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Romans 7:1-6 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Read verses 1-6 with me.
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And if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress.
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Will you pray with me for the preaching of God's word?
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Father, your word is powerful.
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It is living and is active and it pierces between the joints of marrow to the intentions of the heart.
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And we ask this morning that your word would work in us to humble us.
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To remind us freshly of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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And to find great joy in him and in communion with Jesus Christ.
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Lord, we ask that the word would cause us to rejoice.
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That it would make the simple wise and it would make the unclean clean.
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And that it would be richer than gold and sweeter than honey this morning.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
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So to introduce today's sermon, I would love to share a little bit about the life of Martin Luther.
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Martin Luther was educated under medieval theology.
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In this education, Luther was taught that justification is to make oneself righteous.
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Righteousness, in this thought, began with baptism and was continued through taking the Catholic sacraments.
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In addition to being made righteous through the sacraments, they would teach that one could have a claim on God,
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even demand certain things from God, if they just did their very best.
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Their natural abilities and their good works would merit or would provide merit that would then justify them.
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If we just did what was in us, if we just did our very best, we can be disposed to God's grace.
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That was the doctrine that Luther came out of and that was in his mind as he became a monk.
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And it was the doctrine that eventually drove him to despair.
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Between 1516 and 1517, Luther abandoned these teachings.
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He called them the rancid rules of the philosophers.
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He realized that we don't have a disposition towards God, but actually indisposition.
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We're actually naturally rebellious towards God.
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Luther came to an awareness that the sinner is utterly helpless to save himself
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or to have any right standing before God based on their own merits.
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As he came to this reality that he was sinful and God was holy and just, he was undone.
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All his attempts to satisfy God, his prayers, his fasting, his vigils, his good works,
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all the things he did left him wholly disquieted.
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His mood swung from despair to anger at God over this reality.
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And it began to produce an experience that he called infectum.
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It's a German word and it doesn't translate well into our language, but it carries lots of meaning.
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For Luther, this was dread.
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He would see God's righteousness and feel dread and despair.
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This sense of foreboding doom.
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This assault on his soul and anxiety.
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And it left him lowly.
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Luther felt as if his whole sinful life was exposed before God's presence.
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As Luther went to the word in the season, he saw the righteousness of God through the law.
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Later in his writings, Luther would say,
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God gave the law then to put us to death, to kill us, so that we would see the enormity of our sin.
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Luther would talk about God's law as a hammer.
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He says,
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This presumption of righteousness in us is a huge and horrible monster.
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To break and crush it, God needs a large and powerful hammer.
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That is the law, which is the hammer of death, the thunder of hell, and the lightning of divine wrath.
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To what purpose?
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To attack the presumption of righteousness, which is rebellious, stubborn, and stiff-necked beast in us.
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The law was the hammer of God that would expose Luther's seething rebellion against God,
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and it would ultimately show his deep need for Jesus Christ for salvation.
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Between 1518 and 1519, Luther, in studying the book of Romans,
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discovered that justification is not to be made righteous.
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It's not a progressive work that we justify ourselves before God.
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Justification is to be declared righteous based on the works of another.
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Justification is not doing one's very best, as if we are good and can show approval to God.
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But justification is based on Christ and his righteousness.
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Luther says justification is by faith alone,
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because it looks to Christ alone for forgiveness of sins and salvation.
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Faith itself doesn't save, but faith saves because we receive Christ by faith,
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because we possess and grasp Christ by faith.
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In Luther's theology, before salvation, the law exposes our need for Christ.
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It reveals our complete inability to be righteous,
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that our good works don't give anything to God.
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There is no hope and freedom found in our own works,
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but only through Jesus Christ and his works.
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What Luther discovered is that true and lasting freedom comes through Christ.
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He has done all the work.
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Because of Christ's work and his fulfillment of the covenant of redemption,
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we are freed from the law.
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We are freed from its rigor and its curse.
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The Holy Spirit has given us new hearts and unites us to Christ.
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In Christ, we are free, and the law now serves as a rule of life.
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It's a means by which we express love to God and to please him.
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So today, the main point I want you to see in this sermon
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is that in Christ, we are freed from the law
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so that we can serve God, serve Christ by the Spirit.
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So in Christ, we are freed from the law
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so that we can serve Christ by the Spirit.
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So point number one, the law had rule over us.
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Point one, the law had rule over us.
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If you look at verse one with me,
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and do you not know, brothers, for I am speaking to those who know the law,
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that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives.
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Paul begins Romans 7 with another rhetorical question,
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which as we have been following Nathan's preaching,
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we see that this is how he forms his arguments.
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He proposes a good concept,
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and then he then starts to explain it
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and asks a question about it, and then answers the question.
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So here we have another question,
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and this question is meant to explain the relationship
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between the believer and the law.
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What relationship does the law play in the believer's life?
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So questions I hope to answer today is,
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what was the relationship between those in Adam and the law?
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So as we're thinking about Romans 5,
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what is the relationship that those in Adam, unbelievers, have with the law?
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Second question I hope to answer is,
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what relationship are those in Christ have with the law?
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What relationship does believers have in regards to God's law?
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Is it no law, or is there still something
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that bounds us that is good,
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that we love, that frames the way in which we live?
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So if you look at verse 1,
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there is a gentle but firm rebuke to the church.
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He asserts that they know the law.
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The audience of the Jews and the Gentiles
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would know the law in which he speaks about.
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And as we've made our way through Romans,
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we see that Paul is building a case.
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And if we look at the way in which Paul has talked about the law
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in the first six chapters,
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and the way he talks about the law in chapter 7,
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I think that we can understand which law he is referring to.
