The Real New Testament Church
  • Home
  • Contents
  • Preface
  • Plan
    • Kingdom >
      • Chapter 1 - Beginning
      • Chapter 2 - Errant Reasoning
      • Chapter 3 - Consequence
      • Chapter 4 - Adaptation
      • Chapter 5 - Original Earth
      • Chapter 6 - Renovated Earth
      • Chapter 7 - Degenerated Earth
      • Chapter 8 - Time, Space and Representation
      • Chapter 9 - Early Ages
      • Chapter 10 - Israelite Age
      • Chapter 11 - Gentile Age
      • Chapter 12 - Tribulation
      • Chapter 13 - Regenerated Earth
      • Chapter 14 - New Earth
    • Covenant >
      • Chapter 15 - Covenant
      • Chapter 16 - Major Covenants
      • Chapter 17 - Eternal Covenant
      • Chapter 18 - Renovation Covenant
      • Chapter 19 - Old Covenant for Israel
      • Chapter 20 - New Covenant for Israel
  • Church
    • Preparation >
      • Chapter 21 - Parables
      • Chapter 22 - Kingdom of Heaven Parables
    • Foundation >
      • Chapter 23 - New Testament Church
      • Chapter 24 - Church Covenant
      • Chapter 25 - Eternal or Temporal
      • Chapter 26 - Calling
      • Chapter 27 - Description
    • Legality >
      • Chapter 28 - Law
      • Chapter 29 - Transgression
      • Chapter 30 - Justification
    • Life (zoe) >
      • Chapter 31 - Life (zoe)
      • Chapter 32 - Progression of Life (zoe)
      • Chapter 33 - Birth
      • Chapter 34 - Perfect Example
      • Chapter 35 - Church Life
      • Chapter 36 - Sanctification
      • Chapter 37 - Rule of Life (zoe)
      • Chapter 38 - Life According to the Spirit
      • Chapter 39 - Return to Law
      • Chapter 40 - Faith
    • Composition >
      • Chapter 41 - Covenantal Headship
      • Chapter 42 - New Covenantal Headship
      • Chapter 43 - Practical Headship
      • Chapter 44 - Body
      • Chapter 45 - Women
    • Incarnation >
      • Chapter 46 - Function and Form
      • Chapter 47 - Purpose and Mission
      • Chapter 48 - Manifestation
    • Doctrine and Practice >
      • Chapter 49 - Apostolic Teaching
      • Chapter 50 - Apostolic Tradition
    • Apostolic Teaching >
      • Chapter 51 - Values
      • Chapter 52 - Prayer
      • Chapter 53 - Works
      • Chapter 54 - Giving
    • Apostolic Tradition >
      • Chapter 55 - Governance
      • Chapter 56 - Simplicity
      • Chapter 57 - Biblical Gatherings
      • Chapter 58 - Practical Gatherings
      • Chapter 59 - Supper: Celebration and Sign
      • Chapter 60 - Supper: Apostolic Tradition
      • Chapter 61 - Assembling Together
    • Growth >
      • Chapter 62 - Biblical Church Growth
      • Chapter 63 - Practical Church Growth
      • Chapter 64 - Exponential Growth
    • Simulation >
      • Chapter 65 - Temporal Simulation
      • Chapter 66 - Simulated Church History
      • Chapter 67 - Confirmation of Scripture
      • Chapter 68 - Sovereignty of God
    • Warfare >
      • Chapter 69 - Warfare
      • Chapter 70 - Utter Defeat
      • Chapter 71 - Freedom
      • Chapter 72 - Position
      • Chapter 73 - Descriptive Armor
      • Chapter 74 - Cooperative Armor
      • Chapter 75 - Armor Abridged
      • Chapter 76 - Armor Paraphrased
      • Chapter 77 - Armor Appropriated
      • Chapter 78 - Full Armor
      • Chapter 79 - Power of Position
  • Reformation
    • Chapter 80 - Formation, Deformation and Reformation
    • Chapter 81 - Law and Life
    • Chapter 82 - Practice of Law
    • Chapter 83 - Practice of Life
    • Chapter 84 - From Law to Life
    • Chapter 85 - Doctrine, Desire and Dependence
    • Chapter 86 - Design, Decentralization, Demonstration and Divestment
  • Conclusion
    • Chapter 87 - The Real New Testament Church
  • Endnotes
  • About
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Chapter 84 - From Law to Life
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Relative to the fallen nature of mankind and, more specifically, the historic influence of the Roman Catholic Church, the progressive reformation of the New Testament church has entailed the correction of one fundamental doctrinal error. It has involved the restoration of church practice from law to life (zoe).
 
                                    Works or Promise
 
Rather than originated and developed by legalistic human works, the existence and growth of the living (zoe) church on earth is a promise of God (Matthew 16:18). Therefore, its organic, progressive reformation from law to life (zoe) occurs by His will and work alone.
    
Biblically, the contribution of mankind to the gracious reformation of the church from law to life (zoe) is faith alone. Therefore, the church must actively trust God to provide the leadership and illumination necessary for the return to New Testament standard.
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Congruent with the will and work of God, the following table serves to clarify the need for church reformation from law to life (zoe): 
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Theological:
 
 
 
