The law in the Christian life
- T27.1 The Decalogue ‘remains permanently with us’ (Irenaeus) (high)
- T27.2 The saints truly sin in this life (Carthage 418) (high)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 2 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is third-order (tier weight 1). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 180 Irenaeus T27.1
- c. 418 Council of Carthage T27.2
- 1547 Trent VI Catholic
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
T27 · The law in the Christian life
Whether the moral law binds Christians; whether the justified keep it perfectly.
Tier: Third-order (scoring weight 1). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
Do the Ten Commandments still bind Christians, and can anyone keep them perfectly? Jesus came not to abolish the law, and Irenaeus wrote that the Ten Commandments ‘remain permanently with us’. The Council of Carthage (418) condemned the idea that the saints only say they sin out of humility. Catholic and Protestant confessions agree that the moral law binds believers; Protestant confessions stress that no one keeps it perfectly in this life.
Plan
Questions: T27.1 does the moral law (the Ten Commandments) bind Christians?; T27.2 can the justified keep God’s law perfectly in this life? Links: S1 justification, T13 Sabbath. Scripture: Matt 5:17–19; Rom 6:14; 13:8–10; Phil 3:12; Jas 2:8–11; 3:2; 1 John 1:8; 5:3. Fathers: Irenaeus, Against Heresies IV.16.4; Council of Carthage (418), canon on 1 John 1:8.
Questions
- T27.1 Does the moral law (the Decalogue) bind Christians?
- T27.2 Can the justified keep God’s law perfectly in this life?
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
T27.1 · Does the moral law (the Decalogue) bind Christians?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T27.1 | The Decalogue ‘remains permanently with us’ (Irenaeus) | High | T27.1.1 · T27.1.3 weighing | irenaeus-t27-s1 | T27.1.4: high |
T27.2 · Can the justified keep God’s law perfectly in this life?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T27.2 | The saints truly sin in this life (Carthage 418) | High | T27.2.1 · T27.2.3 weighing | carthage-t27-s1 | T27.2.4: high |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | T27.1, partly T27.2 | — |
| Orthodox | — | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | — | — |
| Lutheran | T27.1, T27.2 | — |
| Anglican | T27.1, T27.2 | — |
| Presbyterian | T27.1, T27.2 | — |
| Reformed Baptist | T27.1, T27.2 | — |
| General Baptist | T27.1, T27.2 | — |
| Anabaptist | — | — |
Overall verdict
T27.1: the moral law binds Christians as a rule of life (Scripture, Irenaeus); every confession that addresses it agrees. T27.2: the justified truly obey but do not keep the law perfectly in this life (1 John 1:8; Carthage 418); Trent stresses that the commandments are not impossible, while granting daily venial sins.
Verification status
Trent VI, FC Ep. VI, Arts. VII and XV, WCF XIX.5, WLC 149, 1689 13.2 and 19.5 and the Orthodox Creed XV and XXVI are verified. Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Anabaptist cells are not assessed or not addressed.