Hello Bro. Dan, as you know I have never done this before but since you invited me in I just wanted to say and that we really did enjoy having my favorite preacher and his family on Thanksgiving. Ya'll are such a blessing to us. Yes I lurk in here to learn. Sometimes I get confused but then I go to my Brother in-law (Jim Drickermer....hi Jim) to find my answers.Ya'll have a very fine day in our Lord! In Christ, Dixie Dan Gunter <twiceborn@...> wrote: John Reisinger wrote: > I was cleaning out my filing cabinet and ran across some correspondence concerning law and grace. Over ten years ago a dear Reformed Baptist brother wrote me and said I had totally misunderstood Covenant Theology and therefore was misrepresenting what it teaches. He sent me two quotations from well known covenant theologians and assured me I would be straightened out if I would read and digest their "clear representations" of what true Covenant Theology teaches. The following is my reply. First I will print the articles and then give you my reply. The bolded parts are mine and will be used in my response so note them carefully. > > First quotation: > > > >"It may be remarked, that the Law of the Ten Commandments was promulgated to Israel from Sinai in the form of a covenant of works. Not that it was the design of God to renew a Covenant of works with Israel, or to put them upon seeking life by their own obedience to the law; but the law was published to them as a covenant of works, to show them that without a perfect righteousness, answering to all the demands of the law, they could not be justified before God; and that, finding themselves wholly destitute of that righteousness, they might be excited to take hold of the Covenant of Grace, in which a perfect righteousness for their justification is graciously provided. The Sinai transac­tion was a mixed dispensation. In it the Covenant of grace was published, as appears from these words in the preface standing before the commandments: `I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage'; and from the promulgation of the ceremonial law at the same time. But the moral law, as a covenant of works, was also dis­played, to convince the Israelites of their sinfulness and misery, to teach the necessity of atonement, and to lead them to embrace by faith the blessed Mediator, the seed of Abraham, in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. The Law, therefore, was published at Sinai as a covenant of works, in subservience to the Covenant of GRACE, and the law is still published in subservi­ence to the gospel, as a `schoolmaster to bring sinners to Christ, that they may be justified by faith' (Gal. 3:24)." > > From: The Reformed Faith, by Robert Shaw, p. 195. > > > >Second quotation: > > "God set up the law for the Israelites as a covenant of grace with Evangelical offers of Grace to bring them to Christ; but at the same time, He kept it in the form of a covenant of works, that it might be the more effectual to drive men to Christ." > >.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . > > "The Lord's intention in giving the Law was double, unto the carnal Jews to set forth the old covenant which they had broken; and yet unto the believing Jews it did darkly shadow and set forth unto them the covenant of grace made with Christ . . . and therefore it was delivered AFTER A SORT IN THE FORM OF A COVENANT OF WORKS, not in God's intention, but by their own corruption . . . Now if the Lord will not give it as a covenant, why does He not propound it as a rule, and lay down the PRECEPTS without any such terms of a covenant, in which men should attain life by doing, but by believing? Thus the Lord did, that the TERMS of the first Covenant might be promulgated to the world, and that they that did still desire to be under the Law, might not plead ignorance of the terms that God required in the Law." > >.. . . . . . . . . . . . . > > "It was thus God's purpose towards men in the times of the Old Covenant 'by such a dreadful representation of the severe and impracticable terms of the first Covenant . . . to convince them of the impossibility of legal righteousness,' and to 'drive them to Christ.'" > >.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . > > "In the light of all the foregoing, therefore, it may be concluded that the Puritan opinion about the place of the Law in the Covenant of Grace is that its rigorous demands provide that rough surface which the 'Spirit of bondage' can use to prepare the heart for the reception of grace and liberty." > > The Grace of Law, by Ernest Kevan, pp. 129-130. > > > Why Brother John, surely you can see how completely this explains CT, can't you? It's as clear as mud to me!! :-) Thank you brother; it's such things as these that make me thankful every day that Curtis introduced me to your ministry those many years ago. (Along with getting to meet Moe and Jack of course) BTW, Moe, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with Cajun fried turkey, hoghead cheese, crawfish and corn dressing (Made by Jim Drickamer's nephew's son), and lots of good Southern Louisiana sweet tea to wash it down with. Not to mention all of the cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, butter beans, and fried oysters to boot. (This is a partial list from both the meal at Dixie's [Jim's sister-in-law, and I believe a lurker on this list. Hey Dixie, if you are on give me a hello to let everyone know you're here] house and also the later meal at my mom's) And of course, Thanksgiving would not be complete without making a good Turkey bone gumbo afterwards!! Yum-yum. (Kinda like the ole He-Haw "Hey grandpaw, what's for supper?") -- The truth often gradually works on the mind, removing prejudices, till it is discerned in its beauty and glory; whereas at other times it is at once brought home to the conscience, not as the word of man, but as it is in truth the Word of God. James Haldane--Commentary on Galatians ************** Daniel L. Gunter ************** -- Read the Sound of Grace pages at http://www.soundofgrace.com To unsubscribe, send ANY message to To view our online archive go to our web page at http://www.associate.com/groups/soundofgrace --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now