Thesis 72: Patriarchy and the House-Church

The Family, as the central unit of God’s social order, is also the center of the cultural outworking of the Gospel in the Church of Christ.[1] The Apostolic Age was not characterized by hundreds of atomistic “nuclear families” attending “services” at buildings of State-chartered ecclesiastical corporations exempted from tax under Empire approval. The Early Church was not centered on liturgy but on Hospitality; the architectural paradigm was the house, not the altar/temple. The House-Church/Patriarchy is the hub of Christian Community, and Hospitality is the Patriarchal “Royal Virtue.”[2]

Notes
1. Acts 2:46; 5:42; 20:20; Acts 18:2-4 + Romans 16:3 and 1 Corinthians 16:19; Romans 16:5,10,11; 1 Corinthians 1:11,16; Colossians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:19; Philemon 2; 2 John 10; etc.; #75
2. #23; Deuteronomy 10:18-19; 14:29; 16:11,14; 1 Kings 8:41-43; Job 31:32; Psalm 68:6,12; 113:7-9 + Revelation 1:6; 5:10; Matthew 25:35; Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; 1 Peter 4:9; 3 John 5.

References
Family
• Gary North, "Family Authority vs. Protestant Sacerdotalism," in the Journal of Christian Reconstruction symposium on the Family, Vol. IV, No. 2, Winter 1977-78, reprinted in Vol. XVI, "The 25th Anniversary Issue" available at The Chalcedon Store.
• The Family: Foundation of Society
• The Family / The Fifth Archetype

Liturgy
Jesus destroyed the temple in A.D. 70. It must not be rebuilt.

Hospitality
James B. Jordan: "God's Hospitality and Holistic Evangelism," in Sociology of the Church, pp. 221-257.

The Royal Virtue
R.J. Rushdoony, "The Royal Virtue," Law and Society, (Vol II of Institutes of Biblical Law), ch. 49, pp. 246-248, plus chapters 50-54. Also, "Communion and Community," ch. 23, pp. 132-137.

Note: Patriarchy is the paradigm; not the priesthood.
Hospitality is the blueprint, not "liturgy."

The Bible describes Godly patriarchs as "priests" and "kings"
(Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10). But this could be described as a negating analogy. Patriarchs are the true priests and kings, but "real" priests and kings are Biblically sub-standard.
• Any person who claims to be a "real" priest, offering "real" blood sacrifices, denies the blood atonement of Christ, the True High Priest.
• Anyone who claims to be a "real" hereditary monarch denies the Kingship of Christ.
Patriarchs are those who affirm the true priesthood of Christ and the true kingship of Christ; they are thereby "priests and kings," reigning with Christ on earth, not those who claim to be "real" priests and kings.

The way we reign as priests and kings is through hospitality. This is the blueprint of dominion. We are to offer sacrifices (Romans 12:1; 1 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 13:16; Hebrews 13:15; Philippians 4:18). But those who offer "real" sacrifices and engage in "real" liturgies are missing the point (Hebrews 10:5-7; Mark 12:32-34; Matthew 12:5-8;; Matthew 9:13).

As we will see, Christians in the last days of the Old Covenant were required to continue observing Old Testament liturgies, such as Passover (Luke 22:7-20), but that continued only until Christ came in judgment against Jerusalem and destroyed the temple (1 Corinthians 11:26; Matthew 16:27-28).

The house-church is not a wanna-be "church"; a "we're going to be a real church someday, with a big steeple on top." The house-church is where dominion is exercised, and hospitality practiced. This is the liturgy of the Church.

Hospitality is also the Christian paradigm for business, though this is beyond the scope of this Thesis, which centers on the Church. See Jennifer Roback Morse, Love and Economics: Why the Laissez-Faire Family Doesn't Work, and Gary North, "Social Overhead Capital," Chalcedon Report. Coming: an analysis of "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits," by Milton Friedman.

