The church in our day suffers greatly from a lack of clarity on many things, but not least issues of law and gospel. Many mix law and gospel or swing too far, thereby discounting one while thinking they are doing justice to the other. The effect is confusion in the pulpit, bewilderment in the congregation, and exasperation in human hearts. Pausing to see the richness of the doctrine of “deadness to the law” provides clarity not only for preachers, but for all who name the name of Christ.
Gerald M. Bilkes, “I am Deaf and Do not Hear You”: The Retrieval of Luther, Calvin, Perkins, and Erskine on Being Dead to the Law,” Puritan Reformed Journal 16:2 (May 2026), 167.
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Donald John MacLean
Donald John MacLean is President and Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary, UK. He is a minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of England and Wales, and a trustee of the Banner of Truth and Tyndale House. He is married to Ruth and they have two children.
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Those who confuse Law & Gospel on purpose are of Trent, if not formally, in their Spirit and doctrine, teaching, conversations, etc…; Anathema ~
“ To mix Law and Gospel not only clouds the knowledge of grace, it cuts out Christ altogether. ” Martin Luther, 1535
If Luther is right, what are the logical conclusions of “cutting out Christ altogether”, for Us….? I’ve been down this road of despair, far too long…
Belgic Confession Article 22
“The Holy Spirit kindles in our hearts a true faith that embraces Jesus Christ with all of His merits, and makes Him its own, and no longer looks to anything apart from Him.
For it must necessarily follow that either all that is required for our salvation is not in Christ, or if all is in Him, then those who have Christ by faith have His salvation entirely.
Therefore, to say that Christ is not enough but that something else is needed as well, is an enormous blasphemy against God—- For then it would follow that Jesus Christ is only half a Saviour…etc”
Galatians 5:4
“you who would be reckoned righteous by the Law have cut yourselves off from Christ; have fallen from grace.”
Thank you for that, Angela ~