The Law & the Commandments¶
We've crafted an unofficial, source-cited, non-commercial index of Dr. R.C. Sproul's publicly available teachings, weighted by how many independent sources corroborate each point. The content is authored by Dr. R.C. Sproul and published by Ligonier Ministries (a few items are third-party YouTube re-uploads); see the Methodology & Rights page for more info. Quotations are brief, linked to their source, and reproduced for study under Ligonier's Copyright Policy (ligonier.org/copyright-policy). This site is humbly offered for personal use only, out of love and respect, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ligonier Ministries or St. Andrew's Chapel.
508 positions — 42 corroborated across multiple sources.
Well-attested positions¶
Independently stated in two or more of his messages.
The law's primary function is to serve as a schoolmaster, exposing sin and directing people to Christ.
Context: Quoting Martin Luther's understanding of the law's use.
In his stressing the elenctical use of the law, Luther was saying that the main function of the law is to serve as the schoolmaster to drive us to Christ. The law exposes our sin, and not only does it expose our sin but it also exposes our sinful condition and strips away all pretense regarding our moral ability to reach heaven by our works.
Corroborated across 9 sources: The Goodness of the Law (Ligonier article) · Which Laws Apply? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:26 · R.C. Sproul @ 0:51 · Boasting Excluded (Ligonier) · Freed from the Law (Ligonier) · The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier) · The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier) · The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Understanding the law is necessary to grasp grace and the mercy of God, because the law reveals our sin and inability to justify ourselves.
You cannot understand grace if you do not understand the law. You will never understand the mercy of God until you understand the law of God and how the law of God reveals our sin and our hopeless inability to justify ourselves.
Corroborated across 6 sources: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 1) (Ligonier) · The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier) · Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier) · Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier) · Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier) · From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
God is not morally obligated to show mercy to anyone, and treating mercy as an obligation would negate its nature.
No, that's not equal and what God is doing here is saying very clearly, "Don't you remember what I taught you through the lips of Moses? 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.' I'm not obligated to be merciful to anybody."
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 47:05 · R.C. Sproul @ 46:40 · R.C. Sproul @ 14:04
Sin is defined as a transgression of the law of God, but humanity's fallen nature causes them to sin even when the law is added.
Remember the principle the Scriptures set forth that where there is no law, there is no sin, because, by definition, sin is a transgression of the law of God. Yet we have an inherited corruption from our father Adam, and God gives the law that we may see the extent of our sin.
Corroborated across 3 sources: Death Does Not Have the Last Word (Ligonier article) · Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 1) (Ligonier) · Death in Adam, Life in Christ (Ligonier)
The law of causality only requires that every effect must have an antecedent cause, but God is not an effect and therefore does not require a cause.
The law of causality does not say that everything has to have a cause; rather, it says that every effect must have an antecedent cause. An effect is something that is caused by something else. A cause can only be a cause if it produces an effect. But God is not an effect, caused by something before Him.
Corroborated across 3 sources: Descartes and the Anatomy of Doubt (Ligonier article) · The Self-Existent God (Ligonier article) · What Came Before God? (Ligonier article)
The law's function is to guide people toward the gospel by exposing their sin and their inability to earn salvation.
The law is supposed to drive us to the gospel, to expose our need, to expose our sin, and to cause us to abandon all hope of earning our way into the kingdom of God.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Goodness of the Law (Ligonier article) · The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier) · The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
The law reveals what is pleasing to God, motivating Christians to live lives that seek to please the living God.
Third, and most important from Calvin's perspective, is that the law reveals to us what is pleasing to God. Technically speaking, Christians are not under the old covenant and its stipulations. Yet, at the same time, we are called to imitate Christ and to live as people who seek to please the living God (Eph. 5:10; Col. 1:9–12).
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Goodness of the Law (Ligonier article) · Which Laws Apply? (Ligonier article) · Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me (Ligonier)
Guilt is defined legally and theologically as a transgression of the law of God, which incurs guilt in the sight of God’s justice.
Guilt is defined legally and theologically as a transgression of the law of God. If a person steps across that line and violates the law of God, he incurs guilt in the sight of God’s justice.
Corroborated across 3 sources: What Does Repentance Look Like? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 25:07 · Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The law of God is a standard that reveals our sin and God's perfect character, forcing us to recognize our need for mercy.
When I look in the mirror of the law, every one of my blemishes becomes instantly obvious. I cannot hide from what the law reveals to me about who I am.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 1:28 · Freed from the Law (Ligonier) · The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier)
One must obey authorities unless they command something that God forbids or commands us to do something God forbids.
We are always to obey those in authority over us—unless that authority commands us to do something God forbids or forbids us from doing something God commands.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:23 · Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier) · Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
For an action to be considered good by God, it must not only conform outwardly to His law but also be motivated by a heart that loves Him with the whole heart and whole mind.
From God’s perspective, for someone to do good in His sight, that person not only has to do something that externally conforms to His law, but that action must be motivated by a heart trying to please God, someone who loves Him with his whole heart and whole mind.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier) · The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
God's law is holy, just, and good because it is an expression of His character and goodness.
No, the law is God’s law, and God is holy, and the law is an expression of His character. The law is an expression of God’s holiness. What else does Paul say? The commandment is a holy commandment, and it is just, and it is good. So, the law of God is holy. The law of God is just. The law of God is good.
Corroborated across 3 sources: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier) · Freed from the Law (Ligonier) · Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
The worst form of legalism is adding human regulations to the law of God, thereby binding people's consciences where God has left them free.
to bind people’s consciences where God has left them free—to add human regulations to the law of God—is the worst and most devastating form of legalism.
Corroborated across 2 sources: 3 Types of Legalism (Ligonier article) · Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Sin is defined as any failure to conform to God's law, encompassing both active disobedience (commission) and passive disobedience (omission).
The Westminster Shorter Catechism answers the fourteenth question, “What is sin?” by the response, “Sin is any want of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God.” Here we see sin described both in terms of passive and active disobedience.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Cosmic Treason (Ligonier article) · The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Jesus' example of performing acts of mercy on the Sabbath proves that such acts are permissible, but it does not establish a divine command or obligation for Christians.
He certainly shows that it's a good thing to do by His example, but He doesn't command it, and His very example of doing something shows that it's permissible, but doesn't necessarily show that it's obligatory.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Defining the Debate (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 19:00
Ethics is a normative science concerned with what ought to be done, while morality is a descriptive science concerned with what is actually done.
Ethics are concerned with the imperative and morality is concerned with the indicative. What do we mean by that? It means that ethics is concerned with “ought-ness,“ and morality is concerned with “is-ness.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Difference Between Ethics and Morality (Ligonier article) · Pessimistic Existentialism (Ligonier article)
God's will is always good, meaning He never takes pleasure in evil and is never arbitrary.
The only thing that has ever pleased God is goodness, the only pleasure that He’s ever had is a good pleasure, and the only purpose that He’s ever had is a good purpose. Clearly, then, in the mystery of the grace of God, He is never whimsical, capricious, or arbitrary.
Corroborated across 2 sources: God’s Good Pleasure in Election (Ligonier article) · The Purposes of God (Ligonier article)
Christian ethical precepts must be governed by what God sanctions, not merely by contemporary social standards or legal requirements.
Christians must be careful not to establish their precepts of marriage (or any other ethical dimension of life) on the basis of contemporary community standards. The Christian’s conscience is to be governed not merely by what is socially acceptable or even by what is legal according to the law of the land, but rather by what God sanctions.
Corroborated across 2 sources: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article) · Is Marriage “Just a Piece of Paper”? (Ligonier article)
The law is redemptive because it points to the Redeemer, even though it does not provide the means of redemption itself.
The law in this regard is redemptive—not that we find our redemption by keeping the law, but that the Redeemer is shown to us through the law.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Goodness of the Law (Ligonier article) · Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
The preceptive will of God refers to the commands or laws that God gives to people, which people have the ability to break.
Now the second most frequent way in which the Bible speaks of the will of God is what we call the preceptive will of God. And a precept is a law or a command. And the preceptive will of God refers to the commands that God gives to people. The Ten Commandments would be an expression of the preceptive will of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 13:17
It is blasphemous to claim that the Holy Spirit leads one to do things that Scripture clearly forbids or that God gives peace regarding decisions contrary to God's law.
I can't tell you the number of times I've heard Christians tell me that the Holy Spirit led them to do things Scripture clearly forbids or that God gave them peace about their decision to act in a way that is clearly contrary to the law of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Role of Experience (Ligonier article) · What is the Role of Experience in the Christian Life? (Ligonier article)
Experience can teach, but the final authority for determining right and wrong belongs solely to God and His Word.
Experience can and should teach us, but it can never be the final arbiter of right and wrong. That role belongs to our Creator alone, and His Word gives us the standards by which we must live.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Role of Experience (Ligonier article) · What is the Role of Experience in the Christian Life? (Ligonier article)
The law's primary benefit for Christians is its ability to reveal God's character and will.
For the Christian the greatest benefit of the law of God is its revelatory character. The law reveals to us the Law-Giver. It teaches us what is pleasing in His sight.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Law of God (Ligonier article) · Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
One cannot take a historical narrative text of Scripture and transform it into mere moral symbolism.
No one ever has the right to come to a historical narrative text of Scripture and turn it into some kind of moral symbolism.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:13 · R.C. Sproul @ 10:34
True goodness is not defined by comparison to others, but by the ultimate standard of God's character and law.
Rather, we are to understand that goodness is ultimately defined by the character of God, whose character is made manifest in the law.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 3:39 · The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
Affirming the existence of God is a moral obligation, not just an intellectual one.
But what I'm reading here is that in the final analysis, the affirmation of the existence of God is not an intellectual question; it's a moral one.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:15 · R.C. Sproul @ 39:45
Man in his fallen state is morally unable to obey the law of God or please God.
He says that man in his fallen state, in the flesh, is hostile to the law of God. And he does not obey the law of God, he is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed what? Can he be! So that fallen man, the Apostle is saying here, (is he not?) cannot obey the law of God. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 27:27 · R.C. Sproul @ 18:10
The Pharisees, despite their devotion to the law, had become hypocrites who sought human praise rather than genuine righteousness before God.
The Pharisees, who had dedicated themselves to the pursuit of righteousness, had degenerated into a group of hypocrites. They were involved in a parade and in a charade. Their joy was to parade their righteousness and their holiness, not before God, but before the eyes of men.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 10:52 · The Way of Humility (Ligonier)
Kant's argument proves the necessity of God's existence for ethics to be meaningful, which in turn prevents society from becoming impossible.
He said that doesn't prove that God exists, only he's saying that it proves the necessity of the existence of God for ethics to be meaningful, and if ethics are not meaningful, somehow, Kant said, society ultimately becomes impossible.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 8:31 · Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
Guilt is an objective state of affairs resulting from breaking God's law, while guilt feelings are merely subjective responses.
Guilt is objective and has nothing to do with your feelings whatsoever. Guilt is an objective state of affairs that we incur when we break the law of God. It does not matter how we feel about it; we are still guilty. Guilt feelings are our subjective responses.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 3:43 · Haunted By Guilt (Ligonier)
The law serves as a mirror that reveals our unrighteousness, while God's righteousness is measured by the law's perfection.
Second of all, by looking at the standard of the righteousness of God, we understand that the law is a mirror that reveals to us our unrighteousness, our moral hopelessness apart from a Savior.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 2:46 · Boasting Excluded (Ligonier)
The modern interpretation of 'you can't legislate morality' incorrectly suggests that government should not pass laws touching upon moral issues.
But the way that phrase is used today means you can't legislate morality means we shouldn't have the government involved by passing laws that touch upon moral issues. That's not the government's job.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 28:58 · Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God implanted His law internally in the conscience of every human being from the beginning, even before the Ten Commandments were given.
And so the point that the Apostle makes is that from day one, before the 10 commandments were ever delivered, God planted His law internally in the conscience of every human being.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 1:23 · The Beheading of John the Baptist (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The law's purpose is not to justify, but to reveal humanity's unrighteousness and drive people to Christ.
The law is the schoolmaster to take us to Christ, and the law demands perfection, which is only achieved by Christ.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Boasting Excluded (Ligonier) · Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Justification is secured not only by Christ's death but also by His life of perfect obedience to the law.
I have said often that our justification is not secured simply by the death of Christ but also acutely through the life of Christ because of His life of perfect obedience to the law, by which His righteousness was merited and is now given to those of us who have no righteousness of our own.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Death in Adam, Life in Christ (Ligonier) · Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
One must not rely on good deeds or works for justification, because the law proves that no person can be justified by works.
Do not for one second rest on your works as the ground for your justification, because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in His sight.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier) · Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
God's righteousness is revealed apart from the law, through faith in Jesus Christ.
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier) · Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
Paul's statement 'the law is spiritual, but I am carnal' refers to the ongoing struggle against the fallen nature of the flesh after conversion.
What Paul is talking about here is the fact that when you are born again of the Spirit, when the Spirit regenerates your soul, when the Spirit releases you from the dominion of the flesh and carnality, the carnal disposition of your original nature is not destroyed.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 1) (Ligonier) · Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
Legalism is characterized by substituting human traditions for God's law, which often involves turning divine permissions into mandatory requirements.
This is the first rule of the legalist. The legalist legislates where God leaves people free. They take “you may” and turn it into “you must,” and that is fatal to a healthy Christian life.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Defilement from Within (Part 2) (Ligonier) · New Wineskins (Ligonier)
The law's purpose is not to provide a way to attain status in God's family, but rather to reveal God's righteousness and expose human sin.
The purpose, the goal, the end of the law was never given by God as a way for you to attain status in His family. The law was given to show you the righteousness of God and to be a mirror that you can look into so that you can see the perfect righteousness of God, and by comparison see yourself, warts and all, and despair of your own righteousness.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier) · Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
Christians are generally obligated to obey civil authorities, as demonstrated by the example of Joseph and Mary.
Joseph risked the life of his wife. She risked the life of the babe in her womb, in order that they may be obedient to the civil magistrate. That is the example of godliness.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier) · Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The core problem with God for humanity is not intellectual ignorance, but a moral opposition to Him.
I don't think that your problem with God is intellectual at all your problem with God is not that you don't know exists your problem is a moral problem you hate them you can't stand them and you do anything you can to get rid of them
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 45:02 · R.C. Sproul @ 8:12
Further positions¶
Drawn from a single high-trust (official transcript) source.
Legalism fundamentally involves abstracting God's law from its original context.
Basically, legalism involves abstracting the law of God from its original context.
Source: 3 Types of Legalism (Ligonier article)
One form of legalism is being concerned merely with keeping God's law as an end in itself.
That’s one form of legalism, where one is concerned merely with the keeping of God’s law as an end in itself.
Source: 3 Types of Legalism (Ligonier article)
The second form of legalism is divorcing the letter of the law from the spirit of the law.
The second form of legalism divorces the letter of the law from the spirit of the law.
Source: 3 Types of Legalism (Ligonier article)
When God grants freedom, people should not restrict others with man-made rules.
Where God has given liberty, we should never enslave people with man-made rules.
Source: 3 Types of Legalism (Ligonier article)
Benevolence is the quality of good will toward others, which extends to all people without distinction.
The love of benevolence is the quality of good will toward others. The New Testament is replete with references of God’s good will to all humanity even in our falleness.
Source: Abundant Love (Ligonier article)
The laws and rituals in the latter part of Exodus and Leviticus prefigure the work of Christ.
In the latter part of Exodus, and moving into the book of Leviticus, we see the laws governing worship, ritual, and the establishment of the priesthood, all of which are engaged as anticipating types, or shadows, of the work of the Christ who was to come.
Source: Ancient Promises (Ligonier article)
Marriage was instituted by God, not merely by social conventions or human taboos.
We are told in that ceremony that marriage is ordained and instituted by God—that is to say, marriage did not just spring up arbitrarily out of social conventions or human taboos. Marriage was not invented by men but by God.
Source: The Basis of a Christian Marriage (Ligonier article)
The new Adam acts as a representative who fulfills the demands of God's law and wins the blessing of obedience for us.
The new Adam is our champion, our representative, who satisfies the demands of God’s law for us and wins for us the blessing that God promised to His creatures if we would obey His law.
Source: Born of the Virgin Mary (Ligonier article)
The 'dividing wall of hostility' refers to a barrier separating Jews and Gentiles, not the curtain separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place.
