Exodus 20:4-5 - Images and Idols

October 25

Exodus 20:4-5 - “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me."

Message: Images and Idols

Time: Most likely this book was penned by Moses. The book covers a period of approximately eighty years, from shortly before Moses’s birth (c. 1526 BC) to the events that occurred at Mount Sinai in 1446 BC. The Bible's message of redemption appears in Exodus as well: though the children of Israel were enslaved in a foreign land, God miraculously and dramatically delivered them to freedom, provided the Law, established the system of sacrifice, and gave instructions on building of His tabernacle. God began to fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

What the Lord is Saying:

I've always been a little confused by this commandment. I think one reason is it seems on the surface to be closely linked to the first commandment of having no other Gods. Both commandments seem to be linked by worship. We are to worship only God and not other gods and this includes here gods that we might fashion or make to mirror even a likeness of God in our lives. Now, the first commandment is a little more focused on rival gods that are mentioned at times like the scripture I gave from Judges 2:11-15. Many religions of the world hold to a myriad of gods. There are different gods for different needs. I think overall this is what the first commandment is talking about. 

So in this 2nd commandment, it even more clearly speaks of worship in verse 5. God our Lord is a jealous God and only He is to be worshipped. He says that we are not to worship or serve these carved images or idol that we make. The message is clear and simply - only worship God and only worship Him as He is. 

And yet there seem to be many applications of this verse today. What is key is whether the object we are talking about is worshipped. 

One of the concerns I have had over the years is the Catholic church because it appears that people are worshipping Mary or a Saint. I saw this article and it states that this is not happening but rather what is occurring is revering people for their faith in God. This article asks to consider the context or what was occurring at the time of the giving of these commandments. 

October 26

When the Jews were under the bondage of the Egyptians there was a temptation to worship the animal like gods of the    Egyptians. Many of the Egyptian gods were made in the images of jackals, birds and other animals. In the above text God is making an direct condemnation of this practice when he says do not make a graven image of anything in heaven, the earth, under the earth and in the water.

Now I can't personally think of people right now that are tempted to fashion a god from the image of an animal. Some say that the application today of this command is the way in which we worship idols such as money, sex, status. From that standpoint, I think what we tend to do is instead of making God number one, it seems that money, sex, or status is made number one in our lives. In a way I think there is some merit in these objects being considered as idols. People I think do start to define their lives by these idols of money, sex, and status and think that life can only be good when we have these. 

Going back to examining the context of Exodus 20, the article goes on to say that graven images are not bad always, as it is recorded in Exodus 25:17-22 about the figures of cherubs (angelic beings) that were woven into the fabric of the curtain on the tabernacles. The thought being that the figure was an aid in the worship of God. But others argue that this is artwork and is not the same as having a statue of Mary or wearing a Saint Christopher medal around your next with the idea that the medal will keep you from harm. 

It seems like what has occurred over time is we have started with something that originally was not meant to be worshipped, but over time we have been tempted through practice to focus on the object and therefore turn it into an image or idol that we do in fact worship. And this seems to me to be the intent of the commandment that was given. It is to remind us of our tendency as humans to make something more than it was meant to be and turn it into an object that we do in fact worship. 

October 27

Let's face it, we are visual people and God knew this. Again, as I think of these commandments that He gives us, it is because we need to be confronted with these reminders because our tendency is to do the opposite or to do what we are told not to do. As humans, we like images and like to see with our eyes. God knew this and yet God doesn't want us to try to make something in our life that ends up replacing him. Or take his place. 

I must be careful to define God by His Word. Because I know I have at times expressed to people the God I want rather than the God who is. 

Summary: I need to accept God as He is, and be careful of not making something He is not or placing other things in my life as more important than Him. I must guard against this always. Pictures, statues, symbols, art, people are not bad in and of themselves. They can all help point me to Him, but be careful about placing too much emphasis on these things I see. 