Thesis 37: The Temporary Character of The First “Church Officers”

Judges were appointed to ease the burden of Moses’ mediatorial task.[1] Israel’s mediators were given a measure of Moses’ Spirit.[2] It was Moses’ desire that all believers would have the capacity to make judgments.[3] While Moses’ immediate purpose was to resolve disputes, his ultimate purpose was to teach the people the principles of God’s Law and make them competent therein.[4] Not until the New Covenant did God’s people become
• kings and priests
• a kingdom of priests
• a royal priesthood.[5]
Prior to this, they lacked the Spiritual power which comes only through Christ.[6]

Notes
1. Exodus 18:21-26
2. Numbers 11:17
3. Numbers 11:29; 35:24; cf. Acts 2:17f.; Deuteronomy 5:29-31; Proverbs 6:6-8; 30:24,27
4. Exodus 18:16,20
5. These phrases are obviously saying the same thing:
Exodus 19:5-6; Hosea 1:9; 2:23; 4:6; 1 Peter 2:5-10; Revelation 1:6; 5:10
6. Romans 8:3-5; Hebrews 7:19; 8:8-13; John 1:12,17

References
Elders as Judges
Patriarchs as "Elders"
The Elder's Checklist
The resources above attempt to show that all the duties of "elders" (as defined by those who defend the traditional view of the institutional church) are duties for all Christians, and that all Christians should aspire to be servants when they are elders, exercising the offices of prophet, priest, king, and judge, in the way these offices are theoretically exercised in the traditional view only by the "ordained" (insofar as these functions and offices are appropriately exercised by anyone today). In other words, if anyone has a duty as a priest or king, everyone has that duty, and we should all be growing into those duties.

Numbers 11:29 is a key passage, showing Moses' desire not to be a permanent judge all of his life over a slave-like people, but for heads of households in Israel to be self-governing:

25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.
26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, forbid them!”
29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

All Christians are to be kings (judges) and priests (note 5). The idea of a separate caste of "ordained" "elders" who function as kings and priests over the rest of the (non-functioning, non self-governing) Body was a temporary pedagogy in the Old Testament and is now sub-Biblical.

Thesis 71: The Apostolic Church and the Spread of Power

Apostles (or “elders”[1]), and their appointees[2] worked to complete the pouring out of the Holy Spirit,[3] bear miraculous witness to the authority of the Apostolic Word,[4] and guard against the great apostasy of the transitional period between the Old and New Ages.[5] It was expected that all believer-priests would take over the task of dominion (#7) on their own after the complete destruction of the age that was.[6] “Deacons” and others who were not “ordained elders” were not prohibited from “authoritative preaching.”[7]

Notes
1. 1 Peter 5:1; 1 Timothy 4:14 + 2 Timothy 1:6
2. e.g., Timothy (2 Timothy 1:6; cp. Titus 1:5)
3. Acts 8:14-17; 19:1-6
4. 1 Timothy 4:12,14; Mark 16:20; Hebrews 1:1; 2:4; Acts 6:8; etc.
5. Acts 15:2,4,6; 16:4; cf. 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 1 John 2:18-26; #59
6. Acts 15:22,23; 1 Corinthians 4:8; 5:3; #94
7. Acts 6:10; 7; 8:1,4; 8:5,12

References
Coming: The Myth of Apostolic Succession

All Churches today are Roman Catholic in their belief that there are some human beings who are "ordained" (in the same way Timothy was Ordained by the Apostle Paul), and there are the rest of the human beings.

This is not a question of ecclesiology alone (the study of the church). This is a question of eschatology as well (the study of "last things," prophecy, the future).

"Preterism" is the idea that Christ fulfilled all Old Testament prophecies at His first coming, and that New Testament prophecies concerning a "second coming" of Christ were fulfilled in A.D. 70 when Christ returned in Judgment against Jerusalem. This means that we are now living in "the New Heavens and the New Earth" predicted by Isaiah, a world without priests and teachers, as Jeremiah described:

Vine & Fig Tree: A World Without Priests

The Elder's Checklist

The desire to preserve the apostolic church which existed in "the last days" of the Old Covenant puts New Covenant believers in a vegetative state.

The parallel is with Moses and the judges:

Thesis 37: The Temporary Character of The First “Church Officers”

Thesis 58: The Civil Authority of The Pastor: Christ The Shepherd

The “shepherd” or “pastor” is a “civil” office,[1] again showing the mythical nature of our modern conception of “church-state separation”[2] and the irrelevance of most churches. The Kingdom was established by the Christ born in Bethlehem; “He shall shepherd His people.”[3]

Notes
1. Ezekiel 34; Jeremiah 23; Isaiah 44:28; Psalm 78:71-72
2. Ezekiel 37:24-28; Revelation 19:15-16.
3. Matthew 2:4-6; #55: The Throne of David.

