Two Kingdom Theology: Perversion of Law and Gospel

This is the first in a series of articles I am going to write in review of John Frame's recent book, The Escondido Theology: A Reformed Response to Two Kingdom Theology. In chapter 1, Dr. Frame sets out to identify what the Escondido theology is. Frames writes:

The Escondido theologians begin, of course, with the Bible as understood in the Protestant Reformation. The doctrine of justification by faith alone is important to them, as to all orthodox Protestants. Many other ideas of the Escondido Theology can be understood as attempts to vindicate this doctrine in an age in which, in their view, the church has forgotten it and often denied it. The Escondido theologians are offended by the degree to which present day churches neglect justification and focus on other things. They are also motivated by a desire to oppose what they regard as theological corruptions of the Reformation doctrine, particularly the views of N.T. Wright, Norman Shephard, and the  movement called Federal Vision.

To protect the doctrine of justification by faith alone, the Escondido theologians maintain a very sharp separation between law and gospel, derived from Martin Luther. God's law tells us what we must do to be right with God; the gospel tells us how we can be saved from God's wrath against those who have not kept his law. (pp. 1-2)

In Lutheran liturgies, the congregation will hear the law recited at the beginning of the service, followed by repentance; while in Reformed liturgies, the law is read after repentance. The reason for this is because the Reformed understanding of the law is that it is the law of the kingdom. First Israel was saved from bondage under Pharoah, then they received the law.

Paul even makes this distinction: "For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law." (Rom 5:13 KJV) but "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness [the law]." (Rom 6:18
KJV)