Historically, this movement began in the latter part of the Twentieth century with a conflict between Reformed and Sovereign Grace Baptists over the issue of the relevance and observance of the Fourth Commandment, i.e. concerning the unity of the Decalogue, then of the entire Decalogue or the Moral Law as a rule for the believer’s life. Both Covenant Theology and Dispensational influences colored the early debates. New Covenant Theology holds with Covenant Theology to the unity of God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles as believers. “The Church” is spiritual Israel. With Dispensationalism it denies the existence of both the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace, and maintains that the Ten Commandments, as part of the Mosaic Covenant, have been abrogated by the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Law, therefore, has no relationship to either believers or unbelievers. Thus, in common with Dispensationalism, New Covenant Theology is necessarily antinomian—although such terminology is denied—holding that believers are no longer under the Ten Commandments, but under “the Law of Christ,” as though these
were different. Their stand is that “everything that God commands is ‘moral law’ to the individual commanded.”17 They further hold “that God has not written his Law on the hearts of all men,” contrary to the teaching of the Apostle Paul concerning every man as the image–bearer of God (Rom. 2:11–16) and both the promise and the fulfillment of the New Covenant, and (Jer. 31:31–34; Ezk. 11:19–20; Ezk. 36:25–27; Heb. 8:6–13). Several other statements made by proponents of this view also seem self–contradictory in the light of Scripture.18 15 Historically, this movement began in the latter part of the Twentieth century with a conflict between Reformed and Sovereign Grace Baptists over the issue of the relevance and observance of the Fourth Commandment, i.e. concerning the unity of the Decalogue, then of the entire Decalogue or the Moral Law as a rule for the believer’s life. Both Covenant Theology and Dispensational influences colored the early debates. New Covenant Theology holds with Covenant Theology to the unity of God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles as believers. “The Church” is spiritual Israel. With Dispensationalism it denies the existence of both the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace, and maintains that the Ten Commandments, as part of the Mosaic Covenant, have been abrogated by the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Law, therefore, has no relationship to either believers or unbelievers. Thus, in common with Dispensationalism, New Covenant Theology is necessarily antinomian—although such terminology is denied—holding that believers are no longer under the Ten Commandments, but under “the Law of Christ,” as though thesewere different. Their stand is that “everything that God commands is ‘moral law’ to the individual commanded.”17 They further hold “that God has not written his Law on the hearts of all men,” contrary to the teaching of the Apostle Paul concerning every man as the image–bearer of God (Rom. 2:11–16) and both the promise and the fulfillment of the New Covenant, and (Jer. 31:31–34; Ezk. 11:19–20; Ezk. 36:25–27; Heb. 8:6–13). Several other statements made by proponents of this view also seem self–contradictory in the light of Scripture.18 15
