The Law & The Gospel Defined, Distinguished, Applied | 2 Corinthians 3

ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church

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All right, it is good to be back in this capacity I Missed it very much.

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I did want to Go through a few updates first First of all,

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I really I'm truly amazed that by how much love our church Just it fuses out for one another

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I'm really really deeply thankful for that. We're very grateful for all of you And wanted to give everyone a huge.

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Thank you For all of the for just blessing us with all of the amazing food the prayers and the fellowship

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Some of you even brought us a double portion and sometimes even more so that's we were truly blessed

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Yeah, you are you all remind me of when Jesus said your love for one another You're your love for one another will show everyone that you are my disciples

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We are truly blessed to be a part of this fellowship this koinonia I also want to explain the long break that I've taken from preaching

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It's primarily because I've been focusing on Researching an online platform for our church website

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And on studying developing and writing out our

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Basically our church polity or church government including the standards for elders church discipline divorce and remarriage membership application membership covenant and criteria and What we believe teach and confess.

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So I've been trying to finish up those things finishing the drafts and Really look forward to reviewing and discussing them with the elders and with you all as well and with getting everyone's feedback

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So that we can make them official all of this is going to define and establish us as a true and free church as God's household, which is the

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Church of the Living God a pillar and buttress of the truth and We will continue to refine

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Strengthen and improve them as we continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our

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Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this conviction is

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Actually echoed in one of the mottos of the Reformation known as Semper Reformanda always reforming

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Which inspired the name of our podcast Semper Reformanda radio? Some have abused and redefined this term to deform their faith and oppose the

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Word of God But that's not what I mean. Nor is it what the phrase actually means in Its fuller sense it really means that the church reformed and always reformed according to the

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Word of God according to the Scriptures That is our goal. That is always our target.

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That is always our final authority. It is the Scriptures So now this brings me to the subject of today's message.

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I Know it's Mother's Day and we are deeply thankful and blessed to have such wonderful mothers in our church

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And I know that we are currently experiencing great evils in our city, which continues to make national headlines

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The migrant invasion is destroying El Paso and our country It is an unmitigated treasonous disaster perpetuated by our traitorous federal government

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May God expose and judge them and grant them repentance Please be safe protect and prepare yourselves pray and protest

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Responsibly the evils that are assailing us and reach out if you need anything We as a church need to stick together to support each other

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By God's providence and grace to withstand the evil one that being said

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I'm gonna wax a little pietistic on you. The Lord has laid something else on my heart to preach about As Important and pressing as these other matters are and I have preached on immigration before I do encourage you to go back and listen to that message

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It's obviously very timely But today's sermon is about two of the most important subjects in the

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Bible The Reformers called them the two words the two words

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They comprehend the sum and substance of the sacred scriptures

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They are the law and the gospel the law and the gospel

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But this is not just about the law and the gospel per se This this is about one of our most important convictions that define us that defines us as a church as Zacharias or Sinus put it it is about the fundamental division of the doctrine of the church the

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Apostle Paul said in 2 in 2nd Timothy 2 15 to study and do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a

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Worker who has no need to be ashamed rightly handling the word of truth

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Rightly dividing rightly understanding rightly interpreting accurately handling

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Correctly and skillfully teaching the word of truth It means cutting straight the word of truth to cut it straight but in order to cut straight you need a perfectly sharp and straight knife and And that knife is precisely what

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I'm talking about today The most important one you need to rightly understand and handle the scriptures

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That knife is known as the law and gospel distinction the law and gospel paradigm the law and gospel hermeneutic

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The law and gospel division The law and gospel distinction is also an application of what

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I've preached about before the analogies of faith and of Scripture Because it helps us to rightly understand interpret

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Categorize and harmonize the whole counsel of God and the system of doctrine contained therein

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Now according to my usual practice Which some of you may be fuzzy on because it's been a while We must always remember to define and apply our terms adequately and consistently at the outset

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Which is why I'm very excited to give you a sneak peek into one of the thorn crown

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Covenant Baptist Church statements of faith in order to help us understand all of this and To put some color and flesh into the law and gospel bones

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I'm going to read one of the sections which is partly based on Historic and reformed confessions and catechisms, but just remember that this is still a work in progress

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It says we believe that rightly distinguishing the two words the law and the gospel is of supreme importance the sum and substance of the entire

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Bible conversely the ignorance neglect

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Confusion and perversion of law and gospel has led to manifold errors and corruptions of sound doctrine now

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What is the law? That's our first step right the law in Hebrew the law is known as the

