Introduction to the Law

Introduction: the Law Exodus 20 Context • Let’s recall the scene at Sinai. • God is about to give His ten words: 1. Repeated in Deuteronomy 5:4ff 2. 10 Commandments put on tablets for storage in the ark 3. Summary of all the Law that is to come (Matthew 22:35) 4. Shorthand for a life acceptable to God (Romans 13:8-9) • How should we understand the Law in general and the 10 Commandments in particular? Reformed Perspective • Early Reformers emphasized 3 aspects of the Law – the Moral, the Civil, and the Ceremonial. 1. The Moral – God’s ethics; used for convicting the sinner of his guilt, restraining wicked behavior, and guiding the Christian in decision making 2. The Civil – laws relating to governance; abolished with the coming of Christ 3. The Ceremonial – laws relating worship; also abolished with the coming of Christ • Strengths – Emphasizes unity and holiness • Weaknesses – Scant biblical support; tendency to legalism; tendency to misapplied justice Dispensational Perspective • Israel is not the Church – the Law was for Israel (Exodus 20:2); the New Covenant is for the Church (2 Corinthians 3:6-18) • Christ fulfilled all aspects of the Law – Matthew 5:17 • Older dispensationalists emphasized salvation by grace through faith rather than by works of the law (Romans 3:20) • The Law applies when repeated in the New Testament • Strengths – takes better account of all Scripture especially as it relates to a multi-ethnic Church • Weaknesses – tendency toward antinomianism Dangerous Shoals 1. Legalism – Focusing on obedience more than relationship; keeping laws external rather than a submitted heart; adding human rules to God’s law (R.C. Sproul) 2. Antinomianism – ““The Ten Commandments have no authority over you. None. To be clear: Thou shalt not obey the Ten Commandments” (Andy Stanley) Our Approach 1. Generally Dispensational – The Church is not Israel; Christ fulfilled all the Law; the New Testament affirms God’s moral expectation 2. The New Testament is our ultimate guide for understanding the Law 3. Appreciation for the Reformer’s use of the Law (convicting, guiding, revealing) 4. Grace when uncertainties abound.