From Genesis to Revelation we read of normal people that received the promises of God. The exodus was a sign that God would take care of Israel in the future. The law, however, could not take away sin and give salvation. The law does two things: It shows negative things and positive things. Send me a message and I will add it to the list. But there is no Greek word for legalism, so when Paul wanted to refer to this distortion of the Mosaic law, he often used the phrase, "works of law" (e.g., Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16, 3:2, 5). It can be used to review one promise each day. It was designed to show us our sins and point out our need for a savior. Paul has established that Abraham and his children, including the Gentiles, are saved by faith in God’s promise. He is faithful even if we are not, but that doesn’t mean we should go on living however we please. Moses had said to them when they first approached the promised land, "Do not be in dread or afraid of them. It means you are not burdened by it as a job description of how to earn the wages of salvation. That's why Paul can say in 1 Corinthians 13:3, "If I give away all I have and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.". God’s mysteries are unsearchable and inscrutable. What will love look like between those of us who disagree over the next three months, and where will it come from? (See also Numbers 14:11, 20:12; Deuteronomy 9:22–24.). It is deeper than labor and prior to labor and enables labor. But I also know there are some who are opposed to one, some opposed to two, and some opposed to all three of these proposals. Promises like: I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. The crucial text here is Romans 13:8–10. This text has nothing in it that is immediately practical. I don't feel angry or depressed or anxious. This is probably the most popular view of the Mosaic law in the church today, and it is wrong. (Deuteronomy 26:12-15) God viewed withholding the tithe as stealing from him.—Malachi 3:8, 9. Knowing the fall made us stubborn enough to believe we can get right with Him by doing enough good works to “outweigh” our bad ones, God gave the Mosaic law to Israel in order to refute this belief. (Matthew 16:18), I will never leave you nor forsake you. The law itself is against "the works of the law." Is The Law Of God Valid Today? Most of us know the Ten Commandments, but what about the other laws? Paul, in no uncertain terms, tells us what he thinks of the law. In conclusion, then, the points are these: first, the law is fulfilled in us when we love our neighbor as ourselves. The most important thing it does is to force us to recognize our need for righteousness, forgiveness, and salvation. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. So how do we become loving people? Make good use of God’s law as you live your life coram Deo. Therefore, the faith God aims to produce through the exodus is a confidence that God will do for us in the future what he has done in the past. And He comes into our hearts by the Holy Spirit and makes them His dwelling place (John 14:23,26), if we open the door to Him when He knocks (Revelation 3:20). We will close by singing the beauty of God's law with Psalm 19. First of all then, love is a fulfilling of the law. But it can be shown from Paul's teaching and from the law itself. The past event of the exodus is a sign of God's willingness to help Israel in the future. God is spirit (John 4:24 John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.American King James Version ×), existing in a different realm from that of humans, who are flesh.Our understanding and perception of God, therefore, are based on God's revelation to us through His … The Law “was added because of transgressions” (Gal. Part of our confusion is caused by the simple fact that the word "law" in the New Testament has at least three different meanings when used in different contexts. All these sins come from not believing God. Rather, the law was designed to show the way for redeemed people to please God. ." On the contrary, we uphold the law.". . The law was not designed to replace the promise. With hundreds of promises in the Bible, how can we tell which are general promises for all of us and which promises are specific promises to a specific person? Christian citizenship expands far beyond the country on our passport. “What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise” (v. 17). So we have three testimonies in the New Testament that what God is trying to do through the law is make loving people out of us. The keeping of the Law is an impossibility to man in the flesh; no one can be justified before God through it. Today, Christ has sent the Holy Spirit so that the hearts of all His followers may be touched, allowing them to fully love others and love God, fulfilling the law that God put into place at the very beginning of the story. "Is the law then against the promises of God? And so the time of controversy in which we find ourselves is not bad; it is a good occasion to test whether there is really grace within us or not. God gave us the law . 3 To answer the first question, let us focus on a few striking features of this temple vision. You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:2, 3), God meant: "Remember how I demonstrated my love for you and my incomparable power on your behalf! Psalms 40:8, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” King David said he mediated in God's Word day and night (Psalm 1:2). That day, I just “happened” to have brought in my little promise Bible. For if there had been a law given which could give life, verily justice should have been by the law. The law is based on faith in God's promises, not on legalistic strivings. (Think how vivid the concentration camp would still be three months after the allied liberation!) After all, the Israelites continued to be the children of Abraham and continued to keep the Abrahamic covenant by believing the promises. Instead, love rejoices in the truth and is peaceable, gentle, open to reason. James 1:5 teaches to pray for wisdom and God will give it to us. The Old Testament Law is concerned with the life of the people of Israel, who were living at a particular stage of salvation history. . Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Third, therefore, the law did not teach us to try to produce meritorious works, but only taught us to trust the gracious God of the exodus and to live out the obedience of faith. First, let us remember the importance and power of our words. Moreover, because the law exposes our sins, it continually drives us back to faith as the only way to achieve life. The second point was that love only comes out of faith in God's promises. There are 11 promises from Scripture that God wants each of us to know today. One of my very great desires for our church is that we be a people who understand the law of God and fulfill it in the Spirit of love. This week focuses on the rainbow and God’s promises. 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