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Torah the Torah The word Torah refers to also refers to the first five books of Moses from the

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Old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers and Deuteronomy Jesus and the

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Jews would also refer to it as the law of Moses the law of Moses such as in Luke 24 44 the law of Moses contains about 613 commands for the nation of Israel The Torah was the life and identity of the nation of Israel Every single aspect of their lives revolved around it and God held them accountable to it

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Now in Greek the word for law is nomos nomos from which we get words like antinomian

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Antinomian which means against the law. It means you're against a lot. That's a very bad thing, by the way and Deuteronomy which means the second giving of the law so like the book of the

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Bible the second giving of the law In in the thorn crown statement of faith.

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There is also a definition of the law There are three basic parts to the law.

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There is the moral law The the ceremonial law and the civil law

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Okay It says the law of God Summarily comprehended in the

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Ten Commandments and in the two great commandments to love God and neighbor on which the entire law and the prophets hang is the eternal and unchangeable rule of his moral government

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Meaning that it never changes. It's always binding for all people places and times

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The moral law is the moral law Is the declaration of the will of God to mankind?

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directing and binding everyone to personal perfect and perpetual conformity and obedience to those thereunto in the frame and disposition of the whole man soul and body and in performance of all those duties of holiness and Righteousness which he oweth to God and man

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Promising life upon the fulfilling and threatening death upon the upon the breach of it or the breaking of it

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It is holy just and good Now besides this law commonly called moral

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God was pleased to give the people of Israel ceremonial laws containing several typical ordinances partly of worship prefiguring

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Christ his graces actions sufferings and benefits and partly holding forth various instructions of moral duties all which ceremonial laws

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Being appointed only to the time of Reformation are by Jesus Christ the true messiah and only lawgiver abrogated and taken away

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So that we no longer have to abide by those To them also meaning to Israel.

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He gave several judicial or civil laws Which expired together with the state of that people not obliging any now by virtue of that institution

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Their general equity or justice only being for moral use or for moral application

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This is known as the threefold distinction of God's law It is a summary of what the

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Bible teaches about the law Now there's much more to to dig into here

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Such as the threefold use of the law There's the threefold distinction of the law and the threefold use of the law the first use functioning as a mirror that exposes and condemns us as Helpless wretched sinners.

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It is basically a schoolmaster or a disciplinarian that leads us to Christ according to Galatians 324

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The second use of the law is to restrain evil in society to restrain evil in society which our derelict government officials need to repent and Start applying the second use of the law to our land if they wish to avoid

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God's curse and judgment The third use of The law is a way of life for the believer to walk in and to please

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God It helps us to to to know how to please

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God and how to follow and obey him. I Don't have to unpack all of this.

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I don't have time to unpack all of this however so I would definitely suggest strongly suggest that you study chapter 19 of the

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London Baptist Confession and questions 91 through 153 of the Westminster larger catechism, which includes an explanation of the

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Ten Commandments Now this brings us to the next question.

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What is the gospel? What is the gospel? So the New Testament word for gospel is

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Evangelion Evangelion the evangel The good news.

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That's what it means good news The gospel is the power of God unto salvation

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That Christ died for our sins that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day

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According to the Scriptures Excuse me the gospel is the answer to life's most profound question

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Job 25 verse 4 says how then can man be righteous before God or how can he be pure?

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Who is born of a woman? How can guilty sinners get into heaven?

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The Gospel was the answer that Paul and Silas gave to the

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Philippian jailer in Acts 16 29 through 31 When he called for a light

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Ran in and fell down trembling before them and he brought them out and said sirs.

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What must I do? to be saved What must I do to be saved?

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So they said believe Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved you and your household the

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Apostles themselves Practice and applied the law gospel distinction.

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It is vital The the jailer said what must I do?

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Implying what work do I need to work and Jesus Jesus also dealt this dealt with this repeatedly with the

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Jews And The answer was always believe you must believe

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Repent and believe not do believe Now the five solos of the

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Reformation sum up the key points of the gospel That salvation is entirely by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone based on the ultimate authority of Scripture alone

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The five solos the five only's of the record for Reformation Now to help us wrap up the definitions of these terms and begin comparing and contrasting them the law and the gospel

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Our friend and reformer Zacharias or Sinus has some good things to say He says the law is called the

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Decalogue The Decalogue which means the ten words the ten words the ten logos or commandments and The gospel is the doctrine concerning Christ the mediator and the free remission of sins through faith the whole doctrine

