Are You Reading the Bible through Law-Tinted Glasses?
Imagine you have a friend who wears rose-tinted glasses. Real ones too, not the metaphorical kind. People used to wear colored glasses – Teddy Roosevelt did it – and some [...]
law
What is the Law of the Spirit of Life? (Romans 8:2)
Do you feel condemned even though you know that you are forgiven? Do you feel the pressure to perform even though you know about grace? Do you struggle to reconcile God’s [...]
To Keep the Law is to Break the Law
There are two paths to righteousness. The first path is called Works, and it is the basis of every religion ever invented. The second path is called Grace and it is the [...]
Beware Dogs and Evil Workers (Philippians 3:2)
On our local community Facebook page, there was a police notice to beware an armed man who had attacked a local resident. That’s all it said. And judging by the [...]
Is “Love your Neighbor” Part of the New Covenant? (Galatians 5:14)
If there is one book that highlights the dangers of mixing grace with law it’s Galatians. Which is why I am always surprised when people use Galatians to mix grace with [...]
Kept in Custody Under the Law (Galatians 3:22–23)
When you see the law mentioned in the Bible, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think “the law” = the Law of Moses. If so, you may dismiss chunks of the New Testament as [...]
Are the Gentiles Under the Law? (Galatians 3:23)
Are the Gentiles under the law? Were the Gentiles ever under the law? Your answers to these questions depend on how you define “the law.” My answers to these questions [...]
Why We Are Not a Red-Letter Church
“What kind of church are you?” I wasn’t sure how to answer the question. The lady who had rung my office was thinking of attending one of our Sunday services, but she [...]
Tough Love for Drunks and Sinners
The late Brennan Manning once told a story about a new patient admitted to an alcoholic rehabilitation clinic. The patient, Max, appeared to be a healthy and respectable [...]
What is the Law of Liberty in the Bible? (James 1:25)
There are several types of law in the Bible, and if you don’t know which is which, you could get confused. Or worse. Follow the wrong sort of law and you could fall from [...]
Doers of the Law Will be Justified? (Romans 2:13)
Was the Apostle Paul confused when he wrote Romans 2:13? Because this verse doesn’t seem to belong in the Bible: For it is not the hearers of the law who are just before [...]
What is the Law in the Bible?
Pop question: When Jesus said, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?” what law was he referring to? Was he referring to the Law of Moses or some [...]
What is the Law of Christ? (Galatians 6:1)
There are many laws in the Bible. There is the Law of Moses and the Law of God. There is the law of sin and the law of faith. There is the law of righteousness and the law of [...]
What is the Royal Law in the Bible? (James 2:8)
What is the royal law? Do you need to keep it and what happens if you don’t? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor [...]
What is the Purpose of the Law?
Watchman Nee tells a wonderful story about a clumsy servant. As long as the servant sits still and does nothing, his clumsiness is not apparent. But the moment you ask him to [...]
How Does Faith Establish the Law? (Romans 3:31)
The Bible makes some interesting comparisons between faith and law: We are justified by FAITH, not by LAW (Rom 3:28, Gal 2:16) Abraham and his heirs are blessed on account of [...]
The Three Uses of the Law
500 years ago, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. The Reformation that Luther and others started led [...]
Jeremiah 31:33-34 – What is the Law Written on our Hearts?
Six-hundred years before Jesus came, the prophet Jeremiah spoke of a new covenant that God would make with his people: This is the covenant I will make with the people of [...]
The Law Written on our Hearts is NOT the Ten Commandments
“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time,” says the Lord. “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” (Hebrews [...]
The Number One Verse on the Old Covenant
Some time ago I published a list of the top 12 verses on the new covenant. It seems only fair that I also give some air-time to the number one verse on the old covenant. [...]
Is Christ the End of the Law for You?
Those who insist that you must obey the commands of Jesus in order to be saved/blessed/forgiven/righteous/holy are assuming that you are either (a) a time-traveler from [...]
The Greatest Law Preacher
“Don’t stray too far from the red letters,” is a piece of advice often given to new preachers. It means, stay close to the teachings of Jesus and you can’t go wrong. [...]
When Doing Good is Bad for You
Ever since our ancestors ate the forbidden fruit, we humans have had an innate sense of good and evil. You help a blind person cross the street and you just know you’re [...]
Chop Off your Hand?! Was Jesus Serious? (Matthew 5:29-30)
If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And [...]
Seven Signs You Might be Living Under Law
This week I finally got to see the movie, The Book of Eli. If you like stories where a lone man stands up to the wicked while trying to distribute the word of God in a [...]
