law

How does Faith Establish the Law? (Romans 3:31)

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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 FAITH, not LAW (Rom 4:13-14) You can live by FAITH or LAW (Rom 4:14) No one who relies on the LAW is justified for the righteous live by [...]

The Three Uses of the Law

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This is a pretty special year. If you hadn’t heard, 2017 is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The key date if you’re thinking of popping champagne is 31 October. It was on that date in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. Actually, [...]

What is the Law Written on Our Hearts?

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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 Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and [...]

The Law Written on Our Hearts is not the Ten Commandments

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“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.” (Heb 10:16) “This is obviously a reference to the law of Moses,” says the law-preacher. “The Ten Commandments were written in stone, now they’re [...]

The Number One Verse on the Old Covenant

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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. Here it is: “It is finished” (Joh 19:30). What is finished? That old rule-keeping order that demanded perfection from you without lifting a [...]

Is Christ the End of the Law for You?

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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 Israel’s distant past (b) the devil If you are (a) I suggest you pick up a Sports Almanac, go back in time, and make a lot of money à la [...]

The Greatest Law Preacher

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“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. It sounds good, but it’s actually bad advice. Everything Jesus said was good and wonderful, but not everything He said was meant for you. [...]

When Doing Good is Bad for You

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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 doing something good. You use a cat for a football and you just know you’re doing something bad. You don’t need anybody to tell you. Being [...]

Chop Off Your Hand?! Was Jesus Serious?

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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 if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole [...]

Seven Signs that You Might Be Living Under Law

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This week I finally got to see the movie, The Book of Eli. If you like stories where a lone man has to stand up to the wicked while trying to distribute the word of God in a post-apocalyptic world, then this is the movie for you. Just don’t show it at your youth group. It is extremely violent. Still, it made me [...]