The dividing wall of hostility does not refer to the curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. It is true that at the moment of the atonement by Christ on the cross, the curtain that forbade access into the presence of God was removed once and for all. Paul, however, is referring to another barrier, the one that separated the Jew and the gentile.
Source: Breaking Down the Dividing Wall (Ligonier article)
Christ did not destroy the law of commandments, but rather fulfilled all the requirements of the law for humanity's reconciliation with God.
When Paul says that this was done “by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,” this does not mean that Jesus Christ has destroyed the law of commandments; rather, He performed in Himself all the requirements that had to be fulfilled for us to be reconciled to God (Eph. 2:15).
Source: Breaking Down the Dividing Wall (Ligonier article)
Humanity was estranged from God because He is too holy to look upon sin, and we had violated God's law.
The reason that we were estranged from God is that He is too holy to look on our iniquity. We have violated God’s law, and God has no fellowship with breakers of His law.
Source: Breaking Down the Dividing Wall (Ligonier article)
The current moral darkness is not due to a lack of knowledge, but rather to the eclipse of God in culture.
The dark age to which I was referring was an age of moral darkness, a darkness due to the eclipse of God. Twenty-five years ago our culture would not have God in its thinking, and the same is true today.
Source: A Call for Endurance (Ligonier article)
When humanity suppresses the truth, its innate moral code becomes twisted to reflect the darkness of its own hearts rather than God's immutable law.
But on account of our suppression of the truth, this moral code is twisted to reflect the darkness of our own hearts, not the immutable moral law of God.
Source: A Call for Endurance (Ligonier article)
When law is determined by collective preference rather than God's revelation, it is likely to contradict God's definition of marriage.
Since the law is being determined by collective preference and not the revelation of God in the natural order, I have little doubt that the highest court in the land will feel no shame in casting aside God’s definition of marriage in favor of the current spirit of the age.
Source: A Call for Endurance (Ligonier article)
The scientific enterprise must operate under the authority and restraint of God's law.
The scientific enterprise is to be under the authority of God and restrained by the law of God.
Source: The Christian and Science (Ligonier article)
Sin is not merely a mistake or poor choice, but a serious act of moral transgression.
It is one thing to make a mistake. It is another to look at my neighbor’s paper and copy his answers in order to make a good grade. In this case, my mistake has risen to the level of a moral transgression.
Source: Cosmic Treason (Ligonier article)
Sin is a moral indebtedness to God resulting from failing to keep the obligations He has placed upon His creatures.
In this sense, we are talking not about financial indebtedness but a moral indebtedness. God has the sovereign right to impose obligations upon His creatures. When we fail to keep these obligations, we are debtors to our Lord.
Source: Cosmic Treason (Ligonier article)
Sin against God is not a mere misdemeanor but a criminal act because God is holy, making all transgression vicious by definition.
In the same regard, our actions of rebellion and transgression of the law of God are not seen by Him as mere misdemeanors; rather, they are felonious. They are criminal in their impact.
Source: Cosmic Treason (Ligonier article)
The biblical ethic regarding sexual behavior is consistently and uniformly condemned throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
If we examine the biblical ethic with respect to sexual behavior, we see that from the Old Testament through the New Testament, the ethic is virtually monolithic.
Source: Cultural Revolution (Ligonier article)
God is both apart from law and under law, meaning He is free from external restraints but still operates according to His own nature.
Rather, the church responded by affirming that God is both apart from law and under law, in so far as He is free from any restraints imposed upon Him by some law that exists outside of Himself. In that sense, He is apart from law and not under law.
Source: Why the God-Man? (Ligonier article)
The natural law of God dictates that God must always act in a way that does not contradict His own inherent holiness, righteousness, or justice.
That is to say, God never acts in such a way that would contradict His own holiness, His own righteousness, His own justice, His own omnipotence, and so on. God never compromises the perfection of His own being or character in what He does.
Source: Why the God-Man? (Ligonier article)
Sin existed in the world before the Mosaic law was given, and God had written His law indelibly on the human heart.
for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
Source: Death Does Not Have the Last Word (Ligonier article)
The Continental view interprets Isaiah 58 as a critique of violating the Mosaic law by doing business on the Sabbath, and concludes that the text does not prohibit recreation.
According to this view, the text has nothing to say directly or indirectly about recreation on the Sabbath day.
Source: Defining the Debate (Ligonier article)
The prophetic critique in Isaiah 58 concerns the Israelites violating the Mosaic law by engaging in commerce on the Sabbath rather than doing what pleased God.
Therefore, they violated the Sabbath commandment by seeking their own pleasure, which was to do business on the Sabbath rather than to do that which was pleasing to God.
Source: Defining the Debate (Ligonier article)
Ethics is fundamentally normative and imperative, dealing with what a person ought to do.
Ethics, or ethos , is normative and imperative. It deals with what someone ought to do.
Source: The Difference Between Ethics and Morality (Ligonier article)
Statistical morality incorrectly treats what is merely normal or regular (based on statistics) as if it were normative or right.
This is where the normal or regular becomes the normative. Here’s how it works: to find out what is normal, we do a statistical survey, we take a poll, or we find out what people are actually doing.
Source: The Difference Between Ethics and Morality (Ligonier article)
Christian ethics must determine right and wrong based on God's character, not based on what the majority of people are doing.
The Christian concept of ethics is on a collision course with much of what is being expressed as morality. This is because we do not determine right or wrong based on what everybody else is doing.
Source: The Difference Between Ethics and Morality (Ligonier article)
Liberalism attempted to remove the supernatural elements from Christianity and limit the significance of Jesus and the New Testament to ethical concerns.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
Liberalism sought to de-supernaturalize the Christian faith and to restrict the modern significance of Jesus and the New Testament to ethical considerations, particularly with respect to the needs of human beings, and especially with respect to their material needs.
Source: Do We Believe the Whole Gospel? (Ligonier article)
Sin is committed not necessarily by the action itself, but by the intent to act against what one believes to be God's command.
The sin resides not in the lipstick but in the intent to act against what one believes to be the command of God.
Source: Ethics and the Conscience (Ligonier article)
Ethics is an objective science that determines concrete standards of right and wrong, while values are subjective preferences.
Ethics is an objective science, one that seeks to determine concrete standards of right and wrong. Values , on the other hand, refers to preferences. They are, in large measure, subjective.
Source: Family Values (Ligonier article)
In the Christian worldview, ethical standards are fixed because they are objective standards reflecting the transcendent Creator.
In the Christian worldview, ethical standards are fixed because they are objective standards of right and wrong that reflect our transcendent Creator.
Source: Family Values (Ligonier article)
Biblically, values and ethics are related because we are called to align our values with what God values, which is outlined in Scripture.
Biblically speaking, the two go hand in hand. We are called to align our values with what God values, and what God values is outlined in His revealed ethical norms in Scripture.
Source: Family Values (Ligonier article)
America's abortion clinics have rejected the ethics of God's Word and should fear the judgment of God.
America’s abortion clinics has rejected the ethics of God’s Word and should fear the judgment of God.
Source: Family Values (Ligonier article)
God's will is inherently rational and intelligent, as evidenced by the word 'counsel' in Scripture.
The very word “counsel” suggests intelligence and an intelligent reason for acting, and God never wills apart from His own counsel. A person who is completely arbitrary has no counsel, takes no counsel, listens to no counsel. He just does it.
Source: God’s Good Pleasure in Election (Ligonier article)
God's preceptive will is a vital constraint, requiring that vocations must be adjusted if they conflict with the law of God.
One vital constraint is at work: the preceptive will of God. If a woman’s great ability and motivation were to be a prostitute and a man’s motivated ability were to be the world’s greatest bank robber, then obviously vocational goals would have to be adjusted.
Source: God’s Will and Your Job (Ligonier article)
Marriage is a legitimate, noble, and honorable option for Christians, and one does not sin by getting married.
Paul in no way denigrates the honorable “estate” of marriage, but rather affrrms what was given in creation: the benediction of God over the marriage relationship. One does not sin by getting married. Marriage is a legitimate, noble, and honorable option set forth for Christians.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
The law is not merely a set of rules, but rather reflects the perfect will and character of the Creator.
The law reflects to the creature the perfect will of the Creator and at the same time reveals the character of that being whose law it is. The law of God proceeds from God’s being and reflects His character.
Source: The Goodness of the Law (Ligonier article)
The Word of God and the law of God are intrinsically linked, suggesting that loving the Word necessitates loving the law.
Just as the Christian loves the Word of God, so we ought to love the law of God, for the Word of God is indeed the law of God.
Source: The Goodness of the Law (Ligonier article)
The law serves to restrain sinful impulses and fallen inclinations, much like a bridle or speed limits.
We need the restraint of law to keep our sinful impulses and fallen inclinations in check. In this regard, we may use the metaphor of the bridle. The bridle and the bit are put on the horse so that the horse can be kept from running wildly into destruction.
Source: The Goodness of the Law (Ligonier article)
A knowledge of God's law provides the pattern for loving obedience, making it impossible to love God while despising His law.
A knowledge of the law of God gives to us the pattern of loving obedience. If we love the Lord, we must also love His law. To love God and despise His law is a contradiction that must never be the profile of the Christian.
Source: The Goodness of the Law (Ligonier article)
God gives His law not to diminish joy, but rather so that the believer's joy may be complete.
He gives us His law not to take away our joy but rather that our joy may be full. His law is never given in a context of meanness but in the context of His love.
Source: The Goodness of the Law (Ligonier article)
If God judges people by His perfect standard of righteousness, then all unrighteous people will face serious trouble.
If God judges people according to His perfect standard of righteousness, then those who are unjust will be in serious trouble.
Source: The Greatest Issue We Face (Ligonier article)
Death, as a law of fallen nature, was not an absolute barrier that could hold Christ, because doing so would require violating the laws of death.
For death to have held Christ would have required the supreme and unthinkable violation of the laws of death. It is viewed by modern man as an inexorable law of nature that what dies stays dead. However, that is a law of fallen nature.
Source: The Certainty of the Resurrection (Ligonier article)
Christians, though free in Christ, must not use their liberty as an excuse for sin and must maintain order by submitting to lawful authorities.
Christians are free in Christ, but we aren’t to use our liberty as a license for sin, because even though on the one hand we’re free, on the other hand we remain indentured servants.
Source: Living under Authority (Ligonier article)
The motivation for obeying laws, such as observing speed limits, can be rooted in self-interest rather than genuine piety or concern for others.
People fear getting into trouble. That is enlightened self-interest—the desire to look out for oneself or to act for one’s own good.
Source: Love Beyond Performance: Why Virtue Without Love Is Worthless (Ligonier article)
A person must be reborn by the Holy Spirit to be subject to God's law and please God.
Unless they are first reborn, born of the Holy Spirit, they cannot be subject to the law of God. They cannot please God.
Source: John 3:16 and Man’s Ability to Choose God (Ligonier article)
God requires a formal, public commitment for sexual intimacy, viewing it as a safeguard for the man and woman.
He is saying to both the man and the woman that it is safe to give oneself to the other only when there is a certain knowledge of a lifelong commitment behind it. There is a vast difference between a commitment sealed with a formal document and declared in the presence of witnesses, including family, friends, and authorities of church and state, and a whispered, hollow promise breathed in the back seat of a car.
Source: Is Marriage “Just a Piece of Paper”? (Ligonier article)
The decretive will is unbreakable and cannot be disobeyed, while the preceptive will, found in God's law, can be disobeyed and is violated by humanity.
The decretive will of God cannot be broken, cannot be disobeyed. It will come to pass. On the other hand, there is a will that can be broken: “the preceptive will of God.” It can be disobeyed.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
The spirit of antinomianism is characterized by despising God's law and ignoring His precepts.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
Such characterizes the spirit of Antichrist, the spirit of lawlessness, or antinomianism, that despises God’s law and ignores His precepts.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
The death of Jesus is understood as a substitutionary act, taking the curse of the law on behalf of humanity.
The New Testament sees the death of Jesus as more than an isolated act or illustration of courage or love, though His death may illustrate those things. Rather, it is a cosmic event, an atoning death; it is a curse that is poured out on Christ for us.
Source: Obscene, yet Beautiful (Ligonier article)
The concept of substitution is underscored by the New Testament, as evidenced by Christ taking the curse of the law for others.
He takes the curse of the law for me and for you.
Source: Obscene, yet Beautiful (Ligonier article)
The only way for moral liberty to be restored is through God's supernatural work of grace in the soul.
The only way that moral liberty could be restored would be through God’s supernatural work of grace in the soul.
Source: The Pelagian Controversy (Ligonier article)
The practice of Zen Buddhism leads to the conclusion that life is irrational and cannot be found in orderly systems.
Yet this awareness yields the conclusion that life is irrational. It cannot be found in orderly systems.
Source: Pessimistic Existentialism (Ligonier article)
Christianity is more than rationality, but it is not less than rationality.
Surely Christianity is more than rationality. But it is not less.
Source: Pessimistic Existentialism (Ligonier article)
Relativism eliminates the existence of fixed standards for judging values, truth, and purpose.
In relativism, there are particulars but no universals, relatives but no absolutes. This means that we can have values but no Value, truths but no Truth, purposes but no Purpose.
Source: Pluralism and Relativism (Ligonier article)
The concept of a right requires a clear foundation, and the speaker questions whether natural law or God provides this foundation.
What is the foundation for a right? Is it natural law? I would not want to defend the right for abortion on the basis of natural law. Is it a right that is given to us by our Creator? Does God give us the right to choose abortion? Does nature give you the right? Who provides the right?
Source: Pluralism and Relativism (Ligonier article)
Pragmatism operates under the belief that the outcome justifies the methods used, prioritizing expediency over moral principle.
In this philosophy, the end always justifies the means. The driving force behind decisions within the scope of pragmatism is the force of expediency.
Source: Principle vs. Pragmatism (Ligonier article)
Only the character of God as revealed in His law provides absolute norms for ethical issues, giving fixed principles to apply in specific situations.
Only the character of God as revealed in His law provides us with absolute norms for ethical issues. It gives us fixed principles to apply in specific situations.
Source: Principles and Situations (Ligonier article)
God's law is both situational (requiring application in specific contexts) and non-situational (where the situation itself does not determine the good).
God’s law is both situational and non-situational. It’s situational because it must always be applied in specific situations, but it’s non-situational because the situation itself never dictates the good.
Source: Principles and Situations (Ligonier article)
God's law is the absolute, objective norm that governs human behavior and requires submission.
God’s law is the absolute, objective norm that is to govern the behavior of all people. It’s not a norm hidden from us, but it has been revealed. So, we have the responsibility to know and do what righteousness requires.
Source: Principles and Situations (Ligonier article)
Voting is not merely a right to impose selfish desires, but a duty to vote for what is morally right.
Your vote is not a license to impose your selfish desires upon the rest of the country. You only have the right to vote for what is right. And not only do you have the right to vote for what is right, but when you vote you have the duty to vote for what is right.
Source: Principles for Voting (Ligonier article)
Abortion is a serious ethical issue, and the speaker believes that God hates it, making it a critical voting issue.
If I know anything about the character of God after forty years of study, I know that God hates abortion. And I could never vote for a candidate who supported abortion--even if I agreed with that candidate on every other policy position.
Source: Principles for Voting (Ligonier article)
It is an ethical and legal axiom that individuals are responsible for the consequences of their choices, including sexual ones.
It is an axiom of ethics and of law that we are responsible for the consequences of our choices. When we have sexual intercourse, we may not intend or desire to produce another human life.
Source: What Does “Pro-Choice” Mean? (Ligonier article)
God does not cause evil, but merely permits it and does not prevent it according to his just judgment.
Finally, as often as God in Scripture is said or seems to do something evil, it is not thereby said that man does not do evil, but that God permits it and does not prevent it, according to his just judgment, who could prevent it if he wished, or because he turns man’s evil into good . . .
Source: The Reformed View of Predestination (Ligonier article)
Christian ethics is theocentric, meaning God is the absolute standard for right and wrong, unlike secular ethics which are anthropocentric.
Christian ethics is theocentric as opposed to secular or philosophical ethics, which tend to be anthropocentric. For the humanist, man is the norm, the ultimate standard of behavior. Christians, however, assert that God is the center of all things and that His character is the absolute standard by which questions of right and wrong are determined.
Source: Revelation and Christian Ethics (Ligonier article)
The freedom currently sought is not freedom from unjust civil laws, but freedom from natural and eternal moral law.
However, the freedom being sought isn’t freedom from unjust civil laws but from natural law and the eternal moral law of God.
