Yesterday, on Todd Wilkin’s Issues, Etc. program, Dr. Rod Rosenbladt of The White Horse Inn discussed law and gospel as it relates to the “Christ Alone” cry of the reformers. Listen here.
Christ Alone, part 1
13 Tuesday Jul 2010
Posted in Theology
Tag Archives: theology
The Pastor and the Pulpit
10 Saturday Jul 2010
Posted in Book Discussion, Theology
Chris Rosebrough, of Fighting for the Faith, published this wonderful article in October, 2009 on the distinction between Law & Gospel:
In order to preach the saving Word in its truth and purity a careful and thorough distinction between Law and Gospel is indispensably necessary. The distinction between these two doctrines is the key to the Bible. Any man who does not know that the Bible contains these two distinct doctrines will not and cannot understand its teachings; the Bible will appear to him a book full of contradictions. When the Lord says, “Do this — love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and your neighbor as yourself, — and you will live,” Luke 10:27-28, and the apostle writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works” Eph. 2:8-9, these two words cannot but seem contradictory to him who does not know that they belong to two distinct systems of teaching. It is not possible that a preacher who has himself not learned to distinguish doctrines could present the plan of salvation in its proper order. A sharp distinction between Law and Gospel alone will teach the pastor where each doctrine belongs and in what connection it must be preached.
To continue to read, click Safe Harbor Dispatch for October 23, 2009.
But You Promised!
07 Wednesday Jul 2010
Posted in Book Discussion, Theology
Tags
books, C. F. W. Walther, Gospel, Law, Leviticus, Luke, Mark, preaching, repentance, Scripture, theology
Part 4 of a series discussing C. F. W. Walther’s important treatise Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible.
If you’re anything like me, you have (or have had) people in your life who will make promises contingent on something you do. “If you do this, then I’ll do that.” This is precisely what the Law does to us. Both the Law and the Gospel promise eternal life and salvation, but the Law gives conditions which must be satisfied prior to those items being obtained: namely, perfect obedience to its demands. Says Walther,
…the greater the promises of the Law, the more disheartening they are. The Law offers us that food, but not close enough for us to reach it. The Law offers us salvation in about the same manner as refreshments were offered to Tantalus in the hell of the pagan Greeks. …[The Law] always adds: “All this you will have, but only if you do what I command.”
Sheep not of this fold
07 Wednesday Jul 2010
Yesterday, one of the folks I interact with on Twitter re-tweeted a statement that I found intriguing.
RT CrystalLewis Someday, we will realize that it’s more productive to serve God than to debate doctrinal positions about Him.
Knowing that the guy who RT’ed it meant people of any religion, period, but not knowing what Crystal meant, I asked her. She responded, Continue reading
What’s the difference?
06 Tuesday Jul 2010
Posted in Book Discussion, Theology
Part 3 of a series discussing C. F. W. Walther’s important treatise Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible.
So what’s the difference? Law or Gospel, it’s all God’s word, right? Isn’t it hard enough to find pastors who will just preach the WORD?
Yes, it certainly is all God’s Word. And it is tough to find pastors who will open a text and preach it instead of their own opinions. It’s even tougher to find pastors who can tell the difference between the text and their opinions to start with! Law and Gospel are, however, fundamentally different in terms of their content. Says Walther:
The Law tells us what to do. No such instruction is contained in the Gospel. Rather, the Gospel reveals to us only what God is doing. The Law speaks about our works, whereas the Gospel speaks about the great works of God. In the Law we hear the ten-fold summons [that is, the Ten Commandments]: “You shall.” Beyond that, the Law has nothing to say to us. The Gospel, on the other hand, makes no demands whatsoever. (pg. 14)
The Law Written on Their Hearts
05 Monday Jul 2010
Posted in Book Discussion, Theology
Part 2 in a series considering Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible by C. F. W. Walther.
The law of God is written on the hearts of all mankind. It was created along with us. It is what God demands of us as people. When the Law is preached to even ungodly people, their conscience will tell them that what they’re hearing is true.
The Law is Written On Their Hearts
Law and Gospel
03 Saturday Jul 2010
Posted in Book Discussion, Theology
I just picked up C. F. W. Walther’s Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible in the new Reader’s Edition. It’s a great read and extremely friendly to the modern reader. I’d like to pass along a couple of things I’ve been pondering…in no particular order.
Don’t Screw This Up
15 Tuesday Jun 2010
Posted in Uncategorized
The words of the title still echo in my ears. I’d been called to my previous pastor’s office over the contents of my December 1st blog post, simply because a couple of people had forwarded the post to him. These individuals hadn’t understood fully what I meant in my post and were not, according to my pastor, seeking to accuse me of any sin.
Should we confess sexual sins publicly?
12 Saturday Jun 2010
Posted in Uncategorized
Great Creator, we thank You
for the gift and mystery of our bodies.
We thank You for the gift of loving sexual intimacy.
Forgive us the misuse and abuse of that gift:
For taking it too early, with the wrong person,
for replacing love with lust,
for separating concern from self-fulfillment.
Make us pure in love, discerning in passion.
Make us choose commitment over possession.
Christ Jesus, who came to reconcile and restore all relationships,
heal and restore our fragile or broken marriages.
In your name, Lord, we pray, Amen.
The End For Which God Created the World, 1
07 Monday Jun 2010
Posted in Uncategorized
I began seminary today with summer Greek. I’m not completely freaked out, but I’m sufficiently motivated. I’ve been studying flash cards I’ve made with vocabulary and the Greek alphabet, so I figured I’d take a few moments to look at a Jonathan Edwards dissertation concerning The End for which God Created the World. It was recommended to me by a fellow Greek student, so I thought I’d give it a look. I’m reading out of the 1860 printing of the 1834 edition. It’s a rewarding experience to read a classic in an older edition, but for the sake of my notes, I’ll be paraphrasing most of what I read. Continue reading
Gay and Evangelical 
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