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And from this letter,
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I propose that this law that he's talking to
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is what we call the moral law,
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or the Ten Commandments.
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So throughout this law,
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Paul's case he's building is that
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all are unrighteous and deserving of God's wrath.
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So as we talked about last week in Romans 1,
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that people see God's glory in creation,
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they see his righteousness,
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but they suppress the truth,
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and they exchange his glory for creation.
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In Romans 2, we discuss that all people
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have the law of God in their hearts,
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and their conscience bear witness against them.
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The law of God in Romans 2
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is the law that forbids stealing,
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idolatry, idolatry,
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and the misuse of the Lord's name.
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And it's referred to as the law of the letter
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that was written on stone.
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In Romans 7, verse 6 tells us
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that the law came in the old way of written code.
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And then verse 7 goes on to say,
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we would not have known what it is to covet
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if the law had not said,
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you shall not covet.
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So at this point,
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Paul's talking about this law in Romans 7
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that forbids stealing,
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adultery, idolatry, blasphemy,
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and covetousness.
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The law was written on stone
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and is referred to as the law of the letter.
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I believe that from all these things,
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Paul has in mind the Ten Commandments,
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which God wrote on stone.
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This moral law has been revealed
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in the hearts of all men in creation
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and was put in writing on Mount Sinai.
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This is the law of creation
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that is made explicit in the Mosaic law.
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So with that said,
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John Calvin has proposed
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three uses of the moral law
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that I think we will find very instructive today.
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He says,
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use number one is the civil use.
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This is the use of the law
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that restrains evil
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and promotes righteousness.
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It restrains the wicked inclinations
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of the heart from manifesting itself.
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And we see this law being applied
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in how we tell people right or wrong,
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but we ultimately see it
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in how we create and preserve a society.
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There is always some sense of civil use
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throughout society
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that upholds and sustains a society.
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Number two is the pedagogical
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or the evangelical use of the law.
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This law functions like a mirror.
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It's supposed to expose to us
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our sin or reveal our unrighteousness.
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It shows our complete inability
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to be righteous
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so that we would see our need for a savior,
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see our need for someone who was righteous.
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And the third use
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is what Calvin called the normative use.
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This use of the law
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reveals God's will
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and frames the law
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as a rule of life.
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It's the way that believers
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express their love to God
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and delight in him.
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So the three uses of the law
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are the civil use,
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the evangelical use,
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and the normative use.
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So in verse one,
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Paul is applying the evangelical use.
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We see that the law is binding.
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It has an authority,
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authority.
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But this isn't just authority.
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This word is used in this context
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to mean a rule,
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a mastery.
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BDAG,
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which is the Greek lexicon,
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supports that this is a rule over,
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that it has authority
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that's not just,
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it tells us what is right and wrong,
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but it is binding,
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it's domineering over us.
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And Paul here describes us
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being married to the law.
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All men are obligated
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to the law's demands,
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and if they break
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the demands of the law,
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it's penalties.
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The ten commandments
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bind all in Adam.
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In this marriage,
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we are under a taskmaster.
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The law reveals
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the ways in which
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we cannot keep the commandments.
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And in doing so,
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according to verse five,
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the law arouses sin in us.
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It exposes sin in our hearts.
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The law shows us
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our utter inability to keep it.
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So James 2.10 says,
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whoever keeps the whole law
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but fails one point
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is guilty of it all.
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To be bound under the law
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is to be bound
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under the rigor
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of its obedience
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that it requires from us.
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The law lays this heavy yoke upon us
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and gives us the least help
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or necessary strength
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to fulfill it.
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It doesn't offer life or salvation,
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but offers a requirement.
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The law has an impossible demand
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of exact obedience.
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As James 2 says,
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if we fail in one point,
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we've broken it all.
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Samuel Bolton says,
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the law looks for exact obedience
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in every jot and tittle.
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The demands of the law
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are unbearable
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and they leave the subjects
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beat down and condemned.
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The law's requirements
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are too great for any.
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This is why Paul says,
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no one is justified
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before God
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by the law in Galatians.
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So we see that
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the demand of the law
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is great.
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The consequences
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for breaking the law
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are severe.
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In Galatians 2.10,
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all who rely on the works
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of the law
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are under a curse.
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For it's written,
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cursed be everyone
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who does not abide
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by all things written
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in the book of the law
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and do them.
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The severe consequences
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of those who rely on the law,
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that means those who rely
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on their own works,
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those who rely on their own will,
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or those who rely
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on their innate goodness,
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is death.
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We see this in 6.23,
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the verse right before verse 1.
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For the wages of sin
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is death,
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but the gift of God
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is eternal life
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through Christ Jesus.
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So in Adam,
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we were under
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this rule of law.
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It had authority
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and rule over us
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and sin had dominion in us.
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The demands of this master
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were great,
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the consequences severe.
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It was an impossible yoke
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and an eternal punishment
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for breaking it.
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This is why
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when we sing the hymn
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Rock of Ages,
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we say,
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Not the labors of my hand
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can fulfill
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thy law's demands.
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Could my zeal
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no respite know?
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Could my tears
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forever flow?
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All for sin
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could not atone.
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Thou must save
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and thou alone.
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This is where we see
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the evangelical
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use of the law.
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This is where we see
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the law shows
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our complete inability
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to keep it.
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That we need someone
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greater than us
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who can fulfill
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all demands.
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It can fulfill
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every jot and tittle
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of its requirements.
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But not only that,
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we don't only need
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someone to meet
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the demands,
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we need someone
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to also bear the penalties
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because we've all
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broken the law.
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So the evangelical
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use of the law
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takes the law
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and shows us
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that we need the gospel.