Source: The Revolution That Enslaves (Ligonier article)
The freedom embraced by society is the ungodly attempt to be a law unto oneself, rejecting God's Lordship.
The freedom embraced is the ungodly “freedom” of moral autonomy, of our trying to be a law unto ourselves, of our raising our fists to heaven and declaring that God will not be Lord over us.
Source: The Revolution That Enslaves (Ligonier article)
Relativism has become so deeply embedded in culture that a vast majority of Americans embrace some form of philosophical or moral relativism.
Though relativism was embraced on many sides in the 1970s, it has since become so firmly entrenched in our culture that the estimated number of Americans embracing some form of philosophical or moral relativism reaches over 95 percent.
Source: Right Now Counts Forever (Ligonier article)
Foolishness is not merely an intellectual error but is also considered a moral and wicked act in biblical terms.
In biblical terms foolishness is deemed a moral act as well as an intellectual one. It involves more than mental error; it is also wicked.
Source: Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal (Ligonier article)
The Pharisees were strongly committed to keeping the law of God and believed that salvation came from distancing themselves from anyone they considered morally loose.
The word Pharisee is derived from a Hebrew word meaning "separated one," for the Pharisees were strongly committed to keeping the law of God, and they believed that salvation came from distancing themselves from anyone who was morally loose.
Source: Self-Righteous Snobbery (Ligonier article)
Christ redeemed humanity from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’ (Gal. 3:13). He who is the incarnation of the glory of God became the very incarnation of the divine curse.
Source: Jesus Became a Curse for Us (Ligonier article)
The law of God is still relevant and serves as a guide for the Christian life, preventing spiritual wandering.
The law of God is still a lamp unto our feet. Without it we stumble and trip and grope in darkness.
Source: The Law of God (Ligonier article)
The current cultural and religious tendency to disregard the law of God constitutes an antinomian heresy.
We are living out, in practice, the antinomian heresy. A recent survey by George Gallup Jr. revealed a startling trend in our culture.
Source: The Law of God (Ligonier article)
Christian behavior should not be defined by contemporary culture but by a passionate longing for God's law.
Do we hear our friends expressing joy and delight in God’s commandments? These sentiments are foreign to our culture.
Source: The Law of God (Ligonier article)
The theonomist movement helps renew the serious study of the Old Testament law, which has been neglected due to the pervasive spirit of antinomianism.
As a consequence of the pervasive spirit of antinomianism that has infected contemporary evangelicalism, the law of God has been treated with woeful neglect.
Source: The Marriage Feast (Ligonier article)
The adoption of Israel by God from bondage is symbolized by the only method by which any person, then or now, is ever redeemed.
So Israel, when she is delivered from bondage, is adopted by God into His family. This adoption symbolizes the only method by which any person, then or now, is ever redeemed.
Source: The Marriage Feast (Ligonier article)
Natural ability refers to the physical powers of action, while moral ability relates to the capacity for making choices.
Edwards distinguished between the natural ability of freedom and the moral ability of freedom. Natural ability deals with the powers of action and choice that we possess by nature.
Source: The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article)
Acting without prior motives or inclinations makes an action random and devoid of moral significance.
That is, if I act with no prior motive or no previous inclination toward or away from righteousness, then how can it be said that my act is moral at all? Such activity would be without reason or motive behind it; it would be a purely random action, with no moral virtue attached to it.
Source: The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article)
Disciplined study of God's law can help renew the mind, which is the biblical definition of spiritual transformation.
Such disciplined study can help renew our mind, equipping us with a new understanding of what pleases and displeases God. Having a renewed mind is the biblical definition of spiritual transformation.
Source: The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article)
The arrest of Jesus was illegal and improper because a capital trial could not be carried out at night.
Why the hurry? It was inappropriate, improper, and illegal for a capital trial to be carried out at night.
Source: The Midnight Trial (Ligonier article)
The conscience is not the ultimate ethical authority for human conduct because it is capable of changing, unlike God's unchanging principles.
We see in the New Testament that the conscience is not the final ethical authority for human conduct because the conscience is capable of change. Whereas God’s principles don’t change, our consciences vacillate and develop.
Source: The Question of Conscience (Ligonier article)
People can develop highly sensitized consciences based on man-made rules and regulations, rather than being informed by the Word of God.
We recognize that people can have highly sensitized consciences, not because they are being informed by the Word of God but because they have been informed by man-made rules and regulations.
Source: The Question of Conscience (Ligonier article)
Sin permanently prejudices us against God's law, requiring a continuous struggle to correct distorted views of truth.
Sin prejudices us against the law of God for as long as we live, and we have to fight to overcome these basic distortions of the truth of God.
Source: Thinking Like Jesus (Ligonier article)
The Trinity is not inherently or analytically irrational, and its classical formula distinguishes God as one in essence and three in person.
The Trinity is indeed unusual and mysterious, but it is not inherently or analytically irrational. If the formula for the Trinity asserted that God is one in essence and three in essence or that he is three in person and one in person, we would be engaging in the nonsense of contradiction. Something cannot be one in A and three in A at the same time and in the same relationship.
Source: The Trinity Is Not a Contradiction (Ligonier article)
Imputation is a central concept in the Reformation, involving the legal transfer of something to an account.
This is an example of imputation, which involves transferring something legally to someone’s account, to reckon something to be there.
Source: The Very Heart of the Reformation (Ligonier article)
If God does not exist, then all ethical decisions are ultimately meaningless.
The bottom line is this: if there is no God, if there is no life after death, then ultimately all of our ethical decisions are absolutely meaningless.
Source: We Are Not Germs: The Case for Human Dignity (Ligonier article)
The law requires not only refraining from negative behaviors but also positively commanding certain attitudes, such as requiring chastity and purity if adultery is prohibited.
The law not only prohibits certain negative behaviors and attitudes, but by implication it requires certain positive behaviors and attitudes. That is, if adultery is prohibited, chastity and purity are required.
Source: What Do We Mean When We Speak of the “Sanctity of Human Life”? (Ligonier article)
The law against murder requires both refraining from all forms of murder and positively promoting life by doing everything possible to save, improve, and care for it.
When we apply these patterns set forth by Jesus to the prohibition against murder, we understand clearly that, on the one hand, we are to refrain from all things contained in the broad definition of murder, but on the other hand, we are positively commanded to work to save, improve, and care for life.
Source: What Do We Mean When We Speak of the “Sanctity of Human Life”? (Ligonier article)
Jesus expanded the law to include 'heart crimes' like lust and slander, viewing them as parts of adultery and murder, respectively.
Just as Jesus considered lust a part of adultery, so He viewed unjustifiable anger and slander as parts of murder. As lust is adultery of the heart, so anger and slander are murder of the heart.
Source: What Do We Mean When We Speak of the “Sanctity of Human Life”? (Ligonier article)
Negative prohibitions in law imply positive mandates, such as the prohibition against murder implying a positive mandate to protect life.
A negative prohibition against actual and potential murder implicitly involves a positive mandate to work for the protection and sustenance of life. To oppose murder is to promote life.
Source: What Do We Mean When We Speak of the “Sanctity of Human Life”? (Ligonier article)
Humans are the ones who violate God, making God the injured party, not the other way around.
We do not disobey God because we love Him deeply. We disobey God because we have an inborn hostility toward Him. The Bible says that we are by nature enemies of God. We have a natural antipathy in our fallenness toward God’s reign over us. So with respect to enmity, God is the injured or offended party. It is not that God has manifested enmity toward us. We are the ones who have violated Him.
Source: What Is Sin? (Ligonier article)
God functions as the ultimate Judge and standard of righteousness in all matters of justice.
God is ultimately the Judge in all matters of justice. He is the ultimate standard of righteousness. His own character is the ultimate standard of justice. He functions personally as the Judge of heaven and earth.
Source: What Is Sin? (Ligonier article)
When laws are published and easily accessible, an individual is responsible for knowing them and cannot use ignorance as an excuse.
Those laws are published, they’re public, they’re easily accessible, and I am responsible to know what the rules are before I drive my car in that state.
Source: What Is the Unpardonable Sin? (Ligonier article)
Individuals are responsible for knowing and following the laws of the state they are in, as these laws are public and easily accessible.
It’s tacitly understood that if I presume to drive my car in any state of this union, I assume responsibility to know what the traffic laws and the motor vehicle regulations are in that state, and I am held accountable.
Source: What Is the Unpardonable Sin? (Ligonier article)
Pleading ignorance is not a valid defense for disobeying God's Word, because the Word is public and accessible.
Those arguments are not going to work because the Word has been given to us and we should know what the Word of God is.
Source: What Is the Unpardonable Sin? (Ligonier article)
Individuals should study the law of God to learn the principles necessary for living daily life.
They should study the law of God to learn the principles by which they are to live their lives from day to day.
Source: What Is the Will of God for My Life? (Ligonier article)
To understand what God authorizes and is pleased with, one should study the clear law found in the Bible.
If you want to know the will of God in terms of what God authorizes, what God is pleased with, and what God will bless you for, again, the answer is found in His preceptive will, the law, which is clear.
Source: What Is the Will of God for My Life? (Ligonier article)
The use of modern conveniences like automobiles, electricity, or telephones does not possess any intrinsic or ethical content.
We regard automobiles, electricity, or telephones as matters that are adiaphora — things that are morally or ethically indifferent.
Source: When to Stop, When to Go, When to Slow Down (Ligonier article)
When Christians elevate matters not addressed by the Bible to the status of law, a form of legalism emerges that conflicts with Christian liberty.
In a word, the adiaphora become elevated to the status of law, and people’s consciences become bound where God has left them free.
Source: When to Stop, When to Go, When to Slow Down (Ligonier article)
Elevating matters that the Bible is silent on (adiaphora) to the status of law creates a form of legalism that conflicts with Christian liberty.
The problem with this particular approach to ethics is that these elements, on which the Bible is silent, become ethical matters of the highest consideration for some Christians. In a word, the adiaphora become elevated to the status of law, and people’s consciences become bound where God has left them free.
Source: When to Stop, When to Go, When to Slow Down (Ligonier article)
The law provides a general benefit by restraining people and helping to preserve civil order.
Yet despite that tendency of the law, there still is a general salutary benefit for the world to have the restraints upon us that the law gives. Its warnings and threats restrain people from being as bad as they could be, and so civil order is preserved.
Source: Which Laws Apply? (Ligonier article)
While some Old Testament laws no longer apply to new covenant believers, a core body of righteous laws retains abiding significance.
Of course, as we read Scripture, we see that there are some parts of the law that no longer apply to new covenant believers, at least not in the same way that they did to old covenant believers. We make a distinction between moral laws, civil laws, and ceremonial laws such as the dietary laws and physical circumcision.
Source: Which Laws Apply? (Ligonier article)
The distinction between moral, civil, and ceremonial laws helps determine which Old Testament laws still hold significance for Christians.
We make a distinction between moral laws, civil laws, and ceremonial laws such as the dietary laws and physical circumcision. That’s helpful because there’s a certain sense in which practicing some of the laws from the Old Testament as Christians would actually be blasphemy.
Source: Which Laws Apply? (Ligonier article)
Statutes based on natural law are permanent because abrogating them would violate God's own character.
For God to abrogate these laws would be to do violence to His own person. For example, if God in the old covenant said, “You shall have no other gods before Me,” but now He says, “It’s OK for you to have other gods and to be involved in idolatry,” God would be doing violence to His own holy character.
Source: Which Laws Apply? (Ligonier article)
Laws based on divine purpose, such as dietary laws, can be abrogated when their purpose is fulfilled without contradicting God's character.
On the other hand, there is legislation made on the basis of the divine purpose in redemption, such as the dietary laws, that when their purpose is fulfilled, God can abrogate without doing violence to His own character.
Source: Which Laws Apply? (Ligonier article)
Biblical proverbs are inspired by God, but they do not function as universal laws or divine commandments.
Simply because they are inspired does not mean that the biblical proverbs are like laws, imposing a universal obligation.
Source: Wisely Handling the Bible’s Wise Sayings (Ligonier article)
The laws regarding skin diseases in Leviticus illustrate that even minor physical signs could signal serious, life-threatening conditions like leprosy.
when they saw a scratch on their skin, when they saw a scab form on their skin, in those days, they didn't just assume that it was a mosquito bite. It could very possibly be the first clue of the advent of the most dreadful, dreadful disease that could afflict them, the disease of leprosy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:43
Jesus' willingness to touch a leper, despite the laws against contamination, demonstrates the profound nature of his compassion and healing power.
Jesus comes over and touches him. What does that say to you about your Lord, who will stoop down from his throne in heaven and place his hands on the most wretched flesh of mankind to bring healing to a human life?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:43
The dietary laws, even those that seem mundane, reveal a crucial drama regarding the identity and commitment of God's chosen people.
We wouldn't understand the drama if we didn't understand the crucial role that the diet provisions have for the one who is chosen of God to be special.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:35
Because the Great Commandment is foundational to the Law and the Prophets, violating it must be a serious matter before God.
Wait a minute. If God calls this the Great Commandment, and if the Bible says that on this hangs all of the Law and the Prophets, then to violate it must be a grievous matter before God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:16
God does not swear an oath by having humans perform a ritualistic hand-raising oath.
Do we say to God, put a Bible in his hand, and say, "Raise your right hand, God, and say after me, "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help Me, Me?" We don't do that.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 41:58
Humans tend to judge themselves and others by self-established standards, which is unwise because it is not the standard God has established.
The Scriptures indicate that our tendency is to judge ourselves by ourselves and judge ourselves among ourselves, and then adds the evaluation of that—which is not wise, because that’s not the standard that God has established.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:02
The Bible teaches that no one is righteous or does good.
Whereas Paul in the New Testament tells us there is none righteous, no, not one (Rom. 3:10). There is none who does good, no, not one (Rom. 3:12).
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:05
God's law dictates that anyone who destroys an image bearer of God forfeits their right to human life.
If somebody destroys an image bearer of God, God says that person forfeits their right to human life.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The basic axiom of Scripture is that one must never attribute the doing of evil to God.
that the one basic axiom of Scripture is that we ought never, never, never, never to attribute in any other way -- in any way possible the doing of evil to God, and that it is a principle of Christianity that God is never the author of evil
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:31
The Bible contains different types of precepts, including casuistic law, apodictic law, and proverb, which must be distinguished when interpreting Scripture.
There are several, but I'm just going to focus attention on three types of precept or principles that the Bible teaches us as according to the style or the form in which they come, and these three are casuistic law, apodictic law, and proverb, okay?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:03
Case law provides practical guidelines based on examples, while apodictic law establishes universal moral principles using direct commands.
If you go back in the Old Testament, you read the line that says, "If your ox tramples down your neighbors roses, then you must pay such-and-such indemnity towards your neighbor." Now the point of case law is to give you a model, a guideline for practical judgments in the law court.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:48
Apodictic law is characterized by universal principles found in direct commands such as 'You shall' or 'You shall not.'
There's another form of law where we are now talking about moral absolutes that is called apodictic law, A-P-O-D-I-C-T-I-C. And the usual formula for that is in the direct form of address of, "You shall," or, "You shall not."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:34
Proverbs are not moral absolutes, but rather practical insights or vignettes of wisdom that can appear to conflict.
Well if these two passages were coming to us as moral absolutes, we would have a hopeless contradiction, but they're not coming to us as apodictic law. They're coming to us as proverbs, as little gems, little insights, little vignettes of practical wisdom, and you can find many such vignettes of wisdom in the Old Testament that seem on the surface to conflict one with another
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:23
Proverbs should be understood as practical wisdom for daily life, not as moral absolutes like the Ten Commandments.
But don't confuse the proverbs with moral absolutes; they were never intended to be read that way, they were never set forth for us as the Ten Commandments were, there is a difference in how we interpret those laws, and we need to recognize it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:11
The Christian ethic is derived directly from God's commandments and is not dependent on the laws or rulings of civil authorities.
The Christian ethic is the same no matter what the Supreme Court does or what the Supreme Court says! I don’t march to that drumbeat. We have a Lord who gives us our ethic and His commandments. He said, “Obey My commandments.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:49
Liberal theology is fundamentally hostile to the law of God and is ultimately anti-Christian.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
liberal theology is not only anti-supernatural and anti-personal redemption, it is at its core, antinomian, that is, it is openly manifestly hostile to the law of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 38:38
The law of God presents negative information, which is necessary for understanding the gospel.
The mirror of the law of God, beloved, is bad news. And until we look in it, we’ll never understand the goodness of the good news.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:39
Worship is only acceptable to God because it is offered through Christ.
