"But, if in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too are found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!" (Gal. 2:17, ESV). Though we are referred to as saints, we never cease to be sinners.
"...[Repent] and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). This is Jesus preaching the Law and the Gospel.
"[A]nd that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations..." (Luke 24:47). This is the Great Commission with Law and Gospel.
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ: (John 1:17). A proper dichotomy of the Word between Law and Gospel.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling [dividing] the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). The Bible is mostly divided between Law and gospel or promises and we need to differentiate them in view of grace.
Luther said, "He who masters the art of distinction between the Law and the Gospel should be called a real theologian." Get them lost first and tell the bad news before the good news.
An anticipatory synopsis: The purpose of the Law is to point out sin, restrain evil in the world, and to reveal God's will and how to live. Note well: "[Through] the law comes the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). The Gospel is to provide forgiveness and grace and to re-orient our lives ("Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" cf. Gal. 3:3). By way of definition: The OT contains the Gospel (promises and pertaining to Christ), and the NT contains the Law (what God demands to convict and a code of conduct). The whole of Scripture is one or the other in general. When the Law is preached people are "cut to the heart" (the accusations of the Law leads to repentance) like in Acts, and when the gospel is preached their hearts are turned from stone to flesh and renewed (it is the power of the Gospel that saves). Caveat: It is ill-advised to preach Gospel minus Law, as it leads to spurious faith, easy-believism, shallow faith, pseudo conversion, and worst of all: False assurance.
It is imperative that we distinguish these concepts and know when to apply them. "[Preach] the Word; be ready in season and out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2). Preachers need to preach the Law and the Gospel well enough to be rejected as well (the average convert has rejected the Gospel 7.8 times before acceptance). We are not under the Law, but we are not lawless! The "Law is good," according to Paul, "if one uses it lawfully" (1 Tim. 1:8). Too many preachers preach what the congregants want to hear or what is popular and gathers a crowd. This is a sign, though not proof, of a false teacher. Some preach to scare people into the kingdom and some to make an emotional appeal that leads to an altar call--faith pleases God, not emotions according to Heb. 11:6. Preachers should preach both the Law (what God requires of us and shows us how far we fall short), and the Gospel (the good news about how God solved the sin issue through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ).
But the problem is that some don't preach in the proper sequence, perspective or balance--some people are already convicted and know they are unsaved and need to be comforted with the gospel; others are secure in their sins and may be self-righteous and need the Law preached to make them realize they do indeed fall short and need the gospel. God says in Isaiah 40, "Comfort ye my people..." and this is because they have suffered double for their sins and are ready for it. Martin Luther called the Law the hammer of the Bible that shatters our self-righteousness, a mirror that shows us what we are, and a whip that drives us to God--he that is forgiven much loves much.
But we all need some Law and some Gospel because we need to keep on our spiritual toes and have spiritual checkups. The power is in the Gospel to change our lives and the power is in the Law to show us our need. To some, it may seem that the Gospel is too good to be true, but goodness is not the criteria for truth--it is either true or false. We cannot be convicted too much (we are at the same time saint and sinner) by the Law; in fact, the worse off a sinner realizes he is, the more ready he welcomes the Gospel. Paul thought of himself as the "chief of sinners" in 1 Tim. 1:15 and the author John Bunyan penned Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners! This is resultant of preaching the Word, and the whole counsel of God and the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. When the Law was given, Israel promised to keep it, rather than sue for mercy ("...We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey" in Exodus 24:8)--they were clueless!
One reason preachers don't preach this sequence is that they are not aware of it (God doesn't sanction nor place any premium on willful ignorance as an excuse), and think the only way to save people is to scare them into the kingdom, talking about hell or the rapture. There is always a mix of terrified, convicted sinners and secure sinners in a church and that is why both must always be preached and the preacher must never assume his parishioners are all saved. The Gospel washes, cleanses, heals and sanctifies, not the Law. Most people, apart from the Law, think they are not quite so bad after all ("Woe to those who are at ease in Zion," says Amos 6:1). The Law is our "guardian until Christ came" (Gal. 3:24) and after we are saved and have faith we are no longer "under the Law" and it has no power over us, to claim nor condemn us.