References
Kittel, vol VI, pp. 486ff., notes that in the ancient orient, "shepherd" is a "common term for political and military leaders," used by kings to describe themselves as "one divinely chosen to bring salvation." The text at note 69 refers to "an ancient motif of world renewal, namely, that of gathering the dispersed flock." Ancient kings gathered by military conquest. Christ shepherds by regeneration.

Every Man a Lawyer
How lawyers (and other "public servants") should carry out pastoral functions. A clear threat to ecclesiastical "pastors." (Not all essays have been linked yet.)

How the Church Should Replace Empires

Revelation 1:6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 5:10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Self-Government in Action: Christians -- The Body of Christ -- at first a shadow government, then progressively illuminating the world and leaving institutionalized violence ("the State") in the dark.

Thesis 69: Sons of God and Pedagogues

The Old Covenant declared that under the New Covenant believers would have the Law of God written on their hearts,[1] causing them to be obedient[2] and eliminating the need for guardian/tutors as in the Old Covenant.[3] The Church no longer needs political mediators.[4] Christ governs through His Church, His saints, believer-priests.[5]

Notes
1. Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10
2. Ezekiel 36:27
3. Jeremiah 31:34; 1 John 2:27,20-21; Galatians 3:24 - 4:9
4. #41; Exodus 7:1; 22:9 [elohim]; John 10:34-35; Revelation 1:6; 5:10; Romans 8:14; Isaiah 56:5
5. John 1:12; 1 John 3:1; 2 Peter 1:4; #84

References
Vine & Fig Tree: A World Without Priests

Law / Micah's Third Archetype

"Spirit" vs. Law

The Elder's Checklist See Essay 18: "The End of Teachers" (online soon)

D. PATRIARCHY UNDER MOSES

Thus far, from the Garden of Eden to the end of the book of Genesis, God has not commanded human beings to form "the State." Some commentators differ, of course, seeing the formation of the State in some incipient form in Genesis 9, or elsewhere. Certainly God hasn't yet commanded an institution as socially pervasive as the modern Leviathan State. Other commentators, who disagree with our "anarchist" theories, still agree that "the State" does not enter Israel until after the Judges (in 1 Samuel 8).

In this next section we look at history from Moses to the Judges.

Under Moses the Levitical Priesthood came into being. Many verses pertaining to this priesthood have been erroneously applied to justify the existence of the State, as well as to buttress the power of modern priests and ecclesiastical institutions -- centuries after Christ ended the Levitical priesthood.

The existence of “elders” pre-dates Sinai, and have been carried over in Christian times into the ecclesiastical institutions we call “churches” (not the political institution we call "the State").

Although God commanded Moses to form an ecclesiastical institution, God did not command Moses to establish a “political” institution.

The ecclesiastical (sacerdotal) institution established at the hand of Moses was not to have perpetual existence.

That leaves "Patriarchy." We will argue that Moses revealed a remedial system which was designed to restore fully-functioning families ("Patriarchy") who functioned as priests and kings in a priesthood of all believer-kings (Exodus 19:6; 1 Pet 2:5, 9; Rev 1:6; 5:10).

John Frame writes:

Was there, at this point in history, also a divinely appointed "state?" I would say no if, again, "state" refers to something above and beyond the natural authority of the family. As far back as Gen. 9, as we have seen, God called the family to execute vengeance for bloodshed, and so no new order was needed to administer capital punishment. [17] There was, of course, in Moses' time, a national army to be commanded, but even that has its precedents in tradition (Gen. 14). [18] New machinery, of course, was put in place (by some combination of tribal tradition and Mosaic appointment) to resolve disputes, but that too was essentially a family function.