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Comprised in the sacred writings is either concerning the nature of God his will his works or sin

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Which is the proper work of men and devils? But all these subjects are fully set forth and taught either in the law or in the gospel or in both therefore the law and gospel are the chief and general divisions of the

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Holy Scriptures and comprised the entire doctrine comprehended therein Now he also says the principal differences between these two parts of the doctrine of the church consistent these things

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The first one is in the subject or general character of the doctrine peculiar to each the law prescribes and enjoins what is to be done what we must do and Forbids what ought to be avoided

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What not to do? whilst the gospel announces proclaims free remission of sin through and for the sake of Christ now number two in the manner of revelation peculiar to each

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The law is known from nature. The gospel is divinely revealed Now if you if you chew on that a little bit you might take issue with that and I did too

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This might actually be false because it's otherwise known as the fallacy of Hume's guillotine

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Hume's guillotine, you know the the French thing that chopped the people's heads off You cannot derive this is because you cannot derive an ought from an is you cannot derive a command from nature from what is and The reality is that God most certainly revealed the law at Mount Sinai with his finger on two tablets of stone

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So unless her sinus meant that God first revealed the law in our consciences, which would be more acceptable

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Understanding that sinners corrupt and harden their conscience by sinning and suppressing the truth and unrighteousness

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Now the third difference that he says between the law and the gospel is in the promises which they make to man the law promises life upon the condition of perfect obedience

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Perfect obedience the gospel on the condition of faith in Christ and Also promises the commencement of new obedience because of faith in Christ Or as a result of faith in Christ Now to this

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I will further add that the law in the gospel sharply contrasts one another

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Sometimes even in mutually exclusive ways and categories totally exclusive ways and categories

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Our Church's statement of faith affirms that the law and gospel distinction is the key to understanding

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Command versus promise number one imperative versus indicative

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Guilt versus grace Salvation versus damnation.

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It sounds like I'm saving you all and damning you. I'm not I'm just I'm just excited. That's all faith versus works judgment versus justification

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Justification versus sanctification the ministry of condemnation versus the ministry of righteousness and reconciliation the letter that kills

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Versus the spirit that gives life Do this and live

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Versus it is done Self -righteousness versus imputed righteousness death versus life including eternal death and life old covenant versus new covenant

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And I will revisit some of these later on but as you can see this is what the Bible is all about It's what the

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Bible is all about. I Will say however that the law and the gospel are in perfect harmony with one another

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It's like wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute what Okay, did did I just pull a fast one on you here?

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Have I like just completely lost my wits by leading us into blatant contradictions now or what's going on?

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I Just said that they're mutually exclusive and that they have which means they have nothing in common

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But do not fear there is a method to my madness Even though the

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Bible is full of sharp contrasts between law and gospel Like the ones

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I just stated they are nevertheless two sides of the same coin Fundamentally tied together by the same glue

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How you might say? What that you'd never ask I? Have about yeah four reasons here why this is the case

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Number one is because the law and the gospel both assume and operate on the same standard

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The same exact standard that standard is none other than God's perfect righteousness and holiness

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The moral law it's the same standard However while the law demands personal perfect perpetual entire and exact obedience to be rewarded with eternal life and condemns any disobedience as unacceptable and unrighteous

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The gospel on the other hand reveals It reveals to us that we can receive the perfect righteousness of another

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His perfect obedience to God's moral law by faith apart from works of the law number two

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Because the law and the gospel both have the same source

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They both have the same source You might Guess who it is, right?

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It is none other than God himself God is the author and source of the law and of the gospel

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God is the supreme lawgiver and just judge who commands perfect obedience to the law no exceptions

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He doesn't grade on a curve. He doesn't let you go. That was my best effort on my bit

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He doesn't let you get away with that Proverbs 17 15 says he who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the

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Lord He demands perfection Why because God is a righteous judge who is angry with the wicked every day psalm 711

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However Thank God for this. However He is also

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Our gracious Redeemer who has satisfied all the demands of the law by sending his own son

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To live in perfect fulfillment of it and to suffer the punishment for our disobedience

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Amen Amen number three

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Because the law and the gospel are both revelations from God Revelations from God I'm gonna have to take slight issue with what her sign has said earlier.

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They are both the Word of God John 1 17 says for the law was given through Moses But grace and truth the gospel came through Jesus Christ Long gospel right there number four because the law and the gospel both sanctify us

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They both sanctify us Because they are both the

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Word of God Jesus said in John 17 17 sanctify them in the truth.

