'law' Tagged Posts

'law' Tagged Posts

Daily Devotions

Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.” vs. 58 Acts 7:55-58 Paul was very open about his past, that he had in fact been involved in the persecution of the followers of Jesus. In his letter to the Galatians he writes that he violently persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it, not out of hate, but…

Daily Devotions

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’” vs. 12                        Exodus 24:12-14 The strength of Judaism was not the multitude of precepts and regulations devised by its legal experts through the centuries, but its basic simplicity. Everything rested on just Ten Words or Commandments that had been etched on tablets of…

Daily Devotions

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.” vs. 18 Deuteronomy 18:15-20 When the Galileans encountered Jesus and heard his authoritative words some of them believed that he was the prophet spoken of in Deuteronomy, a man like Moses who would speak to them all that God commanded. They were wrong! Jesus did…

Daily Devotions

Matthew 25:24-30 “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” vs. 29 Jesus’ parables can be read either from the perspective of law or gospel. In this instance our inclination is to immediately go to the law and see his story as a warning not to bury our talents. Sometimes readers will even be upset by the action…

Daily Devotions

Romans 3:24-28 … “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” vs. 28  Martin Luther spent decades trying to gain assurance of salvation by bringing his stubborn, subversive flesh into line with the works of the law. Since he couldn’t do it he was forever wracked with guilt, and greatly damaged his health in the process. But when in the course of studying the book of Romans he realized that justification…

Daily Devotions: February 17, 2020

February 17, 2020 For full passage click:  Exodus 24:12-18 … “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’” vs. 12 According to the Exodus tradition, the law and the commandment came directly from the Lord, with Moses as an intermediary. Those tablets of stone became the focus of community life for…

Daily Devotions: February 11, 2020

February 11, 2020                                                                                                    For full passage click:  Psalm 119:1-4 … “Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.” vs. 1      Psalm 119 is a carefully composed poem of 22 stanzas, each of which begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Its 176 verses are intended to glorify the law and encourage readers to obey its commandments and ordinances. The Psalmist begins by observing that the reward for blamelessly walking in…

Daily Devotions: December 15, 2019

December 15, 2019 For full passage click: Matthew 11:6-11  … “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” vs. 11 In Matthew’s estimation, there is a great divide between John and Jesus. John was the best and the greatest of the prophets; he was articulate and spoke the truth to those in power. He announced that the kingdom…

Daily Devotions: October 24, 2019

October 24, 2019 For full passage click: Romans 3:19-22a … “But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” vss. 21-22a Paul was attempting to give the congregation in Rome a more theological perspective of what had happened through Jesus. As part of his argument, he takes pain to explain that the righteousness of God is in…

Daily Devotions: June 20, 2019

June 20, 2019 For full passage click: Galatians 3:23-26 …“Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.” vs. 24 The coming of the Christ into the lives of the disciples marked a massive transition. No longer would they be controlled by the external demands of the law. Instead, the Spirit of Christ dwelling in their hearts would guide them on a journey marked by love and compassion. Many of us know…

Daily Devotions: October 25, 2018

October 25, 2018 Romans 3:19-25  …“But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” vss. 21-22a For most of us, these words from Paul are familiar. This is the core of the gospel: we’ve heard the  message in a variety of ways for our entire lives and we know it well. For that reason, it’s…

Daily Devotions: October 4, 2018

October 4, 2018 Hebrews 1:1-4  …“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son…” vss. 1-2a The early Christians treasured their scriptures and regarded them as authoritative guides for living. They particularly valued the words of the prophets and saw in them a reflection of God’s wisdom and judgement. But they also believed that God had brought a new word in…
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