Thu Apr 25 – The Law Versus The Gospel – Medford UMC (2024)

Romans 3:21-36(CEB)

²¹But now God’s righteousness has been revealed apart from the Law, which is confirmed by the Law and the Prophets.²²God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction.²³All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory,²⁴but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus.²⁵Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before,²⁶during the time of God’s patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that he is righteous in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous.

Reflection

In the Old Testament, people had the law and followed it as best they could so that they could be in relationship with God. As we have discussed before, there are over 600 laws and rules in the Old Testament. Jesus came to change that for us by dying on the cross and being raised again. He was our ultimate sacrifice so that we could be in relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit by just believing, by acknowledging our need for a savior, asking for forgiveness, and wanting to be in partnership with the triune God. But does that mean we are exempt from keeping the law?

William Arnett who was a professor of Christian Doctrine at Asbury Theological Seminary and received his PhD from Drew University, authored a paper in 1980 entitled “John Wesley and the Law”. Arnett used many of Wesley’s letters and sermons to point out that Wesley felt the law and the gospel could not be separated. According to Wesley, “On the one hand, the law continually makes way for and points us to the gospel; on the other, the gospel continually leads us to a more exact fulfilling of the law. Thus, every command in Holy Scripture may be considered a covered promise” He added Exodus 18:23a which says, “If you do this and God directs you, then you will be able to endure”. He added “God’s biddings are God’s enablings.” Arnett used a letter from 1750 that Wesley wrote to a pastor about preaching the law and the gospel together “ I mean by preaching the gospel, preaching the love of God to sinners, preaching the life, death, resurrection and intercession of Christ, with all the blessings which in consequence thereof are freely given to true believers. By ‘preaching the law’ I mean explaining and enforcing the commands of Christ briefly comprised in the Sermon on the Mount.” What does the Sermon on the Mount tell us? Take some time to read it in Matthew 5. It teaches us that we are the salt and the light of the world – we are to add to the world by spreading the gospel, whether through our teaching or by our good works to others. Jesus also states that he did not come to do away with the law but to fulfill it, and it goes on to tell us how to treat others.

I will admit this can be a difficult thought process for me at times because we are saved by Christ’s dying for us, as today’s scripture points out. We are made righteous through Christ. Obviously, that does not mean that we shouldn’t abide by doing what is right, but that we are constantly making mistakes and are constantly forgiven, for which I am incredibly grateful. Wesley points out to us, if we “love the strictest preaching best that which most searches the heart and shows you wherein you are unlike Christ, and that which presses you most to love him with all your heart and serve him with all your strength.” Will this examination not lead us in the way we are to go to grow closer to our God and to help others as Jesus did and as he requires us to do in the Sermon on the Mount? We can see where we are falling short, and we can gain strength to live out our lives helping or speaking to others so they will see Christ in us and hopefully be drawn to Christ.

For Pondering & Prayer

Thoughts:

What are your thoughts on the relationship between the law and the gospel that Wesley lays out for us? How can we take a page out of his writings to do more for others as we live out our lives for Christ?

Prayer: Triune God, help us to see the ways we can use your law and the gospel to live our lives for you and to help others. Give us guidance and wisdom to see where we fall short, and strength to do the work you call us to do. Amen.

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