If it weren't for Christ, our worship would not be acceptable to God at all.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Any law that God instills in the covenant of creation applies universally and cannot be dismissed by a culture at a given time and place.
But any law that God instills in the covenant of creation extends as far as the creation extends. So that if God sanctifies marriage in creation, then the sanctity of marriage would apply to all generations.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:45
Evangelism is not merely a duty, but also an unspeakable privilege.
So we see here that evangelism is first of all a duty. But second of all, and we need to understand this: evangelism is an unspeakable privilege.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:55
The word 'right' can be understood in two distinct ways: legal rights, which are sanctioned by the government, and moral or ethical rights.
We tend to use the term 'right' when we talk about rights in two distinct ways. We may and must distinguish between legal rights that is, those actions or activities that are protected by and sanctioned by the government. But we also speak about moral or ethical rights.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:54
The speaker questions the source and foundation of moral rights, asking where the ethical claim for a right originates.
My first question is very simple. Where does that moral right come from? What is the ethical foundation for the claim that I or a woman or anybody else has a moral right to anything? Who is the author of moral rights? Where do we appeal?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:37
God fundamentally hates abortion, and maintaining that God grants an inalienable right to abortion is contrary to His character.
If I know anything about the character of God, I know that God hates abortion, and nothing is more foreign to His character than to maintain that God Almighty grants an inalienable right to any woman to have an abortion.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:27
While women have moral and ethical rights to their bodies (e.g., protection from assault), these rights are not absolute and can be limited by other principles.
Is a woman's right to her own body, and this is the crucial point, is it an absolute right? Is it an unlimited right? Or are there other principles and rights that impose limits and restraints upon whatever right we have to our own bodies?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:05
Biblical law, specifically in Old Testament Israel, prohibited self-mutilation of both male and female bodies.
From a biblical theological society, we know for example that in Old Testament Israel in the legislation that God gave to his people he prohibited self-mutilation of the human body of both male and female.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:37
Many states and nations have civil laws that prohibit suicide, recognizing that individuals do not have the right to destroy themselves.
There are many states, I believe, to this day and certainly nations that pass civil laws disallowing suicide. I don't know how they impose punishments upon those who succeed. But it is against the law so that if you tried and you don't succeed, you can certainly be called in and be paying penalties for it, because the state recognizes that we don't have the right to destroy ourselves.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:35
Individual rights, even moral ones, are not absolute and are limited when they conflict with the rights of other individuals.
Again, the difference between a legal right and a moral right, again the principle that my individual rights even if they are moral rights are limited and not absolute if they conflict with other individual human rights.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:31
People often determine what is right by observing what is legal, leading to a shift in perceived permissibility.
many people in our nation take their cue in determining what is right by looking and seeing what is legal. If the government says it's OK, it must be OK, and so then you have a whole shift in people's perception of what is permissible and what is not permissible.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:50
The right to privacy is not absolute, as evidenced by existing laws allowing for searches and audits.
But again, the right to privacy is never absolute, is it? We already have legislation that allows for tax audits, for credit checks, for investigation and search of our home under the protection of a warrant and so on
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 28:29
Personal privacy does not grant the right to commit illegal acts such as theft or murder.
But, ladies and gentlemen, I don't have the right to steal as long as I do it in privacy, nor do I have the right to murder if I do it in privacy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 28:54
The right to protect human life from unjust destruction does not violate personal privacy.
But to protect human life against unjust destruction does not invade personal privacy other than to save persons and that's what the discussion is about.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 29:32
A person may disobey human authority when that authority commands them to do something God forbids or forbids them from doing something God commands.
we are to obey those in authority over us only on these two conditions: only when that authority commands us to do what is right or forbids us from doing what is wrong.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:11
When there is a conflict between God's commands and human commands, one must obey God.
If there’s a conflict between what God commands and what men command, we must obey God
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:11
The Gospel teaches that God is both just and a justifier of sinful people.
And that led us into a lengthy discussion of what the Gospel proclaims at its heart, because the good news is that God, according to the Apostle Paul, is both just and justifier of sinful people.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:57
Justification is a legal declaration by which God declares a person just.
as I say, it is a legal declaration by which God declares a person just.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:43
God's judgment is presented as a bill of divorce given to an adulterous people.
This is a bill of divorcement that God is giving to an adulterous people.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:45
The Bible is considered clear enough that even a child with a fifth-grade reading ability can navigate its essential teachings.
Clear with respect to the essentials; that is to say, a child who has an ability to read at perhaps a fifth grade level can make his way through the Bible.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:36
God does not treat all people equally, which is demonstrated by historical examples.
Well, even a cursory reading of the Bible will demonstrate to anyone that God doesn't treat everybody equally. God comes to Abraham in the midst of his paganism and appears to him in a miraculous way, reveals himself to Abraham in a way that He didn't do to the Pharaoh of Egypt or Hammurabi.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 31:55
God's purpose is established by His choice and calling, not by human works.
for though the twins were not yet born had not done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose according to his choice might stand not because of works, but because of him who calls, it was said to her, 'The older will serve the younger.'
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 44:00
Natural law dictates that conception requires both male and female biological components.
It takes the egg to be fertilized by the sperm in order for a baby to be conceived—in vitro or ex vitro, doesn’t matter. It still takes both sides. A virgin, in and of herself, cannot conceive and have a baby. That is an inflexible, unbreakable natural law.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:38
Pilate's judgment, delivered in his official capacity, declared Jesus innocent.
On the one hand he says 'echa homa' behold the man. He calls attention to Jesus and repeatedly he declares the innocence of Jesus.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:24
In the Old Testament, keeping the law resulted in blessings, while breaking the law resulted in curses, which meant being cut off from God's presence.
And, the formula in the Old Testament for the sanctions of the law, that were positive and negative were the positive benefits for those who kept the law were called what? Blessings, and the negative punishment for breaking a law was called what? Curses, and to be cursed meant to be cut off from the presence of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:56
To determine God's will, one should read the Bible and apply its principles to the specific situation.
In other words, what I’m saying again and again is if you want to know the will of God, read the Bible and apply it to your situation. It’s as simple as that.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:21
God's law provides precepts and legislation that define what is righteous and permissible, but it also grants latitude in certain areas.
He gives us precepts and legislation that controls what is righteous and what is allowable in His sight. But my heavenly Father gives me latitude that I could theoretically find fifty million women that would be eligible in terms of the precepts of God’s Word as candidates for marriage.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:35
Attempting to gain immediate confirmation of God's minute-by-minute will is often a spiritual avoidance of diligently studying God's law.
Sometimes this hysterical pursuit for immediate confirmation of what God wants me to do minute by minute is simply a spiritual cop-out from poring over His law day and night, which is the mark of the godly man.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:55
The modern legal trend of interpreting the Constitution based on contemporary community standards is a form of relativism that undermines objective law.
The governing principle of constitutionality has become consistent with contemporary community standards, which change and change and change because we've brought into a view of relativism. There are no absolutes, there are no abiding principles, and if that's the case, then the Constitution itself can no longer function as an objective foundational guide for future behavior, and so you can actually change the Constitution not by a constitutional amendment but by simply reinterpreting it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 28:00
The Old Testament law establishes that certain practices, such as contacting the dead, were considered capital offenses and abominations to God.
I explained to them what the Old Testament law was. That in Israel, this was a capital offense, that this was an abomination to God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:23
Being ignorant of God's law is dangerous because it leaves one without the necessary guidance or light.
It’s a scary thing to walk a dangerous path when you have no light for your feet, and that’s where we are when we are ignorant of the law of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:03
It is incorrect to assume that all portions of Scripture are principles, or that all portions are merely local customs.
I think it’s simplistic to say it’s all principle or to say it’s all custom, that we would err in either direction.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:25
The earth is naturally obedient to God's laws, doing exactly what dirt is supposed to do.
The earth was lying there on the ground doing what God has called earth to do -- being dirt, turning to dust when it's dry and turning to mud when it's mixed with water. It obeys the laws of God day in and day out, doing exactly what dirt is supposed to do.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:34
The Old Testament contained numerous capital crimes, including offenses like homosexual acts and adultery, for which God commanded the death penalty.
If you look, for example, in the Pentateuch and see the list of capital crimes that are set forth in Israel, there are over thirty offenses for which God commanded the death penalty among the Jews -- not only for first-degree murder but for homosexual acts, for adultery.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:47
Hans Kuhn argued that the real mystery is not God exercising justice, but why God tolerates rebellious creatures.
Context: Quoting Hans Kuhn
He said, "The real mystery is why God, through generation after generation tolerates rebellious creatures who commit cosmic treason against His authority."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:23
C.S. Lewis's book, Mere Christianity, is a useful resource for providing an initial presentation of the core tenets of Christianity.
It's a book that in simple terms set forth the central claims of the Christian faith and has been useful particularly among college students and intellectually-oriented people to give them an initial presentation of the cardinal tenets of Christianity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:25
Kant's practical argument for ethics necessitates the existence of a just, omnipotent judge who promises judgment and holds all people accountable.
he's constructed almost the whole of the Christian faith with a God who is just, who promises the last judgment and holds every human being accountable for every action that we perform.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:12
The speaker argues that laws against fundamental moral issues, such as murder and theft, are necessary because society cannot function in a state of pure moral relativism.
If you can't legislate morality, should we have laws against murder? If you can't legislate morality, should we have laws against theft? These are moral matters, but our society really doesn't believe in total moral relativism because it understands, ladies and gentlemen, that in a situation, in an environment of pure moral relativism, society is impossible.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:19
Nietzsche's concept of the master morality describes an existential hero who creates his own laws and does not answer to the rules or regulations of others.
He doesn't answer to anybody else's rules, anybody else's regulation. He does his own thing. That was Nietzsche's hero, the master morality, the Superman who would dare to do what he
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:43
The dominant basis of morality in contemporary culture is not the law of God, but rather what is socially acceptable or expected by the group.
You can't tell the difference between a pagan and a Christian in our culture because the dominant basis of our morality is not coming from thoughtful meditation of the law of God, but it is coming from what is acceptable in our environment, what the herd is doing.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:12
The Bible itself demonstrates the possibility of translation because the New Testament quotes Old Testament laws originally written in Hebrew, but quotes them in Greek.
But we notice that in the Bible itself, part of the Bible is written in Hebrew and another part of the Bible is written in Greek, and so even the Bible sees the possibility of translating because the New Testament quotes Old Testament laws, for example, and it quotes those laws that were written in Hebrew, and it quotes them now in Greek.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:51
One guideline for distinguishing between a principle and a custom is to examine the Bible itself for areas that appear to be open to the application of custom.
The first guideline is this: that we ought to examine the Bible itself and to see within Scripture if there are certain particular areas that apparently are open to the application of custom, because we recognize that the Bible itself was not just written in the first century, but the whole process of writing the Bible stretched almost as long from the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of the New Testament as it has from the end of the New Testament to our present day.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:12
The core principle governing dress throughout the Old and New Testaments is modesty, even though the specific standards of modesty change across different cultures.
The principle that runs through the Old and the New Testament in terms of godly dress habits is the principle of modesty. But I even have to say this: that modesty changes from culture to culture, and we have to understand that because clothes symbolize attitudes, they symbolize values, and all the rest.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:33
When unsure whether a passage is a binding principle or a mere custom, it is safer and better to err on the side of over-obedience rather than under-obedience.
Do you want to run the risk of being disobedient to God or being over-obedient to God? It is far better to be over-obedient to God than to be under-obedient to God. God is not going to punish you for being super scrupulous; He may punish you for being super loose with the principles that He has set forth before you.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:51
The Covenant of Redemption is an eternal agreement between the Father and the Son, which the Holy Spirit then applies to God's people.
And so this agreement reaches back before creation between the Father and the Son that the Father would send the Son and the Son would willingly descend from heaven and take upon himself the cloak of a human nature, subject himself to humiliation, become a servant obedient even unto death in order to redeem his people. And so his role in redemption was to accomplish the task that the Father sets before him. And then the role of the Holy Spirit from all eternity, the Spirit agrees with the Father and the Son to apply the work of Christ to God’s people, so that the work of redemption is not simply the work of the Father, or simply the work of the Son, or simply the work of the Holy Ghost.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:22
Legalism is not simply obeying God's commandments, but rather finding loopholes in the law to technically obey while violating its spirit.
One is the legalism of the Pharisees who obeyed the outward demands of the law, the letter of the law, while violating and compromising the spirit all over the place.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:56
Legalism involves obeying the outward demands of the law while ignoring the Lawgiver and having no genuine desire to please God.
See, the legalist may obey the outward demands of the law and ignore the Lawgiver—have no love in his heart, no genuine desire to please God with his life.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:25
Jesus viewed the law not as a destructive code, but as an expression of what pleased and delighted the Father.
He saw it not as a malevolent, destructive, tyrannical, negative code given by a judgmental God, but He saw it as an expression of what pleased and delighted His Father.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:09
Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it completely.
And Jesus said: “Think not that I come to loose or destroy the law, but to fulfill it. Truly, I say to you, not one jot or tittle of the law will pass away until all of it is fulfilled” (Matt. 5:17–18).
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:33
The question of purpose (teleology) is fundamentally important and necessary for understanding life and law.
Because what more important knowledge can we discover than the question, Why we are here? What is the purpose of these things?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:27
A nation's abandonment of teleological inquiry leads to confused laws and moral failures.
It’s when a nation abandons teleology that its laws become confused to the extent that it’s a federal crime to destroy the eggs of fish while the embryos of human beings can be slaughtered.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:37
Government has the responsibility to legislate and regulate matters that are intensely ethical, such as stealing or reckless driving.
Ladies and gentlemen, whether or not you steal from your neighbor is an ethical and moral issue. Whether or not you drive your automobile on the highway with reckless abandon in a way that makes you a clear and present danger to anybody that happens to come in your path is a moral issue.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 29:51
Many areas, including homicide, taxation, and ecology, are considered moral and ethical issues.
Ladies and gentlemen, homicide is a moral issue. In fact, levels of taxation become moral issues. Matters of regulating ecology are moral and ethical issues.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 30:10
Legislation inherently deals with profoundly ethical issues, such as the question of abortion.
Don't you see that when we are in the arena of legislation, we are dealing with profoundly ethical issues, none perhaps or deeply ethical than this question of abortion.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 31:00
The Old Testament, particularly the giving of the law at Sinai, strongly establishes the concept of monotheism, asserting that there is only one God.
The very first commandment received by Moses at Sinai is one that is strongly monotheistic, because God is saying, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:55
The mystery of lawlessness is currently active and at work, but it is being held in restraint.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work." Now, just as John talks about the Antichrist being already in the world and already working, so Paul in his description of the man of lawlessness, this mysterious person as being presently already at work. But he says that in the present situation this man of lawlessness is being held in restraint.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:03
The moral laws given by God in creation are binding on all people, regardless of their religious status or community membership.
And so, those laws that God gives to man in creation are binding upon men, whether or not they are religious, whether or not they are members of the household of Israel or of the Christian family.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:07
Theological debate exists regarding whether God is subject to an independent cosmic law of goodness or if He stands outside of all law.
Is there some cosmic law of goodness that even God is required to obey? or is God outside of law, apart from law? Is He, again, as the theologians say ex lex—not ex-lax, ex lex—outside of the law?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:17
God must obey a law of goodness, and this goodness is not separate from Him but is the eternal character of God Himself.
And the biblical concept is this, that there is a law of goodness that even God must obey, and by which God Himself is judged, and that goodness, however, is not something apart from Him, but the ultimate norm for goodness, the standard of goodness itself, is the eternal character of God Himself.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:14
If God is all good and all-powerful, He must also be just, and if man violates that justice, God must act accordingly, otherwise God cannot be considered good.
If God is all good and all-powerful and He is just, and man violates that justice, and God did not visit this planet with affliction and with judgment, then we could say God is not good.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:25
God's judgment will not punish the innocent alongside the guilty.
Will not the judge of all the earth do what is right? Far be it from Him ever to punish the innocent with the guilty.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:55
Imitating Jesus' actions in every detail can lead to a legalism that undermines the purpose of His ministry.
And so if we imitate and copy Jesus in everything that we do, we could end up in a kind of legalism that would in fact deny the whole purpose of His ministry.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:54
Jewish law, as evidenced in Exodus 21, protected the unborn child and considered it extremely valuable, though this does not necessarily prove it was given the same value as a human life.
