Controversies in the Church / Law and Gospel

  • 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 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

  • 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 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

  • 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 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

  • The Offense of the Cross

    Galatians 5:10–11

    Martin Luther says that “when the cross is abolished, and the rage of tyrants and heretics ceases on the one side, and all things are in peace, this is a sure token that the pure doctrine of God’s Word ...Read More

  • The One New Man

    Ephesians 2:15-16

    John Chrysostom, the ancient bishop of Constantinople, writes, “The Greek does not have to become a Jew. Rather both enter into a new condition. His aim is not to bring Greek believers into being as different kinds of Jews but ...Read More

  • The Proper Use of Freedom

    Galatians 5:12–13

    Paul’s exposition of gospel freedom will largely be the focus of the rest of our study of Galatians. Today, simply note that 5:13 defines Christian obligations not in terms of the Law but in terms of loving service ...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

  • 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 Righteousness of God by Faith

    Philippians 3:7–9

    Not all of us tried to earn our way to God by the Mosaic law before knowing Christ. Probably, most of us just sought to do the good we could, hoping it would outweigh our bad deeds. Regardless, we had ...Read More

  • The Threat of Legalism

    Philippians 3:2-3

    We are circumcised in the heart when we are baptized into Christ — not in the mere participation in the washing with water but at the moment the reality to which the sacrament points is ours, namely, the moment we trust ...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