“It was a tragic hour when the reformation churches wrote the Ten Commandments into their creeds and catechisms and sought to bring Gentile believers into bondage to Jewish law, which was never intended either for the Gentile nations or for the church.”
Dr. D. G. Barnhouse (1895 – 1960)
Presbyterian Minister
10th Presbyterian — Philadelphia
“…the emphasis on the Ten Commandments is not the approach of the New Testament to the Christian life; indeed, it was obscuring it. It became clear to me that the New Testament does not identify the Ten Commandments or “the law” as the primary framework for pleasing God or conforming to his moral law.”
Matthew Tuininga,
United Reformed Church Licentiate
R2k advocate
Matthew has written that the proof that the the commandments does not equal the moral law is the fact, in his opinion, that the 4th and 5th commandments have aspects to them that no longer apply. The 4th commandment because of the change of the Sabbath day and the 5th commandment because the promise of the land is void. (This despite it being quoted with the promise intact in Eph. 6).
So here is the question for Matthew; except for these two differences between the Ten Commandments and the Moral law what other differences exist between the Ten Commandments and the Moral law?
Obviously, the authors of the Westminster Larger Catechism were not at all reformed, unorthodox, and guilty of teaching grave error. Why else would they spend questions 91-150 teaching about the Ten Commandments, and explicitly equate the moral law to the Commandments in question 98?
This is obviously sarcasm, but I have heard as much directly from the mouths of those spreading the R2K virus.
It is “fortunate” that we have the modern neo-reformed tradition and its “R2K” virus to erase all that silliness those pesky Divines passed down (more sarc).
And these people have the nerve to try to pass themselves off as “reformed.”
LOL.
Men like Tuninga wouldn’t have a voice if the laity knew their Bibles. Who else is going to hold these guys accountable if their theological buddies won’t?
Why should we expect the laity to know their bibles when the Clergy don’t?
I’m reading Gary North’s History of the Presbyterian Church (about 1/2 way through) and it is apparent that it has been a very long time since laity or clergy, in any numbers, have known their bibles.
Well, I guess it comes from teaching children for a living, but I sometimes think the students we churn out may know their Bibles better (though less extensively) than most of the local pastors.
Joshua,
I wouldn’t doubt that your observation is correct.
When I meet clergy my first thought is “Elmer Gantry.” Because of that I try not to admit that I am clergy when I meet strangers.
Amen, Joshua.
Amen.
According to the following link, it is “knowing the bible” that leads young Christians to stray from the faith. A short, slick, sublime example of the dialectic further compromising the teaching of God’s word to children. Must be seen to be believed. I came across it while researching troubling materials that I was supplied with in my church.
http://coldcasechristianity.com/2012/stop-teaching-young-christians-about-their-faith/