The very minimum we get out of Exodus 21 is that the unborn child in Israel was protected by Jewish law and was considered to be extremely valuable.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:59
The current law of the United States does not adequately address the origin of human life and is often contradictory.
In my judgment, the current law of the United States does not adequately answer the question at all of the origin of human life. For the most part it is agnostic, and in some senses, even contradictory.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:22
The legal concept of viability is problematic because it is an arbitrary, sliding point rather than a fixed point.
But the problem with viability, ladies and gentlemen, is that it tends to be arbitrary because it's a sliding point. It's not a fixed point in this continuum between conception and birth.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 27:44
The Constitution guarantees both the free exercise of religion and the right of a person not to be involved in any religious expression.
The Constitution on the one hand absolutely guarantees the free exercise of religion for those who embrace religious teachings and philosophies and yet at the same time the Constitution protects legally the right of a person not to be a Christian, or not to be a Jew, or not to be a Muslim, or not to be involved in any religious expression.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:48
He urges listeners to carefully examine their current positions on the issue, recognizing that most people rarely dissect ethical questions to their deepest core.
I'm going to beg you to examine it and examine it carefully. Because the sad truth, dear friends, is that most of us rarely dissect an ethical question and try to plummet to its very depths so that we can get to the heart of the matter.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 27:27
Luther was a genius in understanding the law of God, surpassing all other Christians since the Apostle Paul.
But I think it's also safe to say that from, since the Apostle Paul, that no Christian in church history was a greater genius in understanding the law of God than Luther.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 41:00
Violating the great commandment is a serious matter before God, which Luther understood deeply.
Luther would look at that and say, "Wait a minute, if God calls this the great commandment, and if the Bible says that on this hangs all of the Law and the Prophets, then to violate it must be a grievous matter before God."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 43:43
The law teaches not only what it affirms but also what it denies, meaning that promoting human life is part of the complex of the law of the sanctity of life.
And the idea that the church has always understood in the teaching of Jesus is that what the law teaches in its affirmation, it also teaches in its denial, it's opposite.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:30
The general law of nations dictates that murder is wrong and that promoting human life is right.
The general consensus of the nations is that it is wrong to murder and it is right to promote human life.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:58
The concept of natural law regarding the sanctity of life pertains to an international conscience, not merely private or national individual consciences.
We're talking about an international conscience, something that comes out of the very wellspring of our common humanity, that we abhor murder.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:02
The fundamental law God gave to creation was the law of reproduction, which is illustrated by the biological process of human reproduction.
Going back to the biblical lesson, let me remind you that the number one, the very first law that God ever gave to His creation was, what -- be fruitful and multiply -- a law of reproduction.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:12
Nature has equipped humans with extravagant means to ensure reproduction, suggesting a profound law of self-preservation.
And so it seems as though Mother Nature or Father God, however you look at it, has so loaded the gun to ensure human reproduction that it has gone to extravagant means to ensure the production of a human life.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:02
The most fundamental and foundational right, according to the law of the United States, is the right to life.
But the most fundamental right according to the law of the United States of America is the right of life and that's the one that we're concerned about in this discussion.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 28:28
The Pharisees were scrupulous in their obedience to God's laws, particularly regarding tithing.
Not only were they tithers, ladies and gentlemen, they were scrupulous in obeying God’s laws for tithing.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:47
Jesus taught that while tithing was a matter of law, it was secondary to justice, mercy, and faith.
But you’ve omitted the weightier matters of the law – justice and mercy and faith.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:11
Abortion is the most severe crime and the most profound ethical issue facing the United States.
I know of no crime more severe than the wholesale slaughter of human beings by abortion. I am convinced, ladies and gentlemen, that this is the most profound ethical issue that has ever touched the soul of the United States of America
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:07
The speaker is ashamed of the American Medical profession because it has begun practicing abortion, which contradicts the principles of the Hippocratic Oath.
Now suddenly a whole profession that took his oath began to practice the art of abortion for hire and the Hippocratic Oath was deleted from the profession. I don’t know how other way to say but to say to you that personally, tragically, I am ashamed of the American Medical profession.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:47
All people, including the speaker and his audience, are guilty because they have broken the laws of God.
All of us have guilt. All of us have broken the laws of God and that's a serious matter.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:56
Jesus, the Judge, will act as the defense attorney for humanity.
That’s the incredible thing, that God has designed the Judge to be our defense attorney.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:07
The God Christians believe in is personal, moral, and ethical, and He actively governs His people through commandments.
But the God we believe in is personal, and the God that we believe in is moral. He is ethical, He is holy, and He gives commandments to His people and He gets exercised about whether we obey those commandments.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:28
The law mandates that harming a human being is considered an assault against God, because every human being bears the image of God.
The person who raises his hand to slay a human being is making an assault, not just on a fellow human, but it’s making an assault against God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:12
The command to sacrifice Isaac is presented as being in radical conflict with the moral law of God.
He said, "Okay Abraham, here's what I want you to do. I want you to take your son and take him to Mount Moriah, an offering as a burnt sacrifice. I want you to take your son and kill him as a test of your obedience to Me." This is utterly unthinkable. It's a commandment that is contrary to, in radical conflict with the very moral law of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:08
God does not forbid sex entirely, but rather regulates it, defining when it is appropriate and when it is destructive.
And so God is not saying that sex is wrong. He creates it. He ordains it, but He regulates it. He says, "In this circumstance it's not good. I don't allow it here. It's destructive. In this circumstance it's beautiful. It's expressive. It's part of what I have made for your enjoyment."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:03
The prohibition against premarital sexual intercourse originates from God's law, not from human institutions or authorities.
The prohibition against premarital sexual intercourse was not invented by Jonathan Edwards, or by Queen Victoria. It was God who said no, and you have offended God. You have transgressed His law.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:46
The moral law comes directly from God, not from secular or religious human sources.
The law does not come from the psychiatrists. It does not come from the ministers. It does not come from the counselors. It comes from God, and God said no, and you did it anyway.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:23
To live an authentic Christian life, one must study the Bible.
So if you want to discover an authentic Christian lifestyle, you study the Bible.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:42
When a nation fails to consider purpose, its laws and moral standards become confused and dangerous.
It's when a nation abandons teleology that its laws become confused to the extent that it's a federal crime to destroy the eggs of fish while the embryos of human beings can be slaughtered because people aren't asking, "Why?"
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 27:52
The call to be childlike is a requirement for entering the Kingdom of God.
Unless you become as this child, you won't even enter the Kingdom of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:23
The Bible emphasizes the bondage of the human heart to evil passions, rather than focusing on the concept of human free will.
The concept's there in terms of human responsibility, yes, but the emphasis of the Bible is on the bondage of the human heart. It's captive to evil passions, it's not useless passion. Sinful passion is what defines humanity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:54
Christians are called to submit to God's commandments even when they cannot understand the wisdom behind them.
But when it comes to the commandments of Christ, even when we cannot see the wisdom of what he’s saying, we are called upon to submit as children to our Father who knows the basic needs of His creation.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:34
Adding human traditions or regulations to God's law inevitably results in subtracting from the true focus of God's concerns.
Every time we add to the law of God, beloved, it is inevitably a subtraction. Because instead of putting our attention on those things that God is concerned about to regulate our behavior, we then lose sight of what concerns God and we begin to major in minors.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:29
The most important prohibition Jesus gave to his people in the New Testament is not a list of sins, but rather the command to not be afraid.
And I say no, far and away, number one is don't be afraid, fear not.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:45
The basic function of government legislation is to establish laws that are heavily concerned with morality.
The basic purpose of legislation is to enact laws that are heavily weighted with moral concern.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Government laws are designed to place restraints on individual desires and behaviors.
But the law puts restraints on my desires. It takes away some of my freedom to express myself with the automobile and establishes a limit in terms of what speed I may drive without transgressing a law and making myself culpable to a fine or imprisonment or both.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
When confronted with God's Word, a person must choose between responding justly or unjustly.
How do you respond to the Word of God? Justly or unjustly? Those are the only two options.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Natural laws are not independent forces but rather the ordinary way in which God governs His creation.
We must stop for a minute and realize that what we call natural laws are simply the ordinary way in which God governs His creation.
Source: The Annunciation (Ligonier)
The Bible teaches that if a person refuses to work, they should not eat, though exceptions must be made for those who cannot work.
If a man will not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). That sounds harsh, but Paul was also aware of the other three categories. If a man cannot work then he must eat, and we must make sure that he eats because we are called to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to shelter the homeless.
Source: The Beatitudes (Ligonier)
Moral evil relates to the behavior of moral agents who have the capacity to obey or disobey God's commandments.
Moral evil has to do with the behavior of moral agents, agents whom God has created with the faculty of choosing, who are capable of obeying or disobeying the commandments of their Creator.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Revenge itself is not inherently evil, but rather the assumption of what belongs to God is what constitutes evil.
Revenge is not a bad thing. Revenge is a good thing. If revenge were a bad thing, then not only would it be evil for us to seek revenge, but it would be equally or even more evil for God to seek revenge. But revenge, in and of itself, is not evil.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Judas proposed a deal to the authorities to capture Jesus privately at night, and they offered him thirty pieces of silver.
Judas said: “Let’s make a deal. You want Jesus in a way that you can capture Him privately without spectators being gathered because of His popularity with the crowd. Why don’t we do it at night? Send us a battalion of soldiers. Come out under the darkness. I’ll make sure they recognize the One that they want to capture. This will be the sign: I’ll go up to Him and kiss Him, and then you’ll know He’s your man. Let’s make a deal.” The authorities responded, “How much do you want?” They offered him thirty pieces of silver.
Source: Betrayed (Ligonier)
Believers must never disobey a principle set forth by God for the sake of a custom, tradition, or contemporary community standard.
It is never excusable for a believer, or anyone else for that matter, to disobey a principle set forth by God for the sake of a custom, or a tradition, or a contemporary community standard.
Source: The Birth of John the Baptist (Ligonier)
Christians must not conform to the world's acceptable social mores but must follow a different standard.
However, it is not acceptable in the house of God, and the first thing you have to understand if you’re going to be a Christian is that you cannot be conformed to this world. You must march to the beat of a different drummer.
Source: The Birth of John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The law does not void the significance of faith, but rather establishes it.
No,” Paul says, “we do not make the law null and void.” He says: “Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.”
Source: Boasting Excluded (Ligonier)
Disobeying the law of God by not tithing is considered a sacrilege and a sin.
I have struggled and wondered how it could be that a church as vibrant as Saint Andrew’s could have so many members who don’t tithe, who simply disobey the law of God and are guilty, as the Lord says, of stealing from God and committing what the Bible calls a sacrilege against God.
Source: The Call of Levi (Ligonier)
The Bible states that everyone who believes is justified from all things that the law of Moses could not justify.
Everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Source: Christ and David (Ligonier)
God established a unique relationship with Israel, binding them to Himself at Sinai through the law, which included dietary regulations.
He bound them to Himself at Sinai by the giving of the law, the Ten Commandments, which were the provisions of the special covenant relationship that God entered into with the Jewish people. In addition to that law, God added to the laws governing His holy nation ceremonial rites and responsibilities regarding the great feasts that were to be celebrated, such as the Passover. He also gave the children of Israel a list of dietary regulations that they were obliged to keep at all times.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
The Apostle Paul publicly rebuked Peter after Peter began changing his mind regarding the dietary laws under pressure from the Judaizers.
It got to the point that the Apostle Paul not only disputed with Peter but rebuked him publicly before the brethren.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
The law of God reflects His character, and since God's character is immutable, the laws of the Old Testament cannot be abrogated.
If the law reflects God’s character, and if His character never changes, then how is it possible that the laws of the Old Testament could ever be abrogated?
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
When God abrogates a law, that law is considered abrogated.
If God abrogates a law, dear friends, it is abrogated.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
Theologians distinguish between two types of divine law: natural law and purposive law.
In theology, with respect to the moral law of God, we make a distinction between two kinds of law: God’s natural law and God’s purposive law.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
Natural law refers to universal moral principles of conduct built into the nature of things, such as laws against murder and theft.
Natural law says that there are moral principles of conduct, foundational principles of ethics, that are built into the nature of things and can be found in the jus gentium, the “law of nations.”
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
The Bible teaches that God has planted His law in the conscience of every creature, making it visible not only in scripture but also in nature.
He has planted His law in the conscience of every creature, and His law can be seen not only from the Bible but from nature itself.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
God cannot compromise His own character by abrogating a law that originates from His nature.
For God to abrogate a law that comes out of His own nature, such as the law against idolatry, or to say, “Now, after all this time, it is okay to practice idolatry; you may have other gods before Me,” or for Him to lay aside the first or second commandments, would be compromising His own character.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
God can annul laws for a specific redemptive period without compromising His eternal character.
There are laws God gives in history for a particular redemptive purpose that is not necessarily rooted in His eternal, immutable being. For example, God gave the dietary laws to Israel for a reason for a period of time. When that time was fulfilled, God could annul that law without doing any damage to His own character.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
The declaration of certain foods as unclean by God was not due to their inherent dirtiness, but because God had declared them so for a specific purpose.
The reason some of these foods were declared unclean by God is not because they were intrinsically dirty, but because extrinsically, God had declared that they should not be used.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
Following one's conscience is not a sufficient guide for moral action, as consciences can be distorted or seared.
Our consciences, the Bible tells us, can be seared. Our consciences can be distorted.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
While Christians should be careful that their good deeds are not perceived as evil, they should not go out of their way to cause offense.
But we do not have to throw gasoline on the fire by going out of our way to cause offense to the people who are watching us.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
An infant cannot commit actual sin because they lack the conscious understanding of the law.
The infant in the crib does not know anything about the law of God.
Source: The Doctrine of Imputation (Ligonier)
While the law causes us to tremble, our fear is calmed when we focus on the gospel and what Christ accomplished for us.
Father, we still tremble at the warnings of the law, but our tremblings are put to rest when we look to the gospel, when we look to Jesus for what He has wrought for us by His obedience.
Source: The Doctrine of Imputation (Ligonier)
The fundamental nature of government is legalized force, which is demonstrated by the enactment of laws and the enforcement of consequences.
They enact laws, and when governments enact laws, with those laws come agencies of law enforcement that are authorized to force us to obey or suffer the consequences.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Government is fundamentally legalized force.
Government is legalized force.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The moral law is incapable of saving, justifying, or redeeming a person.
He says, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh”—what the law could not possibly do is what he has been laboring throughout this letter to the Roman Christians, the law cannot save . The law cannot justify . The law cannot redeem .
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
The gospel demonstrates that what the law cannot do, God can achieve.
What the law was unable to do, what the law was incapable of doing, God did. There is the gospel in a nutshell: What the law cannot do, God can do.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
Only God has the power to remove sin, as the law can only expose, define, and impose the burden of sin.
The law exposes your sin. The law defines your sin. The law imposes the burden of the curse upon your sin. But what the law could never accomplish for you is to get rid of sin, to remove it from you. Only God has the power to remove sin.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
Humans are at war with God because they refuse to submit to His law.
We are at war with God because we do not want to be subject to the law of God.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
The carnal mind is inherently hostile toward God because it refuses to submit to God's law.
People will never admit to that, but the carnal mind is at enmity with God. The carnal mind is enmity against God because it is not subject to the law of God.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
Humans often desire to disregard God's law in favor of their own desires and preferences.
Every time we want to do our will, express our appetites, and live out our preferences, right into the wall of the law of God we run every time.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
A life defined by the flesh results in condemnation because the mind is opposed to God's law and the person cannot change.
That is the only possible consequence to a life defined by a mindset of the flesh, where the mind is at war with God, the mind is opposed to the law of God, the person does not want to be ruled by God, and the person is in such bondage that he cannot even begin to change this.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
Humanity is naturally weak and incapable of understanding its own moral failings or its basic enmity toward God.
Context: Prayer (not a direct doctrinal statement)
Father, we have not begun to understand the depth of our moral weakness, our natural inability.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
Paul's discussion of the law encompasses the entirety of God's moral law, not merely the ceremonial or Mosaic law.
I am persuaded that he is talking about the whole of the moral law of God, not just that which was given by Moses, not just that which is found in the ceremonies of the Old Testament, but going all the way back to creation.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
Since death existed before the Mosaic law, sin must have existed previously, implying a moral law predating Moses.
Since death entered into the world with Adam and Eve, and many people after Adam and Eve all died before the law of Moses was ever given, that means sin was in the world before the law of Moses.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
After the fall, the law of God exposed humanity to the judgment and condemnation of God's holiness.
