Coherence - Part 1

Christ Covenant Church

Coherence (def.,) to be intellectually clear and consistent, logical and reasonable.

The accusations of our critics:

1. Your list of capital crimes and their punishments are completely arbitrary. The NT possesses no such list or penalties. The only law is love.

Our biblically obedient and coherent response:

1.1. The NT (or more specifically, Jesus) affirms the OT Law’s (including its capital crimes) continuing authority under the NC and for the Christian (Mat 5:17-18, hence 19-20).

1.2. The NT likewise establishes excommunication as the new and consistent application of the prior established (OT) principle of death prescribed for capital crimes (OT = physical, NT = spiritual) (1Co 5:1-5; 1Ti 1:20).

1.3. Given that God prescribes the same punishment for all capital crimes, the time assigned to excommunication likewise must be the same no matter the kind of capital offense committed (Num 15:16). Biblical equity also requires that repeat offenders receive an increased sentence or level of severity commensurate to the original established time multiplied by the number of times they have reoffended (A-Jud-Sys.: recidivism rate) (Deu 25:2).

1.4. That God is indeed prescribing a set or fixed amount of time as well as the fact that this time is to be determined by the covenant community is made apparent by the NT evidence of time being assigned to those excommunicated while by the same token, making no mention of exactly how much time was actually assigned (2Co 2:6-7 w/1Co 5:1-5).

1.5. To speak as though love is a replacement to God’s Law – or stands opposed to the Law, is a complete oxymoron. From God’s perspective, there is no love without His Law. His Law – not the laws of men, is what determines true and righteous love to others. Said differently, it is impossible to love anyone, without strict adherence to God’s Law. The Law/establishing of equity = Love (Gal 5:13-14; Rom 13:8-10; Lev 19:15-18 w/Mat 22:39).

1.6. The question is therefore not whether we are going to follow love or the Law as our authority, but which Law (or laws) will define our love? The very arbitrary, always changing, completely subjective, laws of men based entirely on their sinful and selfish desires or the very equitable, never changing, completely objective laws of God based entirely on His perfectly righteous and immutable character?

1.7. Whether people realize it (or not), there is really only two choices: autonomy (self-law – [Jug 21:25; Pro 18:1]w/Pro 13:13; Gen 3:5[1]) or theonomy (God’s law – Deu 4:2, 5-8, 6:24).

2. There is no such thing as apostasy[2] and even if there was, that is between God and that person. It is not something that the church can know or has the authority to declare.

Our biblically obedient and coherent response:

2.1. Per God’s promise, the church in the OT (the Old Covenant community or kingdom of God on earth) was supplied with priests-judges who were ordained (deputized) with divine authority from the Holy Spirit and able (therefore) to bind in apostasy those who knowingly rebelled against their authority and/or refused to comply with the discipline/justice for their sins and stop their practice of rebellion against God and His laws (i.e., who refused to repent) (Exo 19:6 w/Deu 17:9-13 w/Num 15:30-31; Deu 29:18-20).

2.2. Per God’s promise, priest-judges ordained (or deputized) with the same authority and ability were provided to the church in the NT (New Covenant community or kingdom of God on earth) (Isa 66:21; Rev 1:6; Mat 16:17-19 w/Joh 20:21-23 [w/Mat 12:32]; Mat 18:15-20).

2.3. If the OC priest-judges had the authority and ability to know who was apostate and bind them in apostasy how much more those functioning as priest-judges under the NC whose possess an added measure of the HS (bringing true regeneration and cleansing from sin thru the blood of Christ) and the completed (“perfect”) version of God’s Word to instruct them leading to greater clarity or understanding and less impact from personal depravity (Rev 1:5 w/Deu 28:20; 1Co 13:9-12).

2.4. Though not in relation to eternal things, we nonetheless believe the state possesses authority from God and can make decisions which promote or preserve justice and purge evil. We believe also that such authorities should be respected and submitted to (Rom 13:1-3). If this true for the state whose government and courts are secular why would we consider the church whose government and courts are sacred to be any less competent or called by God? (1Co 6:1-6).

