God's Existence, Religion and Gospel

Christ Covenant Church

GOD’S EXISTENCE (The Moral Test argument)

1. Through our inescapable drive to assess (judge) all things from an ethical perspective (right and wrong), we (humanity) are not only confirming our unique identity as moral creatures but also our belief in: 1) this life as a test (ethics indicate a test) and 2) the existence of God (i.e., an objective test-grader) Who in the after-life, will reward or punish us based on our performance of the test.

1.1. Hence the reason humans suffer guilt, depression and mental illness, b/c we as moral creatures sense our failures in relation to the test we instinctively know exists (Deu 28:20, 28).

1.2. The Moral Test argument cannot be refuted nor should anyone want to refute it given the other options: 1) this life is the only life or 2) everyone goes to heaven makes all suffering and evil meaningless and unbearably cruel (Deu 28:34 “you will be driven mad by what you see”).

1.3. Support: (Rom 1:18-21; Luk 20:35; Rev 3:4-5; Jam 1:12 [Hence Jam 1:1-3]; Psa 62:12 Pro 24:12; Mat 16:27; Joh 5:28-30; Rom 2:6, 14:12; 1Co 3:13; 2Co 5:10; Eph 6:8; Col 3:25; Rev 2:23, 20:12, 22:12).

RELIGION

2. The principles (i.e. rules for the test) established by God’s Word and gospel is the only ancient system of morality (i.e., religion) that creates true equity in the world.

2.1. There are two important things to consider when determining the rules of the test:

2.1.1. He is there and not silent.

It is only reasonable to assume that when God created humanity, He provided them with the rules to the test – i.e., the system of morality (religion) they would need to follow to pass the test.

2.1.2. Ancient is better.

Given the correspondence between time and corruption - or the fact that the reliability of something diminishes the further you move from its point of origin, those religions closest to the beginning of Creation would therefore be the most likely to possess an accurate record. Two of the oldest possessing a record of rules are: 1) the religion of the Babylonians (Code of Hammurabi [18th century BC]), 2) the religion of the Hebrews/Jews (Mosaic Code [15th century BC]).[1]

2.2. Though the similarities between these two ancient religions confirm prior oral tradition (the laws originally given to Adam and Eve were passed down to Noah and his sons and their descendants)[2], only the Mosaic Code establishes the same moral expectations and justice for all people without discrimination due to status, health or race (Deu 16:20; Num 15:16. IOW: it is the only ancient religion that truly establishes equity (or love – Lev 19:15-18).

GOSPEL

3. The only way human beings have ever received salvation (i.e., passed the test/avoiding failing the test) is by entering into a marriage covenant with God (i.e., by marrying Jesus)[3].

Support: (Jer 31:31-32 w/Jud 1:5)

4. Because the way we get saved is through entering into a marriage covenant with Jesus:

4.1. Gaining that relationship has always required a faith-pledge of our allegiance - i.e., our solemn promise to obey the latest version/application of Jesus’ moral law (e.g., 1Co 5:1-5 versus Lev 20:11) and observe its associated covenant signs (“clean laws”)[4].

Support: (Deu 32:51)[5]

Covenant signs associated w/our faith-pledge in our human marriages = Wedding rings exchanged at the time of our vows (our faith-pledge of allegiance to one another)

Covenant signs (CS) associated w/our faith-pledge in our marriage to Jesus:

4.1.1. Adamic and Noahic Covenants (Gen 6:9 “Noah walked with God) = Most likely indicating that pledges or vows of allegiance have been taken and that the respective parties have entered into a covenant relationship with one another – (Consider for example, Amo 3:3 “Can two walk together unless they are in agreement?” = Context is that of covenant agreement); CS = Animal sacrifice (Gen 3:21 ,8:20).

4.1.2. Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 15:6); CS = Animal sacrifice and circumcision (Gen 17:1-14) = The obligation to obedience being communicated by God is not new to Abe. No doubt this is what Abe originally committed to in his pledge of faith. Seeing however that this is what his new “sign in [the] flesh” is meant to communicate, necessitates its rehearsal by God.

4.1.3. Old Covenant (Exo 24:7-8); CS = Animal sacrifice, circumcision, separation and sabbaths. In the NT these are referred to as “the works of the law”(Exo 31:13).