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Samuel Bolton says
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the law is subservient
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to the gospel.
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It's under the gospel.
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It serves it.
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Its purpose is to convince
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and to humble us.
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And the gospel
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is to enable us
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to fulfill the obedience
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of the law.
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The law sends us
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to the gospel
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for justification.
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It doesn't justify,
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but it sends us
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to the gospel.
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And the gospel
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sends us to the law
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to frame our way
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of life.
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And we see this exact thing
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in Pilgrim's Progress
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by John Bunyan.
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In Pilgrim's Progress,
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the main character
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named Christian
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is making a journey.
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And along his journey
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through the Christian life,
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he meets a man
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named Faithful.
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And Faithful and Christian
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now are journeying together.
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They're sharing
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how they came to salvation.
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They're sharing
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their experiences
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as being a believer.
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And Pilgrim asks Faithful
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about how he came to Christ,
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but then his experiences
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from it.
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Faithful retells
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that he comes
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to the hill of difficulty.
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And as he comes
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to the hill,
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he meets someone
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named Adam the First.
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And Adam the First
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tries to appeal
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to Faithful
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with all the world's pleasures.
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I'll give you
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the lust of the flesh,
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the lust of the eyes,
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and the pride of life.
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And you can come
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and enjoy my estate
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is what Adam the First says.
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But Faithful
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has this thought
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that he needs
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to put off the old man
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and turns away
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from Adam the First
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and starts climbing
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the mountain.
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And as he's climbing,
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Adam the First yells,
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I'm going to send
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someone after you.
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So Faithful
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tells his story
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from there.
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He says,
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so as soon as the man,
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or as he's going
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up the hill,
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in the next scene,
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he sees someone
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coming after him.
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And he says,
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so as soon as the man
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overtook me
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without saying a word,
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he struck me
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and knocked me down
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unconscious.
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When I came to,
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I asked him
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why he had thus
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assaulted me.
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And he said that
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it was because
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of my secret inclination
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to follow Adam the First.
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And with that,
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he struck me
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with another deadly blow
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on the chest
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and beat me down
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backwards.
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And I laid at his feet
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as if I were dead.
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So when I came to,
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I cried to him
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for mercy.
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I said,
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I do not,
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he said to me,
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I do not know
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how to show mercy.
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And he knocked me
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down again.
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And he would have
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beaten me to death
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except one who came
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and told him to stop.
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So Christian then
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asked Faithful,
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who came
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and told him to stop?
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And Faithful says,
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I did not recognize
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him at first,
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but as he went by,
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I saw the wounds
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in his hands
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and in his side.
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Then I concluded
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that it was our Lord.
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Christian then explained
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the incident to Faithful.
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The man who overtook
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he was Moses.
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He spares no one
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and does not know
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how to show mercy
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to anyone
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who transgresses
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his law.
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So here,
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Bunyan is picturing
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the law
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as one who came
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and beat him down.
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And the law
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pointed that he had
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no ability
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to fulfill it,
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no ability to do
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the demands of the law.
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But then came someone
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with wounds in his hand
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and wounds in his side
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who stopped the beating
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and this was his Lord.
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The point he's making
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is that the law
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should point us
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to our need for a Savior.
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We need the law
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to point us
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to our need for a Savior
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because we cannot be justified
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by the law.
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So the law
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had great rule over us
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with its demands
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and its severe consequences.
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Christ has set us free
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from the law's demands
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and consequences
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by his work
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of redemption.
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So point number two,
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Christ has set us free.
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Christ has set us free.
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The law of Romans 7
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is binding on all
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and the only way
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to be freed from this law
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is death.
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According to verses 2-3,
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the married spouse
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is bound to her husband
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by the law of marriage.
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This union is for life
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for as the text says,
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as long as one lives.
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The married woman
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would only be free
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to marry another
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by law
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if her husband died.
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Paul uses this picture
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to portray the freedom
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that we have
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through our union
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with Jesus Christ.
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Because we've been
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united to Christ,
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we have died to the law
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through his body,
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according to verse 4.
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Verse 6 explains
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that we've been released
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from the law,
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having died to that
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which held us captive.
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How can this be?
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How can our union
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with Christ
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provide us freedom?
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It is because
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Jesus was our federal head.
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He was our perfect representative.
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The covenant of works
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that God made of Adam,
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Adam broke.
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The covenant of redemption
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that God made of Christ,
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Christ kept.
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When we are united to Christ,
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we are represented
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in his life,
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his death,
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and his resurrection.
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In his death,
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we died with him.
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It says we were crucified
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with Christ,
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and in doing so,
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we died to the law.
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And in his life,
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we were raised with him
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and are justified.
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His life and resurrection
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provide us justification.
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That means true freedom
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comes from the works
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of Jesus Christ.
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In Christ,
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you are free indeed.
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John 8.36 says,
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So if the Son sets you free,
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you will be free indeed.
20:57
Galatians 5.1,
20:58
For freedom Christ
20:59
has set you free.
21:02
2 Corinthians 3.17,
21:04
Now the Lord is spirit,
21:06
and where the spirit
21:06
of the Lord is,
21:07
there is freedom.
21:11
In Christ is where we experience
21:13
true and lasting freedom.
21:16
There is freedom,
21:17
and you are free indeed
21:19
through our Savior.
21:20
And this is an essential part
21:22
of your gospel,
21:22
of the gospel that we believe.
21:25
John Calvin says,
21:26
Liberty is a necessary
21:28
attendant to the doctrine
21:29
of justification.
21:31
John Owen calls
21:32
Christian freedom
21:33
the second principle
21:34
of the Reformation.
