The law and the gospel
"The law is for the self-righteous, to humble their pride: the gospel is for the lost, to remove their despair." -C.H. SpurgeonHT to Bryan Gumpy
Thank God for the Gospel!
Thank God for the Gospel!
in which I discuss the unthinkable
Paul and I have just returned home from the funeral of a most precious little girl. Lydia's smile could have lit a room. Now it reflects the glory of God the Savior for all eternity. Perhaps you've noticed the sparsity of my entries here these last two weeks. We've been struggling and praying for appropriate ways to handle what we're dealing with, and when and whether to speak about it. Up until now, for reasons which will become obvious, I've only shared this with a very few trusted friends. Paul made reference to it on his blog several days ago, but with no specifics. I think it may be time for me to fill in the gaps. What we're dealing with is horrible and ugly - about as ugly as it gets. This all happens on the heels of my mother's death, and has now somehow managed to even overshadow that. Mother's death, as difficult as it was...well...it made sense. She was 87 years old, and hadn't been well in many years. This, on the other hand, is a m...
Comments
The law must be preached to breack the hard heart, and the gospel to heal the broken heart. Thank God for the pwoer of the gospel, the whole gospel, the One true Gospel, Jesus Chrsit.
The "90% law" quote is from John Wesley.
But here's a great message from Spurgeon on the uses of the law:
http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/0128.htm
The Gospel is our only hope. When we realize we can't keep the rules perfectly, and sin = death; we're doomed. The Gospel is for the lost but you first need to know you're lost and a sinner with no hope.
Once you get to that point and receive the free gift of salvation, you can be free from the penalty of sin and have peace with God. Receiving the Holy Spirit and death to self-effort removes despair. I can't but He can in me and through me. To God be the glory!