Moses himself should not be seen as the occupant of a new "perpetual office" in Israel. He was a "charismatic" official, one with a direct appointment from God. Joshua did succeed Moses and inherited Moses' powers; but Joshua, also, was directly appointed by God (Num. 27:18-23, Deut. 31:1-8, Josh. 1:1-9), and no one after him had such comprehensive authority over the nation. Apart from his prophetic and priestly functions, Moses was essentially the chief of the clan leaders, the head of the family of God. Had God not selected him directly, the people might well have selected him or someone else as a chief of chiefs, without violating the overall family structure. Such a choice would merely have been a natural continuation of the movement toward greater complexity as the nation increased in size. Indeed, there was popular ratification of Moses' rule. When Moses returned to Egypt from the desert, the elders "believed," indeed "bowed down and worshipped," Ex. 4:31. And after God, from Mount Sinai, appeared to the whole people, the people requested through their elders that God not again speak to them directly, but that Moses serve as mediator (Exod. 20:19, Deut. 5:5, 23-33, 18:16).

During the period of the judges, no new institutions were added. God raised up judges, new charismatic leaders, to deliver Israel from its enemies (Judges 2:16). These judges were not only military leaders, but they had broad authority to command obedience within Israel (Judges 2:17). [19] One of them, Deborah, was also a prophet (Judges 4:4), as was, of course, Samuel (I Sam. 3:19-21). Samuel, though an Ephaimite rather than a Levite (at least on his father's side, I Sam. 1:1), exercised priestly functions (probably implied in I Sam. 2:35f; cf. 3:1, 7:9, 17, 10:8), recalling the unity of prophet, priest and king in the patriarchs and Moses, and foreshadowing Christ. Again, however, this charismatic leadership did not produce any new, continuing institution in Israel. Government by tribal elders continued as during the time of Moses. Indeed, in the case of Jephthah, the judge receives his authority, humanly speaking, by the appointment of the elders (Judges 11:1-11). Under Samuel, the elders continued to command armies (I Sam. 4:3) and to determine such courses of action as the recovery of the sacred ark (4:3).

Thesis 40: Patriarchy and Oaths

[null]

Notes
[1] Deuteronomy 10:20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

[2] Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Leviticus 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.
2 Corinthians 1:23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
2 Chronicles 6:22 If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; 23 Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.

[3] Deuteronomy 6:13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

[4] Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Jeremiah 5:7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
Matthew 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

[5] Hebrews 6:16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
2 Corinthians 1:23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
Isaiah 65:16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

[6] 1 Kings 8:31 If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house.
Nehemiah 13:25 And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
Ezra 10:5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.

[7] Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Jeremiah 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

[8] Genesis 24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: 3 And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. 5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? 6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. 8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again. 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

[9] Numbers 5:19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse. 21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell.
Nehemiah 5:12 Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
Exodus 22:7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double. 8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods. 9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour. 10 If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: 11 Then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.

[10] Jeremiah 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Psalm 24:4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

[11] 1 Samuel 25:22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. 32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: 33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. 34 For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
Psalm 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

[12] Ezekiel 17:16 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. 19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.
Joshua 9:18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. 19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.
2 Samuel 21:1 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

[13] Isaiah 19:21 And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it.
Ecclesiastes 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
Psalm 61:8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.
Psalm 66:13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, 14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

[14] Psalm 76:11 Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
Jeremiah 44:25 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. 26 Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord God liveth.

[15] Deuteronomy 23:21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. 22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
Psalm 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High.
Genesis 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
1 Samuel 1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head.
Psalm 66:13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, 14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
Psalm 132:2 How he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; 3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; 4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, 5 Until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

[16] Acts 23:12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
Mark 6:26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
Numbers 30:5 But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the Lord shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. 8 But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the Lord shall forgive her. 12 But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the Lord shall forgive her. 13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.

[17] Matthew 19:11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
1 Corinthians 7:2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
1 Peter 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1 Corinthians 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.



References
This Thesis is a temporary one, currently being re-written.

Oaths are a significant and neglected Biblical subject. One-fifth of the Ten Commandments relate to oaths. The Notes above are from the Westminster Confession of Faith. An entire chapter is devoted to oaths out of 33 chapters, so surely there should be one thesis out of 95.

An Oath is A Sacred Act of Worship

Does the Bible Forbid Taking an Oath?

The oath issue is at the heart of America's Apostasy:

My Conflict with the Oath of Office

Battling Secularism by Charging Secularists with Perjury

Christians for a "Test Oath" -- Table of Contents

Political Polytheism

National Oath-taking has a long history:

Paleopresbyterianism Versus Neopresbyterianism

Thesis 41: The Character of “gods”

Political mediators are “gods”[1] and “saviors.”[2]

Notes
1. Exodus 21:6; 22:8-9,20,28; 1 Corinthians 8:5; 2 Peter 2:10 + Jude 9; Psalm 95:3; 82:1; 138:1; Jeremiah 2:28; cf. Deuteronomy 29:26, #22, #35; Exodus 34:15/Leviticus 17:7/2 Chronicles 11:15
2. Judges 3:9 - 16:31; Obadiah 1:21.