Promise: From Tabletalk -- "In light of the second commandment regarding the prohibition of graven images, we should think carefully about the use of images in all of life. Images can be powerful conveyors of truth or error, so let us consider and be discerning about what we set before our eyes and the eyes of our families at all times."

Prayer: O God, I am continually reminded of how I need to be careful. It is so easy to define you according to what I like or what I want you to be. Lord, there are people that have been swept away in this and have ended up worshipping pictures, people, or other gods; help me God to love these people. Help me to not be critical of them but if they speak to me, I want to be ready to defend You. Keep me going back to Your word to defend You and help me to rightly understand Your word. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God. 

Bringing me to Christ

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. Restraint and Guilt - the law is meant to restrain Christians and non-Christians alike; so that others may see Christ. The Law's Revelation of Sin - The Law reveals sin, at times making it more desirable, and show the sin which people commit and the complete standard it expects. The Law and Our Powerlessness - We are powerless over the Law and Sin revealed. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness and the power to resist sin. The Law our Guardian - The law is not a tool of justifying me, but rather it is an instrument to bring me to Christ and show me my need for Him. 

Guiding our Lives

The Guidance of the Law - The Law is a guide in our lives for what pleases God and what it looks like to walk in holiness. The Antinomian Error - We were slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to obedience and righteousness. Judaizing Legalism - The error of Judaizing Legalism is the idea that obedience brings about God's acceptance of us for salvation. The Deadliest Form of Legalism - This legalism is that one would get too focused on external practices instead of focusing on the heart.

The Law is our Guide

The Centrality of Love - Love and the law go hand in hand. We do not belong to God unless we love our neighbor, and we cannot love our neighbor without knowing and doing God‘s law and loving him. Finding Guidance in the Law - God's Word, all if it, is a guide to my life and I am to meditate on it continually. The One and Only God - I seek to trust and love God above all else today. 

Exodus 20:3 - The One and Only God

October 20

Exodus 20:3 - “You shall have no other gods before Me."

Message: The One and Only God

Time: Most likely this book was penned by Moses. The book covers a period of approximately eighty years, from shortly before Moses’s birth (c. 1526 BC) to the events that occurred at Mount Sinai in 1446 BC. The Bible's message of redemption appears in Exodus as well: though the children of Israel were enslaved in a foreign land, God miraculously and dramatically delivered them to freedom, provided the Law, established the system of sacrifice, and gave instructions on building of His tabernacle. God began to fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

What the Lord is Saying: 

The idea of no other gods could be thought of that there are rival gods to our Lord God and God simply rises above them all. However, I think it is more apt to say that since God is omnipresent there are no other gods that are truly God. What we have is pretenders. What we have are people or things that we sometimes think are gods. 

Jeremiah 23:24

“Can a man hide himself in hiding places
So I do not see him?” declares the Lord.
“Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.

Thus, we are directed throughout scripture to worship only God. And we see that God disciplined Israel when they worshipped other Gods. 

Judges 2:11-15

11 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals, 12 and they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 So they forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had spoken and as the Lord had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.

I was speaking to a friend that lives in Kenya and had asked her about her daughter who is 15 and she mentioned that her daughter is not working hard in school and is instead spending much time watching movies and then remarked that because of this she now has ulcers. It was interesting how she so clearly connected these ulcers with her behavior. I have another friend that remarks about this at times when he experiences pain in his life. 

I wonder why in our culture we distant ourselves sometimes from this sort of thinking. But Scripture does paint this picture. And that is that bad things can be the result of His anger against us? 

October 21

So we must focus and look forward to the day when our minds and lives are completely focused on God and loving Him. 

Revelation 7:9-12

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Wayne Watson has a song called "No Other Gods" in which he talks about other gods in his life that he is giving air time to and getting him off track and he can't sleep. Daily I need to renew my mind. 

Summary: It is good to me and my family and life when God is the only that I worship. 