21:36
Our gospel is a freeing gospel
21:38
that has fulfilled the law
21:39
and broke the bonds
21:40
in sin and death
21:41
that we were under.
21:43
We see this in the work
21:44
Jesus has done for us.
21:46
The heavy demands
21:47
of the law
21:48
and the severe consequences
21:50
that we deserve
21:51
were credited to Christ,
21:53
were counted on him.
21:55
He fulfilled the demands,
21:56
and he took the consequences
21:58
for us.
22:00
Jesus was placed
22:01
under every rigorous demand
22:02
of the law
22:03
and obeyed it
22:04
in every way.
22:05
Jesus obeyed the law,
22:06
every dot
22:07
and every tittle.
22:09
Jesus perfectly offered
22:10
obedience to God,
22:11
fulfilling the law.
22:12
That's why Romans 8 says
22:14
that the righteous requirement
22:16
of the law
22:17
might be fulfilled in us.
22:19
While blameless,
22:20
Jesus,
22:21
in fulfilling his covenant
22:21
and being the better
22:22
representative for us,
22:24
he also became a curse
22:25
and he took
22:26
all the severe consequences
22:27
that you deserve.
22:29
Every breaking of the law,
22:31
every sin
22:32
that you have committed,
22:34
Jesus took for you
22:35
and he died once and for all.
22:38
Galatians 3.13 says,
22:39
Christ redeemed us
22:40
from the curse of the law
22:41
by becoming a curse for us.
22:44
For it is written,
22:45
curse it to everyone
22:46
who is hanged on a tree.
22:49
Because Jesus fulfilled
22:50
the covenant of redemption,
22:51
we are free.
22:52
We are free from the dominion
22:54
of sin.
22:55
The sin that you once served,
22:57
that once held you captive
22:59
and that you labored for,
23:01
you've been set free from.
23:03
We are free from Satan
23:04
and the tyranny of Satan
23:05
and his dominion.
23:06
Colossians 1.13
23:09
We are free from the demands
23:10
of the law
23:11
and the exact obedience
23:12
that it renders,
23:13
that it asked for.
23:15
And we are free
23:16
from the curse of the law.
23:17
All your penalties
23:18
were taken by Jesus.
23:21
The Reformation song,
23:22
which we will sing
23:23
after the sermon,
23:24
says,
23:24
In Christ alone,
23:25
we're justified.
23:27
His righteousness
23:28
is our plea.
23:29
Your law's demands
23:30
are satisfied.
23:31
His perfect work
23:32
has set us free.
23:35
Brothers and sisters,
23:36
do you see this amazing love
23:38
that Christ has for us?
23:40
There is no labor.
23:42
There is no work.
23:43
There is no decision
23:44
that you can offer to God
23:45
for his approval.
23:47
You are not under
23:48
a magnifying glass.
23:50
There is no perfect
23:51
and foreboding standard
23:52
that makes you lie worthless,
23:54
that makes you feel inadequate,
23:55
because Christ has done it all.
23:59
God looks at Christ's works
24:01
and finds great approval for you.
24:04
Therefore,
24:04
you don't have to work.
24:06
His work has provided you
24:08
a sweet and amiable relationship
24:10
with the Father.
24:12
You are valued
24:13
on Christ's merits
24:14
and now have access
24:15
to the Father,
24:15
now have communion
24:16
with him.
24:19
Brothers and sisters,
24:20
there is nothing
24:20
this world can offer you
24:21
for your godliness.
24:23
The self-help mantra
24:24
that says,
24:25
you are enough,
24:26
be the better you,
24:28
be your true self,
24:30
is not to be trusted.
24:32
You are not enough,
24:33
but that's okay
24:35
because Christ is.
24:37
He was enough
24:38
and is enough
24:39
and he has purchased
24:40
all for you.
24:42
All the spiritual blessings
24:43
and the sweetness
24:44
of his communion
24:45
are given to you
24:46
in Christ,
24:47
to those who repentably,
24:49
to those who the Spirit
24:50
has made new.
24:51
And we see in Romans 7-4
24:53
that Christ has set us free
24:55
that we may bear fruit
24:56
for God.
24:57
We have been set free
24:58
from the law's rule
24:59
and sin's dominion
25:00
so that we may live
25:01
for another,
25:02
that our lives now
25:03
may be lived
25:04
to our faithful Savior,
25:05
Jesus Christ.
25:06
Verse 4 says,
25:07
we belong to another.
25:09
We are now united
25:11
to Christ.
25:12
We have died to the law
25:13
and we now live
25:14
for another.
25:15
But the implications
25:16
of this are so wonderful.
25:18
As we go in Romans,
25:19
you'll continue to see
25:20
these implications.
25:21
Romans 5 is a book
25:23
of saying implications
25:24
for being united to Christ.
25:26
But get this,
25:27
those who are in Christ
25:29
are now bound to Christ
25:30
for life.
25:32
And nothing can separate
25:33
them from His love.
25:35
See, chapter 6,
25:36
we are now united to Him.
25:38
In chapter 8,
25:39
at the end of it,
25:39
nothing can separate us
25:41
from Him.
25:42
You are secure in Christ
25:44
and you are in His love.
25:45
And there isn't any sin,
25:47
any principality,
25:49
there is nothing on this world
25:50
or in heaven
25:51
that can separate you
25:53
from Christ.
25:53
You are free indeed,
25:55
brothers and sisters,
25:56
and you are free
25:57
to worship Him
25:58
and to live for Him.
26:00
So point one,
26:01
we had been under
26:02
the rule of the law.
26:03
Point two,
26:04
Christ has set us free
26:05
from the law.
26:06
Now point number three
26:07
is we live by the Spirit.