References
Politicians are "political mediators." They are called "gods."

They mediate salvation between the Sovereign and the People.

There is no need for priests and gods under the New Covenant. They were temporary and remedial.

There is now only one true Mediator, one true Savior, one path to salvation.

Thesis 28 may be deleted and incorporated into this thesis.

Thesis 83: Pedagogy and The Powers

The “elemental spirits” (stoicheia) which maintained a deceptively superficial order in the Old Covenant are unnecessary for Spirit-empowered believer-priests in the New Covenant.[1] Christians do not need their lives structured by the pedagogical legal institutions of the Old Covenant.[2]

Notes
1. Galatians 4:3,9; Colossians 2:8,20; cf. Hebrews 5:12 - 6:8
2. Galatians 3:24 - 4:9; #31

References
        Greg Bahnsen coined the phrase "Pedagogical Law" to describe Old Testament laws which under the New Covenant can no longer be obeyed through a literal fulfillment. He noted especially animal sacrifices and temple rituals.
        It is our contention that what is called the "judicial law" is also often part of the "pedagogical law."
        We also contend that what we call "the State" was part of a complex of social and legal institutions that were "pedagogical" and not enduring.
        Angelic beings ("the powers") were part of this pedagogical system.
        The Old Covenant promised and the New Covenant revealed that the salvation brought by Christ eliminated the need for the pedagogical order of the Old Covenant.
Thesis 31: Ceremony, Ritual, Liturgy, And The “Pedagogical Law”
Thesis 33: Patriarchs And “Elders”
Thesis 34: The Need for a Pedagogical Legal Structure
Thesis 35: Angels And The Pedagogical Legal Structure
Thesis 38: Patriarchy and the Temple
Thesis 75: Self-Ordination

Introduction: Taking the Bible Seriously

As I explained, these Theses constitute a survey of the Bible, going through in chronological order. Chronologically and theologically, I'm putting John chapter 1:1 ahead of Genesis 1: "In the beginning was the Word."

This verse tells us two things: Christ is divine, and the Word is divine.

Many don't believe that such a claim is true; they say, "I don't believe it's true that Christ is divine, and I don't believe it's true that the Bible is divine. But that's a completely different issue from the question, "What does the Bible claim?" Does the Bible claim (whether falsely or truthfully) that Christ is divine?

As we go through the Bible in these 95 Theses, I ask the unbelieving reader to suspend disbelief in order to accurately understand the claims made by the Bible. Just ask, "What is this book trying to assert," rather than "Is it true?"

If you believe that the Bible claims that priests have a right to molest you, you will never agree that the Bible is true. And well you shouldn't. Understanding what the Bible really claims will make it easier for you to accept it as divine and true, I believe.

The Bible is a story. If you want to say it's a "fairy tale," that's fine for now, as long as you make an honest effort to understand the plot of the fairy tale. Nobody believes that Aesop's Fables are literally and historically true, but there is still a literary science to understanding their moral message.

If millions of Christians believe that the Bible claims that George Bush has a divine right to declare martial law and suspend the Constitution, it's in your own interest to be able to convince them that the Bible makes no such claim. You can believe that the Bible is a fairy tale, and that the world is just a heap of random chemicals, and all meaning is illusion, but you may live longer if you can help me persuade millions of Christians that the Bible is libertarian in its moral message.

