Law and Gospel — a closer look
The entire Bible is full of law and gospel (threats and promises) It is important to keep the differences between them clear: law gives commands, gospel offers forgivness.
The gospel booklet, used in the website shows it clearly. There are four pages.
Page one, PROBLEM, shows our need. Our need is caused by breaking God’s LAW.
Page two ANSWER, shows that the death of Jesus paid the punishment we owed.
God saved us out of pure love. This is GOSPEL and there is no Law mixed in it.
Page three, RESPONSE or INVITATION, says the saving is ours by faith.
It is all GOSPEL and there is no Law mixed in it.
Page four lists the BENEFITS as we receive the results of Jesus death by faith.
It is all GOSPEL and there is no LAW mixed in it..
In the Christian life, we naturally want to respond to God’s love that we have by faith.
The response to the GOSPEL is to obey God, and the LAW tells us how to do it.
(First John 45:3 “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.)
The law does not help us get saved at all — saving is brought about by the gospel.
After we are saved, the LAW gives direction to our response of love.
We are not saved by loving God. We are saved by him loving us.
Having been saved, we desire to express love.
How well we do at expressing it does not affect whether or not we are saved.
The Word Gospel.
Gospel is from Old English god spel, which means “good news.”
1 Corinthians 15:2-3 says. “I make known to you the Gospel – that Jesus died (etc.)
The gospel is the good news that Jesus died for us, bringing God’s love into action.
Romans 1:16 “the gospel is the power of God unto salvation”
That is, when you tell people that Jesus died for them, this is the message that brings about the faith in Jesus that is the receiving of the salvation that Jesus earned on the cross.
The word Evangelist/
Billy Graham and others are called Evangelists.
The meaning is the same: a the word gospel, for
Eu means good (as in English word eulogy, the good words said at a funeral)
and Angel means messenger
If a statement does not sound like good news, it is not Evangelism; it is not gospel.
So the law impacts you in two ways.
When you break it, t shows you that you need a savior.
When you want to express love, it shows you how to do it.
The exact same law could have these two different effects on you.
Myths about law:
- You get a relationship with God by keeping God’s law. NO,
you get the relationship by faith that comes from hearing the gospel.
Romans 1:21 says, “no one shall be saved by keeping God’s law.”
- God gave the law because God is a killjoy. NO,
Deuteronomy says “these words are life to you.”
God’s law is a protection, the “owner’s manual” for successful operation.
Humans have not kept the law, which has led to our problems.
The answer is not to become people who do not break the law,
which is not possible, but rather receive forgiveness and then to express love
3.The law tells us what not to do. ACTUALLY,The law also tells us what to do.
4. The Old Testament is mostly law, the New Testament is mostly grace. NO,
In fact, law and grace are found in both Old and New testaments.
Look more closely at the pages of the gospel booklet.
Page 1 = Law. God’s law shows us that we have broken God’s laws and therefore we need a savior. God’s law is good, but we are not; that’s why p. 1 is called “problem.” Our problem is that we have broken God’s law, which leads to consequences (punishment) and feelings (guilt and shame.
Page 1 “shows sin,” while Page 2 “shows savior.” Page one shows we deserve punishment, but on page 2 Jesus takes the punishment. Pages 2, 3 and 4 are all “gospel” in nature — all “good news.” Pages 3 and 4 come about because of page 2. On page 2, Jesus takes the punishment for sin, and on page 4 Jesus solves the problem of our feelings cused by sin: for guilt, he gives us forgiveness, and for shame, he gives us acceptance.
Pate 3 (repent and believe) shouldn’t sound like “law.” Not “Thou shalt believe” as though it were a command, but000 Jesus saying “come to me.”
Not “faith is a good work that saves me,” but rather “Jesus saves me, and I depend on Jesus, not on my own good works.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 By grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, …
Jesus has paid for everyone’s sins — but not everyone experiences forgiveness. The link is page 3 (believing).
Verse: John 3:16. God loved the world so much that he sent his only son, so that whoever believes in him might not perish, but have eternal life.
Page 2 solves our root problem – separation from God, and then page 4 solve our felt needs, like sin and shame. The link is p. 3.
“Living by faith” is a life of doing p. 3 & experiencing p. 4, which are made possible by page 2, and page 1 shows us why we need it.
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