26:10
Verse six says,
26:11
we have been released
26:12
from the law
26:12
so we serve in the way
26:14
of the Spirit
26:15
and not in the way
26:16
of the written code.
26:18
The new way of the Spirit
26:20
is what we call
26:21
the covenant of grace.
26:22
This is the new covenant
26:24
promised in Ezekiel 36
26:25
and Jeremiah 31.
26:26
Will you turn to
26:28
Ezekiel 36 with me?
26:33
In Ezekiel 36,
26:35
this is the new covenant promise
26:37
that is to come
26:38
for the Old Testament believers
26:40
that is fulfilled in Christ.
26:42
When Christ at the Lord's Supper
26:44
said,
26:44
this is my blood,
26:45
the new covenant for you.
26:47
He is enacting,
26:48
He is initiating
26:49
the new covenant
26:49
now being applied
26:50
to believers.
26:52
Verses 25 through 28 say,
26:54
I will sprinkle
26:55
clean water on you
26:57
and you shall be clean
26:58
from all your uncleansliness
26:59
and from all your idols
27:01
I will cleanse you
27:02
and I will give you
27:03
a new heart
27:04
and a new spirit
27:05
I will put within you
27:06
and I will remove
27:07
the heart of stone
27:08
from your flesh
27:09
and give you
27:10
a heart of flesh.
27:12
I will put my spirit
27:13
within you
27:13
and cause you to walk
27:15
in my statutes
27:16
and be careful
27:17
to obey my rules.
27:18
You shall dwell
27:19
in the land
27:19
I gave to your fathers
27:20
and you shall be
27:21
my people
27:22
and I will be your God.
27:25
Ezekiel 36 promises
27:27
a work in which
27:28
God has already done
27:29
for those who are in Christ.
27:31
This is the work
27:32
to cleanse us.
27:32
This is the radical work
27:34
of heart surgery.
27:35
We are all born in Adam
27:37
with a heart
27:38
that is hard to God,
27:39
that hates God,
27:40
that does not want
27:41
to love and serve Him.
27:44
And this promise here
27:45
says that God will
27:46
remove this heart of stone,
27:48
remove this hard heart
27:50
and put a heart of flesh,
27:51
a heart that desires
27:52
to love God,
27:53
desires to follow Him.
27:55
We see it right here,
27:56
it says that
27:57
they will desire
27:58
to do God's law,
28:00
that they'll walk
28:01
in my statutes.
28:03
Now will you turn
28:04
to Jeremiah 31 with me?
28:11
This is another promise
28:12
of the new covenant.
28:13
Verses 31 through 34 say,
28:16
Behold, the days are coming,
28:18
declares the Lord,
28:19
when I will make
28:20
a new covenant
28:21
with the house of Israel
28:21
and the house of Judah,
28:23
not like the covenant
28:24
that I made
28:24
with their fathers
28:25
on the day
28:26
when I took them
28:26
by the hand
28:27
to bring them
28:28
out of the land of Egypt.
28:29
My covenant they broke
28:31
though I was their husband,
28:34
declares the Lord.
28:35
For this is the covenant
28:36
that I will make
28:37
with the house of Israel
28:37
after those days,
28:38
declares the Lord.
28:39
I will put my law
28:40
within them
28:41
and I will write it
28:42
on their hearts
28:42
and I will be their God
28:44
and they shall be my people.
28:45
And no longer
28:46
shall each one teach
28:47
his neighbor
28:47
and each brother
28:48
and each his brother
28:49
saying,
28:50
Know the Lord
28:50
for they shall all know me
28:52
from the least
28:53
to the greatest,
28:54
declares the Lord.
28:55
For I will forgive
28:55
their iniquity
28:56
and I will remember
28:57
their sin no more.
28:59
So Jeremiah 31
29:00
is building on this promise
29:02
of giving the spirit
29:03
and in this promise
29:04
he says that he's going
29:04
to put his law
29:05
within their heart
29:07
and he's going to write it
29:08
on their heart.
29:09
It calls back to Ezekiel
29:10
or calls forward to Ezekiel
29:11
where it says
29:12
that he'll cause them
29:13
to walk in his statutes.
29:15
What we see
29:17
in Ezekiel 36
29:19
and Jeremiah 31
29:20
is the promised new covenant
29:21
and it's the new way
29:22
of the spirit.
29:23
The way in which
29:24
we now have the spirit
29:25
that caused us
29:26
to love God
29:27
but also to obey his law,
29:30
to please him,
29:30
to express love to him.
29:33
Before in Adam
29:34
we had a heart of stone
29:35
that hated God
29:36
and loved sin.
29:37
The law had bound us
29:39
and we were in captivity.
29:41
Sin reigned over us
29:42
and we served it
29:43
as an instrument
29:43
of unrighteousness.
29:45
God has done
29:46
an amazing work.
29:48
His spirit has done
29:48
the work of regeneration
29:49
and given us new hearts.
29:51
By the work of the spirit
29:52
we partake in the covenant
29:53
of grace.
29:54
We've been united
29:55
to Christ
29:56
and in the new way
29:57
of the spirit
29:58
the law is within us
29:59
and written on our hearts.
30:01
So to remind you
30:02
of Samuel Bolton's quote,
30:04
the law sends us
30:05
to the gospel
30:05
for justification.
30:07
The gospel sends us
30:08
to the law
30:09
to frame our way of life.
30:10
The law is now
30:11
within us.
30:13
In Christ
30:13
we serve
30:14
by the new way
30:15
of the spirit.
30:16
And we can say
30:17
with Paul
30:17
as in Romans chapter 7
30:19
I delight in the law
30:20
of God
30:21
in my inner being.
