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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.
    
Mankind contributes to the gracious reformation of the New Testament church from law to life (zoe) by faith alone. Thus, 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 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 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; spiritually gifted interactive ministry to one another; joyful giving of material goods and finances to meet actual needs; corrective spiritual discipline; mutual discipleship; and team-oriented outreach.
Giving:
  • Giving predominantly if not exclusively for building and salary expense.
  • 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 His gracious promise and living (zoe) works. The body of Christ cooperates by faith alone.             

​© 2025 James Hiatt
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