Pastor-teacher Don Hargrove

Faith Bible Church

Wed., Oct 14, 2009

http://fbcweb.org/Audio.html

Salvation (Eph 2:8-10); the spiritual life (1 Jn 3:3), spiritual maturity (1 Cor 2:16; Eze 14:14, 20; )

GOD’S COVENANTS – Part 13: The Mosaic Covenant, Part 5:

Mosaic Law, Natural Law, and Stages of Moral and Spiritual Decay

(Messiah & A.C. #259)

A. Dispensations and Covenants.

1. Dispensationalism – help or heresy?

2. Covenants- Eight versus Two.

B. The Mosaic Law, Natural Laws, and Natural Rights.

1. Review of Mosaic Covenant.

2. The universal laws of the Mosaic Law, i.e. natural law (ius gentium) are hardwired in the soul of every man, Rom 2:14-16.

3. These universal laws give mankind an innate or natural sense of law, order, right-wrong, morality- these laws are not to be confused with legal positivism (ius civile).

4. Brief History of natural law.

5. Within the ambit of natural law there are five categories of universal law for all of mankind.

#1: Volition.

#2 : Marriage.

#3: Family.

#4 - Limited Government. Rom 13; Gen 9:6; 1 Pet 2:14-15.

#5 – Nationalism, Gen 11.

6. Our Founding Fathers recognized that government was a necessary evil but that must be kept limited because government itself is made up of evil men.

7. Big Powerful Governments have always been the greatest mass murderers of mankind (cf. Death by Government by R.J. Rummel).

8. The only safe government is a small limited government – power always corrupts.

9. God ordained government to protect (not grant) man’s God-given natural rights, Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:14-15; Acts 5:29.

10. There is a rich English history of the development of natural rights from natural law that came into play in the founding of our country.

11. The intersection between natural law and natural rights is a key component in the United States Declaration of Independence.

12. The Declaration of Independence and natural law/rights.

a) The uniqueness of the Declaration of Independence.

b) “Laws of nature and nature’s God.”

c) “All men are created equal.”

d) “Pursuit of happiness.”

e) Declaration of Independence recognizes God is above government and the basis for all human rights.

f) The Declaration of Independence declares that our God-given rights include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

C. Blessings, cursings, and degeneracy in relation to the ML and natural law,   Dt 28; Lev 18; Rom 1; Isa 5.

1. The 5 cyles of discipline on Israel, Lev 26; Dt 28.

2. Divine discipline on gentile nations for violation of natural law, Lev 18.

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3. The 5 Stages of degeneracy of a people and nation, Rom 1:18-25.

a. Stage 1: rejection of God as Creator, Rm 1:18-21.

b. Stage 2: idolatry, 1:22-25.

c. Stage 3: sexual immorality, 1:26-27.

d. Stage 4: depraved mind, 28-31.

e. Stage 5: new/inverted morality in violation of natural law, 1:32. 

4. Isa 5:11-21 – lack of BD, the frantic search for happiness, and new/inverted morality

5. Degeneracy and “lawlessness” in the final days of the church age (2 Thess 2:3, 7; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Tim 3:1-5, 13; 2 Pet 2:1-4; 2:14-15; 2:22; Rev 3:15-16).