30:23
And at the end
30:24
of chapter 7
30:24
he says
30:24
I serve the law
30:25
with God.
30:26
I serve the law
30:27
of God in my mind
30:28
but my flesh
30:29
serves sin.
30:31
The law
30:32
is no longer
30:32
a hammer for us
30:33
but a staff
30:34
that guides us.
30:36
As those in Christ
30:37
walking in the statutes
30:38
of the moral law
30:39
is the expression
30:40
of love to God
30:41
and to delight in him.
30:43
That's why
30:44
when it says
30:44
that we should love
30:45
our God
30:45
and love our neighbor
30:46
as ourself
30:47
that's the summary
30:48
of all the law
30:49
and the prophets
30:49
because the first
30:51
four commandments
30:53
is to love God
30:54
and the first six commandments
30:55
is to love
30:56
our neighbor
30:57
as ourself.
30:58
So the commandments
30:59
should be something
31:00
that we see
31:01
as a delight now.
31:02
I want to worship God.
31:03
I want to bear
31:04
his name well.
31:05
I want to give time
31:07
to worship him well.
31:09
And then
31:10
I want to serve
31:11
my brothers and sisters well.
31:12
I want to do
31:12
the one anotherings well.
31:14
I care for your soul
31:15
so I want to make sure
31:16
that there's no lust
31:17
in my heart.
31:18
I want to make sure
31:19
that I don't consider
31:20
stealing
31:20
or being covetousness.
31:22
I want to love you
31:24
as my own soul.
31:26
This is the life
31:27
in the spirit.
31:28
The life that we say
31:29
Father I love you
31:30
because I keep
31:31
your commandments.
31:32
Our religion
31:34
is not law based
31:35
works based righteousness.
31:36
It is heart based.
31:38
This is what
31:39
Calvin would call
31:40
the third use
31:41
of the law.
31:41
What Calvin calls
31:42
the normative use
31:44
of the law.
31:45
It is the way
31:46
believers normally
31:46
use the law
31:47
for life and godliness.
31:49
This is how believers
31:49
relate to the law.
31:51
Compared to the unbeliever
31:52
who relate to it
31:53
in a civil
31:54
and evangelical way
31:55
the believers now
31:55
relate it in a normative
31:56
way.
31:58
If you turn to the
31:59
back of your bulletin
31:59
there's a quote
32:00
by Richard Sibbes
32:01
and it says
32:02
when we come
32:06
to be religious
32:07
we lose
32:08
not our pleasure
32:09
we don't lose
32:10
our pleasure
32:11
but we translate it
32:12
before we fed
32:14
on common notions
32:15
now we live
32:17
on holy truths.
32:18
Do you see the change?
32:20
Before we lived
32:20
on the things
32:21
of the world
32:21
common notions
32:22
are sin
32:23
but now we live
32:24
on holy truths
32:25
and they are
32:25
pleasurable
32:26
they are delightful
32:27
they are great
32:28
to live by.
32:28
The 1689
32:31
London Baptist
32:31
Confession
32:32
is very informative
32:33
here.
32:34
In chapter 19
32:35
paragraph 7
32:35
it says
32:36
these uses
32:37
of the law
32:38
are not contrary
32:39
talking about
32:40
the civil
32:41
evangelical
32:42
and the normative
32:43
use.
32:43
They are not
32:43
contrary to one
32:44
another
32:45
they don't
32:45
oppose each other
32:46
these uses
32:47
of the law
32:48
are not contrary
32:48
to the grace
32:49
of the gospel
32:49
but are in
32:50
sweet harmony
32:51
with it
32:52
for the spirit
32:53
of Christ
32:54
subdues
32:54
and enables
32:55
the human will
32:56
to freely
32:57
and cheerfully
32:58
do what
33:00
the will of God
33:01
requires
33:02
in the scriptures.
33:04
The gospel
33:04
doesn't do away
33:05
with the moral law
33:06
but actually
33:06
strengthens it.
33:08
There is a sweet
33:09
harmony between
33:09
the law
33:10
and the gospel
33:10
but the law
33:11
is subservient
33:12
it serves
33:13
the gospel.
33:14
Through the gospel
33:15
and the work
33:16
of the spirit
33:16
believers
33:17
can freely
33:19
and cheerfully
33:20
do the ten commandments
33:21
we have them
33:23
as a joy
33:23
for us
33:24
but this
33:25
harmony
33:25
of law
33:26
and gospel
33:26
is essential
33:27
to the Christian
33:27
life.
33:29
As Christians
33:29
the light
33:30
of Christ
33:30
should shine
33:31
in every domain
33:32
of our lives.
33:33
It should affect
33:34
all of us
33:34
every aspect
33:35
of us.
33:36
So just two
33:37
places of application
33:38
for today
33:38
and then we
33:39
will be concluding.
33:41
Number one
33:42
our friendships
33:43
and our marriages
33:44
how does
33:45
law and gospel
33:46
harmony
33:46
law and gospel
33:47
distinction
33:48
affect our
33:48
friendships
33:49
and marriages?
33:50
In our
33:51
friendships
33:51
and or our
33:52
marriages
33:52
while we
33:54
greatly enjoy
33:54
both of those
33:55
relationships
33:55
the aim
33:57
is to please
33:57
and glorify
33:57
God.
33:58
That's what
33:59
they're designed
33:59
for.
34:00
He's given
34:01
these relationships
34:02
to us
34:02
as a gift
34:03
and in these
34:04
relationships
34:05
the law
34:05
and the gospel
34:06
are significantly
34:08
important.
34:09
If we live
34:10
these relationships
34:11
based on
34:11
perfect obedience
34:12
or extreme
34:14
expectation
34:14
we will be
34:16
left discouraged
34:16
and angry.
