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What is the Christian Gospel?
If we asked this question when the
ruins below us were inhabited, we would have been told that
“The Gospel is Law.
Not the moral law
of Moses but a kinder gentler Moses , has now given us the command of
Love.
In reply to the question “What is the
greatest commandment ?” Jesus said "‘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 neighbour as yourself.’” Matthew chapter 22
verse 37 to 39)”
Martin Luther found that he was
powerless to keep this new law. Because this “new law” did not
diminish but intensified the law of Moses. The command was to love
with all your heart, all your heart, all your
soul and with all your mind. In his despair Luther was
encouraged to study the New Testament. There Luther discovered that
the purpose of the Law was not to save us, but to reveal the
sinfulness of sin and to reveal our need of a Savour. And he also
discovered that Gospel was not Law but Promise. A Promise of Salvation that is obtained
not by law keeping but by believing the Promiser. Faith unites the
sinner to Jesus Christ. The benefit of this union for the sinner is
illustrated by the marriage union where the property of two
individuals are considered common to both by law. The sinner shares
the righteousness of Jesus Christ (which he earned by his law
keeping). And the satisfaction demanded by the Law for the sinner's
lack of law keeping is met by the death of Christ on the cross.
The Apostle Paul wrote the following
Romans chapter 3 verse 28 For we
maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the
law.
chapter 4 verse 6 You see, at just the
right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly.
chapter 4 verse 13 It was not through
law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would
be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by
faith.
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