Promise: Tabletalk states -- "We break the first commandment every time we seek our ultimate satisfaction in a source other than God. We keep it whenever we seek to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength."

Prayer: O Father God, you are holy. I am not. But you have transformed me by saving me and making me your Child forever. Each day I have a choice of where I give my allegiance. Lately, stress has been at the forefront. I've been letting my work commitments get the best of me. I still want you to be number one in my life but Lord I need to act like it every moment of every day. Give me your peace. Thank you for good friends and times of fellowship. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to you God forever and ever. Help me God to not get distracted and to keep You at the forefront of my life. I want to have the strength to do things after my work hours. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God. 

Bringing me to Christ

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. Restraint and Guilt - the law is meant to restrain Christians and non-Christians alike; so that others may see Christ. The Law's Revelation of Sin - The Law reveals sin, at times making it more desirable, and show the sin which people commit and the complete standard it expects. The Law and Our Powerlessness - We are powerless over the Law and Sin revealed. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness and the power to resist sin. The Law our Guardian - The law is not a tool of justifying me, but rather it is an instrument to bring me to Christ and show me my need for Him. 

Guiding our Lives

The Guidance of the Law - The Law is a guide in our lives for what pleases God and what it looks like to walk in holiness. The Antinomian Error - We were slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to obedience and righteousness. Judaizing Legalism - The error of Judaizing Legalism is the idea that obedience brings about God's acceptance of us for salvation. The Deadliest Form of Legalism - This legalism is that one would get too focused on external practices instead of focusing on the heart.

The Law is our Guide

The Centrality of Love - Love and the law go hand in hand. We do not belong to God unless we love our neighbor, and we cannot love our neighbor without knowing and doing God‘s law and loving him. Finding Guidance in the Law - God's Word, all if it, is a guide to my life and I am to meditate on it continually. 

Romans 6:15-23 - The Antinomian Error (Version 2)

October 13

Romans 6:15-23

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Message: The Antinomian Error

Time: Paul route to Rome, the city has never visited, from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57. The rights to a church that he believes needed to hear basic Gospel doctrine. The city was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idolatry.

What the Lord is Saying:

I've studied this passage before. This passage covered 4 lessons I did in September 2014 when I studied Romans. Wow, I did 30 lessons that month. A lesson every day? Whoa. Living Under Grace, Slaves to Righteousness, Slavery to Sin and Its Fruit, and the Wages of Sin vs. The Gift of Life.

October 18

The justified person has died to sin and earlier in chapter 6 Paul is asking whether we continue in sin that grace may increase and the answer is emphatically "no" because sin is dead in our life. That is the way we need to view it because that is the way God views it. And then in verse 15 we wonder that since we are no longer under the law, which was also called a curse, can we sin then? The law never meant to save us, but rather guide us and show us we are sinners. And this still is true today. But the thought was that law living meant complete obedience where grace living is complete freedom so maybe breaking the law is not a big deal. 

And then further in this text in verses 16-19 I learn I have shifted to now being a slave of righteousness. The Christian that walks in a life where God has forgiven him completely and cleansed him from all forms of unrighteousness now walks in righteousness and wants righteousness completely, in all forms of their life. Why? Because any act of unrighteousness in my life is an offense to God; any act is embarrassing to me when it is committed. There is no middle ground. I think we wish there was. But I no longer live in non-Christ like ways, but instead shift to all righteous living. 

This is what I remember from studying these passages. 

An Antinomian is a person that views the law as not applicable anymore in a person's life. This is a person that says the moral law is no longer relevant and obedience to the commandments is no longer needed. Therefore, Christians can live however they want. It is a shift. I was speaking to someone the other day and they remarked that the Law of God is simply there as a nice story in the Bible but we only need to emphasize the New Testament or New Covenant living and yet Jesus in the New Covenant remarked that the Law had not disappeared. 

The Law of God has not been set aside. Instead God sent Jesus to be obedient to it. We were incapable of perfect obedience. Thus, the Law remains what it was - showing us we are incapable of following it. I still need this reminder. 

