I Believe According to the Scriptures: The Law and The Gospel - John 1:17

This episode of Faith Comes By Hearing returns to the biblical fundamentals: the vital distinction between God’s Law (which shows our sin) and God’s Gospel (which reveals our Savior). No one is saved by following the Law! We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, and nothing can separate us from His love. 

Information about The American Association of Lutheran Churches (TAALC) can be found at www.taalc.org

Transcript

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In the cascading layers of noise in our ever-changing world, discovering a space for reflection and inspiration is increasingly rare. Welcome then to Faith Comes by Hearing, a unique podcast series that cuts through the clamor, carrying the timeless messages of the gospel into our lives with renewed relevance. Join Dr. Carrie Larson, the presiding pastor of the American Association of Lutheran Churches, as he ventures into the challenges of everyday life and the deep need to hear the truth that we are saved by grace, through faith, through Christ Jesus alone. Each episode is an invitation not just to listen, but to truly hear and embrace the good news of Christ Jesus for you and for all.

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When was the last time you've heard really good news pertaining to your life? As I mentioned, we're continuing in this series. We'll be doing this through the summer, we believe according to the scriptures. And we'll examine how we have examined how we can trust the scriptures. We've examined that they're God breathed, and so we can trust them. And we examine that God has the authority, God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He has the authority to call himself God because he's created all things. And in this word that he has given us, we will examine today two great themes that is often misunderstood or taken out of its context. And that would be the great teachings of the Word. The inerrant word is contained, and we need to discern what it is, the proper distinction of law and gospel. Law and gospel. Now, thanks to the internet, you can take in a host of sermons. However, when we hear somebody preaching, including the one who's standing here, we're advised by Paul to compare everything to the word of God. It must be done. It is God's word is which is the judge of matters of teaching that we would call doctrine. It is God's word. Not human tradition, not human reason, which is faulty on its own account, nor churchly authority. We call this the Latin is sola scriptura, word alone. As John the Apostle tells us in his gospel of Jesus, for the law was written through Moses, the prophets, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1, 17. So we believe that it is imperative, it is a must to understand within Scripture and rightly understand this in order to have a proper relationship with God. So many people talk about having a relationship with God, a relationship with Jesus, as if it's something that can be brewed within us. But the only way that we can have a relationship is through God's word. And so we must have a proper understanding of God's word. And to begin with, that proper understanding, you need to understand his word comes to us as law, and his word comes to us as gospel. And the challenge is which is which. Years ago, one of the daughters were playing basketball, and she shall remain nameless, but she's with us today. She was in basketball. And the team had a miserable loss. They were not rebounding the ball, they were not boxing out, they were missing most of their free throws. They acted sluggish on the court. They were not using teamwork. They lost a game, not because the opponent was that much better than them, they lost the game because they weren't functioning as a team. They lost because they failed to use the fundamentals of the game. So guess what the coach said the next time they had practice? Ladies, we're getting back to the fundamentals. My friends, and this time more than ever, we must return to the fundamentals of Scripture in order to find our hope, in order to find our future, and in order to understand what is right and what is wrong. Because if you get this wrong, everything else is at risk. When it comes to understanding the difference between God's law and gospel, I was taught this a long, long time ago. And I use this in confirmation on the occasion. It's a simple memory device, SOS. Save our souls, right? When it comes to God's law, SOS, God's law shows our sins. SOS. From the third chapter of Romans, for by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, God's sight. Since through the law comes the knowledge of sin. God's law tells us to do and what not to do. God's law shows us our sins and the consequences of our sin. God's law shows us, shows us that this consequence, if we disobey his law, the results is damnation under the eternal wrath of God. Plain and simple. And that doesn't preach well in the 21st century. God's law is to be preached to all people, all people, especially the impenitent, those who don't think they need to be sorry for their sins. Now, in our fallen nature, as we all exist, as you just confessed moments ago, we get kind of tired of someone who's always poking at us and accusing us. Right? Someone keeps telling you how you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong. Guess what eventually happens? You snap and you go, get off my back. The law accuses relentlessly. God's law does not take a rest. And so we are at risk in our fallen nature to say, forget you, God, I don't need this. That's the dude who looks at me when I'm wearing this collar and has an F U kind of look on his face. He hears the law. And he doesn't want that law. Worse yet, we hear the law. And we think we can follow it. And so we sit around going, oh, I'm so good. It's unfortunate you're not good like me. I mean, after all. I'm a pastor. I'm so good. Maybe one day you'll be as good as me. That's called self-righteousness. And Jesus has a whole lot to say about that. Classic story, a classic account, is when Jesus confronts the Pharisees and their hypocrisy and their self-righteousness in the 18th chapter of Luke. It's a good read. I'd recommend it. The Pharisees, as we we find in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are these people who think that they can fulfill God's law. And in the 18th chapter of Luke, it's that Pharisee that says, Lord, I do all these wonderful things, and I'm not like that sinner. We can so easily do this. But the trouble is, just as the Pharisees did during Jesus' ministry, as we read often, is what we want to do is we keep on wanting to add on to the law. Incidentally, that works in my favor. Just to show how wonderful I am. And so what happens is we create all sorts of laws that don't exist in the Bible, or we confuse laws. For example, we fully support the Krause's in their hog raising because there's nothing better than as a Christian is to eat pork. Bacon, bacon, bacon. The