Many preachers get too bogged down with the Law and are not "grace-oriented" and have had no "grace awakening" to distinguish the two and if people think they are justified or even sanctified by the Law, they have "fallen from grace" or have become legalists and aren't being saved by grace, but by their own efforts. We are saved by grace from beginning to ending and we don't need to become somewhat Jewish to be saved. We use it unjustly to see it as a means of salvation or sanctification. Paul said in Gal. 3:10 that if we rely on the Law we are under a curse! We must realize what Jesus said ("Apart from Me you can do nothing..," in John 15:5) and not rely on the energy or power of the flesh to be saved ("Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit" says Zech. 4:6), but recognize that it is from "faith to faith" that we are saved (Rom. 1:17).
Now, "the law is holy, righteous, and good" (Rom. 7:12) and it must be used correctly--is meant for the sinner to convict him (2 Tim. 1:9 says: "for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane." We never can say we don't need the Law to show us right living, God's will, morality, and ethics (I am not speaking of the ceremonial Law of Moses, but of the moral Law that God requires of us).
You cannot dichotomize the Bible so simplistically and say that the OT is Law and the NT is gospel because if that were so the Old Testament saints couldn't be saved, and the New Testament saints couldn't be convicted and know right from wrong. There is Law everywhere (if I say this is a free park and it has no laws or rules, how free is it? It's chaos). John Clare said that "in a madhouse, there exists no law." We do need the Law and cannot lose track of it or become disoriented--but we must always learn to distinguish the two. Rom. 10:4 says, "Christ is the end of the Law," and this means He fulfilled it and we are not under its authority to condemn anymore. "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," according to Rom. 8:1.
The curse was in Deut. 27:26 (ESV) et alia: "Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them...." We come to the realization that "the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit [the Gospel] gives life, when we get saved and realize that we have a lighter yoke than the yoke of the Law to fulfill, and that is the yoke of the Spirit and being led by the Spirit. "...For the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit [Gospel] gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6 showing Law and Gospel again). The Law has the power to kill according to Romans 7:11 because it can seize the opportunity and overcome us. We need to learn to live in the power of the Spirit and be free form the burden (we obey because we want to, not because we have to) of the Law: "You shall, therefore, keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD" (Lev. 18:5, ESV).
The whole point in preaching is to make everyone, even the saved, realize their need for the Law and the gospel and not to lose track of these, but keep oriented and make regular spiritual checkups. We don't want to get too comfortable or complacent and we don't want to despair. If people think they need to hear it that is good but if they think it was just interesting or "worth a few moments of their time," as if being entertained, then they failed--preaching is meant to change lives. Preaching is the methodology or M.O. of saving souls and it is "by hearing, and by hearing" that a person receives faith (Rom. 10:17).
Ovid was right about human nature: "We strive after the forbidden things and always lust after the things that are denied us." When the Law came, it aroused desire just like Eve desired of the forbidden fruit--this is the essence of sin. We wouldn't want to step on the wet paint if no sign said, "Do not step on wet paint." The nitty-gritty of the Law and the gospel is that it is the power of God unto salvation and it is a mystery, i.e., not self-evident.
The answer to the inquiry "What must I do to be saved?" is our fixation. Man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation. Jesus answered this question in John 6:29: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." We can do nothing--that is the point! It is God's work in us and we receive salvation as a free gift we didn't deserve, cannot earn, and can never repay." This is welcome news to those wholly convicted of their sins and having spirits prepared by God to receive His grace message. If we had to do something most people could accept that, but they cannot understand how salvation can be free. God just wants us to believe in Him ("...he greatly helped those who through grace had believed" in Acts 18:27). The statement "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" is nonsensical apart from the conviction of the Law. Christ came to save sinners, and if you do not regard yourself as a real sinner, then Christ may not seem like a real Savior! As for me, I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior. Soli Deo Gloria!
