The term theonomy simply means "God's Law." It does not mean as Bahnsen et AL said that all of Israel's Civil law with their penalties remains binding on current or future Nations. Theo means God and Nom means law. When you put the two together you get theonomic ethics or theonomy VS autonomy as Cornelius Van Till rightfully said. It is a beautiful and accurate word for the law related to Godly Ethics.
I want to say that it is high time all Confessional Biblical Christians take the word back. Especially those within the Reformed Faith. All Christians have theonomic ethics as we live according to God's Moral Law and not the Worlds standards. Theonomy is simply wanting to apply those ethics to how we make laws. Wanting legislation which honors God's Moral Standards. We should strive to support any legislation and laws that honor God and to repeal or abolish laws that dishonor Him. This is theonomy etymologically defined in action.
If someone asks me am I a theonomist the answer would be, "no, I hate God's Law (sarcasm), but, I am not a Christian Reconstructionist." I would than explain what the terms theonomist or theonomy means VS what they were probably thinking of. I am a theonomist of the most strident and pronounced type in the proper definition. Just like when properly defined I am a Reformed or Calvinist fundamentalist of the most pronounced type VS the broader fundamentalism movement which is anti-Reformed and KJV only. I long to see the application of God's Abiding Moral Law to laws and legislation in government. This in fact mirrors the Reformed Confessions view of the law.
