Gospel Imperatives Do Not Equal the Old Testament Law

Today’s post is a tad “deep.” Stay with me. We’ll be talking about theology related to our salvation and our sanctification (daily growth in Christ).

At the same time, today’s post is quite introductory. I want to start a conversation, not close down communication. Here’s what I want to discuss:

• What is the relationship between “Gospel Imperatives” and the Old Testament Law?

The Christian Blogosphere

Lately on the Christian blogosphere there has been much discussion about “gospel indicatives” and “gospel imperatives” (see Tullian Tchividjian, Kevin DeYoung, and Rob Green communicating-the-balance-of-gospel-indicatives-and-gospel-imperatives/ among others). It’s an important topic with great relevance to:

• Our daily life and relationships.

• Our daily ministry.

It’s not a simple topic, but I’ll try to simplify it without becoming simplistic.

Gospel Indicatives

We might summarize gospel indicatives as:

• Salvation.

• Our salvation in Christ by faith through grace.

• Justification, reconciliation, regeneration, and redemption.

• Who we are in Christ (our new nature) and to Christ (our new nurture) by grace.

• Ephesians 1-3: The “indicative” sections of Ephesians where Paul describes what Christ has done for us.

Gospel Imperatives

We might summarize gospel imperatives as:

• Sanctification

• Our progressive growth in Christlikeness through dependence upon the Spirit and active obedience.

• Christian living, putting off (mortification), and putting on (vivification).

• Living out and increasingly becoming who we already are in Christ.

• Ephesians 4-6: The “imperative” sections of Ephesians where Paul describes how Christians are to live for Christ.

My View: Both/And Not Either/Or

Anyone who reads my blog or my books knows that God designed my DNA as a both/and thinker. That’s true with this topic.

• We run into problems when we make gospel indicatives or gospel imperatives either/or rather than both/and.

• We run into problems when we overemphasize gospel indicatives while underemphasizing gospel imperatives.

• We run into problems when we overemphasize gospel imperatives and underemphasize gospel indicatives.

• We run into problems when we fail to see the biblical relationship between the indicative and the imperative (between our salvation in Christ and our progressive sanctification toward Christlikeness).

For a much fuller treatment of my views, see pages 323-500 of Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.

My Concern: A False Equation

Those who emphasize the gospel indicatives seem to be equating gospel imperatives to the “Old Testament Law.” I think this is a theologically inaccurate equation that confuses the discussion. I think it also prejudices the discussion because it inaccurately implies that those who insist on the gospel imperatives are law-based rather than grace-based.

Here’s my point in sum:

• In the discussion of gospel indicatives and gospel imperatives we should stop saying that NT imperatives are the same as the OT Law. They are not.

I have a theological problem with equating NT imperatives with OT Law/works.

• Paul would shudder at the thought that anyone was saying Ephesians 4-6 is filled with OT Law/legal system/self-sufficient works/living by the power of the flesh.

• Theologically, Paul did not equate NT imperatives (Eph. 4-6, put off, put on) with the OT Law as a legal system.

• NT imperatives are commands to live the Christian life by grace through faith via the power of our new nature (regeneration and redemption) based upon our awareness of our new nurture (justification and reconciliation).

• When Paul talks in Ephesians 4-6 about the specifics of putting off and putting on, those imperatives are not “OT Law.” Those are principles of Christian living based upon our newness in Christ.

• Paul’s view was clearly both/and: gospel indicatives (Ephesians 1-3; Romans 1-11) as a foundation for gospel imperatives (Ephesians 4-6; Romans 12-16).

Someone might ask, Are NT imperatives the same as “the law of Christ” or the “law of love”? That’s a bit of a different question, but one worth clarifying.

When Paul uses phrases like “the law of Christ/love,” he is using “law” as a “principle” on which we base our motivation, behavior, thinking, and relationships. So, in that sense, I would not take issue with using “law of love/Christ” as somewhat similar to “principles of Christian living.” However, I do not equate “a NT command or imperative” or “the law of Christ/love” to the OT Law as a legal, works-based system.

Even More Technical and Theological

For some readers of my blog, what I’ve said thus far may be theological enough. For others, I want to raise an additional two issues and invite continued conversation.

1. The Theological Usage/Meaning of “Law”

I understand that in theological circles, there are several (at least three) common usages of “Law.” I won’t detail them each now. But I would simply ask:

• How do the various theological usages of “Law” contribute to today’s discussion?

• When those who equate gospel imperatives to “the Law,” which use/definition of “Law” are they implying?

2. The “Law” and Covenant Theology Compared to Dispensational Theology

Again, volume after volume has been written on covenant theology and dispensational theology. In this post, I will assume people know what I mean by these terms, rather than defining them. But here’s what I’m wondering and thinking:

• I’m wondering if equating OT Law and NT imperatives relates to covenant theology compared to dispensational theology?

• If this is a covenant theology issue, I’ve never heard covenant theologians equate gospel imperatives with the OT Law in any systematic theologies or commentaries. Yet, I’m reading bloggers who do this rather consistently. Could it be that this is a pejorative and polemical device used to imply that people who emphasize the imperatives are guilty of putting people back under the Law? That’s why I think it is important to clarify that NT imperatives do not equal, for Paul, the OT Law/legal system.

Join the Conversation

Are the NT imperatives the same as the OT Law/legal system?

RPM Ministries--Email Newsletter Signup

Get Updates By Email

Join the RPM mailing list to receive notifcations of my latest blog posts!

Thank you so much! You have been successfully subscribed to our newsletter. Check your inbox!