Friday, April 16, 2010

The Law and Its Uses

God's Law
  1. "You shall have no other gods before me."
  2. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,  but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments. "
  3. "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
  4. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
  5. "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. "
  6.   "You shall not murder."
  7. "You shall not commit adultery. "
  8. "You shall not steal. "
  9. "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." "
  10. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."  Exodus 20:3-17
Summary of the Law: 

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  Matthew 22:37-40

Three Legal Uses of the Law
  1. To keep us from beating each other up and taking each others' stuff (authority)
  2. Show us our need for a savior
  3. Show Christians what a good work is.
The only way the Law can save you is if you keep it perfectly from the moment you are born.  (Although there is a problem with:  Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.  Psalm 51:4-6)  IF the Law could save you, there would have been no need for Christ to die on the cross.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for all the comment love on my special SITS day. :)

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  2. Great post, Kim. Are you fmiliar with Way Of the Master? They use the law for evangelism - very effective (of course it is, that's how God designed it). I'm thinking you and I could be good friends!

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  3. What a great blog you have!! Love it! I'll definitely be back!! Thanks for helping me celebrate my SITS day last Monday!!

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