Since the fall, the law of God has exposed us to the judgment and condemnation of the holiness of God.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
Christ took the full weight of the law's curse upon Himself, thereby removing the burden of the law from believers.
But now it is not that the law has been removed and that the law is dead, but that in Christ we have died, and He has taken the full weight of the curse of the law upon Himself so that we no longer have that burden on our back.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
Jesus Christ, as the second Adam, lived a perfect life of obedience to God's law from birth until death.
From the day He was born until the moment He expired on the cross, at no time in that interim did Christ violate the law of God.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
True righteousness is achieved only through genuine obedience to God's law.
The only way anyone can be justified in the sight of God is through real righteousness, and real righteousness is only achieved through real obedience to the law of God.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
Being freed from the law's dominion does not give a license to sin, nor does it mean the law is bad.
I want to be very careful to point out, as Paul will say later, that our being freed from the law’s dominion does not give us a license to sin. We are freed from the dominion of the law, the curse of the law, and are not underneath the burden of the law, but that does not mean that the law is a bad thing or that we are supposed to despise the law.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
Martin Luther was intensely focused on the law, viewing it as a terrifying judge hanging over him.
Luther would look at himself at night and say in his prayers: “God, I didn’t love You with my whole heart today for five minutes. I’ve never committed my entire mind to the discipline of mastering Your Word. I haven’t loved You the way You’ve called me to love You. How can I get relief from Your judgment?”
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
The law serves as a teacher (pedagogue) that points humanity toward the gospel and Christ.
Context: Citing Luther's view.
Then it serves, as Luther said, as the pedagogue that teaches us of the gospel and drives us to Christ.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
The law is necessary for maintaining civil society and provides essential restraints against sin.
The worst of all possible societies are societies marked by anarchy because law, as much as we hate it, still exercises some restraints upon us.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
Even after being freed from the law, it continues to reveal what is pleasing to God.
Finally, we come to the third use of the law, what is called in Latin the tertius usus of the law by Calvin, and it is one of the most important insights of Swiss theology.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
The law serves as a guide for Christians, even though they are no longer under its curse or weight.
You see, the law in its continual revelatory value made it very clear to me that this was something no Christian should ever be involved with. The law served as a guide for me, as it serves as a guide for you.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
Believers are freed from the law's curse and weight, allowing them to serve in the newness of the Spirit rather than the oldness of the letter.
but now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
The law was destructive, putting humanity in bondage and leading to death.
The law was destructive to us. The law put us in bondage and led to death.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
While humans have the right to seek redress for unfair treatment, we must also look to God and acknowledge that God cannot allow us to be treated unfairly by people.
Remember that even if you are treated in a grossly unfair manner by a mortal person, you have the right according to the Word of God to seek redress in those situations—to confront people, to go to the church, and even to go to the law. But on the horizontal plane when we are unfairly treated, we also have to look to heaven, vertically, and say, “Lord, what do You have in mind,” because I can never say that it is unfair of God to allow me to be treated unfairly by people.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
The idea of moral relativism is false, as people who claim it are often the first to judge others' actions.
People in our culture claim to be moral relativists, and the person who says that there is no morality is the first one to scream foul when someone steals his wallet.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
Paul never denied the law of God and always understood the proper relationship between the law and the gospel.
Paul never denied the law of God. He always understood the proper relationship between the law of God and the gospel of God.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
When people defy God's law and the law of nature, God administers just consequences or deserts.
God is saying that when people so act against His law and the law of nature, He visits upon them their just deserts. He gives them what is their due.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
People derive their behavior cues from cultural standards rather than from what God says is acceptable.
People get their cues today for their behavior not from what God says is acceptable to Him but from what the culture says is acceptable.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
For a Jew, the judgment of 'foolish' is not an intellectual judgment, but a moral judgment.
When Paul speaks of hearts that are dark, he uses the word “foolish.” To the Jew, the judgment of “foolish” is not an intellectual judgment; it is a moral judgment.
Source: God’s Wrath (Ligonier)
The true wickedness lies in denying the reality of God, which is a moral failing.
It is the fool who says in his heart, “There is no God.” There, the fool is not just being senseless—although saying there is no God is senseless—but he is being wicked because he is denying what he knows to be true.
Source: God’s Wrath (Ligonier)
Christ is superior to the angels, and this superiority is emphasized when comparing the law mediated by angels to the salvation offered through Christ.
how much more responsible are we to that which has come to us from Christ, who is superior to the angels?
Source: A Great Salvation (Ligonier)
Herodias was determined to have John arrested to prevent him from causing further harm.
So, she labored endlessly for her husband to arrest John the Baptist and keep him in custody where he couldn’t do them any more harm.
Source: Haunted By Guilt (Ligonier)
It is impossible for a person to be justified by the law or by their own works.
It is impossible for a person to be justified by the law or by their own works.
Source: Israel Needs the Gospel (Ligonier)
Paul anticipates the objection that God might be unjust if He chooses people without considering their behavior.
Paul has asked the rhetorical question: “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?”
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Mercy is classified as non-justice, meaning it falls outside the category of justice.
Is mercy inside the circle of justice? No, mercy is non-justice.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God's justice is perfect, even when dealing with evil people, and He does not need to explain His actions to them.
Yes, it is fair. It is perfect justice for God to give an evil person over to evil.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Salvation rests on the free will of the Creator and Redeemer, not on the human will.
It profoundly teaches in the subjunctive clause I have mentioned already that your salvation rests ultimately and eternally on free will, but it is not your free will; it is His. It is the free will of the Creator, the free will of the Redeemer, who, in His sovereign grace, pours His mercy out upon those whom He is pleased to be merciful.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Purpose (Ligonier)
The law of God originates not from arbitrary legislation but flows directly from God's own being.
The law of God is not an arbitrary legislation that God decides to impose upon His creatures. Rather, the law of God flows from His own being.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
The act of picking grain in a field was permissible under the broader principle of gleaning established in the Old Testament.
According to the Deuteronomic law of the Old Testament, it was indeed permissible for passersby to go into a cornfield or grainfield and help themselves to the basic necessities available there.
Source: Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
The Pharisees created excessive traditions and rules, adding over a thousand specifications to their interpretation of the Sabbath law.
In their extreme casuistry, they added over one thousand specifications to their traditions defining what could or could not be done on the Sabbath day.
Source: Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Modern culture often rebels against God's law, particularly regarding sexual purity.
Are the people in our country willing to embrace sexual chastity and purity? Or do we revolt, body and soul, against the prohibition against sexual sin?
Source: Jesus Rejected (Ligonier)
Disobedience to parents is only justified if the parents command something that God forbids or if they forbid something that God commands.
We are never to disobey our parents unless our parents command us to do something God forbids or forbid us from doing something God commands.
Source: Jesus in the Temple (Ligonier)
Pilate acted out of cowardice by yielding to the demands of the crowd rather than doing what he knew was right.
Pilate, in the supreme act of cowardice, acquiesced to the cries of the people and did what the people wanted, not what he knew was the right thing to do.
Source: Jesus on Trial (Ligonier)
The law serves to prepare hearts for the fresh hearing of the gospel.
Context: Quoting the congregation's prayer (or addressing the prayer's content).
Our Father, as we attend to this, Thy Word, we ask that You grant us understanding of it, that You would prepare our hearts through the law for the hearing afresh of the gospel.
Source: The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier)
In classical Lutheran theology, there is significant emphasis placed on both the law and the gospel.
In classical Lutheran theology, there is important emphasis on both law and gospel.
Source: The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The Old Testament law includes more than just the Ten Commandments, encompassing a whole host of laws like the 'holiness code'.
The Ten Commandments were only the foundation of the law. After the Ten Commandments were given, a whole host of laws were added to it that we call the “holiness code.”
Source: The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The act of voting for government largesse for oneself, while legal, is fundamentally a form of theft.
In other words, when they realize that they can ask the government to take somebody else’s property and give it to them. It is legal theft, but it is theft, nevertheless.
Source: John Preaches (Ligonier)
The moral axioms Jesus provided are not moral absolutes, but rather examples of generally good things to observe.
Even at that point, He was not prescribing apodictic law, but casuistic law. In other words, Jesus gave examples of moral axioms that are generally good things to observe, like in Proverbs. They are not moral absolutes.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
Jesus's warning 'Judge not' does not prohibit the ability to discern good from evil or evaluate ethical issues.
Our Lord was not saying to us and to His disciples that we are to do away with discernment between good and evil. It often requires a discerning mind to determine what is the right, ethical thing to do.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
The instruction to give charity and be quick with judgment is simply an elaboration of the golden rule: treating others as we wish to be treated.
When He asks us to be quick with the judgment of charity and to flee from a censorious spirit, He is simply filling out the details of the golden rule—do to others what we would have others do for us.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
It is dangerous to assume the good intent of everyone's behavior, as the Bible teaches that the human heart is deceitfully wicked.
We can’t read the Bible without being clearly made aware that the heart is deceitfully wicked above all things. We do gross and heinous evil, and the machinations of our sins can be so wicked and destructive that they bring harm to multitudes of people.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
The teaching of Jesus emphasizes treating others as one would wish to be treated.
Jesus was not teaching us anything more than to do unto others as we would have others do unto us.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
Attempting to satisfy God's law through self-examination leads to terror and torment.
We never judge ourselves according to the standard of God’s perfection. If we ever did, we would be as tormented as Martin Luther was in the monastery.
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
The passage's main point is that some people will escape while others will not.
However, the point is that one will escape and one will not.
Source: The Kingdom Come (Ligonier)
The Christian life involves a struggle between the law of God (the mind) and the law of sin (the flesh).
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Believers are freed from the law of sin and death by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Godliness is defined by the deepest delight of the soul in the law of the Lord.
In that portrait of the godly man in Psalm 1, his godliness is defined by his delight, by the deepest delight of his soul.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Even after professing faith, the believer continues to struggle between serving God's law with the mind and serving the law of sin with the flesh.
So then,” Paul says, “with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh”—the ongoing power of the sarx —“the law of sin.”
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Obedience to God in small matters is not inherently legalistic, and legalism is a destructive distortion of Christianity.
I do not think that was the case. Obedience to God in small matters is never a matter of legalism. Legalism is one of the most destructive distortions of Christianity that exists.
Source: The Law of Liberty (Ligonier)
Christianity is distorted by two major errors: antinomianism, which ignores law, and legalism, which imposes minor matters as tests of spirituality.
In fact, there are two major distortions that block our sanctification. On the one hand, there is the spirit of antinomianism, which says that we are so free in Christ that we do not have to be concerned about obeying the law of God. Grace has delivered me from God’s law so that I can do as I please with impunity. The other side of that heretical coin is legalism, which seeks to bind us where God has left us free and to impose minor matters as the test of true spirituality.
Source: The Law of Liberty (Ligonier)
The New Testament describes many matters as adiaphorous, meaning they are morally neutral and do not have inherent ethical bearing.
But between those matters of law, there are a host of things that the New Testament describes as being matters adiaphorous . That may be a strange word to you. The word adiaphorous means “that which has no inherent ethical bearing.”
Source: The Law of Liberty (Ligonier)
A Christian should not use their liberty to force another person who has a scruple into violating their own conscience.
I am not to use my liberty to coerce my weaker brother. I am not to try to force someone who has a scruple against something—as uninformed as that scruple may be—into violating his or her own conscience.
Source: The Law of Liberty (Ligonier)
The church must not allow a weaker brother to establish laws for the entire Christian community.
Yet the church must never allow the weaker brother to establish the laws for the whole Christian community.
Source: The Law of Liberty (Ligonier)
The common practice of limiting ethical issues to private choices is illogical and absurd.
She recited the common mantra, “Abortion is a matter between a woman and her doctor.” Now there is an intelligent observation, and I wanted to hear her say next: “And bank robbery should be a matter of choice. It is a matter between the robber and the banker. Homicide should be a matter of choice between the murderer and the victim.”
Source: Legion (Ligonier)
The New Testament does not require that Christians give up all their private property, and the Old Testament law actually protects private property.
Nowhere does the New Testament require that everybody have their goods in common. A friend of mine had this verse in mind when he came to me some years ago and said: “We have a band of brothers here as Christians. Let’s all empty our savings accounts, put it in a pot, and use it for the kingdom.”
Source: Life in the Early Church (Ligonier)
True Christian obedience must be rooted in the law of God and godly spiritual obedience, not in avoiding cultural activities.
It is about obeying the law of God and living lives of godly spiritual obedience to Him. We cheapen this when we say, “We’re nonconformists because we don’t play cards.”
Source: Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
Jesus did not introduce new content when explaining the law or the Great Commandment; rather, he revealed the full intent of the law as originally given.
Jesus didn’t add new content to the Ten Commandments. Rather, He explained the full intent of the law of God as it was originally given. He did the same thing in Luke 6.
Source: Love Your Enemies (Ligonier)
The Great Commandment was an exposition of the original commandment given by God when He stamped His image on every human being.
I’ll go a step further and say that Jesus’ exposition of the Great Commandment indicated that the Great Commandment itself was only an exposition of the original commandment that God gave when He stamped His image on every human being.
Source: Love Your Enemies (Ligonier)
The Bible prohibits usury, which is defined as interest that is excessively burdensome and exploits people in need.
The Bible does not deny the legitimacy of loaning money for interest. What the Bible denies is usury, the kind of interest that is so heavy and burdensome that it exploits the person in need.
Source: Love Your Enemies (Ligonier)
While God is capable of making unjust things just, He reserves the right to vengeance, and humans should not take that role.
God is an avenging God. God promises to make unjust things just. God says: “Vengeance is Mine. I will repay, but vengeance is not yours.”
Source: Love Your Enemies (Ligonier)
Believers are fundamentally called to be submissive to the law of God and to all legitimate authorities.
We are to be, in the main, submissive people, submissive ultimately to the law of God and to every authority He places over us.
Source: Love Your Neighbor (Ligonier)
The Bill of Rights and the Constitution are designed to protect individual rights against the tyranny of the majority.
The private rights of individuals are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to protect against tyranny of the majority.
Source: Love Your Neighbor (Ligonier)
Tithing is a necessary and expected practice that should not be treated as an extraordinary or optional act.
That should not be out of the ordinary.
Source: Lying Donors (Ligonier)
Those who perform the works of the law are justified, while those who are self-seeking and obey unrighteousness face wrath and anguish.
eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
God shows no partiality, and both those who sin without knowing the law and those who sin within the law will face judgment.
For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
The law must first indict humanity of sin so that people are duly persuaded of their need for the gospel.
Before we get to the gospel, the good news of justification by faith alone, we have to be brought before the holy standard of God’s law so that we might be duly persuaded of our need for the gospel.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
For ethics to be meaningful, justice must ultimately prevail.
Justice is absolutely essential, Kant said, for a meaningful ethic.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
Living in constant defiance and rebellion against God's law is an affront to God.
It is an affront to God for us to go along in our lives living in constant defiance and rebellion against His law.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
Both those who have the law and those who do not have the law will perish because they have both defied God.
Those who have the law perish with the law. Those who do not have it perish without it because both of them, Jew and Greek together, have consistently defied God, and they will be judged according to the light that they have been given.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
Christ became a curse to fulfill the law because all who sin are exposed to God's wrath.
He became a curse to fulfill the law of the Old Testament because all who break the law of God—all who sin—are exposed to the curse of God’s wrath.
Source: The Atonement (Ligonier)
Herod Antipas violated Jewish law by divorcing his true wife and marrying his stepbrother’s wife for personal lust.
Herod divorced his wife because he had an affair with his half-brother’s wife, and her name was Herodias. Illegitimately, to satisfy his own lust, he divorced his true wife and married his stepbrother’s wife, which was illegal by Jewish law on two grounds.
Source: The Beheading of John the Baptist (Part 1) (Ligonier)
A vow is unlawful and should not be fulfilled if it requires doing something that God forbids.
Having made it, not only should he not keep the vow, but he must not keep the vow, because he vowed to do something that God forbids. So, the vow Herod Agrippa made was an unlawful vow.
Source: The Beheading of John the Baptist (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The passage in Mark 13 contains both symbolic language and straightforward, literal language.
When you get into this text, you see a mixture of writing. There is some writing that is highly graphic, following the standard literary structure of apocalyptic literature, like the literature found in the books of Revelation, Daniel, and Ezekiel, where these brilliant images are given and used in a symbolic manner. There is no dispute among biblical scholars that Mark 13 contains a significant amount of symbolic language. The problem is that it also contains straightforward, normal, indicative language that we would call literal in the modern sense.
