Perhaps more than any other genre in Scripture the place
of the “Law” in New Covenant preaching is the most challenging, demanding, and
controversial.
Many different solutions
have been proposed with various degrees of overlap between the major camps.
Certain Reformed Baptist preachers following
the pattern of the Westminster Confession of Faith divide the Mosaic Law into
three categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial. Many in this camp argue that
the civil and ceremonial laws were fulfilled in Christ but that the moral
aspect of the Mosaic Law is still binding.
New Covenant theologians and Progressive
Dispensationalists often teach that the entire Mosaic Law under the Old
Covenant was fulfilled in life, death, and resurrection of Messiah Jesus. New
Covenant believers are now under the “Law of Christ.”
Some in the Classic Dispensationalist camp
teach that the “law of God” and the “law of Moses” are one and the same and
that no distinction between them is justifiable.
A few Classic Dispensationalist also believe
that New Covenant believers are now under grace (without law).
Such statements, without appropriate
qualifications, have been rightly labeled “Antinomian.”
Finally, the Theonomist camp rejects the
traditional Reformed belief that the civil laws of Moses have been
abrogated.
As such Theonomists believe that
the moral and civil law codes of Moses remain in effect today.
Suffice it to say, before “preaching Law” the
student of Scripture needs to have some understanding of the proper relationship between
the Old and New Covenants.
Without a larger understanding of biblical
and systematic theology a preacher may teach a variation of "Theonomy" or
"Antinomianism" and not even know it.
