By This Standard: The Authority of God's Law Today [Paperback]

Greg L. Bahnsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1991

God's Law is Christianity's tool of dominion. This is where any discussion of God's law ultimately arrives: the issue of dominion. Ask yourself: Who is to rule on earth, Christ or Satan? Whose followers have the ethically acceptable tool of dominion, Christ's or Satan's? What is this tool of dominion, the bibically revealed law of God, or the law of self-proclaimed autonomous man? Whose word is sovereign, God's or man's?

Millions of Christians, sadly, have not recognized the continuing authorigy of God's law or its many applications to modern society. They have thereby reaped the whirlwind - cultural and intellectual impotence. They implicitly have surrendered this world to the devil. They have implicitly denied the power of the death and resurrection of Christ. They have served as footstools for the enemies of God. But humanism's free ride is coming to an end. This book serves as an introduction to this woefully neglected topic.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen (1948-1995) was once described as "the man atheists fear most." He was a distinguished scholar, author, and Christian apologist. He was an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and the author of Theonomy in Christian Ethics, No Other Standard, Theonomy and Its Critics, and co-author with Kenneth Gentry of House Divided: The Breakup of Dispensational Theology. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Christian Liberty Pr (June 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930464060
• ISBN-13: 978-0930464066
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has the potential to shatter your Comfort Zone., April 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: By This Standard: The Authority of God's Law Today (Paperback)

What authority does the Law have in the life of the New Testament believer? The answer may disturb you. It did me. Be forewarned. Dr. Bahnsen is not writing comic-book dialog here! This is tough stuff. It demands your attention. It demands thought. But the rewards are great. This book is a blessing. This is the definitive biblical counter to situation ethics and moral relativism. If you are a Christian, you really ought to consider it your duty to find out what the Bible (both Testaments) has to say about issues of morality. What does it really mean to "love your neighbor"? My wager is that most of us Christians don't really know.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The layman's standard on Theonomy, June 21, 2009

By 

Joshua Butcher (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: By This Standard: The Authority of God's Law Today (Paperback)

By This Standard is a slimmed down version of Bahnsen's larger treatment of Theonomy, Theonomy in Christian Ethics. The shorter version is devoid of lengthy scholarly interaction and extensive footnotes, so it is less helpful for those really wanting to dig into the debate. However, Bahnsen's clear expositional writing makes this the perfect book for folks wanting to learn a sound treatment of Theonomy. Many opponents of theonomic readings of Scripture labor under misconceptions, misrepresentations, and false implications based upon false assumptions about what theonomy actually is. Bahnsen's treatment here is as clear as it gets for the lay reader and is a good primer on the considerations of Biblical law.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable, October 4, 2010

By 

B. Wright (Central NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: By This Standard: The Authority of God's Law Today (Hardcover)

I was interested in finding out more about theonomy, being somewhat inclined that way based on my own study and understanding of the Word of God, & I found this book to be a very readable book making the case for the continuing validity of God's commands as revealed in the OT unless clearly withdrawn in the NT. Bahnsen makes many logical points (I particularly like how he uses football rules' & library cards' continuing validity today to argue his point) and supports them with scripture references. I'm not thoroughly convinced, because some of what Paul says, even in the context of some of his supporting texts seems to indicate more nullification of OT law than Bahnsen grants, but in other places the scripture really does seem to support his position (the evidence seems in his favor). I think he makes a very strong case against autonomy and one of the strengths of this book is how he refutes humanistic (the new version) reasoning. In this book he does not go into great detail in regards to what commands do stand firm, he is more interested in simply establishing that many do - which he does well, while balancing it with a wise dose of "general equity" (common example seems to be in OT they were told to build a fence around their roof, we don't have flat roofs anymore, the point is - don't leave a loaded gun around for your neighbor;s kid to shoot etc). It was most interesting to go back and look at my confession of faith in regards to this subject as well, I suggest anyone under the 1689 London Baptist Confession or the Westminster Confession take a look at the chapters on the law of God and civil government, it may challenge you!