Source: Christ Coming in Glory (Ligonier)
The principles and regulations added by the rabbis to the law of God were passed down orally through the halakhah tradition.
All of the principles and regulations that the rabbis added to the law of God were passed on from generation to generation orally by this tradition.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus never criticized or disobeyed the written law of God in the New Testament.
You will never in the New Testament find the Lord Jesus Christ criticizing or disobeying the written law of God.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was referencing the oral traditions of the rabbis, not the written law.
In the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus said, “You’ve heard it said in days of old,” that “hearing it said” had specific reference not to the Bible, not to the inscribed law of God, but to what was said orally by the rabbis.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The tradition of the elders is a human tradition that has substituted the laws of men for the law of God.
It’s a human tradition, and as a human tradition, it has substituted the laws of men for the law of God.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Adding to God's law inevitably results in a subtraction of true focus.
Here’s the irony: every time we add to the law of God, it is inevitably a subtraction.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Focusing on minor, human regulations distracts from the true righteousness commanded by God's law.
The Pharisees turned the supreme law of God into petty regulations, which obscured the majesty of the law of God.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The Pharisees wrongly focused on minor regulations, thereby obscuring the true majesty and supreme law of God.
They began to major in the minors. The Pharisees turned the supreme law of God into petty regulations, which obscured the majesty of the law of God.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus was not merely an observer of the law, but also the Lawgiver, fulfilling the will of the Father.
He Himself is not just the Law-obeyer, but touching His divine nature, He is the Lawgiver.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Christians must prioritize the Word of God and God's law over human traditions and man-made rules.
When we have people saying, “You ought to do this and that, and you ought not to do this and that; taste not, touch not, handle not,” take the Word of God to your bosom, search the Scriptures and say, “O God, I want to please You, not according to the traditions of men, but according to your law.”
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Christians should seek to follow the Word of God rather than human traditions when determining what is right or wrong.
When we have people saying, “You ought to do this and that, and you ought not to do this and that; taste not, touch not, handle not,” take the Word of God to your bosom, search the Scriptures and say, “O God, I want to please You, not according to the traditions of men, but according to your law.”
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
A specific type of legalism is believing that one can be justified by performing the works of the law.
It is a legalism by which we believe that we can be justified in the presence of God by doing the works of the law.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 2) (Ligonier)
A third type of legalism, called 'loophole-ism,' involves adhering to the letter of the law while ignoring its spirit.
The third most frequent form of legalism that we encounter is the one in view in the text that I just read before you. It’s what I call “loophole-ism.” The legalist is the Philadelphia lawyer, who looks at the law of God and tries to discern a way to get around it.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Loophole-ism is a form of legalism where people attempt to adhere to the letter of the law while undermining its spirit and overall point.
He’ll try somehow to adhere to the letter of the law but trample underfoot the whole point and the spirit of the law.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When poverty results from natural disasters or illness, God's law requires those who are better off to provide care.
These people who were reduced to poverty received the compassion of God and the law of God that those who were better off should make provision for their care.
Source: The Eye of the Needle (Ligonier)
Jewish law required extensive purification rituals for various forms of uncleanness, including touching a dead body or a gravestone.
We know from the Old Testament that for a person to touch a dead body would require that they go through seven days of purification to rid themselves of the uncleanness, the contamination of the touch of death. That principle was expanded among the Jews to include a requirement for cleansing if you touched any of the accouterments of death.
Source: The Gadarene Demoniac (Ligonier)
The Old Testament established rules for purification, which were later expanded by rabbinic traditions.
Not only is the Old Testament filled with rules and regulations to keep a person ceremonially clean, but later rabbinic traditions expanded those rules greatly for the Jewish community.
Source: The Gadarene Demoniac (Ligonier)
The image and name on the coin indicated that Caesar possessed the coin according to Roman law.
Since Caesar’s image was on it, and his name was on it, that indicated his possession according to Roman law. Caesar was the one who owned the coin.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
Using one's vote to compel the government to take property from others is equivalent to theft and is unjust.
Any time you vote for a tax on your neighbor that is not a tax on you, you are stealing from your neighbor.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
The Bible protects personal private property, and Christians should not participate in systems that unjustly take property from others.
The tenth commandment forbids covetousness with respect to private property. We have seen the creation of a politic of envy in our nation, a transfer society where people think nothing of taking property from one group and giving it to another.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
The Golden Rule, as articulated by Rabbi Hillel, is a negative prohibition: do not do to your neighbor what you wouldn't want done to you.
What you see and hear there is the golden rule, though articulated not in positive terms as Jesus did but in terms of a negative prohibition: “Don’t do to your neighbor what you don’t want to have your neighbor do to you.”
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
The woman suffered not only physical illness but also social and religious misery because the Old Testament law considered her unclean.
The Old Testament law also required that somebody in this woman’s condition was considered unclean while the hemorrhage lasted. She could not marry. She could not be part of the worshipping community of Israel. She was as unclean as a leper.
Source: Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
Judas's signal to the arresting officers was not concerned with Jesus' safety, but rather with ensuring the safety of those involved in the arrest.
Rather, his expression to the arresting officers that Jesus be led away safely meant simply that this action be undertaken so those involved in His arrest and seizure would not be at risk.
Source: Jesus' Arrest (Ligonier)
Trusting God is not an optional religious choice but a moral and ethical command for every creature.
Trusting God is the obligation of every creature made in His image. It is a moral and ethical command as well as a spiritual duty, because not to trust God is to impugn the integrity of His Word, His promises, and His character.
Source: Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier)
Jesus Christ has the authority to set aside the ceremonial law for His own redemptive purposes.
It also indicated Jesus is the Lord of the ceremonial law, and that He has the authority to set it aside for His own redemptive processes.
Source: Jesus Heals Many (Ligonier)
When a law enforcement officer is present, their presence supersedes the written law.
We have this written into our laws that when the law enforcement officer is present, his presence supersedes the written law.
Source: Jesus Heals Many (Ligonier)
The trial proceedings violated several established Jewish laws, including the requirement that trials be held during the day and the rules governing capital cases.
The Sanhedrin held the hearing at night, which Jewish law forbade. The hearings could only be held during the day, and the Jewish law prescribed that no trial could be held on either the Sabbath, a feast day, or the eve of a Sabbath or a feast day.
Source: Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Ligonier)
The Sanhedrin violated the Ten Commandments and Jewish law by bearing false witness against Jesus.
While the Sanhedrin had Jesus on trial, they broke the Ten Commandments by bearing false witness against the Son of God. Not only did they themselves bear false witness against Jesus, but they encouraged each other to do that.
Source: Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Ligonier)
The charge of blasphemy against Jesus was not supported by Jewish law because he blessed the name of God, whereas the law required directly cursing the name.
To be guilty of blasphemy, you had to directly curse the name of God. Jesus did not do that. Jesus blessed the name of God. But what they considered blasphemous was His identifying Himself as the Son of God.
Source: Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Ligonier)
The Pharisees and scribes frequently challenged Jesus and his disciples regarding alleged violations of Sabbath law.
And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
The rabbis added prohibitions to the Sabbath that were not found in sacred Scripture, but these traditions became as binding on people's consciences as Scripture itself.
They included many details found nowhere in sacred Scripture, but their tradition became as binding on the people’s consciences as Scripture itself.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that the Sabbath was intended for the benefit of humanity, not that humanity was meant to serve the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Jesus' criticism was directed at the rabbinic tradition for adding restrictions to the law, rather than criticizing the Old Testament law itself.
Rather, He was leveling severe criticism at the rabbinic tradition that added to the law. Where God had left people free, the rabbis had put them in chains.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Sproul argues that the rabbis lacked the authority to legislate Sabbath behavior, which belongs to the Son of Man.
The rabbis don’t have the authority to legislate Sabbath behavior. The rabbis are not lords of the Sabbath, but the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Jesus' principle is that doing good is permissible, regardless of whether it is specifically permitted by religious law on a given day.
Jesus was essentially saying: “That is My principle—not, ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what the rabbis permit?’ but, ‘Is it okay to do good?’ This is a good thing, and good things like this may be done not just six days a week, but seven days a week.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Jesus' teaching, particularly in Matthew's account, defines the permissible grounds for divorce as sexual immorality.
He continues, “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
Source: Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
God considers not only the outward conformity of deeds to His law, but also the motivation originating from the heart.
Before God will consider our deeds to be good deeds, He looks not only on their outward conformity to His law, but He also looks at our hearts.
Source: The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
God's law demands a deeper, internal obedience that goes beyond mere outward actions.
Jesus revealed that the demands of God’s law are far deeper than the mere, simple outward obedience that is spelled out.
Source: The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
Many people, including the rich young ruler and the general public, mistakenly believe they can earn their way into heaven through adherence to the law.
He still harbored the hope within himself that he could earn his way into heaven. Beloved, he’s no different from the vast majority of people in this country today, and from the overwhelming majority of people who are in churches each Sunday morning.
Source: The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
The rich young ruler had a superficial understanding of the good and the law.
He had a superficial understanding of the good. He had a superficial understanding of the law.
Source: The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
While a woman may have a legal right to destroy an unborn child, she does not possess the moral right to do so.
A mother may have the legal right in the United States of America to destroy that unborn child, but where did she ever get the moral right to do it? Where does the Lord God, who is the author, protector, and sustainer of life, grant any woman or man the right to destroy another person?
Source: Mary's Visit to Elizabeth (Ligonier)
Paul teaches that humanity cannot be justified by following the law or performing works.
By the works of the law,” he says, “shall no flesh ever be justified” (Rom. 3:20).
Source: Message from John the Baptist (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Legalism is characterized by taking optional commands and turning them into mandatory requirements, which is detrimental to a healthy Christian life.
They take “you may” and turn it into “you must,” and that is fatal to a healthy Christian life.
Source: New Wineskins (Ligonier)
The Pharisees were the primary proponents of legalism, particularly in teaching that one could earn salvation through good works or adherence to the law.
The Pharisees, who considered themselves the ultimate standard of righteousness, were the fathers of this kind of legalism. The second point of legalism is the idea that you can earn your way into heaven legally by doing good works or obeying the law.
Source: New Wineskins (Ligonier)
The ceremonial and dietary laws of the Old Testament have been set aside, but the moral law of God remains.
The ceremonial law and the dietary laws of the Old Testament have been set aside. The moral law of God has not.
Source: New Wineskins (Ligonier)
Secular culture assumes that all religions are not only equally tolerated under the law, but they are equally valid.
Now, the assumption of the secularist is that all religions are not only equally tolerated under the law, but they are equally valid —or invalid.
Source: No Other Name (Ligonier)
The principle of submission to civil magistrates is a foundational principle taught by Scripture.
Scripture repeatedly teaches us the principle of submission to those in authority.
Source: Obeying God or Man? (Ligonier)
The speaker intends to address the ethical question of whether it is ever legitimate to refuse to obey authorities.
But always the question arises, Is it ever ethically legitimate to refuse to obey authorities over you?
Source: Obeying God or Man? (Ligonier)
It is crucial for Christians to understand what God commands and what God forbids in their daily lives.
That is why it is important for us to understand in our daily lives what God commands and what God forbids.
Source: Obeying God or Man? (Ligonier)
A lawyer in Israel was a professional academic expert on the Law of Moses, covering both religious and state laws.
A lawyer in Israel was a professional academic expert on the Law of Moses, which included not only the laws that governed the religious community but the laws that governed the state.
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
The speaker asserts that both the lawyer and the modern listener have failed to keep the Great Commandment fully since birth.
In that regard, this lawyer was no different from us, because none of us have ever kept the Great Commandment fully from the day we were born.
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
God's law acts as a mirror that forces us to judge ourselves by God's standard, rather than by comparing ourselves to others.
The mirror of God’s law functions as a measuring rod for us. It is a terrible thing to look at, because our tendency is to not judge ourselves by the law of God but to judge ourselves in comparison to the behavior of our friends and neighbors, and we come out thinking highly of ourselves.
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
The lawyer felt under the burden of the law and knew he could not justify himself.
He was under the burden of the law, and he knew he could not justify himself.
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
The Bible supports a form of capitalism that protects private property and ownership, citing the Ten Commandments as evidence.
While there are many different forms of capitalism, the form set forth in sacred Scripture clearly protects the principles of private property and private ownership. The Ten Commandments, at least in two of them, are directly concerned with protecting private ownership, as they prohibit all forms of theft and stealing.
Source: The Parable of the Minas (Ligonier)
Both the acquisition of private property and the practice of capitalism are governed by the law of God, and humans are accountable to God for their stewardship.
We are held accountable to God for our stewardship, and our capitalism is governed by the law of God. Just as private property is protected by the law of God, so the acquisition of that private property is governed by the law of God.
Source: The Parable of the Minas (Ligonier)
Individuals are accountable to God for their stewardship, and their economic life is governed by God's law.
We are held accountable to God for our stewardship, and our capitalism is governed by the law of God. Just as private property is protected by the law of God, so the acquisition of that private property is governed by the law of God.
Source: The Parable of the Minas (Ligonier)
God included a law against coveting in the top ten commandments because it addresses the root causes of human conflict and sin.
Have you ever wondered why God, in His infinite wisdom, would include a law against coveting in the top ten of His commandments? Maybe God knows something about what leads to stealing. Maybe God knows something about what leads to jealousy. Maybe God knows something of what leads to murder and war.
Source: The Parable of the Rich Fool (Ligonier)
Scripture does not provide evidence that Mary Magdalene was a harlot; instead, she is presented as an example of fidelity to Jesus.
However, there is not a scintilla of evidence in Scripture that she was ever a harlot. Instead, she is seen as an outstanding example of fidelity to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
Tithing is a minor, simple matter compared to the weighty matters of the law, and it should be given joyfully.
The tithe is not the weighty matter; it is the lesser matter. It is a little thing. It is a simple thing. It is so easy that any Christian can do it, and the failure to do it, as Malachi said in the Old Testament, God considers as robbery.
Source: The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Ligonier)
In the Old Testament, the practice of sorcery and magic was considered an abomination to God and was subject to the death penalty.
Jews who cast fortunes, who were soothsayers, fortune-tellers, and the like, came under the wrath of God because in the Old Testament, in the law of Moses, the practice of this kind of sorcery and magic was an abomination to God and subject to the death penalty.
Source: Paul at Cyprus (Ligonier)
Paul's actions in this instance were contrary to the gentle, non-confrontational methods often taught.
Clearly, the Apostle had not taken the time to read Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends and Influence People . Nor was he bound by the conventions of the political correctness of his day.
Source: Paul at Cyprus (Ligonier)
According to the Justinian Code in Rome, if a prisoner escaped, the guards were subjected to the same punishment prescribed for the prisoner.
When a prisoner escaped, whatever the punishment was for the prisoner under their care—whether beating, scourging, crucifixion, beheading, whatever it was—if the prisoner escaped, the guards were subjected to the same punishment prescribed for the prisoner.
Source: Peter in Prison (Ligonier)
Moses' role was to teach the law, intercede for the people, and judge their disputes.
Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 1 (Ligonier)
Guilt is determined by actual transgression of God's law, not by emotional feelings.
There is such a thing as real guilt, and it takes place when we disobey the law of God. When we transgress the law of God, we are guilty.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
God legislated in two different ways in the Old Testament, and repealing the moral law would be a denial of His own character.
On the one hand, God gave law that came out of His own character. For Him ever to repeal that law, which we call the moral law, would be to do violence to His own sanctity and holiness. If you look at the moral law of the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, there is nothing that could happen and transpire in human history that would suddenly make it okay for God to say: “All right, now you can have other gods before Me. It is now okay for you to believe in anybody you want.” For God to do that would be to deny His own character.
Source: Peter's Vision (Ligonier)
The dietary laws were temporary and were repealed by Christ because the focus shifted from physical purity to spiritual cleansing through Christ.
The rest of the chapter shows us the reason God repealed the dietary laws: those who were unclean were now being gathered together and made clean by Christ.
Source: Peter's Vision (Ligonier)
The Pharisees were a group of people who were extremely devoted to obeying the law and displaying their righteousness.
The Pharisees were a group of people who separated themselves from the ordinary am ha’aretz , the people of the earth, and singularly devoted themselves to righteousness and obeying the law. They were meticulous and scrupulous in their daily devotion to spiritual duties.
Source: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Ligonier)
Pelagius taught that humans possess the moral ability to obey God's commands without needing divine grace.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
Context: Describing Pelagius's view, not his own.
If God commands you to do something, doesn’t that mean that you have the moral ability to do it? God would never command you to do something that you can’t do.