Law
Life (zoe)
Origin:
  • Earthly.
  • Heavenly.
Function:
  • Organize religious activity for God.  
  • Facilitate fellowship with God.
  • Fellowship between God and man serves to: 
  1. Vindicate the nature of God to the angelic host.
  2. Repopulate the kingdom of God.
Form:
  • Physical congregation. 
  • Inorganic.
  • Complex.
  • Spiritual body. 
  • Organic.
  • Simple.  
Source of Animation:
  • Human life (psuche). 
  • Man for God.
  • Representative of perceived law of God on earth.   
  • By sight.
  • Demonstrates religious activity.  
  • Divine life (zoe).
  • God in and with man.
  • Representational of the indwelling life (zoe) of God on earth.
  • By grace through faith alone.
  • Demonstrates the attributes of the divine nature for benefit of both the angelic host and the human race.       
Description:
  • “Mixed-Marriage” (Pergamum).
  • Simulated church.
  • Organized church. 
  • Institutional church. 
  • Traditional/cultural church.
  • Religious church.
  • Temporal church.   
  • “Desired” (Ephesus).
  • Ecclesia or “assembly.”
  • Organic church.    
  • Bride of Christ.
  • Body of Christ.   
  • Pillar and Support of the Truth.
  • Holy Priesthood.
  • Chosen Race.
  • Holy temple of the Lord.
  • The dwelling of God in the Spirit.
  • Eternal church.
Doctrine:
  • Human in origin.
  • Subjective.
  • Relative.
  • Purity is protected and preserved by human leadership and tradition. 
  • Susceptible to doctrinal deception and deviation. 
  • Divine in origin.
  • Objective.
  • Absolute. 
  • Purity is protected and preserved by God through collective submission to divine headship, the fullness of Spirit, the mutual counsel of brothers and sisters, and support of servant eldership.      
Governance:
  • Federal or democratic. 
  • Human headship.
  • By the rule of law (law of sin and of death), characterized by reward and punishment.   
  • Theocratic. 
  • Divine headship.
  • By the intimate rule of indwelling life (zoe), characterized by lavish, unmerited favor.
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Practical:
 
 
 
Law:
Life (zoe):
Purpose:
  • Practice organized religious activity for God. 
  • Practice fellowship with God. 
Mission:
  • Increase adherents. 
  • The cultivation and protection of shared-life fellowship with God.
  • As a consequence:
  1. The making of disciples by the revelation and sharing of divine life (zoe) on earth through its gracious overflow.
  2. The ecclesia serves as a divinely animated witness of God by grace through faith alone (Acts 1:8).   
Fulfillment of Purpose and Mission:
  • By man for God.
  • Works of the flesh.
  • By sight.   
  • By God with man.
  • Works of the Spirit.
  • By grace through faith alone.   
Works:
  • Prepared by man in time. 
  • Human in origin.
  • Temporal. 
  • Dead. 
  • Religious works performed for God by effort of human life (psuche). 
  • Prepared by God beforehand.
  • Divine in origin.
  • Eternal.
  • Living (zoe).
  • Graciously fulfilled in cooperation with the indwelling God by faith alone. 
Body:
  • Animated, formed, and cultivated by man. 
  • Human beings united by common religious interest.
  • Laity divided from clergy; of unequal status.
  • Animated, formed, and cultivated on earth by the Spirit of Christ.
  • Animated through His work of regeneration, indwelling, and leading; formed by His baptizing and sealing; and cultivated on earth according to His fullness. 
  • Brothers and sisters united by indwelling life (zoe).
  • Ordered equality of brothers and sisters by divinely appointed role/spiritual giftedness. 
  • No clergy/laity distinction. 
Leadership:
  • By the headship of man manifested through professional clergy.   
  • Decision-making by rule of pastoral leadership and/or rule of eldership.
  • By grace through faith alone. 
  • By the immediate headship of Christ manifested by the fullness of His indwelling Spirit.
  • Headship of Christ preserved and protected above all else. 
  • Through the cultivation of sensitivity to the movement of the Spirit.
  • Decision-making by the prayerful consensus of the co-equal brothers and sisters.    
  • Supported by the counsel of Spirit-filled eldership. 
Manifestation:
  • Predominantly manifested in static, impersonal, nonreciprocal large group meetings in special buildings.
  • Occasionally inclusive of law-based small groups.   
  • Predominantly manifested in dynamic, intimate, interactive, intergenerational small group community that moves from house to house.
  • Occasionally inclusive of large group, life (zoe) based gatherings for a specific purpose or occasion.    
Primary Activities:
  • Teaching for God and about God.
  • The observance of shared-interest, religious activity for God. 
  • The nonreciprocal ministry of temporal life (psuche) by select individuals to a largely passive audience.
  • Demonstrated through a prearranged liturgy.
  • The celebration of shared life with God.
  • The interactive ministry of eternal life (zoe) by the Spirit through the gifted involvement of every member of the body.     
  • Demonstrated through the life-based (zoe) ministry of purposeful prayer; intentional community interaction; the Lord’s Supper as a full, celebratory meal; participatory praise and worship in song; joyful giving; corrective spiritual discipline; mutual discipleship; and team-oriented outreach.
Giving:
  • Giving predominantly if not exclusively for building and salary expenses.
  • Giving to support religious activity. 
  • Disbursement determined by leadership minority.
  • Cooperative giving with Christ by grace through faith.
  • Giving to support life-based (zoe) ministry for the cultivation of life-based (zoe) community. 
  • Disbursement determined by prayerful consensus by the co-equal members of the body.  
  • Predominantly local.
Growth:
  • Earthly, temporal, and physical by nature.
  • Inorganic, periodic, uncooperative, divided, and incremental. 
  • Human addition of individual adherents through organizational directive and development. 
  • Heavenly, eternal, and spiritual by nature.   
  • Organic, progressive, cooperative, collaborative, and exponential.  
  • Divine multiplication of shared life community on earth. 
Measure of 
Success:

  • Attendance.
  • Life-based (zoe) community. 
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Church reformation from law to life does not happen by the will of mankind through religious interest and dead, legalistic works. Instead, it occurs by the will and work of God through gracious promise and living (zoe) works and . The body of Christ cooperates by faith alone.       
                                 
© 2023 James Hiatt
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