34:19
We must be
34:19
careful not to
34:20
build our
34:21
relationships
34:21
just based
34:22
on law
34:22
and to be
34:23
those who
34:24
bear our
34:25
friends with
34:25
the law
34:26
and our
34:26
marriages
34:26
with the
34:27
law
34:27
to enact
34:28
perfect obedience
34:30
from our
34:31
spouse
34:31
or to enact
34:32
perfect obedience
34:33
from our
34:35
friends.
34:36
Gospel living
34:37
is always
34:37
accompanied
34:38
with the
34:39
gospel.
34:40
We need
34:40
to hold
34:41
our friends
34:41
and spouse
34:42
to the
34:42
law of
34:42
God
34:43
as a
34:43
frame of
34:44
life
34:44
and when
34:45
they fail
34:46
we bring
34:46
it to their
34:47
attention
34:47
gently
34:47
and as
34:48
we bring
34:49
it to their
34:49
attention
34:49
we say
34:50
brother
34:50
sister
34:51
honey
34:52
whoever
34:52
you're
34:53
speaking
34:53
to
34:53
this
34:55
thing
34:55
you
34:55
said
34:56
or
34:56
this
34:56
thing
34:57
you
34:57
did
34:57
does
34:58
not
34:58
honor
34:58
the
34:59
Lord
34:59
the way
34:59
that it
35:00
should
35:00
and it
35:01
grieves me
35:01
that that
35:01
happened
35:02
and I
35:02
see my
35:03
own sin
35:03
too
35:04
but we
35:05
need to
35:05
be careful
35:06
and quickly
35:06
to ask
35:06
God
35:07
for help
35:07
so we
35:08
can repent
35:08
and enjoy
35:09
the life
35:10
in the
35:10
spirit.
35:12
It is a
35:12
beautiful
35:13
thing to
35:13
live by
35:14
law and
35:14
gospel
35:14
because the
35:15
law is
35:15
now a way
35:16
of life
35:16
that we
35:16
instruct and
35:17
love each
35:18
other by
35:18
and then it
35:19
provides gospel
35:20
interactions.
35:21
Your friendships
35:22
and your
35:22
marriages can
35:23
now be
35:23
built on
35:24
the gospel
35:25
because you
35:26
are faithful
35:27
to the
35:28
laws of
35:28
frame of
35:29
life
35:29
the normative
35:30
use.
35:31
So some
35:31
brief verses
35:32
faithful are the
35:35
wounds of a
35:35
friend
35:35
profuse are the
35:37
kisses of an
35:38
enemy.
35:39
See the
35:39
difference there
35:40
the comparison
35:41
faithful are the
35:42
wounds
35:43
profuse are the
35:44
kisses
35:45
proverbs 27
35:46
6
35:47
iron sharpens
35:49
iron and
35:49
one man
35:50
sharpens
35:50
another
35:51
proverbs
35:51
27
35:52
17
35:52
when we
35:54
are doing
35:54
this well
35:55
when we
35:55
are balancing
35:56
law and
35:56
gospel well
35:57
we can say
35:59
of our
35:59
friendships and
36:00
marriages
36:00
oil and
36:01
perfume make
36:02
the heart
36:02
glad and
36:03
the sweetness
36:04
of a friend
36:04
comes from
36:05
earnest
36:05
counsel
36:06
proverbs
36:06
27
36:07
9
36:07
so number
36:09
one
36:09
friendships and
36:11
marriages
36:11
number two
36:11
parenting
36:12
the same
36:13
goes for
36:14
parenting
36:14
it should
36:14
affect every
36:16
aspect of
36:16
our lives
36:17
and there is
36:18
so much
36:19
parenting advice
36:20
out there
36:20
we've all
36:21
heard so much
36:22
and honestly
36:22
we're probably
36:23
affected by so
36:24
much even
36:24
stuff we don't
36:24
agree with
36:25
subconsciously
36:26
from what we
36:26
hear
36:26
some of this
36:28
advice is
36:29
really great
36:29
some of it
36:30
we should
36:30
keep and
36:31
use
36:32
some of it
36:33
is not so
36:33
great
36:34
some of it
36:34
is stuff we
36:35
shouldn't be
36:35
using because
36:35
it doesn't
36:36
advocate gospel
36:37
living
36:37
good parenting
36:39
advice preserves
36:40
the harmony
36:41
between law
36:41
and gospel
36:42
as parents
36:43
we have
36:44
delegated
36:44
authority
36:45
authority
36:46
given by
36:46
god to
36:47
exercise
36:47
godly
36:48
homes
36:48
we are
36:50
ambassadors
36:50
of the
36:51
gospel to
36:51
our
36:51
children
36:52
and there's
36:52
two ways
36:53
we typically
36:54
err or we
36:55
drift to
36:56
in our
36:56
parenting
36:56
number one
36:58
the use
36:59
of the
36:59
law
36:59
without
37:00
the
37:00
gospel
37:00
we give
37:02
our children
37:02
commands
37:03
and we
37:03
discipline
37:03
them without
37:04
bringing
37:04
them to
37:05
the
37:05
gospel
37:05
this type
37:06
of parenting
37:07
is law
37:07
based
37:07
parenting
37:08
and this
37:09
is binding
37:10
our children
37:10
under the
37:11
law
37:11
without giving
37:12
them any
37:12
hope in the
37:13
gospel of
37:14
jesus christ
37:14
number two
37:16
the use
37:17
of grace
37:18
without
37:18
the law
37:19
this type
37:21
of parenting
37:21
is when parents
37:22
give their
37:22
children a
37:23
command but
37:23
do not
37:24
discipline
37:24
them
37:24
the common
37:26
phrase tossed
37:27
!
