luke 24:44 "He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." John 19:28 "Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

Romans 13:8 "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

Matthew 26:27 "Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

2 Corinthians 3:6 "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Hebrews 8:13 "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."

Now in light of all these scriptures, for someone to advise that the Mosaic Law must be implemented into civil law, so that people can live righteous lives, you have to deny the price that Jesus paid on the cross to establish the New Covenant. You have to deny all these scriptures and deny that Jesus Christ is the mediator of this New Covenant that he established. Those 3 words from John 19:30 are so powerful:

“It is finished."

So, in conclusion. Even for the Jew, the Old Covenant has been broken and the Jews should be looking forward to a time when God will write the law on the hearts of his people. For the Christian, the New Covenant has been established. The process has begun and God is writing His Law on their hearts. For the Muslim, there is no need to re-establish civic law from newly God given revelation. The commands of Jesus are for all. Jesus can write his law on the hearts of the Jew, the Christian, and the Muslim.

Paul's World

Commenting on the World's News & Current Affairs