Connection to Luther's 95 Theses:
The Bedrock of the Reformation

More Reasons to Take the Bible Seriously

Thesis 31: Ceremony, Ritual, Liturgy, And The “Pedagogical Law”

Before the Coming of Christ, the path to reconciliation with God was taught through ceremonial rituals which pictured the atonement and cleansing which Christ made in His death. Together with the priests who administered these laws, this liturgical system served as our Pedagogue.[1] After the Coming of Christ, the path to reconciliation with God is taught to us by the Holy Spirit;[2] ritual cleansings and sheddings of blood (which only prefigured the work of Christ) have no place in this age,[3] and the terms of the Old Covenant itself made this explicit.[4]

Notes
1. Galatians 3:23 - 4:3
2. 1 John 2:27; Hebrews 10:15
3. Galatians 3:25 - 4:7; Hebrews 5:13 - 6:6; 10:4
4. Psalm 51:16; Hosea 6:6; 2 Chronicles 30:18-20; 1 Corinthians 7:19; Hebrews 7:12,18,28; Micah 6:6-8; Psalm 40:6-8 (Hebrews 10:4-9); Psalm 50:8-9; I Samuel 15:22; Proverbs 15:8; 21:3; 28:9; Isaiah 1; 58:6-7; Jeremiah 7:22; Hosea 6:6 (Matthew 9:11-13; 12:6-7); Amos 5:21-24; 2 Chronicles 30:18-20; (cf. Mark 12:33); #59


References
This is a fairly straight-forward statement of the Bahnsenian "Theonomic" position. Of course, nobody who used to be known as a "Theonomist" is a Theonomist any more. All of those Theonomists who are no longer Theonomists will agree that these Theses are not Theonomic, especially since they place "capital punishment" among the "ceremonial" laws.

Theonomy in Christian Ethics

By This Standard

No Other Standard

Theonomy: An Informed Response

Was Calvin a Theonomist?

Covenant Enforced: Sermons on Deuteronomy 27 and 28

The Sinai Strategy: Economics and the Ten Commandments

Tools of Dominion: The Case Laws of Exodus

Leviticus: An Economic Commentary

Boundaries and Dominion: An Economic Commentary on Leviticus

Sanctions and Dominion: An Economic Commentary on Numbers

Inheritance and Dominion: An Economic Commentary on Deuteronomy

Beyond Theonomy
I give credit to Jim Jordan for being a very stimulating writer. I gather he would disagree with this post's claim that "ritual" has no part in the Christian life any more:

Ritual Versus Christianity « Biblical Horizons

We will be discussing the New Covenant ritual Jordan mentions -- from a consistent preterist perspective.

Here is a link to a time-management guru who speaks of "ritual" in the business world:

WakeUpProductiveBlog: How To Manage Yourself And Your Time (And How To Dramatically Increase Your Personal Productivity)

This is a completely different meaning (in my opinion) from what Jim Jordan is talking about. The way I used the word "ritual" in this blog post describes a ceremony prescribed by God which has some atonement value, or else has some kind of "religious" value, as opposed to a "ritual" habit or practice in business. Ritual in this last sense is an extension of the precept laid down by Paul, "Let all things be done decently and in order." Peter Maurin "was the kind of teacher who believed in repetition, restatement, and the continual return to first principles." It might be a good idea to schedule a regular time of day to re-read a question from the Larger Catechism. One might speak of this as a "ritual." But it is not the type of ritual described in this Thesis.

Welcome to "The 95 Days of Christmas"

This is going to be the most extraordinary Christmas season you've ever experienced.

Even if it's the middle of summer.

During the next 95 (or so) days, you're going to read three things:

First, Martin Luther's 95 Theses, which ignited the Protestant Reformation.

Second, you'll be reading a new set of 95 Theses. This is not an updated version of Luther's Theses, which were primarily about the doctrine of "Justification by Faith"; it's a completely new set of Theses.

These New 95 Theses are motivated by the fact that in the 20th century, organized "governments" have deliberately murdered nearly half a billion human beings. Even the governments of historically "Protestant nations." "Governments" have destroyed trillions of dollars of private property. "Governments" have enslaved billions of people, depriving them of their liberty. Elite government leaders are saying they need to kill even more people, confiscate more private property, and impose more comprehensive restrictions on personal liberty in the 21st century.

The New 95 Theses are a journey through the Bible in chronological order, looking at passages that can answer the question, Does the human race really need "governments?" Our answer is: NO.

I greatly appreciate intelligent comments, questions, complaints, or denunciations. After all, the purpose of a public posting of Theses is to inaugurate debate. An older version of these Theses is here. But if you're a part of any "wager" or "coaching program" advertised on other websites, you don't need to read that older version. We recommend against that. Just read one of these theses at a time, following the email you should be receiving. Be sure to leave a comment every day.

