Law

  • Pressing on to the Mark

    Philippians 3:12–14

    Christians make true progress in their fight against sin over the course of their Christian lives. Yet, we continue to discover new sins we never saw before until we die, and our sin-clouded minds need help in knowing the Lord ...Read More

  • Teaching the Law

    Nehemiah 8:1–12

    Matthew Henry comments on today’s passage that “those who tremble at the convictions of the word may triumph in the consolation of it.” We can rejoice in the Lord’s grace and forgiveness only if we first understand our ...Read More

  • Obedience and Delight

    Psalm 1:1-2

    True love for God’s law is not legalism (adding to God’s rules or demanding that we obey the civil and ceremonial laws fulfilled in Christ). Love for the law makes us try to follow it truly without imposing ...Read More

  • The Law of God

    Exodus 20:1–17

    In recent years, there has been a lot of controversy in the United States as to the placement of the Ten Commandments in public. In all of this rancor, however, we should never forget that the commandments should first be ...Read More

  • Guided by the law

    Matthew 15:1–9

    Under the old covenant, the covenant community was enslaved to sin and, therefore, burdened by God’s law. In contrast, we live under the new covenant, the era in which God has poured out His Holy Spirit abundantly. If we ...Read More

  • Dying to the Law in Christ

    Galatians 2:20

    Matthew Henry comments on today’s passage: “The doctrine of the gospel, instead of weakening the bond of duty, did but the more strengthen and confirm it; and therefore, though he was dead to the law, yet it was only ...Read More

  • Law and Gospel

    Matthew 5:17–20

    Answer 86 of the Heidelberg Catechism emphasizes that we do good works because the God who justifies us also gives us His Spirit to conform us more and more to the image of Jesus Christ. Our Lord saves us from ...Read More

  • Creation Ordinances

    Genesis 1-2

    In this day and age, there is a great temptation for the church in the United States to think that its mission is coextensive with the platform of one or more of the political parties in this country. Yet while ...Read More

  • The Distortion of Lawlessness

    Romans 6:1-14

    Of all the types of antinomianism, we are perhaps most prone to look for loopholes in the law of God. So, for instance, we may excuse certain behaviors because there is no express command in Scripture against them, even though ...Read More

  • The Legalist Distortion

    Romans 14

    As a modern example of legalism, some Christians have said that it is wrong for believers to consume alcohol. However, while such rules may be motivated by a noble concern that people avoid the sin of drunkenness, Scripture nowhere condemns ...Read More

  • Appearances Can Be Deceiving

    Colossians 2:23

    God’s law is good, but in itself cannot put the flesh to death because the problem is not simply that we do not obey the Lord but that we do not want to obey Him apart from the grace ...Read More

  • Jesus Our Cornerstone

    Luke 20:9-18

    Even believers are not immune to the temptation that calls us to treat the commands of God as ends in themselves. But God’s law is not in itself the end; rather, it always points us to Christ and is ...Read More

  • A Rock Unchanging

    Deuteronomy 32:4

    At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers us only two options. Either we will build our lives on His teaching and survive in that last day or we will build our lives on the sinking sand ...Read More

  • The Peace Offering

    Leviticus 7:11–21

    The spontaneous expressions of gratitude portrayed in Israel’s peace offerings remind us that we should never forget or take lightly the peace we have with our Lord. Being called and justified, each time we think on the truth that ...Read More

  • David and Ahimelech

    1 Samuel 21:1–9

    The letter of the Law is not unimportant, but it can never be followed at the expense of the spirit of the Law. This can be difficult and is fraught with peril, for it can be easy to claim to ...Read More