October 19

Exodus 19:5-6 -- 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

2 Corinthians 6:14 - 14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

I John 1:5-7 - 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.


I John 2:4 - Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

I John 3:6 - No one who abides in him keeps on sinning

Summary: I think the point of this lesson today is to remind us that the law of God is still relevant in our life today. It remains a guide to our life. It is not to be dismissed. Commandments are still needed in our life. Each of us should be following God's commands and should desire to follow them -- all of them. A slave to righteousness is how I should live. 

Promise: From Tabletalk -- "People who possess saving faith earnestly desire to obey God’s commandments. They do not seek to do so to merit eternal life; they do so in order to thank God and demonstrate the authenticity of their faith."

Prayer: O God you are holy and true. You have saved me from the penalty of living an unrighteous life. In response, help me to continue to want to live righteously. Lord, sin is still present in me. As you know I stumble still. I get tempted and I give into that sin, not trusting in You and Your ways. I am two-faced - one moment saying I will abide in You and then the next moment lying and seeking my own desires. For my own sake, I need to be different. For your sake, I need to honor You with my life and surrender my entire will to you. I say it again - I don't want to be a partner of lawlessness. Thank you for restoring me and making me clean again. Keep helping me evaluate my life and submitting to you. I need your strength in me. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God. 

Bringing me to Christ

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. Restraint and Guilt - the law is meant to restrain Christians and non-Christians alike; so that others may see Christ. The Law's Revelation of Sin - The Law reveals sin, at times making it more desirable, and show the sin which people commit and the complete standard it expects. The Law and Our Powerlessness - We are powerless over the Law and Sin revealed. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness and the power to resist sin. The Law our Guardian - The law is not a tool of justifying me, but rather it is an instrument to bring me to Christ and show me my need for Him. 

Guiding our Lives

The Guidance of the Law - The Law is a guide in our lives for what pleases God and what it looks like to walk in holiness. The Antinomian Error - We were slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to obedience and righteousness. Judaizing Legalism - The error of Judaizing Legalism is the idea that obedience brings about God's acceptance of us for salvation. The Deadliest Form of Legalism - This legalism is that one would get too focused on external practices instead of focusing on the heart.

The Law is our Guide

The Centrality of Love - Love and the law go hand in hand. We do not belong to God unless we love our neighbor, and we cannot love our neighbor without knowing and doing God‘s law and loving him. Finding Guidance in the Law - God's Word, all if it, is a guide to my life and I am to meditate on it continually. 

Psalm 119:97-104 - Finding Guidance in the Law

Psalm 119:97-104

O How I love your law
It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever mine.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
Because I have observed Your precepts.
I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
I have not turned aside from Your ordinances,
For You Yourself have taught me.
How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
From Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.

Message: Finding Guidance in the Law

Time: Psalms, a collection of lyrical poems, with multiple authors. David wrote 73 Psalms, though for 50 or so the author is unknown. Psalms means songs of praise. The writings span 1,000 years. They encourage us to praise God, illuminate the greatness of God, affirm His faithfulness in times of trouble, and remind us of the absolute centrality of His word. 

What the Lord is Saying:

October 5

Tabletalk records that "God's law is a place to find guidance for what pleases the Lord." The 10 commandments were used to help believers understand what kind of life God expects of His people. 

I have previously learned in this study that the Law primarily is a tool God uses to bring me to Christ, showing me what God expects and in turn bring me to Christ who is the only one that fulfills the Law. The temptation is the idea that obedience to God's word brings about salvation. We get too focused often on acts of obedience and can miss the grace of God; we think instead that obedience either completely or at a high level is what God seeks. So once we understand that salvation is not a measure of obedience, we can still see that the Law guides us into what pleases God. Obedience is really about praising God and seeking to please Him, than it being something that will benefit me. Granted, it will benefit me but my motivation should be towards praising God. 