Source: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Ligonier)
The Jewish authorities attempted to restrict the newly healed man by citing a specific rule that prohibited carrying his bed on the Sabbath.
The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, ‘It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.’
Source: The Pool of Bethesda (Ligonier)
The rabbis' detailed laws regarding Sabbath observance are secondary to the healing command given by God.
The Jews were so caught up in the laws they had added to the law of God that they were more concerned with this man’s disobedience of rabbinic tradition than they were excited about his astonishing healing and relief from suffering.
Source: The Pool of Bethesda (Ligonier)
Both Jewish and Gentile people are equally guilty under the law before God, having jointly repressed the knowledge of God.
Then Paul shows that both Jew and gentile together have jointly repressed this knowledge of God and are equally guilty under the law before God.
Source: Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
No one can be justified in the sight of God through the works of the law.
pointing to the fact that no one can be justified in the sight of God through the works of the law: “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified” (Rom. 3:20).
Source: Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
The law must be observed because it helps people recognize their need for the gospel.
The answer is that if you do not listen to the law, you will never see your need for the gospel.
Source: Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
The law of God is not obsolete for Christians, as evidenced by the practice of including the Ten Commandments in church services.
Why do you suppose that we regularly put the Ten Commandments and their exposition in the bulletin and liturgy? We are reminding people that the law of God is not gone.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
The law of God, through its third use (tertius usus), remains valuable for Christians by showing them what is pleasing and displeasing to God.
The most important contribution Calvin made was the tertius usus or third use of the law, saying that, for the Christian, the law still has the extreme value and benefit of revealing to us what is and is not pleasing to God.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
The Pharisees were legalists because they added traditions to God's law, and they were antinomian because they tried to find loopholes to avoid the law's demands.
They were legalists in that they added principles and traditions to the law of God that were not the law of God. They kept people in chains where God had left them free. That is what legalism does. They were also legalists in thinking they could save themselves through their own righteousness, their own good works, another form of legalism.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Marriage is an institution established and regulated by God, and humans are not free to treat it as they wish.
Where did marriage come from? It came from God. In our marriage ceremonies, we always say that it was instituted by God and regulated by God’s commandments. We are not free to do whatever we want with marriage.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Homosexual marriage is an abomination in God's sight and suggests a failure to adhere to God's law.
The objection will come not only from the state, but also from churches that have already embraced the legitimacy of homosexual marriage, which is an abomination in the sight of God. It presupposes that the law of God has failed and that we can live without it.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
While the law was given through Moses, the doctrines of grace and truth were delivered through Jesus Christ.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Source: The Prologue of John's Gospel (Ligonier)
If one attempts to receive the kingdom of God through the law, it nullifies the central importance of faith.
For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
The law does not bring salvation or justification, but rather the wrath of God.
What the law effects, what the law brings to pass, is not salvation, nor justification, nor forgiveness, but the wrath of God.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
The existence of law is necessary because it defines sin, which is any failure to conform to or transgression of God's law.
Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Sin can also be committed by actively violating or transgressing God's established laws.
there are also what we call “sins of commission,” which the shorter catechism definition refers to when it says that sin involves a “transgression of the law of God.”
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Transgressing God's law exposes a person to God's punitive wrath, distinct from the corrective wrath given to forgiven children.
As soon as we do that, we are justly exposed to God’s punitive wrath, not merely the corrective wrath He gives to His children, whom He loves and has forgiven.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
God's establishment of laws and standards is perfectly rational because He is the sovereign creator and ruler of humanity.
There is nothing more perfectly rational than that a just and holy God should declare His preceptive will for His creatures. There is nothing at all unjust or irrational about such a God imposing standards and obligations upon His creatures.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
God's law is rational and necessary because it reveals what He requires and commands of His creatures.
There is nothing more perfectly rational than that a just and holy God should declare His preceptive will for His creatures. There is nothing at all unjust or irrational about such a God imposing standards and obligations upon His creatures.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Sin is not merely violating an abstract standard, but a personal offense against the one who authored the law.
When we sin, we do not just sin against some abstract norm or some piece of legislation. When we sin, we sin against the One whose law it is. We do violence to Him, to the Author of our very life.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Paul teaches that Abraham is the father of all who are counted righteous before God through faith, not through the law.
Paul labors that we, not just the Jews, are the seed of Abraham, and he labors that we are the seed of Abraham by faith and not by the law.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Love is the fulfillment of the law, meaning that if one truly loves their neighbor, they will not harm them through theft, slander, or jealousy.
If you love your neighbor, you do not harm your neighbor by stealing from him or slandering him, being jealous of him, bearing false witness, or backstabbing.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
Fletcher's concept of situation ethics incorrectly suggests that God's requirements are determined by the situation, reducing all law to the law of love.
Context: Describing the position of Joseph Fletcher.
He was saying that what God requires is determined by the situation. There is only one absolute law, and that is the law of love, which, translated, is to do what love requires in every given situation.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
Fletcher argues that the law of love is the only absolute law, which dictates doing what love requires in every given situation.
There is only one absolute law, and that is the law of love, which, translated, is to do what love requires in every given situation.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
The rule of love requires that one loves God and does what the love of God mandates in every human situation.
The rule of love for every situation is this: Love God and do what the love of God requires in every human situation.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
Violating the law of love is worse than violating specific laws, as love requires that one does not slander, steal, or harm a neighbor.
That kind of behavior violates the specific laws of God, but violates the law of love most of all. I cannot love you and slander you at the same time.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
Justification is a legal declaration made by God, not an act of divine pardon.
When we are justified in the sight of God, that act of justification is not an act of divine pardon. In justification, God does not pardon the sinner.
Source: Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
Justification is the judicial act by which God declares a person to be righteous in His sight.
What happens in justification is not a pardon but an act whereby God declares a person to be just. Justification is that act by which God judicially declares a person to be righteous in His sight.
Source: Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
The primary function of the law is to guide humanity toward the One who possesses the righteousness that we lack.
The whole point of the law is to drive us to the One who possesses righteousness that we do not have.
Source: Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
God legally transfers Christ's righteousness to a sinner when that sinner believes.
But that is only half the transaction. The other half is that God takes Christ’s righteousness and assigns it to you when you believe.
Source: Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
Being called a fool by God is not an assessment of low intelligence, but a moral judgment.
He called them “foolish.” In Jewish categories, the term “fool” does not describe somebody of low intelligence. It is not an intellectual assessment. It is a moral one.
Source: The Road to Emmaus (Ligonier)
The deepest bias of humanity is against God, stemming from a desire for autonomy and a rejection of God's law.
The deepest and most pernicious bias of all human inclination is that bias against our blessed Creator Himself. After Jesus rebuked the men, we are told: “‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself”
Source: The Road to Emmaus (Ligonier)
The law has a revelatory function, making known to us both God's perfection and our own sin.
The law of God, as we pointed out the last time, is that mirror by which we not only see the glory and radiance of God’s perfection but also ourselves, warts and all.
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
Sin is not the law's fault; rather, it is humanity's own fallen corruption.
Paul is saying we need to keep in front of our eyes a clear distinction between the righteousness of the law and the sinfulness of our response to that law. It is not the law that is the culprit; it is our fallen corruption.
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
The revelation of law is the primary instrument the Spirit uses to bring people to the cross.
We will never repent apart from the Spirit convicting us of sin, and the instrument the Spirit uses again and again in church history to bring us to the cross is the revelation of law.
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
Sin was dormant or inactive until the presence of the law awakened it.
What he means is that sin was not active; it was dormant, moribund, asleep, until it was awakened by the presence of the law.
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
Although the law is difficult, its ultimate purpose is to reveal God's holiness, not to be condemned as sin.
He doesn’t say, “Therefore the law is bad,” or, “Therefore the law is wicked,” or, “Therefore the commandment is sin.” God says through Paul, “Therefore the law is holy.”
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
It is never legalism to obey the law of God, because God's law is holy, while attempting to invent laws where God has left us free is legalism.
You know, legalism has many faces. It happens when we invent laws where God has left us free, when we major in minors, and when we obey the letter and destroy the spirit. But you have to understand that it is never legalism to obey the law of God, because God’s law is holy, and what you’re doing is unholy.
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
When Paul says believers are not under the law, he means they are relieved of the burdensome weight of the law, not that they are free to sin.
Rather, he is saying that we are no longer under the law in the sense of being underneath the awesome, weighty, burden of the law.
Source: From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
The law does not mean being under a physical or legal code, but rather being crushed under the weight of guilt and judgment.
Paul essentially says, “But you are not in that condition anymore, being crushed under the weight of the law, being oppressed by the burden of guilt and of judgment from the law. You are now under grace.”
Source: From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
The law is not limited to the Mosaic Law or the Ten Commandments, as God reveals it in nature and human conscience.
God reveals His law in nature and in the conscience of human beings. We cannot just restrict law to the laws of Moses or to the Ten Commandments.
Source: From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
The rabbis attempted to justify God's ability to work on the Sabbath by claiming that because God's domain is infinite, He is exempt from the law prohibiting moving possessions.
God rises above that restriction because He is infinite, and His domain is infinite. So, whatever He does on the Sabbath day always takes place within the confines of His personal domain. That is theological chicanery at its finest.
Source: The Son of the Father (Ligonier)
The Bible states that the Father, not the Father, does not judge anyone, but rather delegates the task of judgment to the Son.
It says the Father does not judge anyone. Why does the Father not judge? Because the Father has delegated the task of judging the world to the Son.
Source: The Son of the Father (Ligonier)
Because Jesus was born under the law, it was necessary for Joseph and Mary to ensure that their firstborn was circumcised.
However, the Scriptures tell us that the Lord Jesus was born under the law, and everything that the law required of Israel was required of Israel’s Redeemer and Champion. So, it was necessary that Joseph and Mary, as devout parents, would make sure that their firstborn was circumcised.
Source: Song of Simeon (Ligonier)
People should know the truth about sin and God's standards, even if they currently do not know it.
Yes, they should know it, but there is hope if they do not know it.
Source: Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
One's standing with God determines whether Christ is merely a judge or a defense attorney for them.
If you are in Christ, you have Christ as your advocate before the Father. If not, you will have Him simply as your judge.
Source: Stephen on Trial (Ligonier)
Vindication means being proven innocent of false and slanderous charges, whether in a legal setting or public opinion.
Vindication means to be shown to be innocent of false and slanderous charges that have been leveled against us, whether in the court of law or in the court of public opinion, where most slanderous charges are brought.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The power of the sword is an idiomatic expression for the power of capital punishment, used to enforce God's law.
That concept, the language of the phrase “the power of the sword” is an idiomatic expression for the power of capital punishment, the power of using a weapon that can bring death to enforce the law of God.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God ordains civil magistrates and gives them the power of the sword to enforce law and justice.
It is seen again in Romans 13, where God both ordains the civil magistrate and gives him the power to be His avenger. When God gives the magistrate the power of the sword, He does not give the power of the sword merely to rattle it. The power of the sword is given to be used to enforce law and justice.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The image of the sword placed as a guard is used throughout Scripture to indicate the authority given to those responsible for enforcing God's law.
That image of the sword placed as a guard is the image used throughout Scripture to indicate the authority carried by those who were given the responsibility of enforcing the law of God.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The principle of capital punishment for first-degree murder is not limited to the legal codes of Old Testament Israel or the jurisprudence of the New Testament, but is rooted in creation.
The point is that the law of capital punishment for murder is not restricted to the law code and civil penalties of Old Testament Israel, nor is it a portion of the jurisprudence of the New Testament, but it is a law that is rooted and grounded in creation.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Christians have a moral obligation to oppose their country when the country's actions are wrong, especially when human lives are being lost.
Christians should never say that. If my country is wrong, I must oppose it, particularly when human blood is being shed.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The nations of the world have defied God's law in ways that require divine intervention.
Our Father and our God, we shudder to think of the ways in which the nations of the world have defied Your law.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The nations are failing to use force when required and are using it inappropriately.
They will not use the sword when they are called to use the sword, and they use the sword where they should never even touch it.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God evaluates an act based both on its outward conformity to His law and on the inward motive, which is the desire to please God.
But when we consider goodness from the perspective in which God considers it, we note that God considers an act both in terms of its outward conformity to His law and in terms of the inward motive, which is that motive that is inclined to be pleasing to God.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Coveting is dangerous because it not only harms others but also damages one's relationship with God.
But what is worse than anything about envy and covetousness is not the violence it does to our neighbor, but what it does to God.
Source: The Team of Barnabas and Saul (Ligonier)
Pilate is presented as an unjust judge who bases his verdicts on expediency rather than justice or regard for God.
Pilate was an unjust judge who gave his verdicts based on expediency. That is the kind of man who appears in this parable.
Source: The Unjust Judge (Ligonier)
God cannot perform unjust actions, and He never has.
God does not do things unjustly.
Source: The Unjust Judge (Ligonier)
The Pharisees instituted traditions and laws that were not required by God in Scripture, which constituted legalism.
This law was not required by God in sacred Scripture, but was a tradition instituted and ruled over by the Pharisees. In other words, it was a law added to the law of God. It was an act of legalism.
Source: Woes to Hypocrites (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that focusing only on external cleanliness while neglecting internal moral purity is foolish.
You Pharisees make the outside of the cup and the dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.
Source: Woes to Hypocrites (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that people who focus excessively on minor religious rules overlook the most important aspects of the law: justice, mercy, and love.
For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, but you overlook the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and the love of God.
Source: Woes to Hypocrites (Ligonier)
Legalism is characterized by people attempting to make personal preferences or traditions into the absolute law of God, which ultimately destroys the essence of the gospel.
Whenever people do that, it is a representation of legalism that destroys the essence of the gospel.
Paul's refusal to perform circumcision was a deliberate act to maintain the integrity of the gospel when the practice was elevated to the status of an absolute law.
But when they tried to make it a law that he circumcise other people, he steadfastly refused to do it, in order to keep the integrity of the gospel intact.
Jesus criticized the Pharisees for adopting human traditions and presenting them as if they were divine laws.
Jesus was very harsh with them because he said that they had taken the traditions of men and passed them off as if they were the laws of God, something we are not permitted to do.
Biblical principles of ethics are highly relevant to the business world, covering practical issues like honesty and honoring contracts.
So biblical principles of ethics have great relevance for the business world. I’m talking about simple things like God telling us it’s wrong to steal. You don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate honesty and respect for private property in the business community.
Source: How should Christian values impact business ethics in the office? (Ligonier Q&A)
A top priority of Christian ethics is treating customers, employees, and personnel with dignity.
Do we treat them with dignity? That is a top priority of Christian ethics, that we treat our customers, our employees, our personnel with dignity.
Source: How should Christian values impact business ethics in the office? (Ligonier Q&A)
After the Fall, humanity loses the moral ability to obey God's commands.
And Augustine said, “No, before the fall we could do it, but after the fall we don’t have the moral ability to do what God commands.”
Source: If “no one seeks for God,” why did Paul call his listeners to seek God? (Ligonier Q&A)
When humans violate God's law, God is grieved, though this does not destroy His eternal happiness.
But when we violate the law of God, I think He is disappointed. I don’t think that destroys His eternal felicity in any way, but He is grieved.
Source: Is God disappointed in our mistakes or disobedience? (Ligonier Q&A)
A Christian has the right to die with dignity and can choose that option without violating any Christian principle.
A Christian has a right to die with dignity and can take that option without violating any Christian principle.
Source: Is it ever permissible for a Christian to refuse medical treatment? (Ligonier Q&A)
The moral law is an expression of God's immutable character, and setting it aside would be a denial of His deity.
The distinction in view here is there are laws that God gives in the Old Testament (and in the New) that are an expression of His own character that is immutable. So that if He set them aside, He would be doing violence to His own character.
Source: What parts of the law are still relevant to us today? (Ligonier Q&A)
The idea that the Old Testament moral law has no relevance for the New Testament Christian is defined as antinomianism.
I remember making a statement years ago that to say that the moral law of the Old Testament has no relevance to the New Testament Christian is antinomianism.
Source: What parts of the law are still relevant to us today? (Ligonier Q&A)
The moral law serves multiple purposes: reflecting sinfulness, revealing God's holiness, pointing to Christ, and restraining evil.
I said at the beginning that I would say yes to all of it, because all the law has its other purpose, the purpose of being the mirror that reflects our sinfulness, that reveals to us the holiness of God. It is the schoolmaster that drives us to Christ.
Source: What parts of the law are still relevant to us today? (Ligonier Q&A)