Oh yes, the third thing you'll be reading about is "The Christmas Conspiracy." We believe "the reason for the season" (or at least one of the reasons) is the abolition of priests and princes. Christmas is the birth of Jesus the Christ. "Christ" means "anointed king." Jesus was also a priest. He was the last king, and the last priest. He is the only legitimate King, the only legitimate Priest.

In other words, the meaning of Christmas is the abolition of "church" and "state." We are engaged in an open conspiracy to abolish both institutions. The purpose of this blog is to persuade you to join this "Christmas Conspiracy."

Just to sync the "days" and the Theses, you may wish to view these introductory posts:

• Introduction: Taking the Bible Seriously View
• The Importance of Luther's 95 Theses View
• The Origin of The New 95 Theses View

Here is the actual first Thesis:

95 Days of Christmas: Thesis 1: Christ the Word

So, Welcome! Open up your Bible and put on your thinking cap!

Thesis 17: The Post-Flood Absence of The Institutional Church

After the Flood, there was no “church”; “religious” activities were carried out by the Family.[1] The Church (the Body of Christ’s believer-priests) is not to be equated with the institutional “church.”

Notes
1. Genesis 8:20 - 9:4-6


References
The Family in Its Civil and Churchly Aspects B.M. Palmer

Capital Punishment in Genesis 9 -- surprisingly, a "churchly" aspect, not a "civil" one, but still an aspect of the Family.

The 95 Days of Christmas - Welcome!

This is going to be the most extraordinary Christmas season you've ever experienced.

Even if it's the middle of summer.

During the next 95 (or so) days, you're going to read three things:

First, Martin Luther's 95 Theses, which ignited the Protestant Reformation.

Second, you'll be reading a new set of 95 Theses. This is not an updated version of Luther's Theses, which were primarily about the doctrine of "Justification by Faith"; it's a completely new set of Theses.

These New 95 Theses are motivated by the fact that in the 20th century, organized "governments" have deliberately murdered nearly half a billion human beings. Even the governments of historically "Protestant nations." "Governments" have destroyed trillions of dollars of private property. "Governments" have enslaved billions of people, depriving them of their liberty. Elite government leaders are saying they need to kill even more people, confiscate more private property, and impose more comprehensive restrictions on personal liberty in the 21st century.

The New 95 Theses are a journey through the Bible in chronological order, looking at passages that can answer the question, Does the human race really need "governments?" Our answer is: NO.

I greatly appreciate intelligent comments, questions, complaints, or denunciations. After all, the purpose of a public posting of Theses is to inaugurate debate. An older version of these Theses is here. But if you're a part of any "wager" or "coaching program" advertised on other websites, you don't need to read that older version. We recommend against that. Just read one of these theses at a time, following the email you should be receiving. Be sure to leave a comment every day.

Oh yes, the third thing you'll be reading about is "The Christmas Conspiracy." We believe "the reason for the season" (or at least one of the reasons) is the abolition of priests and princes. Christmas is the birth of Jesus the Christ. "Christ" means "anointed king." Jesus was also a priest. He was the last king, and the last priest. He is the only legitimate King, the only legitimate Priest.

In other words, the meaning of Christmas is the abolition of "church" and "state." We are engaged in an open conspiracy to abolish both institutions. The purpose of this blog is to persuade you to join this "Christmas Conspiracy."

Just to sync the "days" and the Theses, you may wish to view these introductory posts:

• Introduction: Taking the Bible Seriously View
• The Importance of Luther's 95 Theses View
• The Origin of The New 95 Theses View

Here is the actual first Thesis:

95 Days of Christmas: Thesis 1: Christ the Word

So, Welcome! Open up your Bible and put on your thinking cap!

Thesis 26: The Myth of The “Separation Of Church And State”

Priest and prince have always been united.[1] The “separation of church and state” is a myth which allows the polis to rationalize its hatred and evasion of God’s Law.

Notes
1. Genesis 14:18; 41:43-45; Judges 17:10; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6; 5:10

References
Priests have always been instruments of the State.
The "palace" and the "temple" have always been united.
The polis is religious to the core.
The "separation of religion and state" privatizes the Christian religion whenever the religion of the State is the religion of Secular Humanism. The State then becomes its own god, and its own law.

Death Penalty Debate - "Separation of Church and State"