The Role of the Law in the Sanctification of the Believer Today: A Brief Introduction to Pronomianism

In recent years the theological term “pronomianism” has emerged within lay scholarship and academia. While still evolving as a concept, it is the doctrine that affirms the ongoing and universal nature of all God’s commandments, to be practised literally and non-literally (by way of principlism and paradigm), as opposed to a theological framework that designates only the “moral” as operative and those that are “civil and ceremonial”, as redundant. This dissertation contends that pronomianism is an accurate and credible doctrine of interpretation in which the Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus Christ are to abide by all the commandments of God as taught throughout the entirety of Scripture and intended as a means of sanctification. The study will start by survey the role of the Law through Church history and evidencing pronomian practises throughout the centuries, defining pronomianism and establishing thirteen principles to guide this pro-Torah hermeneutic and methodology of interpretation, contending the ongoing observation and validity of circumcision, kashrut, and appointed festivals, while also exploring a Law-affirming interpretation of Matthew 5:17–20, the presence of the Law prior to its codification at Mt. Sinai, promoniam attributes of Scripture, and the role of the Law, in particular the appointed festivals, in a futurist reading of Ezekiel 45:9–46:15.