The kind of obedience that is being spoken of in law-keeping in the mind of the apostle is the obedience of faith, which according to Romans 1:5 is the whole goal of his ministry. It's the whole goal of my ministry. You wonder, "why does Piper preach about these things? These are complicated things. I don't hear anybody talking like this." Well, you do. The reason is the whole book of Romans, Chapter 1 verse 5 (read it!) is designed to bring about the obedience of faith among the gentiles for the sake of the Name! That's my passion! I don't want a church filled with carnal, disobedient law-breakers that look just like the world in the way they live, and have this light, feathery confidence that they are going to heaven just because they prayed a prayer one time or signed a card or did something when they were six! What kind of a church is that? That's wicked for a pastor to cultivate such a people! It's heartless; it's cruel. How many people at the judgment will curse their pastors because he didn't tell them when the Lord says to them, "why do you call me Lord, Lord? Depart from me; I never knew you, you workers of iniquity." "Workers of iniquity? We didn't think it mattered that you worked iniquity! All you had to do was believe!" And the pastors will be cursed.Wow! Piper really hammers home the idea that "carnal Christians" are no Christians at all! And what an incredible duty pastors have to tell people the TRUTH!
May we all be truth-seekers and law-keepers.
