The gospel timeline is like this in Scripture
(especially reading Romans & Galatians)
-----Gospel-----|--Gospel+Law--|----Gospel------
------------------|-------------------|-------------------
So in the church it should be this:
-----Grace------|---Grace+Law---|-----Grace-------
------------------|-------------------|-------------------
Why then is law added?
"Because of sins"
When then is the law used?
1 Timothy 1:8-11 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
Thus it is NOT - preach the law to convict of sin, then preach Grace
NO - PREACH GRACE, then preach the law to the disobedient if they are still unrepentant, then preach grace again!
4 comments:
:D I can half remember some comments you made on my blog in favour of law-gospel. Am I imagining that?
Have you had a eureka moment on this?
heh yea Glen
i've realised the Puritan notion of law first then gospel
comes from the 'high God' sort of view
as opposed to the fact that it is the Immanu God that convicts of sin through His grace upon grace
Law then is somewhat of very limited use in a loving relationship
no wonder it is given to renegade angels and evil governments to manage!
I'd love to return to this and respond properly. But while that is the storyline of the bible, we have to ask where we are in that storyline. The answer of course is that we are in the middle. We are in the realm of law and Gospel. And if we are apart from Christ, then we are in the realm of law. God is a 'high God' sort of God if we are apart from Christ.
By reversing things you are actually diluting the gospel/grace in your promoting of it. Suddenly the Gospel has become law itself, which makes a demand that we cannot keep (to be obedient in the way it demands).
We can only have hope if we know there isn't law after the Gospel. If the law hasn't come in its full force and been overturned by the Gospel, then why how do we know that the Gospel is stronger?
Cross->resurrection
Death->life
Buried in baptism->raised to life in baptism
Repent->believe
That is the order in Scripture for a fallen world. Of course Jesus was in heaven before the cross, we were alive before Adam plunged us into death, and before we sinned we had nothing to repent of. But that is not the situation we are in.
Love to hear you further thoughts. I could do with thinking through this a bit more.
the gospel doen't overturn the law at all... it fulfils it in Christ
the law is for those who are 'inside the visible church' to make them aware that they 'are outside the invisible church'
the law was added because people were failing to respond to the gospel
and so the fallen angels were instructed to initiate a nannying programme that would imprison the visible but straying church and point them to Christ
so that the whole world can see it
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