37:27
around is I'm
37:27
giving them
37:28
grace
37:28
another way
37:29
this grace
37:30
based parenting
37:30
is applied
37:31
is that we
37:32
give commands
37:32
but we do
37:33
not require
37:33
first time
37:34
obedience
37:34
we do not
37:35
require them
37:36
to obey
37:36
us but we
37:37
let it
37:38
happen or
37:38
we excuse
37:39
their actions
37:40
both of
37:41
these areas
37:42
using the
37:44
law without
37:44
the gospel
37:44
and using
37:45
the gospel
37:45
without the
37:46
law do
37:47
not keep
37:47
the distinction
37:48
of law
37:48
and gospel
37:48
not keep
37:49
gospel living
37:50
primary
37:51
both areas
37:53
do not
37:53
preserve the
37:54
beauty of
37:54
law and
37:54
gospel
37:55
and Calvin's
37:56
use of the
37:57
law is very
37:57
helpful for us
37:58
here
37:59
the first
38:00
use is the
38:01
civil use
38:01
and if you
38:02
remember this
38:02
is the use
38:03
that restrains
38:03
evil but
38:04
tells us what
38:05
right and
38:05
wrong is
38:06
this is a
38:07
use that you
38:08
shouldn't want
38:08
to sin because
38:10
you don't like
38:10
the consequences
38:11
and this use
38:12
is used in
38:13
parenting we
38:13
tell our kids
38:14
do not do
38:15
this and if
38:16
you'll do
38:16
this this is
38:17
your consequence
38:18
and there's
38:19
expectations that
38:20
clear and right
38:21
and if they
38:21
break those
38:22
expectations we
38:23
discipline
38:24
them the
38:26
second use of
38:27
the law is
38:27
the evangelical
38:28
use in the
38:29
use of law
38:30
and discipline
38:31
we're aiming
38:32
our children
38:32
towards the
38:33
gospel all
38:34
parenting needs
38:35
to be needs
38:36
to have a
38:36
second use so
38:37
we can point
38:38
them to the
38:38
hope with
38:42
that said all
38:43
parenting needs
38:43
to have the
38:44
civil use so
38:44
we point our
38:45
children towards
38:46
the need for
38:48
the gospel if
38:49
we go into
38:49
one we veer
38:50
to more law
38:51
base if we
38:52
go to the
38:52
other we veer
38:53
more towards
38:54
cheap grace
38:54
we offer
38:55
grace without
38:56
the undergirding
38:57
of the law
38:58
but the
39:00
third use
39:00
the sweet
39:01
use is the
39:03
normative use
39:04
and this is
39:04
when your kid
39:05
professes faith
39:05
and in this
39:07
if your kid's a
39:07
believer we now
39:08
get to teach them
39:09
how to frame
39:09
their life around
39:10
the law
39:11
how do the
39:11
ten commandments
39:12
instruct us to
39:13
live to god
39:13
in a way that
39:14
is pleasing
39:14
in a way that
39:15
shows love
39:16
but in the
39:17
meantime i think
39:18
most of us
39:19
that are parenting
39:19
right now tend
39:20
to be under the
39:21
first and second
39:22
use we're
39:23
tending to
39:24
use the
39:24
civil use
39:25
to show
39:25
right and
39:25
wrong and
39:26
then we're
39:26
using the
39:27
second use
39:27
to point
39:28
them to
39:28
jesus we
39:29
disappoint and
39:30
we give
39:30
instruction and
39:31
all of this
39:31
should bring
39:32
point them
39:33
to jesus to
39:35
the grace that
39:36
jesus offers and
39:38
it should lead us
39:38
to pray much
39:39
because our
39:40
meager
39:40
our meager
39:41
abilities our
39:43
meager instruction
39:44
isn't going to
39:45
save our kids
39:46
they're not going
39:46
to be saved by
39:47
us but by
39:48
jesus christ and
39:48
the holy spirit
39:49
so we should
39:50
pray often in
39:51
parenting and
39:51
often in our
39:52
friendships because
39:53
it is the spirit
39:55
who works in
39:56
their hearts that
39:57
brings them to
39:57
salvation and it
39:59
is god who is a
40:00
great savior for
40:01
us so praise god
40:03
for this great
40:04
salvation he's
40:05
a pride he's
40:06
provided may he
40:07
equip us to live
40:08
out his gospel in
40:10
a way that is
40:10
worthy in christ
40:11
jesus so in
40:12
conclusion in
40:14
adam the law
40:15
has rule over
40:16
us it had great
40:17
demands and gave
40:18
severe consequences
40:20
jesus as our
40:21
federal head
40:22
fulfilled the
40:22
law's demands
40:23
and bore the
40:24
consequences by
40:25
becoming a curse
40:26
because of christ's
40:27
work we are free
40:29
we partake of the
40:31
covenant of grace
40:31
and all of its
40:32
benefits the spirit
40:33
gives us new hearts
40:35
and the law is now
40:36
within us while the
40:37
law exposes our
40:38
sins and sends us
40:39
to the gospel it
40:41
now while it did do
40:42
that it now frames
40:43
our life and we
40:44
serve christ by the
40:45
spirit so in christ
40:47
we are free from
40:49
the law so that we
40:50
can serve him by the
40:52
spirit pray with me
40:53
and we are free from
40:55
our sins and sins and
40:56
sins and sins and sins
40:58
and sins and sins and
40:59
sins and sins and sins and
41:00
sins and sins and sins and
41:01
sins and sins and sins and
41:02
sins and sins and sins and sins and
41:03
sins and sins and sins and sins and sins