God's Righteous Kingdom: The Law's Connection with the Gospel

by Walter J. Chantry

Book by Walter J. Chantry

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction

151 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1980

About the author

Walter J. Chantry was born in 1938 at Norristown, Pennsylvania, raised in the Presbyterian Church; graduated B.A. in History from Dickinson College, Carlisle in 1960, and a B.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1963, from which time he has been pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Carlisle. He is married with three children.

Rev. Walter J. Chantry served as pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle, Pa., for thirty-nine years. Following that he edited The Banner of Truth magazine for almost seven years.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I would enjoy this book because I enjoyed Chantry's pamphlet on "The Covenants of Works and of Grace". How wrong I was. This book severely misconstrues the Kingdom of God. Chantry asserts that the Kingdom of God is only a heavenly reality, when in fact the Kingdom of God is to be advanced throughout the whole world in the hearts and minds of sinful men, that they may bring every thought into subjection to Christ. Chantry asserts that the moral law remains binding on believers, but limits the moral law to the Decalogue. Thus in affect he redefines the Ten Commandments by arguing that the judicial case laws of the Old Testament are not binding throughout all ages. He asserts that the judicial laws are harsh, thus unfit for Christians to apply to modern society. I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent! While Chantry does discuss the nature of the Kingdom of God, more of his energy is devoted to what's in the subtitle: the law's connection with the gospel. This book wasn't in my pile of "books to read", but as I was organizing my bookshelf, I found it in my hands and was drawn by the subtitle, particularly since I'll be beginning a series on the Ten Commandments this Sunday. So I gave it a quick read (yes, it's quite readable). Chantry arrives at the same conclusions as myself: namely, that the Decalogue is still applicable today because it is rooted in the very character of God.

If you're struggling with how the law relates to the gospel, I strongly recommend this book.