Romans 7:12 - The Law is Holy. The commandment is Holy and Righteous and Good. 

When we love God we love His statutes and commands He has given us.

Psalm 119:97 O how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.

I have been encouraged since a young age to memorize scripture. I remember my mom telling me my dad loved Psalm 1 so I memorized that (and remember lying down, looking at the stars in the backyard with my mom and reciting it). And then put other verses to memory that I still know today - 40  years later. In this practice, I've learned to love God's word as I repeat it again and again.

Psalm 119:98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever mine.

Wisdom comes about through learning and knowing God's word. It anchors me and makes me wise. It 
gives me God's perspective on life. Another reason I should run to it.

October 7

Psalm 119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.

There is a temptation in the Christian's life to possess pride and feel like we are better than others because in the study of God's word it is as if we have found a hidden treasure. But we must resist this and acknowledge God's spirit in us giving us this insight.

Psalm 119:100 I understand more than the aged,
Because I have observed Your precepts.

As I study God's word, I start to see it in action in my daily life -- I observe it. And in this process my understanding of all things of life increases.

Psalm 119:101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.

My goal is to keep God's word. To have it hidden in my heart as I do this and rid evil from my life it opens me up to the good practice of keeping Thy word, following it.

Psalm 119:102 I have not turned aside from Your ordinances,
For You Yourself have taught me.

I am taught scripture by doing scripture by doing scripture. I can't do it if I don't know it. I sit under God's teaching when I make this his ordinances part of my life.

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Like candy, which makes my mouth feel good, God's word is my sweetness. Candy provides often a feeling of a reward and more than I deserve and this is what happens when I get God's word.

October 10

Psalm 119:104 From Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.

As I understand God's word, in turn, I see what is important to God and what glorifies Him and it helps me to hate falsehood. 

------

Thus, his Law needs to be one with my very being. This gives me knowledge of what pleases and displeases Him. Matthew 5:17-20 reminds me that the Law of God remains important; Jesus came to fulfill it. He is the only one that could. The law is meant to be kept.

October 11 

I'm thankful for the Word. I remain not perfect. This manifested itself in me last night when I pursued something not honoring to me, God, or my marriage. I'm taken back to God's word, His law and reminded one that I am week, in capable of meeting His perfect plan, but also in moments of weakness He needs to be my refuge. 

Promise: Love God. Love His Word. Keep His Word. Hate Falsehood. 

Prayer: Lord, your Word is a lamp to my life. Oh How I love your Law as it accompanies me throughout my day, pointing me in the direction I need to go. As I read Your word, it makes me wise and wiser than my enemies. I gain insight and understanding. And then as I observe your words and make them a part of my life my way or the path I walk is not on the path of evil. Your words are sweet to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. From these words I get understanding. O God, remind me of this when I am struggling. I want to hate falsehood more. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

Bringing me to Christ

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. Restraint and Guilt - the law is meant to restrain Christians and non-Christians alike; so that others may see Christ. The Law's Revelation of Sin - The Law reveals sin, at times making it more desirable, and show the sin which people commit and the complete standard it expects. The Law and Our Powerlessness - We are powerless over the Law and Sin revealed. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness and the power to resist sin. The Law our Guardian - The law is not a tool of justifying me, but rather it is an instrument to bring me to Christ and show me my need for Him. 

Guiding our Lives

The Guidance of the Law - The Law is a guide in our lives for what pleases God and what it looks like to walk in holiness. The Antinomian Error - We were slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to obedience and righteousness. Judaizing Legalism - The error of Judaizing Legalism is the idea that obedience brings about God's acceptance of us for salvation. The Deadliest Form of Legalism - This legalism is that one would get too focused on external practices instead of focusing on the heart.

The Law is our Guide

The Centrality of Love - Love and the law go hand in hand. We do not belong to God unless we love our neighbor, and we cannot love our neighbor without knowing and doing God‘s law and loving him.