Law and Grace
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In my preaching, I affirm that the law must be preached as God’s holy standard so that it examines, exposes, and defines real holiness. I affirm that the law must unmask hypocrisy, confront sin honestly, and expose false assurance where it exists. I affirm that there are moments when the primary purpose of preaching the…
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Galatians 3:2-3: “Let me ask you only this: ‘Did you receive the Spirit by Works of the Law or by Hearing with Faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun By the Spirit are you now being perfected By the Flesh?’ “Dane Ortland: “But growth in godliness is not generated by conformity to any external code…
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What is the law meant to do in the life of the believer? Heidelberg answers well 114. Q. But can those converted to God keep these commandments perfectly? A. No. In this life even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience. Nevertheless, with earnest purpose they do begin to live not only…
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Joshua 7:24: “And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of…
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I John 2:8 “Because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shinning.” There seems to me to be a great chasm between my most holy and righteous works and God’s righteousness. It is a chasm unscalable by my great discipline or willpower or ability. It is infinitely high I cannot get…
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You don’t have to have your eyes open very wide to realize there is something horribly wrong in the world. I recently picked up a book given to my oldest son Steven by his teacher – Mrs. Copley. It is titled simply “Night” and the book describes the horrors of a young Jewish boy by…
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How to Love God And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…
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Here is what I have noticed about every story– there must be a plight. There must be a peril to be rescued from – Kirk must have Klingons endangering the Enterprise or there is no story – there is no glory – there is no rescue. Can you imagine Superman flying at the speed of…
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The law is like a man in a sailboat with a sailing instruction manual. He knows what proper sailing is – He may even possess a lot of technology to aid him in sailing. But his knowledge and tech cannot move him across the water. Only wind can do that. So we must stop preaching…
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Dean Koontz: “Everyone talks about justice, but there can be no justice where there is no truth, and these are times when truth is seldom recognized and often despised.” If you grew up in a conservative Christian culture like I did you probably feel as if the world is coming undone.
Passionate Grace 