Law &

Liberation by Owen Fourle

The Truth

Pontius Pilate, the governor of the province of Judea in the humanistic Roman empire asked, "What is trulb.?" (John 18:38). ScriptureindicatesthatPilatedismissedtheopportunity of an answer frOm the One who had, a few seconds earlier, declared that His purpose in coming into the world was to

=========~ .. ''bear witness unto the truth." Clnist went on to say, ''Every

The Triumph of Truth

Truth is bound up with God and, for us, it is fmmd in the meaning andintheinterpretationwhichHegivesto everything He bas created. Apartfrom God andHis revelation, truth does not exist Truth is dependent on God. Where God is, there lruthis. Since the whole of creation, rightdeiwn to ilB minutest detail, bears witness to God,His truthextends throughout His creation. That being so, there is D.O place for anything that would deny what God has revealed or declared. To deny the truth or to seek to establish one's own Weird independently of God and in contradiction to what God bas declared is nothing less than high treason against Him upon whom the whole creation is dependent It warrants death and danmation. The false witness of the rebellious Satan led to the fall of man (Genesis 3:1-6). The true witness of our Lord JesUs Christ leads to our redemption. Life apart frOm Christ, who is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), exislS in thenegative and temporary framework of falsehood. It has no lasting foundation. For"otherfoundation canno man lay than thatis laid, which is Jesus Quist" (I Corinthians 3:11). The truth is basic to the Kingdom of God and the grace and truth which camebyJesusChrist(Johnl:17),intimeandonearth,ensures the progress and the triumph of that kingdom, in time and on earth. The advance of God'skingdom requiresthe eradication of falsehood hence the commandment, ''thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

14 • The Counsel of Chalcedoo • May 1991

one that is of the truth heareth my voice" (John 18:37). That Jesus Christ is the truth is affinned in the book of ReveIation where He is described as ''the faithful witness" (1 :5) and ''the Amen, the faithful and true witness" (3:14). As ''the Amen" He is the One in whom all the promises and the puIposes of God are fulfilled. "For all the promises ofGod in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God. .. " (II CorinthiaIl!! 1 :20). Jesus Christ, the truth, the true and faithfuI witness, the Amen of god, is the Lord of history and he stands opposed to every false witness. Every individual or group that does not build its life with the sQvereign, triune God and His written law-word as the foundation is a faIse witness. The nation of Israel, in the person of their religious leaders, rejected Quist

by false witness concerning Him. "And they began to accuse Him (before Pilate), saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, sayingthat He himseif is Christ a king" (Luke 23:2). Forthis rejection of the truth and for their faIse witness against Him, Quist had already proD.Ounted the death sentence in the )lIariy woes uttered against the scribes andPharisees (MattheW 23: 13-33). As the lruth and the Lord of history and the eternal judge, He witnessed against them and He executed them in due course. The cross to which he was driven by false wi1nesses stands as a witness to the truth that man is a sinner whollas viQlated God's law and who, without repentance, faith, and obedience, deserves to die. The cross witnesses to the truth that there is only one way of salvation apart from which there is only judgDlent and eternal diunnation. .

Apart from the absolute law-word of God, which points us to Christ and which shows believers their duty, there is no other standard that can distinguish between truth and falsehood. In this fallen world everything would claim to be true. False witnesses would hardly go around claiming to be false. To the contrary, very often they sound so plausible that it is not easy to detect the lie. That is the subtlety of Liberation Theology as it uses all the familiar Biblical and Christian terminology which disguises its Marxist philosophical roots.

Some of these false witnesses find justification forthe lawless actions and consequent deaths of their followers in the Greek . word martus meaning witness but also the root of the word martyr. Martus appears in scripture in the descriptionofChrist as the true and faithful witness (Revelation 1:5; 3:14). R.I. Rushdoony notes that "the Greek word martus is the origin of the English word 'martyr' , and the result is an amazing confusion. The witnesses to Christ were executed by the Roman empire, and the result was a strange reversal of meaning. In the Bible, the witness is one who WOlXs to enforce the law and assist in its execution, even to the enforcement of the death penalty. 'Martyr' now has come to mean the exact reverse, i.e., one who is executed rather than an executioner, one who is persecuted rather than the one who is central to prosecution. The result is a serious misreading of Scripture. ... TospeakofChristasamartyrinthemodemsense(suffering death at the hands of a political tyrant) is thus a perversion of Scripture. As the witness in the continuing judgment, as well as the last judgment, and as King and judge over men and nations, He is not a martyr but the executioner, not a victim but the great victor over evil" The Institutes of Biblical Law, pp., 573-575). The ninth commandment is a declaration of war against all falsehood and a pronouncement of the inevitable triumph of truth- the truth of the triune God, the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the truth of the law-word of God. Here is true liberation-the liberty won by holding to the truth in obedience to God's law. Outside of this position there is only the bondage of falsehood and its offers of pseudo-liberation.