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Your word is truth God's Word is both law and gospel

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Therefore we must care. We must be careful to rightly divide Rightly cut cut straight the word of truth and not

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Contrast or pit the law and gospel against each other in a way that is not biblically warranted

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As I said, the Bible is full of explicit passages that it very explicitly contrast and distinguish law and gospel

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But I want us to focus on two texts in particular The first is regarding the ministry of death versus the ministry of righteousness and reconciliation and The other is on the rich young ruler

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The first passage will reveal the theology behind The law gospel distinction.

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The second passage is an application of the law gospel distinction Okay, so let's turn now to 2nd

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Corinthians chapter 3 2nd Corinthians chapter 3. I'm going to read it and provide drive -by commentary along the way 2nd

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Corinthians chapter 3 God's Word says are we beginning to commend ourselves again or do we need as some do?

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Letters of recommendation to you or from you you yourselves you yourselves are our letter of recommendation

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Written on our hearts to be known and read by all and you show that you are a letter from Christ Delivered by us written not with ink but with the

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Spirit of the Living God not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts

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This is an explicit contrast between the law of Moses the tablets of stone the

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Torah which is external it is external because it's written on tablets of stone and Provides the ministry of condemnation

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It condemns us The law shows us as guilty sinners. That's the first use of the law and the gospel and it also shows the gospel promise of Regeneration and a new life in Christ that comes only by faith alone in Christ alone, which is internal written on human hearts and provides the ministry of righteousness and reconciliation

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To further elaborate this let's turn the page over to 2nd

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Corinthians chapter 5 verses verses 17 through 21 2nd

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Corinthians chapter 5 verses 17 through 21 This for this reveals in further detail what the gospel entails and offers verse 17

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Says therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation

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The old has passed away Behold, the new has come all this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation

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That is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself

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Not counting Their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation

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Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ God making his appeal through us We implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God For our sake

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He made him to be sin who knew no sin that in him we might become the righteousness of God Amen to that so That is the ministry of reconciliation

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Purchased by the by the work the life and blood of Christ alone Now if we

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If we turn back now to 2nd Corinthians chapter 3, I'm gonna I'm gonna pick up where we left off on verse 4 verse 4 says

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Such as the confidence that we have through Christ toward God Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us

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But our sufficiency is from God That's gospel

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Who has made this made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant

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Not of the letter but of the Spirit for the letter kills

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But the Spirit gives life The Spirit gives life

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Now when I was in college one of my foot my Philosophy professors would often preach and rant about how much he disdained the

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God of the Bible And he actually said he studied to be a Catholic priest in the Vatican But he ended up leaving sailing, you know jumping that ship

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He once gave the class a very somber warning About the dangers of interpreting the

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Bible literally Don't interpret it too. Literally is what he would say

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The reason he said this is because according to him the letter kills Meaning that if you interpret the

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Bible literally it will cause you great harm Now those of us who are raising kids or planning to attend universities are going to become

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Bombarded with these and all kinds of other attacks on the Bible on on Christ on Christianity on all the every everything is gonna is just constantly being assaulted

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We need to be grounded in sound doctrine and apologetics including and especially this law gospel distinction

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My professor had no idea what he was talking about because he didn't understand the law gospel distinction The reason the letter kills is because the letter of the law condemns

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It condemns us with death The wages of sin is

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Death, it's the death penalty The letter of the law is what kills not interpreting the

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Bible. Literally. That's literally one of the dumbest things I've ever heard an educated person say

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But I've had a lot I've heard a lot more since then so I guess I spoke to you soon Now the the passage continues in verse 7 now if the ministry of death carved in letters on stone

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Came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses face because of its glory which was being brought to an end

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Will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory

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Since we have such a hope we are very bold not like Moses Who who would put a veil over his face so that the

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Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what of what was being? Brought to an end The Old Covenant was being brought to an end

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But their minds were hardened for to this day when they read the Old Covenant The same veil remains unlifted because only through Christ is it taken away

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Yes to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts But when one turns to the

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Lord the veil is removed now the Lord is the Spirit The Spirit that gives life

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He is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom and we are with unveiled face unveiled face unlike Moses Beholding the glory of the

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Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree one degree of glory to another

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For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit This passage shows us that the ministry of death that came through the

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Old Covenant and the law is replaced and surpassed in glory by the ministry of righteousness and Reconciliation that comes through the

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New Covenant in Jesus Christ So, you know while we were while we fall in sin and while we are sinners

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The Bible frequently says like in Romans much more now We are forgiven in Christ Jesus.