"...[Repent] and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). This is Jesus preaching the Law and the Gospel.
"[A]nd that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations..." (Luke 24:47). This is the Great Commission with Law and Gospel.
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ: (John 1:17). A proper dichotomy of the Word between Law and Gospel.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling [dividing] the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). The Bible is mostly divided between Law and gospel or promises and we need to differentiate them in view of grace.
Luther said, "He who masters the art of distinction between the Law and the Gospel should be called a real theologian." Get them lost first and tell the bad news before the good news.
An anticipatory synopsis: The purpose of the Law is to point out sin, restrain evil in the world, and to reveal God's will and how to live. Note well: "[Through] the law comes the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). The Gospel is to provide forgiveness and grace and to re-orient our lives ("Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" cf. Gal. 3:3). By way of definition: The OT contains the Gospel (promises and pertaining to Christ), and the NT contains the Law (what God demands to convict and a code of conduct). The whole of Scripture is one or the other in general. When the Law is preached people are "cut to the heart" (the accusations of the Law leads to repentance) like in Acts, and when the gospel is preached their hearts are turned from stone to flesh and renewed (it is the power of the Gospel that saves). Caveat: It is ill-advised to preach Gospel minus Law, as it leads to spurious faith, easy-believism, shallow faith, pseudo conversion, and worst of all: False assurance.
It is imperative that we distinguish these concepts and know when to apply them. "[Preach] the Word; be ready in season and out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2). Preachers need to preach the Law and the Gospel well enough to be rejected as well (the average convert has rejected the Gospel 7.8 times before acceptance). We are not under the Law, but we are not lawless! The "Law is good," according to Paul, "if one uses it lawfully" (1 Tim. 1:8). Too many preachers preach what the congregants want to hear or what is popular and gathers a crowd. This is a sign, though not proof, of a false teacher. Some preach to scare people into the kingdom and some to make an emotional appeal that leads to an altar call--faith pleases God, not emotions according to Heb. 11:6. Preachers should preach both the Law (what God requires of us and shows us how far we fall short), and the Gospel (the good news about how God solved the sin issue through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ).
But the problem is that some don't preach in the proper sequence, perspective or balance--some people are already convicted and know they are unsaved and need to be comforted with the gospel; others are secure in their sins and may be self-righteous and need the Law preached to make them realize they do indeed fall short and need the gospel. God says in Isaiah 40, "Comfort ye my people..." and this is because they have suffered double for their sins and are ready for it. Martin Luther called the Law the hammer of the Bible that shatters our self-righteousness, a mirror that shows us what we are, and a whip that drives us to God--he that is forgiven much loves much.
But we all need some Law and some Gospel because we need to keep on our spiritual toes and have spiritual checkups. The power is in the Gospel to change our lives and the power is in the Law to show us our need. To some, it may seem that the Gospel is too good to be true, but goodness is not the criteria for truth--it is either true or false. We cannot be convicted too much (we are at the same time saint and sinner) by the Law; in fact, the worse off a sinner realizes he is, the more ready he welcomes the Gospel. Paul thought of himself as the "chief of sinners" in 1 Tim. 1:15 and the author John Bunyan penned Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners! This is resultant of preaching the Word, and the whole counsel of God and the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. When the Law was given, Israel promised to keep it, rather than sue for mercy ("...We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey" in Exodus 24:8)--they were clueless!
One reason preachers don't preach this sequence is that they are not aware of it (God doesn't sanction nor place any premium on willful ignorance as an excuse), and think the only way to save people is to scare them into the kingdom, talking about hell or the rapture. There is always a mix of terrified, convicted sinners and secure sinners in a church and that is why both must always be preached and the preacher must never assume his parishioners are all saved. The Gospel washes, cleanses, heals and sanctifies, not the Law. Most people, apart from the Law, think they are not quite so bad after all ("Woe to those who are at ease in Zion," says Amos 6:1). The Law is our "guardian until Christ came" (Gal. 3:24) and after we are saved and have faith we are no longer "under the Law" and it has no power over us, to claim nor condemn us.