best thing of being a Christian. Ah, but it says, Christian, in the Old Testament, that you are not to eat the meat of a cloven-hoofed animal. It's true. Levitican law says that the people of God, the Israelites, were not to eat such animals. It was a matter of health, as a matter of fact. There was this thing called trichinosis and other unhealthy things. That in order to preserve God's people, don't eat pork. But you are free in Christ. So have your bacon-wrapped scallops or your shrimp. Or wear your polyester and your cotton together. Mix the different seeds to put in a little oats before the alfalfa comes in. These are right and proper, but the law says, according to the Israelites, the ceremonial law does not apply to you, and I'll get to that soon. We do not want to add to God's law. There are traditions that say you shall not eat red meat on Friday. Adding to God's law. I grew up with a particular strain of Lutheranism called the haugees. And these hauge's had a particular sense of piety that you weren't to drink and you weren't to dance and you weren't to play cards. And just as Paul says, the very reason you start putting laws out, sin becomes aware of it, and it makes it all the more challenging. New Testament, according to Christ, drunkenness is a problem. Enjoying a libation responsibly is not. Dancing is something we do, but if it should cause your lust to burn, you don't. These are the things that we understand God's law. At the end of the day, when you examine the law in the Old Testament, and there's lots of law in the New Testament, we find ourselves in a bit of a bind. Because if you want to put yourself according to the law, you're never going to lay your head down in the pillow feeling like you got something accomplished. There's always going to be something more to do. Because the law is not to comfort you, the law is to accuse you, to bite at your heels, to drive you to Jesus. The skeptic then says, well, this is what, who only knows the law, by the way, this is what your God's all about. Your God sets you up to fail. I'm okay with that. Because we got the other part of the Bible called the gospel. The gospel. Should we try that SOS thing again on it? Gospel, the gospel, God's gospel, SOS. Ready? God's gospel shows our Savior. The gospel. And I'm not just talking Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The gospel actually exists in the new Old Testament as well as the Old. First place is in Genesis. Did you know that? Genesis. That the serpent's head would be crushed by the seed of a woman. Jesus! And we get gospel all over the place in the Old Testament. And we got gospel all over the place in the New Testament. And this gospel is this. In this love, God was made manifest among us that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him. Him. 1 John 4 9. Not through the law, but through him. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, Paul says in Romans, for it is the power of God for salvation. Romans 1 16. And let us not forget, as was mentioned in the children's sermon, you know this. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever should believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3 16. I like a more truer. If you look at the Greek, I mean what we traditionally know from the King James Version is just fine. But try this on for size. For this is how God loved the world. That he gave us his only son. Pretty cool, huh? These are just some of many, many verses within the Bible that talk about God's gospel. God's gospel tells us what God has done and still is doing. Dear Christian, you worship a living God. Dear Christian, you worship a God that is still active. And it's disappointing as I'm going through the work on my paper for the doctorate that so many people who identify themselves as Christians but still in this nation believe that God is doing nothing. He's working on you and his love and his mercy to give you the sure assurance that your sins are forgiven. Just moments ago, you stood before the Lord, standing in a state of reverence. Lord, I have not followed your law. Forgive me. Forgive me. And God used my voice, this knuckle dragger's voice, and it's humbling that God uses my voice and says, I forgive you all your sins. There's gospel. That is why we do this every time we gather, is because we all need to hear the gospel. Because the law convicts over and over again, and even before you lay your head down on the pillow tonight, the law will convict you. Oh dear Christian, know this that nothing can separate you from the love of God. Your sin, your breaking of the law, is not greater than his love. This is the same way that people pick up smartphones or use the news portal or on the internet or print or radio or TV news. We're eager to hear good news. We're just so inundated with horrible news. But nothing's more important than this news, the gospel. That God loves you and all people. Jesus has settled it once and for all on Calvary's Cross that all lives in fact do matter. And precious in his sight are everyone whom He has been, who has been created through Him. And Jesus has died for all of us, all people. And our mandate, our law is to share this gospel with all people. All people. No one. No one is not to hear this news. And this is why you come here. You've been beaten up by the law. You've been beaten up by the sinful world. You've been beaten up by your own flesh. You come here not to be beaten up any further. You've been you're here because you need to hear something good for once. The gospel. Which is good news for you. And it heals the sin-sick soul. At the end of the day, my friends, the bottom line is you cannot be saved. You truly cannot have a relationship with Jesus. And you cannot, you cannot find heaven through the law. You will be shredded. You will find yourself into despair. And the devil loves this when you're in despair because you know what's after despair? Doubt. And after doubt comes unbelief. Because so many people think that their good works is gonna buy them the stairway of heaven, and unfortunately, all it has done is built a stairwell to the place of eternal damnation. The only way that one is saved is through the gospel. Only Jesus saves. And thus we need to hear this proclaimed. Again, Paul in his Romans letter, the tenth chapter, so faith comes from hearing. Hearing the word of Christ. God himself creates, God himself stirs up, God himself strengthens the saving faith. And it's for this reason that we have eager opportunity to gather. When I read to someone, especially in their hour of need, that nothing can separate us from the love of God. I'm quite a literalist when I read that and how I understand it. When our Lord puts in his word that nothing can separate us from him, I'm gonna take him to the bank. Nay, I'm gonna take him to heaven because he's gonna usher you and me with that love. Nothing separates us from the love of God. My friends, that's the gospel. That is the good news that you need to hear. And in fact, it is good news tailored for you.