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We have forgiveness and newness of life in the Spirit This is the theology

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That grounds and undergirds the law gospel distinction This is the theology that undergirds and grounds it.

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It is the same theology that grounds and undergirds the entire Bible It's one in the same

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This is what numerous other passages such as Romans 5 are all about which very clearly

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Expresses the law gospel just it's one of the most clearest passages that expresses the law the law gospel distinction

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Especially in Romans 5 verses 18 through 21. So if you want to if you turn with me there to Romans Romans 5 verses 18 through 21

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Romans 5 starting at verse 18 The Lord says

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Therefore as one trespass one sin led to condemnation for all men

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So one act of righteousness Leads to the justification and life for all men

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For as by one man's disobedience The many were made right sinners, excuse me sinners

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So by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous Now the law

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Came in to increase the trespass But where sin increased grace abounded all the more so that as sin reigned in death

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Grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our

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Lord Amen Amen You see all of the categories that I listed almost all of them death and life law and grace

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All of these categories are virtually expressed right here Condemnation and righteousness.

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They're all here Now, let's go to the second passage for the application of the law gospel distinction

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Turn with me to Mark chapter 10 verses 17 through 22 Mark chapter 10 verses 17 through 22 so in Mark chapter 10

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We see the story of the rich young ruler verse 17 Starting there we read

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And as he was setting out on his journey a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him this is

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Jesus He's asking Jesus good teacher What must

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I do? to inherit eternal life And Jesus said to him, why do you call me good?

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No one is good except God alone You know the commandments do not murder.

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Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear a false witness Do not defraud honor your father and mother.

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He's quoting the second table of the law our duty to man and he said to him and the the

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The ruler the excuse me the young ruler that's the tongue twister said to him teacher all these

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I have kept from my youth and Jesus looking at him loved him and said to him you lack one thing

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Go sell all that you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me

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Disheartened by the saying He went away sorrowful for he had great possessions

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It's like the Bible says you cannot serve both God and mammon you cannot serve two masters, right?

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Amen Now, wait a minute. Okay. Wait a minute. Wait a minute Did I just derail us all over again?

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You know many will say In passages like this, especially those from the

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Lordship salvation camp that Jesus here was preaching a gospel invitation a radical call to Surrender and follow him but have no fear

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The law gospel distinction is here Remember the target audience always remember who

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Jesus is talking to Jesus is dealing with a man who is clearly Self -righteous

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Self -deceived and self -righteous There are mountains of verses that echo first John 1 8 and 10

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Which I preached a while back on that if we say we have no sin

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We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us if we if we say we have not sinned

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We make him a liar. We make God a liar and his word is not in us Okay, so this this guy is like totally removed from from the

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Bible like totally removed from it totally self -deceived This man shamelessly lied

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Which is a sin? to Jesus even in their conversation and Has the nerve to contradict

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Christ unequivocal assertion that no one is good except God alone

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No one as It is written in the Psalms and in Romans and in various other places

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Isaiah everywhere That none is righteous

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No, not one No one understands No one seeks for God all have turned aside together.

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They have become worthless No one does good not even one

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But I'm an exception No, you're not No, you are not.

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In fact, not only are you not the exception people who are self -righteous like the Pharisees? Tend to be the ones that Jesus Jesus most condemned with the highest level of condemnation

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If you just read Matthew 23, you'll see for yourself right there Sevenfold condemnation on self -righteous hypocrites so We must realize that in claiming to have kept all the commandments from his youth

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He is literally claiming to be as perfectly righteous as Jesus Christ himself and has no need of a

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Savior This is an utter insult in affront to God But you have to you have to see what's going on here.

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He clearly did not realize the implications of what he was saying Which is why

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Jesus had responded to him in that way In fact Jesus entire response to the rich young ruler from the very beginning from the outset

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Was an ad hominem reply ad hominem reply It's a type of argument in which

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Jesus assumed that his claims were valid For the sake of argument in order to dispel and to refute them to demonstrate them to be completely false

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He needed to show him that he didn't realize that that the ruler didn't realize that Because he perceived

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Jesus perceived his hopelessly misguided self -deceived self -righteousness

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This is why Jesus also says you lack one thing. Okay, you think you're perfect. Okay, you lack one thing and he and he tells him he tells him so all you have and Sure enough it exposed this was to expose the rich young ruler self -righteousness and false identity that was based on his possessions rather than on God and his word and On his perfect righteousness

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Not on his own Self -righteousness Self -deceived righteousness.

