The Puritan View of Substantive Biblical Law

George J. Gatgounis

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781725261198
  9781725261204
• eBook ISBN:
  9781725261211
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

The Puritans, who settled in America in the early 1600s, believed that if they followed God's laws as individuals and as a society, God would prosper them. America would become "the new Israel," God's light for the rest of the world. The Rev. Dr. George Gatgounis wrote The Puritan View of Substantive Biblical Law both as a constitutional attorney and a biblical scholar. He did much of the research at Harvard, which was founded by the Puritans to train their clergy. Despite its outward appearance of harshness--such as the dozen transgressions that merited the death penalty in the Massachusetts Bay Colony--Puritan society was founded on the consent of the citizens. At the center was individual spirituality. That spirituality was to be maintained by a strict observance of the Sabbath, which centered around biblical preaching. Certainly there is no going back to a Puritan society in this postmodern era. But perhaps there is something to be learned to guide our way forward.

john owen’s view of substantive biblical law

Some historians refer to John Owen as “prince of Puritan divines,” since his influence exceeded other Congregationalist luminaries. His scholarship is involved with a tone of certainty, derived in part from the scope of his learning, as well as from his reverence for the Word of God, and his desire to see all Scripture interrelated. Owen’s treatment includes an exposition of the text itself, and in addition a system of related texts. His spiritual incisiveness and insight make him a Christian scholar of value and reputation.

owen’s description of the law of god in general

Owen’s Definition of the Law of God

Owen’s definition of the law of God is simple yet profound. “The law is the beam of the holiness of God himself.” Whatever the law of God communicates to anyone, it does so in the name and authority of God. Biblical law, therefore, is both “of God” and “from God.” Biblical law is “of God” because its content is a direct reflection of who and what God is. Biblical law is the character of God recorded in writing, but also it comes “from God.”105 The source of biblical law is not the people, and neither is it from any particular religious organization. Rather, the source of biblical law is unique because it issues from God alone.

Owen’s View of the Nature of the Law of God

Owen’s Catechism, a profound complement to the Westminster Divines’ Smaller Catechism, though not equal in length to the Larger Catechism, covers both the nature and the purpose of the law of God.106 Owen explicates his views of the nature of God’s law by answering a series of related questions.

Owen’s Catechism on the Nature of the Law of God

In his catechism, Owen’s first question on the law of God is “Which is the law that God gave man at first to fulfill?” He answers that the law of God did not begin at Mount Horeb in Exodus 20 but rather with the creation of Adam, adding that the reason this law has binding authority has nothing to do with it being given to the Israelites. Rather, Owen argues that the law of God binds all mankind because it is written on our hearts by the finger of God as part of his creative work. He argues this from the locus classicus Romans 2:14, 15.107

Owen’s second question follows from the first. There are five passages that he appropriates to show the “uttermost tittle” of the law of God is still required of us: Matthew 5:17, 1 John 3:4, Romans 3:31, James 2:8–10, and Galatians 3. (1) Matthew 5:17 establishes the abiding validity of the law. Owen chooses this passage because it is the thesis of Christ’s first sermon (Matthew 5–7). Christ did not come to destroy the law but to “fill it to the full (πληρῶσαι).”108 (2) Owen’s choice of 1 John 3:4 is a skillful use of arguing from the obverse. The text contends that sin is the transgression of the law. Since sin is for...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• THE PURITAN VIEW OF SUBSTANTIVE BIBLICAL LAW
• AN OVERVIEW OF PURITAN JURISPRUDENCE
• JOHN OWEN’S VIEW OF SUBSTANTIVE BIBLICAL LAW
• THOMAS BOSTON’S VIEW OF SUBSTANTIVE BIBLICAL LAW
• STEPHEN CHARNOCK’S VIEW OF SUBSTANTIVE BIBLICAL LAW
• FINAL CONCLUSION
• Bibliography