It is always fun to talk with my fellow Cornhusker Mike Abendroth, pastor of Senior Pastor at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, MA, where he’s been since 1997. He’s the author of several books and is presently preaching through the book of Hebrews. This is the first in a series of interviews on Reformation basics. Today we are discussing the distinction between law and gospel.
Here is the interview.
RESOURCES
On the distinction between law and gospel.
This is a very helpful discussion on the distinction between law and gospel. The gospel is counter intuitive to our nature which is hard wired to think that we are able to obey the moral law. By nature we reject the idea that our righteousness would depend on the alien righteousness of another, that is imputed to us, as foolishness. Unable to see our sin and misery, as disqualifying us from any claim to personal righteousness, our fallen nature considers moral improvement to be the salvation of the world. It looks to the law, as the doable gospel that saves us, when it says, do this and live. So the world looks to legalism or moralism as its highest wisdom, through confusing law and gospel. It only sees the law as a covenant of works which drives us to obey it for salvation. It cannot see that under the covenant of grace the law is first our school master to drive us to Christ so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, and then it shows us how, as a grateful response for His salvation, we obey the law freely, as a norm or guide to show our love to God and neighbor, because we are eternally justified, and accepted through our elder Brother.