Controversies in the Church / Law and Gospel

  • What Really Counts

    Galatians 5:5–6

    “It is not our doctrine that the faith which justifies is alone; we maintain that it is invariably accompanied by good works; only we contend that faith alone is sufficient for justification” (John Calvin). If works of love are not ...Read More

  • Severed from Christ

    Galatians 5:2–4

    Martin Luther says that Galatians 5:2 “is a touchstone, whereby we may most certainly and freely judge all doctrines, works, religions, and ceremonies of all men.” Any of these that promise righteousness and salvation through them are to be ...Read More

  • The Gospel of God’s Glory

    1 Timothy 1:11

    Matthew Henry writes, “Much of the glory of God appears in the works of creation and providence, but much more in the gospel, where it shines in the face of Jesus Christ.” True preaching of the gospel must include news ...Read More

  • The Law and the Lawless

    1 Timothy 1:9-10

    There are innumerable ways the Law is not used lawfully. Some try to find a secret code by counting letters and numbers. Some try to base a weight-loss program on the food laws in the Torah. Others read the Law ...Read More

  • The Goodness of the Law

    1 Timothy 1:8

    Matthew Henry reveals one of the lawful uses of the Torah when he says that “the law is still very useful as a rule of life.” Paul will point us to the Law as a guide to ethical behavior (Eph ...Read More

  • What Really Counts

    Galatians 6:15–16

    Martin Luther writes, “They are the Israel of God who with faithful Abraham believe the promises of God offered already in Christ, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.” God’s people Israel are not defined by ethnicity but by faith ...Read More

  • Not Under the Law

    Galatians 5:16–17

    John Calvin comments, “If we would obey the Spirit, we must labor, and fight, and apply our utmost energy; and we must begin with self-denial.” Walking by the Holy Spirit is the denial of the self and one’s fleshly ...Read More

  • Walking by the Spirit

    Galatians 5:16–17

    John Calvin comments, “If we would obey the Spirit, we must labor, and fight, and apply our utmost energy; and we must begin with self-denial.” Walking by the Holy Spirit is the denial of the self and one’s fleshly ...Read More

  • Fulfilling the Law

    Galatians 5:14–15

    Martin Luther says the love that fulfills the Law is “to instruct him who goes astray, to comfort him that is afflicted, to raise up him that is weak, to help your neighbor by all means possible, to bear with ...Read More

  • The Revealer

    Psalm 119:105

    All of us have asked the question: What is God’s will for my life? This query is usually posed when we are selecting a vocation or spouse. Specific answers to these questions for each individual are not given in ...Read More

  • The Restrainer

    1 Timothy 1:8–10

    John Calvin says that those who obey our Father’s law only out of fear of punishment “are neither better nor more righteous before God” (Institutes, 2.7.10). Only Christians are able to please the Lord in the doing ...Read More

  • Against the Law

    Romans 3:31

    Perhaps it is better to say that new covenant believers ought never consider the Mosaic law alone. That is, we must view it through the lens of the “law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). Jesus, when asked about the greatest ...Read More

  • The Goal of the Law

    Galatians 3:25–26

    Jesus Christ is the only one with the inherent right to be called the Son of God. In Him, however, we are adopted as children of God, and receive all the benefits that come with that status. May we take ...Read More

  • The Law as Guardian

    Galatians 3:23–24

    Paul’s main point in Galatians 3:23–26 is to explain the Law’s role in salvation history, but the pattern of preaching in the New Testament indicates that God’s law must play a similar role in our ...Read More

  • The Law and the Promises

    Galatians 3:21–22

    Christians are no longer under the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13–14). Yet until we are glorified, the presence of sin within us clouds our minds, preventing us on many occasions from seeing the truth about our own ...Read More