4.1.4. New Covenant (1Pe 1:2 w/3:21 “appeal to God”) = Pledge of allegiance; CS = Baptism and the Lords Table.

4.2. Maintaining that relationship has always required faithfulness to our prior faith-pledge of allegiance.

Support: Human marriage = Unfaithfulness leads to divorce (Mat 5:32); Marriage to Jesus = Unfaithfulness likewise leads to divorce/apostasy (Heb 10:26-30, 12:14-17; Isa 50:1; Jer 3:38; 1Co 10:1-12 [5-6 and 11-12]) = The only way the OC Jews can serve as an example w/respect to NC salvation is if the same consequences suffered by them for unfaithfulness can also be suffered by us.

5. To simply say that people under the OC gained their salvation by observing the OC clean laws erroneously implies they were only necessary – or needed to be observed at the initial point of a person’s salvation.

Reductio Absurdum: no bacon on the Israelite’s burger the day they got saved, but after that it was okay.

6. That a bi-partite distinction exists within God’s Word and that it is the OT covenant signs that Paul is opposed to when speaking of the end of the Law (Rom 10:4) is not only confirmed by their proximity to the phrase “works of the law” (e.g., the mention of circumcision in Rom 3:28-30 where Paul also states that we are “justified by faith apart from the works of the law”), but also what Paul says in (1Co 7:19 “circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, what matters is keeping the commands of God” ).

7. Though they may look different in application, the principles established by the moral commands of the OT remain in full force today as confirmed not only by their repeated mention in the New Testament, but also the principle of stare decisis.[6]

7.1. In re: to repeat: (Rom 13:9) “if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” = Love is accomplished through obedience to God’s moral commands (w/Gal 5:13-14) “through love serve one another…the whole Law is fulfilled…in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” = Paul’s command to love is a repeat of the second greatest commandment which requires observance of all God’s moral commands to accomplish [again, Rom 13]).

7.2. In re: to stare decisis: (e.g., 1Co 6:18) = Unless I am willing to think that only sex with a prostitute (v16) constitutes immorality, I need the OT to determine the scope of the crime which means the moral commands established in the OT remain authoritative.

[1] The distinction between these two religions is the different path taken by the sons of Noah and their descendants: 1) the descendants of Ham and Japheth who rebelled against God (Gen 10:1-11:9 = The Tower of Babel, the Babylonians), and 2) the descendants of Shem who continued following God (Gen 11:10-35:29 = Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - or Israel, the Hebrews/Jews).

[2] For example consider: 1) (CH197) “If he has broken a [landowner’s] bone, they shall break his bone.” with (Lev 24:19-20) “Anyone who maims another shall suffer the same injury in return: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; the injury inflicted is the injury to be suffered.”; 2) (CH195) “If a son has struck his father, they shall cut off his hand.” with (Exo 21:15) “Whoever strikes father or mother shall be put to death.”

[3] As should be expected, the concept of divine marriage for salvation was likewise a part of ancient religion – including the religion of the Babylonians, “The very ancient rite of the sacred marriage was of the utmost importance, if not the essential and pivotal element of Babylonian religion. The principal role was played by the god of the city-state, and the sacred marriage was celebrated in order that, by a species of sympathetic magic, the resulting fruitfulness might be extended to the people and the whole land, that is to say, that fertility and abundance might be bestowed upon the head of every family, his flocks and herds, and the land he cultivated.” – E. Douglas Van Buren (“The Sacred Marriage in Early Times in Mesopotamia”)

[4] Jesus represents the Law’s personal embodiment and author – including its historical codification at Sinai (Joh 1:1; Heb 9:16).

[5] See Matthew W. Bates, Salvation By Allegiance Alone

[6] This principle assumes - among other things, that laws established in the past remain authoritative in the future unless overturned. As a result, it is this legal maxim that allows us to assume that when previous laws are cited as support for present cases – or used to understand them, it is because those laws continue in force. As such this too provides an irrefutable argument for the Law’s continuing authority under the New Covenant since how could Jesus, the apostle Paul and the rest of the New Testament authors use the Old Testament as their support unless those commands are still in force?