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That's a better term for it. Self -deceived righteousness is what it is. So the the the

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The the reality That that he was exposing Jesus was exposing is that the rich young ruler?

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Never had any intention whatsoever of denying himself Taking up his cross and following Christ like Luke 9 23 says

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Which is what ultimately happens in our sanctification after we after we are

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Saved sorry. I lost my place here. I'm I got a little too excited there After we are saved and justified through faith alone

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You cannot reverse those this is law gospel confusion We cannot confuse and reverse the two when

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Jesus says certain things. He is talking about it taking place at a certain point in time Denying yourself taking up your cross daily

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Is an ongoing lifelong process Taking place in our sanctification after we are made right with God by faith alone

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So in other words Jesus models and teaches us how to rightly apply the law gospel distinction in evangelism

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By giving the self -righteous and self -deceived rich young ruler the law Instead of the gospel because he needed to reveal his sin to him

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Because the scriptures repeatedly state that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble repeatedly now in a similar encounter

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We see Jesus applying the exact same law gospel distinction in a very similar scenario turn with me to Luke 10

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Luke chapter 10 verses 25 to 29 Are you all enjoying this?

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I? Know I am Luke chapter 10 verses 25 through 29 powerful

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Powerful teaching that Jesus is showing us here Luke chapter 10 verses 25 to 29 in verse 25.

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We read and behold a lawyer a Lawman stood up to put him to the test saying teacher.

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What shall I do? Just like the rich young ruler.

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What shall I do to inherit eternal life? same exact question and Jesus said to him what is written in the law?

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Okay, you want to earn your righteousness? What is written in the law? How do you read it and he answered you shall love the

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Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul And with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself

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And he said to him you have answered correctly Do this and you will live

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Do this and live But he the lawyer the lawman

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Desiring to justify himself Said to Jesus and who is my neighbor?

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So I don't want to get into the whole parable, but Jesus replies with the parable of the

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Good Samaritan and he concludes by telling the lawyer now you you go and Do likewise in verse 37 you go and do likewise

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Because clearly you don't need me you want to do it. Go go do it now the the the funny thing about The reason he told him the parable of the

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Samaritan is because this man being a Jew You know Jesus was smacking the lawyer with the law to expose his self -righteousness once again not the gospel

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He did not share the gospel in any part of that conversation pure love

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He knew and he knew that the lawyer would be repulsed by the idea of helping of even helping a

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Samaritan Because they were considered filthy and inferior second third class citizens in other words

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Although we should and must keep the commandments perfectly in order to obtain

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Eternal life like Jesus says in Matthew 19 16 in the parable in the rich and ruler the problem is that we cannot and do not obey and are guilty in Adam and because of our sin that we commit every single day because no one is righteous

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Which is why we need Christ to keep them for us so that his righteousness can be imputed to us by faith alone

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Like Romans 5 19 says for as by one man's disobedience Many were made sinners.

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So also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous This is incredibly important to understand you will hear pastors and teachers extremely popular

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Pastors and teachers completely butcher these passages Because they do not affirm they do not hold and understand this law gospel distinction

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Now, let's address some objections some objectors and objections If you go online or if you talk to people

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You might particularly those who are outside of the reformed faith You will probably hear objections to the law gospel distinction

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One of them is that they claim that you cannot apply it to every verse in the Bible Well, not every verse in the

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Bible is law or gospel Now this is true This is true

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Some parts of Scripture are historical narrative Other parts are poetry

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Other parts are are they're not necessarily explicitly about law or gospel

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But that's completely besides the point When you encounter up the point is when you encounter a passage that is law

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Be sure to rightly understand and apply it as law and not as gospel

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When you encounter a passage that is gospel that is promise that is that is grace

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That is it is done what has been done for us Indicative Be sure to rightly understand and apply it as gospel

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Now another objection is that some passages what they'll say is some passages appear to teach both law and gospel

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They teach they seem to teach both such as the command to repent and believe the gospel because Jesus is commanding repent and believe the gospel however, let's

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Do let's not confuse the categories here. We cannot confuse our categories

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This is the most important thing when doing theology we must Understand how to rightly divide how to cut straight the proper distinctions just like Timothy says

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Paul says in Timothy The command to believe the gospel is one thing the gospel itself is another thing

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They are not to be confused or conflated This is the dangerous air that Lordship Salvation preachers like John MacArthur often make

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You can even see for yourself in the Grace Community Church's website distinctive on Lordship Salvation It says the gospel that Jesus proclaimed

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Was a call to discipleship a call to follow him in submissive obedience

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Not just a plea to make a decision or prayer Then it continues scripture teaches that Jesus is

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Lord of all and the faith he demands involves Unconditional surrender that's his favorite word

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Surrender to Jesus Lordship is not in addendum to the biblical terms of salvation

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The summons to submission is at the very heart of the gospel Invitation throughout scripture

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No, no No a huge resounding. No This should be like nails on a chalkboard when we hear stuff like this.

