The Uselessness of Grace: A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Philosophy in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Apologetics

By Peter Wiah

Where there is no law, there is no sin. Where there no sin, there is no need for grace.

Therefore, in the absence of the law, grace is futile.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984528506

Peter Wiah

I am a pastor, was born in Sinoe County, Liberia West Africa. My father was a Pastor for the Pillar of Fire Church for many years and my mother was a homemaker and traditional Midwife. I attended the Pillar of Fire Mission School in my early years in Poe River Beach, River Cess. In addition, graduated from William V.S. Tubman High School in Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia. Graduated from Canadian Union College now (Burman University) in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada with Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies. Worked in Florence, Italy as assistant Dean of men, and a graduate of the Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University, in Berrien Spring Michigan, with a Masters of Divinity Degree, and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Newbury Theological Seminary, Newbury Indiana United States of America. He is an author, motivational speaker, and a pastor. Currently reside in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Book preview

THE USELESSNESS OF GRACE

A Dissertation Submitted to

the Faculty of Philosophy

in Candidacy for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Apologetics

Department of Christian Apologetics

PETER WIAH

Copyright © 2018 by Peter Wiah.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 02/15/2019

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

779499

CONTENTS

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Introduction

Ceremonial Laws

Sacrifices and Offerings

Types of Sacrifices

The Lord Wants to Communion with Man

The Moral Law

War Started in Heaven

The Grace of God Is for the Whole Universe

The Laws of God Are Constant

Christianity Is Facing a Crisis

Understanding the Bible

Jesus, the Only Way

The Fourth Commandment

Remember the Reason of the Reformation

The False Teaching

God’s Day of Rest

The Protestants Must Defend or Concede

The Catholic Mirror

Views of Other Monotheistic Religions

The Prophecy of Daniel

The Prophet Daniel’s Vision

Christ Never Changed the Sabbath

Sanctuary Conflicts

Disbanded Nation

Miller’s Failure

Freedom Has a Price

The Role of Rome

Scholar Interprets

The Adventist Viewpoint

A High Priest Forever

What Was Nailed to the Cross?

Fulfilling the Law

The Role of Interpretation

The Key Problems

Using Literature Language for Interpreting

Early Church Fathers’ Comments

Other Methods of Interpretation

Health and Dietary Laws

The Eden Diet

Peter’s Vision

That’s How It Is

Modern Advancement

Fatal but Common

Added Benefit

We Are Stewards

Get Fit, Stay Fit

The Civil Law

The Laws Are Eternal

Jesus in the Old Testament

Reliving Old in the New Testament

Conclusion

They Are Also Protestant Christians

It All Starts Now

The Calf Path

Definitions

Bibliography

Acknowledgment

P RAISE BE TO God for taking me this far. Thanks a million to Amorette Nuwoe Kollie Wiah, my best friend and lover- for putting up with me for the past two decades as my wife. Thanks to my sister who taught and inspired me in making this work a reality. My mother Bekka Swen Wesseh and my father and friend Seabreezes N. Manawine. Whose prayers have taken me on life’s journey and adventures. Juana M. Kollie and Sister Mapu K. Nagbe, who always see in me the abilities and potentials more than what I thought. Paul and June Blue, who adopted me and set me on the path of academic pursuits. And my wonderful friends and church family at Norwood Adventist Church.

Introduction

Purpose of the Study

T HE CONFUSION OF law versus grace has become a dilemma for the twenty-first-century Protestant Christians. However, law and grace had always coexisted from eternity, even before sin came into the world by the disobedience of Adam and Eve as delineated in the Bible. The New Testament clarifies the Old Testament language by explaining the importance of law, sin, and grace as related to our relationship to God. Where there is no law, there is no sin, and where there is no sin, there is no need for grace. Therefore, grace is unnecessary in the absence of the law. In other words, grace becomes futile where there is no law.

Statement of the Problem

The major issues are the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the scriptures that is causing many to live in violation of the law of God, claiming that Christ’s mission destroyed the law but that grace still abounds in the absence of the law. The antinomians¹ also fail to realize that grace is futile where there is no law.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to enable the Protestant Christian to understand that the biblical laws that were binding the early church are still binding on modern society. The search is to clarify biblical passages that are misused and misunderstood to indicate that the law had been abolished. The intention is to enhance our views of issues that are relevant to our salvation, such as obedience to the will of God and following His precepts. Finally, this is done so that the reader will gain the understanding that the law is holy, but it does not save. One is saved by accepting the sacrificial death of Christ on one’s behalf through faith. In addition, because of our love for Christ, we will strive to keep His commandments.

Methodology

In the endeavor to address the importance of the issues of law, sin, and grace, the supremacy of the Bible will be paramount. Other materials such as extrabiblical works will be consulted for clarifications and linguistic explanations applicable to the matter that where there is no law, there is no sin, and where there is no sin, grace is unnecessary. Specific biblical laws will be taken into consideration in the context of law, sin, and grace to provide concise direction as it relates to the validation of the biblical laws as having eternal values, as the giver is eternal.

Limitations

The laws have their roles, and their overarching purpose is to reconcile and keep men in a relationship with God, which will enable one to live in a loving relationship with his neighbor. But due to the extensive laws identified by Rambam,² the total of 613 is believed to have been written by Moses. It would be a difficult task to study the detail of each one. Therefore, only four major laws will be addressed in the endeavor to understand the interdependence of law, sin, and grace.