Preservation of the Truth

The truth must be preserved in each sphere of life. In the family, the Bible must have proper place and parents and children must be governed acconling to its teaching. The father has particular responsibility to ensure that this is done, with the help of his wife. The ministry of the church must deal faithfully with the scriptures. The principle of Scripture interpreting Scripture must apply in all its communication and application of the word of God in preaching, teaching, administering the sacraments, and in exercising discipline. In the broader application of its prophetic function to every area of life, the church must speak as the true witness to the

requirements of God' s law in society . In terms of De ute ronomy 27-31, particularly the blessings and the curses written in chapters 27 and 28, ministers and elders must be observant of their society and bear true witness to the curses of God upon disobedience and the blessings of God upon obedience.

The state as God's minister of justice for the execution of God's law must preserve the truth of God by cornrnendingthe doer of good and punishing the doer of evil (Romans 13:3,4). Although a judge must be blind to the persons before him, to ensure that all are equal before the law, he cannot be impartial when considering the issues. He must favor the law of God and apply its judgment on the matter in hand. He must do as God would do, "requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and .. Justifying the righteous, by giving him acconling to his righteousness" (II Chronicles 6:23). In Psalm 82 we learn that judges are called gods, not in respect of their persons but with regard to their function as those to whom "the word of God came" (John 1 0:35). In other words, judges and courts oflaw are basic to the operation and advancement of the Kingdom of God on earth. If their judgment is corrupted, as is described in Psalm 82, note verse 2, "How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?" then "all the foundations of the earth are out of course" (verse 5). Society is shaken and disturbed where judgment is perverted. When Jesus stated that the Word of God came to judges He also said, "the scripture cannot be broken" or made null and void. The Bible is a book for judges for the ordering of society according to the truth. Where the word of God is set aside we are ruled by false witnesses and society is then under the curse of God and under the direct judgment of God. To deny the civil application of God's word and to confine it to matters concerning the church and the personal lives of Christians, as many do, is another form of false witness.

Turning briefly to the witness in a court oflaw it must be noted that the testimony of a witness must be honest and faithfu1. He must testify under an oath taken in the name of the triune God. His testimony must be subject to cross-examination and to corroboration. Scripture also requires no less than two witnesses. "One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of tow witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established" (Deuteronomy 19: 15). To witness falsely is a criminal offense against God and against man. The punishment of the false witness is prescribed in Deuteronomy 19: 19, "Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you."

(continued on page 31)

May 1991 • The Counsel of Chalcedon • 15

Because the leaders of WCA believe Christian education is vitaIforeverychild,plansareinthemakingtoestablishsatellite campuses in surrounding towns which will function as elementary feeder schools inlD the main campus High School. TheLafayettecampushas already beenmentioned. A Orristian School in the nearby IDwn of Ville Platte has recently merged Westtninster,providedtheAcademy'ssecondsatellitecampus. Feasibility studies are currently being considered for other nearby localities.

WCA believes in attempting great things for the Lord. The staff, faculty, administration, Board of DirecIDrs, and Church session nonetheless understaod the truth that "unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build if' (ps. 127:1). All who areinvolvedwiththeministryofWestminster Orristian Academy are careful 10 give all the praise 10 the Almighty. They also understaod that "nothing is impossible with God" (Matt. 19:26).

If God, in His graciOUS providence continues 10 bless, the accomplishments of an Academy committed first andforemost to be faithful to God's covenant will continue 10 grow. To accomplish Orrist's Great Commissionto disciple the nations, WCAhasmanylongrangeplans. SomeoftlwseplansincJude Westminster Publications, which will develop and publish ChristianSchool curricola withaBiblical World View emphasis. Other possible fu1Dre plans include the establishment of a rninority scholarship program 10 help underprivileged children in the area pay for a CbristianEducation, a boarding school, and the founding of Westminster Christian College. Yes, these are great plans. It must be remembered, however, that we serve a great God, a God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (ps. 50:10), a God whose resoun:es never run out God will use schools like Westminster 10 accomplish that great prophecy of Isaiah. In a small way, GodisalreadyusingWCAaspartofHis instrument to fill the earth with His knowledge "as the waters cover the sea". n

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Fourie, The Ninth Commandment, contiued

We are required by the ninth commandment to bear true witness concerning God and man and even our enemies and Satan. To ascribe 10 Satao the power that belongs only to God is 10 witness falsely. To witness truly is to promote the well­being of our society and a godly law-order in which nothing, neither good nor evil, will be exaggerated or concealed. Unless truth as defined by the Bible is upheld and preserved, our society will perish in a revolution of falsehood which promises a uIDpia beyond good and evil.