Many preachers get too bogged down with the Law and are not "grace-oriented" and have had no "grace awakening" to distinguish the two and if people think they are justified or even sanctified by the Law, they have "fallen from grace" or have become legalists and aren't being saved by grace, but by their own efforts. We are saved by grace from beginning to ending and we don't need to become somewhat Jewish to be saved. We use it unjustly to see it as a means of salvation or sanctification. Paul said in Gal. 3:10 that if we rely on the Law we are under a curse! We must realize what Jesus said ("Apart from Me you can do nothing..," in John 15:5) and not rely on the energy or power of the flesh to be saved ("Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit" says Zech. 4:6), but recognize that it is from "faith to faith" that we are saved (Rom. 1:17).
Now, "the law is holy, righteous, and good" (Rom. 7:12) and it must be used correctly--is meant for the sinner to convict him (2 Tim. 1:9 says: "for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane." We never can say we don't need the Law to show us right living, God's will, morality, and ethics (I am not speaking of the ceremonial Law of Moses, but of the moral Law that God requires of us).
You cannot dichotomize the Bible so simplistically and say that the OT is Law and the NT is gospel because if that were so the Old Testament saints couldn't be saved, and the New Testament saints couldn't be convicted and know right from wrong. There is Law everywhere (if I say this is a free park and it has no laws or rules, how free is it? It's chaos). John Clare said that "in a madhouse, there exists no law." We do need the Law and cannot lose track of it or become disoriented--but we must always learn to distinguish the two. Rom. 10:4 says, "Christ is the end of the Law," and this means He fulfilled it and we are not under its authority to condemn anymore. "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," according to Rom. 8:1.
The curse was in Deut. 27:26 (ESV) et alia: "Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them...." We come to the realization that "the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit [the Gospel] gives life, when we get saved and realize that we have a lighter yoke than the yoke of the Law to fulfill, and that is the yoke of the Spirit and being led by the Spirit. "...For the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit [Gospel] gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6 showing Law and Gospel again). The Law has the power to kill according to Romans 7:11 because it can seize the opportunity and overcome us. We need to learn to live in the power of the Spirit and be free form the burden (we obey because we want to, not because we have to) of the Law: "You shall, therefore, keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD" (Lev. 18:5, ESV).
The whole point in preaching is to make everyone, even the saved, realize their need for the Law and the gospel and not to lose track of these, but keep oriented and make regular spiritual checkups. We don't want to get too comfortable or complacent and we don't want to despair. If people think they need to hear it that is good but if they think it was just interesting or "worth a few moments of their time," as if being entertained, then they failed--preaching is meant to change lives. Preaching is the methodology or M.O. of saving souls and it is "by hearing, and by hearing" that a person receives faith (Rom. 10:17).
Ovid was right about human nature: "We strive after the forbidden things and always lust after the things that are denied us." When the Law came, it aroused desire just like Eve desired of the forbidden fruit--this is the essence of sin. We wouldn't want to step on the wet paint if no sign said, "Do not step on wet paint." The nitty-gritty of the Law and the gospel is that it is the power of God unto salvation and it is a mystery, i.e., not self-evident.
The answer to the inquiry "What must I do to be saved?" is our fixation. Man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation. Jesus answered this question in John 6:29: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." We can do nothing--that is the point! It is God's work in us and we receive salvation as a free gift we didn't deserve, cannot earn, and can never repay." This is welcome news to those wholly convicted of their sins and having spirits prepared by God to receive His grace message. If we had to do something most people could accept that, but they cannot understand how salvation can be free. God just wants us to believe in Him ("...he greatly helped those who through grace had believed" in Acts 18:27). The statement "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" is nonsensical apart from the conviction of the Law. Christ came to save sinners, and if you do not regard yourself as a real sinner, then Christ may not seem like a real Savior! As for me, I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior. Soli Deo Gloria!