What the Law Does (and Doesn’t) Do

“In the Old Testament, in God’s revelation though Moses, as in the New Testament, in the divine Covenant, the Law is not a ladder of merit we attempt to climb in order to win God’s favour; it is God’s pattern of holy living given to us because, by redemption, we are already in his favour. It is not a way of salvation by works of obedience; it is a pattern of obedience divinely provided for those who have been saved by grace.” -Alec Motyer, A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Loving the Old Testament

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Grace Before Law

“Are you interpreting the ‘visual aid’? Egypt first, then Sinai; Passover first, then the giving of the Law; the divine work of grace first, then the life of responsive obedience, redemption/ salvation first, then walking with God in his appointed way of holiness.” -Alec Motyer, A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Loving the Old Testament

Don’t Worry About What You See, Because It’s Covered

“God’s grace welcomes us to stand before the mirror of God’s word and take an honest look knowing all we see has been covered by his blood.” –Paul Tripp

Sour, then Sweet

“We can only grasp the gospel’s sweetness if we first grapple with its offense–you can’t save yourself.” -Tim Keller

More on Hermeneutics & Commandments

I’m getting ready for a Sunday School series on the Ten Commandments, and was looking at Larger Catechism 99 (“What rules are to be observed for the right understanding of the Ten Commandments?”). It lists eight rules, one of them is:

Helpful Hermeneutics from Dave VanDrunen

I was reading Dave VanDrunen’s book on bioethics, and came across this interesting hermeneutical insight: