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
Join us in the
Worship of God
Chalcedon
Presbyterian
Church
7901 Roberts Rd.
Dunwoody, Ga
Sunday 1 0:30AM & 6PM
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 well-
being 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 God-
ordered 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 God-
ordered 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
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U.S. Postage
PAID
BULK. RATE
Pemllt No. 1553
Second Minister's Conference
CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR PASTORS
PREMINISTERIAL STUDENTS
AND CHURCH LEADERS
September 2729, 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
... '.