Thursday, May 05, 2011

Law Versus Gospel

Law Versus Gospel
 
"It is not a mark of faithfulness but of worldliness to identify Christian discipleship with emotional experience or a moral and social activism that eschews doctrine. It is not a sign of maturity when Christian communities no longer wrestle with the uniqueness of Christ and the objectivity of a Gospel that can only be proclaimed and defended because its content is Christ's victorious life and obedience rather than ours.
 
It is the Word of God's law that puts a stop to our spin, our endless resourcefulness in weaving fig leaves to cover our guilt.
 
It is the Word of God's gospel that clothes us with Christ and gives us a new identity. Jesus Christ lived the law and bore its curses for us. Therefore, there is no "gospel" for us to live at all. Rather we live in light of the gospel that we have heard, with faith toward God and love and service toward our neighbors.
 
We need sound doctrine, not because we are intellectualists but because we need the surprising good news that we have been saved not by our discipleship but by Christ and his work."
 
---This was from a White Horse Inn article. I do not remember the author but I thought the concept was well stated. I have been learning there is a difference between law and Gospel and that we do not live the Gospel, but rather we live the Law in light of the good news of the Gospel. Even the "5 Principles to a Better Marriage" is law, not Gospel and it is important to start to distinguish between them. White Horse Inn, Issues etc, and Pirate Christian Radio have many programs that deal with these issues and are not afraid of "doctrine". Doctrine is not a bad word to be avoided.

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