3. Your views on what constitutes sexual immorality and the severity of punishment inflicted (excommunication) on such sins as porn and masturbation are too extreme. Porn and masturbation are the regular practice of many if not most Americans – including those claiming to be Christians[3]. Studies also suggest that their practice may not only be essential to mental health and longevity of life, but near impossible to resist because of the way we have been created.

Our biblically obedient and coherent response:

3.1. Per God’s Word, the sin of sexual immorality has but one punishment, death (OT- physical, NT- spiritual/excommunication; again 1Co 5:1-5) and has been committed any time a person voluntarily participates in any sexual activity w/someone not identified by God as their spouse: 1) Adultery (Exo 20:14 [versus 20:17]Lev 20:10; Deu 22:13-24), 2) Homosexuality (Lev 20:13), 3) Fornication and Incest [all sexual acts with unbelievers or those we have no intention or biblically sanctioned ability to marry] (Lev 20:11-14; Num 25:1-8 w/1Co 10:8 w/1Co 6:15-20; 2Co 5:20-6:2, 14-18; Exo 34:12-16), 4) Bestiality (Exo 22:19; Lev 20:15-16), 5) Rape (Deu 22:25-27), 6) Masturbation [immoral] (Mat 5:27-30), 7) Voyeurism and Pornography [illicit viewing of sexual acts or nakedness] (Lev 18:1-20).

3.2. To not excommunicate those guilty of biblically defined sexual immorality would constitute rebellion by the church and secure God’s curse on the congregation (1Co 5:2 w/12-13 w/Deu 13:1-18; e.g., Jos 7:13).

3.3. If pornography (and masturbation) is the regular practice of most Americans, then most Americans are going to hell. This is perfectly inline (coherent) with Jesus’ prediction as it re: to humanity (Mat 7:13-14; Luk 13:22-24).

3.4. A person’s mental health and longevity of life is more often (if not always) the result of sin – not its resistance (again, Deu 28:20 [“until you perish quickly”] along w/v34, 65-66; Deu 32:47).

3.5. Sexual immorality only becomes “near impossible to resist” when we fail where it starts and what is easy to prevent: 1) succumbing to sinful sexual lust/coveting (Exo 20:17 [versus 20:14]; Job 31:1; Eph 1:12-18), 2) living for this world instead of the next world (this is the key to contentment or the removal of coveting) (Pro 29:18; Col 3:1; Phi 3:14 versus 2Pe 1:9).

[1] “Such then is the graveyard of autonomous ethics; each gravestone reads the Satanic temptation, ‘Ye shall be gods, knowing [determining] good and evil.’” – Greg Bahnsen (Theonomy In Christian Ethics)

[2] The unforgiveable sin or the inability to ever be forgiven by God. This curse can only befall those who were formerly saved -or in saving covenant relationship with God. That person’s sins are placed back upon them w/no hope of future pardon. They are bound in a state of damnation from which they cannot escape no matter the repentance that may follow (Heb 12:15-17).

[3] Consider the following statistics (2023): 1) 47% of families in the United States reported that pornography is a problem in their home. Pornography use increases the marital infidelity rate by more than 300%. 2) 56% of American divorces involve one party having an “obsessive interest” in pornographic websites. 3) 68% of church-going men and over 50% of pastors view porn on a regular basis. 4) Of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn. 5) Only 13% of self-identified Christian women say they never watch porn—87% of Christian women have watched porn. 6) 55% of married men and 25% of married women say they watch porn at least once a month. 7) 57% of pastors say porn addiction is the most damaging issue in their congregation. 69% say porn has adversely impacted the church. My reason for lumping masturbation into this is Jesus’ statements in Matthew 5 regarding the eye and the hand (vv28-30, what the eye sees, the hand does)- a reference to sexual lust and the subsequent act of masturbation. If lust will lead someone in this direction, how much more the viewing of actual nakedness or porn? For more information see “Biblical Sexual Ethics” – R. Scott Jarrett