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I hope that by now you start to see What is so? disturbingly wrong with these with these claims

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The gospel itself is not a call to follow him in submissive obedience

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That's why he says that Jesus preached the gospel to the rich young ruler because he said go sell all you have and follow me

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He would say that's a gospel invitation It is not the gospel

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Faith in the gospel does not involve Unconditional surrender in any active sense

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Nor is the heart of the gospel defined by what we must do The gospel is that Christ Lived and died for our sins

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Christ did not we must do Christ did which we passively receive by faith alone not by actively surrendering as MacArthur and many

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Misguided preachers say no Christian the reality and this is betraying reality

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The reality is that no Christian is ever fully surrendered to Christ even in this life

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No one every time you sin you fall you fail to surrender to Christ You have not fit.

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You have not only failed to fully surrender to Christ Lordship, but I've disobeyed him which is why you have to constantly repent and resurrender to Christ Lordship because you have disobeyed him

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That is the definition of sin Removing Christ Lordship from your life from from that from when you sin, so MacArthur confuses several categories here because surrendering is a lifeline process that takes place in our

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Sanctification not a one -time act that's required of us to get right with God. It is an ongoing process

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These objectors Frequently fail to rightly distinguish or even acknowledge law and gospel

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Especially when it comes to the hard sayings of Jesus that is where you most see it played out that is a good way to test a pastor a preacher

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By seeing what he says about those hard sayings. That's a great way to test How how well he distinguishes law and gospel and applies it now

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I Want to end by a few points of application The law because this this law and gospel distinction is huge.

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I hope you see that by now You start to see that by now. It is huge. It must guide

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Everything that we do as Christians. We must learn to apply it to every aspect of our lives

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One case is reading understanding and studying God's Word Whenever you encounter a passage always ask yourself the question and respond accordingly

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Does this passage have anything to do about the law or about the gospel?

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Either or both and in some cases possibly none That's always a question.

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You should ask yourself Remember the characteristics of the one and of the other that we went through Remember them

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That's the most important thing and In chapter 14 section 2 of the second

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Lenten Baptist Confession we read by this faith a Christian believes to be true whatsoever is revealed in the word for the authority of God himself and also apprehends an

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Excellency therein Above all other writings and all things in the world and so is enabled to cast his soul upon the truth consequently believed and also acts differently upon that which each particular passage thereof contains

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Yielding obedience to the commands the law Trembling at the threatenings the law and Embracing the promises of God for this life and for that which is to come the gospel

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Now it also applies to our sanctification and Many imbalanced preachers and theologians get this wrong

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Because they claim that we're only sanctified by grace and not by the law Many many misguided preachers will say that the problem with that is that we like I just said earlier

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They are both the Word of God. They are both revelations from God and Because they are both the

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Word of God. They both sanctify us and in fact the law Particularly sanctifies us because it explicitly defines our relationship to sin

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What to do and what not to do that's the third use of the law now

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Jesus said sanctify them in the truth Your word is truth. The sum of your word is truth

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Like the Psalms say you're your word the word law and gospel is the truth to be sanctified

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That by which we are sanctified primarily Now this one fascinated me

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Preaching now you all get to hold us accountable

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William Perkins an Influential Puritan leader who wrote the definitive book on preaching called the art of prophesying virtual which virtually all

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Puritans modeled their preaching after gives a masterful admonition to preachers on rightly distinguishing law and gospel

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He says the basic principle in application is to know whether the passage is a statement of the law or of the gospel

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I mean these guys These guys said This is this is it

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This is what we need to understand. And now you hardly hear about this.

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I Rarely do I hear pastors and churches talk about this and This is what they most emphasize back in the day

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For when the word is preached the law and the gospel operate differently The law

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Exposes the disease of sin and is a side effect and is a side effect

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Stimulates and stirs it up, but it provides no remedy for it

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However, the gospel not only teaches us what is to be done

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It also has the power of the Holy Spirit joined to it. Why because it is the power of God unto salvation

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When we are regenerated by him we receive the strength we need to both to believe the gospel and to do what it commands

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The law therefore first in the order of teaching then comes the gospel

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You don't want to preach that that doesn't make sense, right? You don't want to preach the gospel and then preach the law after that. It's like what are you doing?