Withholding Truth

We are under an obligation to tell the truth in all normal circumstaoces. Thatis the duty implied inthis commandment However, we learn from Scriptnre that in a fallen world there are occasions when truth-telling will actually bring injury or death to the people of God. Such times would be in the face of swom enemies of God , who, given the truth, would use it to further their own evil purposes. In the real world, poetic justice is a fallacy and it cannot be held that by telling the truth to an enemy, for example, by revealing the hiding place of the Israelite spies in Jericho, God will bless the truth-telling and intelVene to prevent any hann. To expect this of God would be to test Him and it is forbidden to do that (Deuteronomy 6: 16). To give the truth to an enemy bent on the destruction of the truth is to be a party 10 that evil action. In the case of Rahab it was a choice between being a party to the killing of the Israelite spies ortellingalie to throw the menofJericho off thescent Nowheredoesscriptnrecondemnheraction. Infact shebecameamotherinthegenealogica1lineofourLordJesns Quist (Matthew 1:5). Similarly, theEgyptianmidwives, who lied about the reasons for their failure to destroy the male babies of the Hebrew women because they feared God more than Pharaoh, are nowhere condemned. Oearly, a raging enemy of God is not entitled to the truth. Furthermore, our obligation to tell the truth in DOrmal circumstances does not mean that private matters, which are of no concern to others, must be divulged.

Falsehood and ''Freedom''

We are all witnesses of a universe of God-created and God­ordered facts. InGod's crea!ioneverything speaks of Him. A true witness acknowledges this but a false witness rebelliously suppresses it Insteadofsubmittingtotheinterpretationwhich God gives to everything, he exaltshis mind above God's word to a positionoffalse independence. Ifhis interpretation, at any point, is in hannony with the truth, he does not acknowledge

May 1991 • The Counsel of Chalcedon • 31

God. If his interpretation is in conflict with · God's revelation of truth in creation and in Scripture, be maintains that his word alone is true. What foll\lwS is 'a denial of GO<!. What is so ridiculous about this position is the assumption that a creature can so'much as think independently of Godand arrive at the truthwithoutGod. Thai is tantamOWItto being able to standontside the universewith a knowledge of all facts without exception. It is a claim III be God and denial of the Almighty. To deny God, one has to presupposeHisexistence. Ifonepresupposes Him, where did the thought ri God come from? Ouly from Him with whom creation began. Clearly, the creature lives, moves, and has his being in the contextofGod and God's truth. Without God's flIcts and the ' meaning He gives to them, life becomes meaningless. To deny this is Illbedishonest andfoolishandthisistherootofallfalsehood.

Falsehood deludes men into believing that theyhavethetruth. Maliyclaim thattheydo not need the God of the Bible to have the truth. Others would akeptically ask, "What is truth?" and say thateverything is true and everything is false. Yet others retain what they believe III be the God of the Bible-a godofalltheORJreSSedpbor. Thesedeloded people believe they are free-free from the historic orthodox Christian faith and free III 1Je their own standard of reference. This is , psendo-truth and pseudo-freedom.

Without the conviction of the truth that we live ina wriverse of God-centered and God­ordered facts, men plWlgeinlll fa1sehoodon every side_ Here is the root of peIjury; slander; false wibtessconcemingGod; fa1se prophesying; evolution; b1amingtheworld's evils on secret conspiracies;. ascribing to those conspiracies and therefore III Satan an ordered and disciplined ability III achieve total power; and concentrating on an

Non·Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID BULK. RATE

Pemllt No. 1553

Second Minister's Conference

CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR PASTORS PRE·MINISTERIAL STUDENTS

AND CHURCH LEADERS September 27·29, 1991

Chalcedon Presbyterian Church

Speakers • Greg Bahnsen • Joe Morecraft • Gary DeMar

• Wayne Rogers • Bob Lester • John Otis

W1derstanding of evil in onIer to overcome Please note these important dlanges from IlISt month's ad conspiracies instead of working to restore and look for Conference details in the next issue of The Counsel. every area of life to Biblical law and order. I-------------r-------------I Without commitment to the truth of a anarchy and revolution. That ungodly Conclusion universe of God-ordained facts, media revolution, once in power, will deny free reporting operates in terms of a false speech III all because itbecomes totalitarian freedom-a freedom from God's absolute power that must control everything. law. That law reqnires truth. Humanistic Falsehood cannot produce freedom. The media reporting in the name of free SPOOCh testimony of the Faithful and True WibtesS and a free press, and adrift from the truth, is "ye shall know the truth and the truthshall frequently manufactures lies that help make you free" (John 8:32).

32 • The Counsel of ChalCedOll • May 1991

With solemn clarity, Christ alsO declared that "every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment F<r by thy word thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12:36-37). Q

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