Return to Main Page
Site Index

Trouble with drop box click here for help     Printing Instructions for Articles
Back to Index to Gillespie Discussion

Discussion of George Gillespie's Wholesome Severity Reconciled with Christian Liberty
Deut.13:6-9 
Subject: Deut.13:6-9
From: Jonny Keen 
Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 19:29:05 -0400

Dear Westminster Forum,
	Last night I wrote a few thoughts in response to some e-mails I received-after
I wrote those thoughts and sent them I decided to take a serious look at Gillespie's
treatise-to reflect on what Mr.Coldwell e-mail "Does anyone have a problem with G's
use of Deut.13:6-9 in post GWS-7. Is it understandable? Justifiable? Sound?" I decided
I would reflect on this for the evening-I read Calvin sermon on Deut.13:6-9-did not
help-I looked at the book The Shadow Of Christ In The Law Of Moses by Vern Poythress-
did not help me-I looked at Bannerman's Church of Christ Vol.2 the chapter on Church
and State-did not help me answer the question "Can the Christian Magistrate use the
OT judicial laws to punish heretics-put them to death?" I got out Naphtali Press Vol.
4 to read Gillespie's introduction to the treatise-I noticed the Belgic Confession
art.39 was refer to-I read the art.39 and found this note at the bottom "This phrase
touching the office of the magistracy in its relation to the Church, proceeds on the
principle of the Established Church, which was first applied by Constantine and after-
wards also in many Protestant countries. History, however, does not support the
principle of State domination over the Church, but rather the separation of Church and 
State. Moreover, it is contrary to the New Dispensation that authority be vested in
the State to abitrarily reform the Church, and to deny the Church the right of indep-
endently conducting its affairs as a distinct territory alongside the State. The New
Testament does not subject the Christian Church to the authority of the State that it
should be governed and extended by political measures, but to our Lord and King only
as an independent territory alongside and altogether independent of the State, that it 
may be governed and edified by its office-bearers and with spiritual weapons only.
Practically all Reformed churches have repudiated the idea of the Established Church,
and are advocating the autonomy of the churches and personal liberty of conscience
in matters pertaining to the service of God. . ." I think the above quote answers
whether Christian rulers are to put to death heretics based on the judicial OT law-
Deut.13:6-9.
	In considering the above we have to ask "Is the holy catholic Church the
same as OT Israel?" In the OT the Church was not separated from the State-but now
in the New Covenant Age there is a separation between Church and State-it would be
impossible to rule the Universal Church by the judicial laws of the OT-nation of
Israel.
	I was wondering what a blood bath there would be in America if Christian
rulers would put to death all the heretics-non-Calvinists. I ask also "Do we have
Christian Magistrates today?" America is not even a Christian nation-it is totally
secular.
	Well these are a few thoughts I had on Gillespie's interpretation of Deut.
13:6-9. Jonny