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You're totally out of order We're not condemned if any man is in Christ There's no condemnation

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For all that are in Christ Jesus, there is therefore now no condemnation Now he continues a statement of the law indicates the need for perfect inherent righteousness of eternal life given through the works of the law of the sins which are contrary to the law and of the curse that is due

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Then for as many as our works are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written

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Cursed It is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them

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But that no one is justified by the law and the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by faith

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Galatians 3 10 now By contrast a statement of the gospel speaks of Christ and his benefits and of faith being fruitful in good works

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For example for God so loved the world that he gave He gave not we must give or we must do he gave

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His son his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

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That's gospel Now the other application is evangelism

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This is extremely important This is what Jesus did to the rich young ruler and to the lawyer the lawman

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He practiced the law gospel distinction by giving the law to the proud Law to the proud grace to the humble

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Jesus said this in so many different ways He says I don't come for those who are for who have no need of a physician.

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I came for those who are sick You claim to have no sickness. You claim to need no help.

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No, no, no, no salvation. I Came for the unrighteous for sinners

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Not for self -righteous people first Timothy one

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Chapter 1 verses 8 through 11 says now we know that the law is good if if one uses it lawfully

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Understanding this that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient

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For the ungodly and sinners for the unholy and profane For for those who strike their fathers and mothers for murderers sexually immoral men who practice homosexuality enslavers liars perjurers and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine in Accordance with the gospel of the glory of the

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Blessed God with which I have been entrusted evangelism now

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There's so many more applications But this last one is also crucial and it's with respect to church discipline church discipline and I preached about this when

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I when I did the series on church discipline and church discipline the law and gospel distinction is applied by giving the law to the stubborn and unrepentant and forgiveness and grace to the repentant

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Jesus teaches us to use the law gospel distinction in church discipline

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Luke 17 chapter Luke chapter 17 verse 3. He says pay attention to yourselves if your brother sins and Disregards God's law

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Rebuke him Rebuke him with the law. Hey you sin you lied you whatever you sin and if he repents

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Forgive him if he repents forgive him if he does not repent Law you continue to give law and if he refuses to repent you sorry

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You're out of here, right you get kicked out because if you do not repent You might you need the law and you need discipline from from from the church and from God so We must confront sin in ourselves and in the church with the law for the law defines and forbids sin

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First John 3 4 says everyone who commits sin breaks the law For sin is the breaking of the law very clearly

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There's so so much more There's so much more that we can that we can and should pursue in Seeking to rightly understand and apply the law gospel distinction.

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This was really only just a brief overview Just scratching the surface There's so much good stuff to study with respect to this area

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And hopefully we will continue to pursue in our preaching and teaching as elders to conclude

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I'll end with the help of our good Reformation friend Zacharias Racinus From his commentary on the

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Heidelberg Catechism to which I command all 1200 plus pages

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For your most wholesome encouragement and edification he says what is the doctrine of the church?

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The doctrine of the church is the entire and uncorrupted doctrine of the law and the gospel

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Concerning the true God together with his will works and worship divinely revealed and Comprehended in the writings of the prophets and apostles and confirmed by many miracles and divine testimonies through which the

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Holy Spirit works effectually in the hearts of the elect the chosen people of God and Gathers from the whole human race an everlasting church in which

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God is glorified both in this and in the life to come this doctrine is the chief and most expressive mark of The true church

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Which God designs to be visible in the world and to be separated from the rest of mankind.

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It is just unbelievable how these men Made this the number one priority.

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I Hope you see now why this must be our Number one priority as Elders and as a church as believers to rightly understand rightly cut

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Straight cut the law in the gospel in every aspect of the scriptures and in our lives

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Thank you for listening to the sermons of thorn crown covenant Baptist Church Where the Bible alone and the

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Bible in its entirety has applied to all of faith and life We strive to be biblical reformed historic confessional loving discerning

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Christians who evangelize Stand firm in and earnestly contend for the Christian faith

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If you're looking for a church in the El Paso, Texas area or for more information about our church sermons and ministries

01:09:32

Such as Semper Ephraim on the radio and thorn crown network podcast Please contact us at thorn crown ministries comm and may the mercy peace and love of our triune