Introduction

T HIS WORK IS submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy in Christian apologetics. Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present historical, reasoned, and evidential basis for Christianity, defending it against objections. ³ Defending Christianity against objections is increasingly becoming even more objectionable since the advent of modern technology and the proliferation of secularism.

It can be argued profusely that religious pluralism has played a major role alongside these elements. Religious pluralism is the view that all religions are equally valid and true, thus teaching that there are many ways to God and many means of salvation. Therefore, it shuns the idea that there can be only one true religion or only one means of salvation. Scholars claimed that religious pluralism has been around since the seventeenth century but that it has become more prevalent in the West since the late twentieth century. And it is manifested within Christians. In the fifties and sixties, Christians were known and were proud of being a member of the body of Christ. There were denominations such as, the Episcopalians, Baptists, Methodists, and Lutherans, now we have nondenominational Christians, while others have rejected to be called Christians but rather the followers of Christ. All these advancements do add to the burdens of the apologists, leaving a million confused about the truth of Christianity. However, an apology is not a new method of defending one belief; there have been many apologists throughout history who have taken the stand to defend their faith even in the face of depending threats and fate. As one reads through the Old Testament, there is the account of Moses and Aaron before the pharaoh of Egypt as recorded in Exodus 7–12 and the three brave Hebrew boys and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon’s fiery furnace as recorded in Daniel 3:8–25. In the New Testament, one can read the fascinating account of the Apostle Paul before King Agrippa and Felix in the book of Acts 25:13–26:32. So apologists have more than a thousand years of history with solid references.

The word apology is derived from the Greek word apologia,⁴ and one of the most memorable apologists is Socrates. When he was brought before the jury that could decide his fate, he did not waver in his apology by appealing to the emotions of the jury to render a nonguilty verdict, but instead, he defended his beliefs even in the face of death. In presenting his case, he made some observations about the human condition of how to live a meaningful life, noting that only a life that avoids perpetual unrighteousness is worth living for a human being.⁵ Moreover, defending Christianity objectively is a chief duty of true Christians, as strongly recommended by the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:15–16a. In other words, defending Christianity is not only in words but also in actions. True Christians must exhibit good character and exemplary conduct on a daily basis according to the will of Christ because one life must be in line with his confession, as in the words of Socrates an unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.⁶ Also, Christian apologetics is encouraging us to take a second look at the verses that are fundamental to the biblical doctrine of faith in the context of sin, grace, and law.

As rightfully mentioned by Michael McDowell and Nathan Robert Brown in their book World Religions at Your Fingertips, "People are becoming intricately connected around the world through ease of mobility; education, immigration and globalization. People from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and everywhere are interacting with one another like never before in world history. Because of this, the likelihood that you and I will engage individuals from other religious perspective is nearly 100 percent!"⁷ For one to be able to defend his faith requires understanding the basic tenets of their faith and beliefs. As you defend your faith, be abreast of some of the basic tenets of other religions—it could help to solidify your defense and your interaction with others. Most major world religions believe in one supreme being, who is the ultimate judge for all humanity here and in the life to come. That makes apologetics more complex, being that religion has become an intercultural, international and intertribal discussion.

This paper intends to discuss one of the greatest dilemmas of Christianity, and that is obedience to God’s commandments. For instance, the apostle Paul says, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1–2). Charles Hodge, in view of these issues surrounding the discussion, wrote, The Decalogue is not to be interpreted as the laws of men, which take cognizance only of external acts, but as the law of God, which extends to the thoughts and intents of the heart. In all cases it will be found that the several commandments contain some comprehensive principle of duty, under which a multitude of subordinate specific duties are included.⁸

The quote above will be an integral part of the research question, What is the merit of grace? Because where there is no law, there is no sin, and where there is no sin, grace is unnecessary; therefore, grace is useless in the absence of the law. As clearly employed by the Apostle Paul, Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression (Romans 4:15). These words of the apostle Paul will form the central pillar of this dialogue.

It is important to learn and try to understand the correlation between law, sin, and grace because it would be a beneficial endeavor. Apologetics is a science that is used to defend the faith of oneself, it would be appropriate to understand why apologetics was needed in ancient times and why it is very important today. To defend one’s faith, the individual must, first of all, understand oneself and the reason for one’s faith. In the apology of Socrates before the jury that was cited for his trial, which finally led to his death, Socrates, instead of appealing to the emotion of jury for compassion, took a different view of his trials in which he remarked these very profound words: The unexamined life is not worth living.⁹ The meaning and intent of the quote may not be fully revealed in this work. Just for a moment, let us consider that all are endowed with intrinsic values and instinct that guide all they do. One can make a conscious choice to surrender that power to someone else, and as a result, that individual becomes a follower. But in Christianity, one is not called to follow Christ blindly. An unexamined life states a course of chaos and without direction. Could a life that is unexamined better any community or the individual at all? Does that life value anything of worth? Christians are called to be followers of Christ, and by so doing, they should be taught about Christ, His deeds, and His actions when He walked among humanity. His instructions and most of all the selfless characteristics that led Him to surrender His life for the redemption of the falling race should be studied. In fact, Christ has commanded that His followers must be taught, as mandated by the Great Gospel Commission recorded in the book of Matthew:

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:16–20)

This is the greatest distinction between all world religions and Christianity. All the major religions of the world will tell you what their leader taught them. But in Christianity, we have