The Law and the Gospel I WILL NOT RECANT! The law allows the human community to exist and survive because it limits chaos and evil and convicts us of our sinfulness. Ever wonder why the Christians want the Ten Commandments in schools and in court houses, and now on court house lawns could it be that they want these things taught because it limits chaos and evil and convicts us of our sinfulness and just as it did in the old testament and pointed to the one who if you believed in Him would through His shed Blood receive forgiveness for those sins deliver us from our sins and transgressions and after you believed in Him you could discard those laws and continue to live as one would desire, because those laws have now ( since one has been saved ) no longer apply to you. The law has two parts Part one is righteousness ( this part reveals the right way to live or how one is functioning in a right manner ) Part two is unrighteousness ( this part reveals the wrong way to live or how one is functioning in a wrong manner ) Living in a right way or functioning in a right manner is fulfilling the righteousness of the law to live in a wrong way or function in a wrong manner is to be fulfilling the unrighteousness of the law Most people want these laws in schools and in public places to teach other people how to function in country, state, and community where they reside. The distinction between the Law and the Gospel is a fundamental dialectic in Luther’s thought. He argues that God interacts with humanity in two fundamental ways – the law and the gospel. The law comes to humanity as the commands of God – such as the Ten Commandments. The law allows the human community to exist and survive because it limits chaos and evil and convicts us of our sinfulness. All humanity has some grasp of the law through the conscience. The law convicts us our sin and drives us to the gospel, but it is not God’s avenue for salvation. Salvation comes to humanity through the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ. The Good News is that righteousness is not a demand upon the sinner but a gift to the sinner. The sinner simply accepts the gift through faith. For Luther the folly of indulgences was that they confused the law with the gospel. By stating that humanity must do something to merit forgiveness they promulgated the notion that salvation is achieved rather than received. Much of Luther’s career focused on deconstructing the idea of the law as an avenue for salvation.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 03:17:14 +0000
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