Sermon Tone Analysis

Law and Grace

How do we navigate the waters of Law and Grace?

Why is this so difficult to understand?

What is Grace?

The Favor of God given to Man

Marvelous Grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured there where the blood of the lamb was spilled.

Grace Grace God’s grace, Grace that pardons and cleanse within.

Grace grace God’s grace, grace that is greater than all my sin.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, i once was lost but now I’m found was blind but now I see.

Alas and did my savior bleed and did my Sovereign die, would He devout that sacred head for such a worm as I.

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away.

It was there by faith I recieved my sight and now I am happy all the day.

What is the law?

Mosaic Law, Levitical Law, Deuteronomy Law.

613:248 positive/365 negative

Positive

Belief in God and Our Duties Toward Him

P1Believing in God ,

P2Unity of God

P3Love of God

P4Fear of God ,

P5Worshipping God , , ,

P6Cleaving to God ,

Gifts to the Temple, the Poor, the Priests and Levites; the Sabbatical Year and the Jubilee; the Preparation of Food

P120Peah for the Poor

P121Gleanings for the Poor

P122The Forgotten Sheaf for the Poor ,

P123Defective Grape-Clusters for the Poor

P124Grape-Gleanings for the Poor

Our Duties Towards Our Fellow Men

P204Returning Lost Property to Its Owner ,

P205Rebuking the Sinner

P206Loving Our Neighbor

P207Loving the Stranger

Negative

Idolatry and Related Subjects

N1Believing in or Ascribing Any Deity to Any but Him ,

N2Making Images for the Purpose of Worship , ,

N3Making an Idol for Others to Worship , , ,

The Administration of Justice, the Authority of the Courts, and Similar Matters

N271Cheating in Measurements and Weights

N272Keeping False Weights and Measures

N273A Judge Committing Unrighteousness

Old Testament Laws.

The legal corpus of the OT is not given in one book or in one section.

Moreover, the laws reflect the development from the desert context (Exodus) to the context of the land (Deuteronomy).

The OT legal material is complex, full of variations and duplications.

It is found in Exodus (chs 20–23; 25–31), Leviticus, Numbers (chs 3–6; 8–10; 15; 18; 19; 28–30), and Deuteronomy (chs 5–26).

The Ten Commandments.

The commandments are simply designated as “the words” of God (Ex 20:1).

They appear in Exodus 20:1–17 and in Deuteronomy 5:6–21, but minor variations and individual commandments occur in other contexts (e.g., Ex 34:14, 17, 21; Lv 19:1–18; Dt 27:15, 16).

As a part of the covenant the commandments were first addressed to Israel; they now form the basis of morality in Christianity

The Book of the Covenant (Ex 20:23–23:19).

The purpose of the covenant code was to exemplify and to set into motion the legal machinery by which Israel as a nation could reflect God’s concern for justice, love, peace, and the value of life.

The laws in the book of the covenant are mainly of the casuistic type.

They regulate life in an agricultural society with servants, donkeys, bulls, oxen, sheep, and fields of grain.

The regulations pertain to relations with women (including widows), aliens, orphans; to legal concerns (liability, damages, ownership); as well as religious obligations (altar, sabbath).

Often the law requires restitution, but restitution is not the rule when human life is involved (Ex 21:12, 16, 20, 22, 23, 29; 22:2, 3), especially when it involves one’s family (21:15, 17, 22–25).

The penal code attached to the case-laws makes clear the value of human life, which is protected by the lex talionis (“law of retaliation”).

The lex talionis does not point to a lack of forgiveness under the OT, but was intended to be a legal principle giving coherence and justice to a society.

The book of the covenant explicates by means of principles and cases how Israel must live together as a nation embracing the Law of God and applying it justly (without discrimination or twisting of rights), lovingly (with a concern for the parties involved), and peaceably.

The Priestly Law.

God’s concern for holiness and purity comes to expression in the priestly laws (Ex 25–31; 35–40; Lv 1–27; Nm 4–10).

The regulations pertain to the construction of the tabernacle, the consecration and ordination of priests, the offerings and sacrifices, rules of purity, the holy days, and vows.

The tabernacle was set in the middle of Israel’s camp in the wilderness.

It symbolized the presence of God with his people.

The priests and Levites were encamped around the tabernacle to serve and protect God’s holiness.

All the tribes were situated around the tabernacle; and though the members of the tribes did not have access to all parts of the tabernacle, they had to be ritually clean to live in the camp.

Anyone who was ritually defiled (Lv 13:46; Nm 5:1–5) or had sinned grievously was put outside the camp (Lv 24:10–23; Nm 15:32–36).

This regulation even included objects that had become defiled (Lv 8:17; 9:11).

Laws of Deuteronomy.

The Deuteronomic laws are explications and new applications of the book of the covenant in view of Israel’s new historical situation.

Israel was about to enter the Promised Land when Moses outlined to them the Law of God (Dt 1:5).

The impersonal element of the book of the covenant is here transformed by personal appeal.

Moses strongly appeals to Israel to be loyal to the Lord, the covenant, and the covenantal stipulations

Purposes of the Law.

The Law revealed at Mt Sinai was intended to lead Israel closer to God.

Rebellious though they were, God used the Law as his righteous instrument to teach, in a very specific way, what sin is (cf.

Rom 5:20; 7:7, 8b) and how they should walk on a path which kept them undefiled by sin and holy to the Lord.

The Law was the teacher and the keeper of Israel (Gal 3:24).

The detailed explications of the laws in all areas of life (work, society, family, cult, and nation) had an important place in God’s dealings with Israel

The Law of God is his means of sanctification.

He consecrated Israel by an act of grace, and he required Israel to remain holy.

Jesus confirmed those uses of the Law whereby one may know his sinfulness and by which he may be driven to Christ.

The purpose of the Law is to transform regenerate man into maturity.

Spiritual maturity is not a privilege that was reserved for believers after Christ

Law and Covenant.

Law was incorporated into the covenantal structure (Ex 20–24) at Mt Sinai.

The symbol of the Mosaic covenant was the tablets of the covenant, given to Israel through Moses.

The covenant may be defined as an administration under which God consecrates his people by divine law.

The Law protected the promises of God until the coming of Christ

this form of the question permits Paul to deal with the false contrast between law and grace.

Law and grace are not alternatives.

It is not necessary to reject one in order to accept the other.

The true alternatives in life are sin and obedience or sin and God

Doing your own thing is not freedom; it is slavery to Sin!

One characteristic of a servant is obedience to the Master; Christians as slaves. .

to obedience, leading to righteousness

Romans 6:15-23

For sin shall not be your master (verse 14).