The fact that I am talking with our brothers from Mid-America does not mean that we should not continue to pursue the issues before us. And because this thing continues to erupt in public, we have to deal with it in public. As God gives opportunity we can have some “behind-closed-doors” discussions with the zookeeper. But the fact remains that the monkeys are all out of the cage, and so we have to spend at least some of our time chasing monkeys. So let me chase a particularly lively one for just a moment.
Let me illustrate the ninth commandment problem another way. This remains the center of my concern about the MARS testimony, and why I think it is such a problem.
“We affirm that the covenant of works and the covenant of grace are distinct covenants, and should not be confused or amalgamated, for the first covenant deals with man in a state of integrity, whereas the second covenant finds man corrupted, wholly depraved, and under the penalty of death . . .” (MARS Doctrinal Testimony, p. 22).
Here is the difficulty. This is clearly applicable to Westminster West, and their tolerance of the recapitulation view. But MARS has not only said that the covenant of works and the covenant of grace are distinct, they have said they are necessarily distinct because of the spiritual condition of those with whom they were made. This makes it impossible for the covenant of works to be re-given at Sinai in any sense — how could the covenant of works be made with man “corrupted, wholly depraved, and under the penalty of death”? But this is what the recapitulationists do.
So then, the doctrinal testimony of MARS is general enough to apply to NPP, FV, WW, and nameless others (NO). If the bugle blows indistinctly, then how is this a help in preparing for battle — if battle indeed is called for? When your adversary is not named, then there are only two things that the average pew sitter can do. He can conclude that it must not be important for him to know (but then why do it?), or he can guess. When he guesses, as many will do, he will frequently guess wrong because the MARS testimony names the FV, and then describes the FV position in ways that all FV men that I know would repudiate (to varying degrees). And that is a ninth commandment issue.