Why Put to Death the Flesh when Instead you can...
Comment made by a former FR listener in one of EBF's groups:
"I also remember being slavish “sabbath-keepers”. Let me guess: your group won’t go into a store on Sunday, won’t go to a movie, won’t listen to any music other than hymns and spiritual songs, wouldn’t dream of taking a drink, and are convinced that you’re being a faithful witness with these attempts at law-keeping. I was there, too. I was blinded to the fact that Christ is my sabbath, but now I rest in His grace. If you ever get delivered, you’ll understand what it truly means to have peace in the finished work of Christ."
EBF response:
To summarize the things you've said: you think you have found a way through the preaching of the so-called sovereign grace movement to have Christ and the world as well. Sounds wonderful. The sovereign grace pastors have solved the tension between the flesh and the spirit. Both just simply get along. No more guilt over sin. Nah, that's all legalism. What a way of escape from having to put to death (mortify) the body. Why put it to death when instead you can get it a beer and a cigar.
I can't open up your eyes, or anyone's eyes to see the truth. But for the benefit of those who can see it. I'll explain. God's elect people desire to obey and do the things the law says because they love Christ. Remember, Christ said if you love Me, keep My commandments. And, of course, Christ's commandments are the laws of the Bible.
And, we know that we love Him because He first loved us. That is, this is the way God's salvation program works. He loved us with an everlasting love shown to us by His salvation and bestowed upon us by His grace as He saved His chosen people.
Then, afterward, after we have already experienced the love of God (i.e., salvation), we then show forth love towards Him by desiring (ongoing desire to do the will of God) and also keeping His commandments as He lays them out before us in His Word. That's it. There is absolutely nothing to do with trying to get right by keeping the law. It is people who do not understand God's salvation plan and how He works it out in the lives of His people who charge such responsive love (the keeping of His commandments) as an attempt to keep the law. See:
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
There it is, the verse sovereign grace people love. Not of works. You see, so hand me another beer. And while you're at it, pass the cigar (like Fortner smoked at Tuscarora which caused Mr. Camping to remove him and never use him again). But just like those who hold to the false free will gospel like to read John 1:12 (to them He gave power...to become the sons of God) but never read the following verse (John 1:13) which says we are not born by the will of the flesh nor of the will of man. So too do the sovereign grace pastors not like to read the next verse in Ephesians 2 after it says it is not of works. But the next verse is part of the gospel as well:
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We are "created in Christ Jesus unto good works". And moreover, God has "ordained that we should walk in them". This means that after we are saved by God's grace and Christ's faith (not of ourselves), God's truly saved people will then walk in good works by God's moving in within them to will and to do of His good pleasure. What are these good works? Well, some of them you maligned in your comment above by saying they were attempts at law keeping.
True legalism would be when a person thinks that doing a good work (like believing in Christ, being baptized, partaking of the Lord's table, or keeping the Sabbath, etc.) is what will make God to be pleased with him and to save him. That's the proper definition of legalism. Not the foolishness peddled by the sovereign grace movement.