Category Archives: Bible Study

Redemption and the Law

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Redemption plays an integral part in the work of Christ. One aspect of the redemption of Christ relates to the law. In his important book, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, John Murray offers helpful and necessary qualifications as to what the inspired authors mean when they speak of this. He says, “It does not say that we are redeemed from the law. That would not be an accurate description and the Scripture refrains from such an expression. We are not redeemed from the obligation to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and strength and mind and our neighbor as ourselves” (p. 45). Even as Christians we have an obligation to do—our motives and our ability are transformed by the gospel—but the formula of the covenant of grace is “Live and Do This.” So what does Scripture mean when it relates redemption to the law of God:

  1. Redemption from the Curse of the Law: Civil society teaches us that if you break the law there are certain penalties. If I get pulled over for speeding, I will most likely have a fine. The law of God, which predates any civil laws, is the same. We see this in Genesis 2:17, the one who eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil will surely die. Paul tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written” (Galatians 3:10). It’s this curse, this punishment, this death that Christ has redeemed his own from, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). He has done so to the furthest extent—exhausting the curse so no curse remains for his people.
  2. Redemption from the Ceremonial Law: It is common in Reformed doctrine to distinguish between the moral, ceremonial, and civil laws (for an excellent defense of this three-fold division see Philip Ross, From the Finger of God). There ceremonial laws never once secured salvation for the people of God. Salvation has always been by grace through faith. Paul proves his doctrine of justification by faith alone by appealing to Abraham and David in Romans 4. But through Moses God gave the church certain ordinances and ceremonies that they were to follow, but he did so as children who were under age and under tutors until the appointed time of the Father (see Galatians 4:2). In Christ these ceremonies were fulfilled as he was the substance of the shadow (Colossians 2:17). As Paul says, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Galatians 3:25-26).
  3. Redemption from the Law of Works: “Christ has redeemed us from the necessity of keeping the law as a condition and acceptance to God” (p. 45). Without this redemption we would all need to keep the works of the law to be justified. The first covenant, the covenant of works, was “Do this and live.” Life was only to be had by perfect obedience to the demands of the law. But Christ did what none of us—now fallen in sin—can do, and that’s to keep the law perfectly. He was born under the law to redeem those under the law (Galatians 4:4-5).

Without maintaining these particular nuances we run the danger of going to one extreme or the other. On the one hand we have legalism, which demands obedience for acceptance with God. On the other is antinomianism which says Christians are free from the obligation of the law. Both are dangerous, and both undermine the true gospel of Jesus Christ, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8).

Guidelines for the Profitable Reading of Scripture

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In speaking on the profitable reading of Scripture, Wilhelmus a Brakel offers the following caution:

“A fourth practice, insisting that no text in Scripture can be correctly understood unless viewed in its context, is also to be avoided. Apart from the fact that the context itself is usually obvious, it is generally easy to grasp even for an uneducated but godly reader—easier than some are ready to admit. Where the context is not so readily perceived— one interpreting the context differently from another—it is due to man‟s darkened understanding. A godly person, when reading Scripture in all simplicity and being capable of perceiving its spiritual dimension, will often be more capable of perceiving its spiritual dimension, will often be more capable of understanding the context than others, even though he frequently will not be able to prove his case as would a scholarly person who is in the state of nature. An awareness of the context is not always essential, however, to the correct understanding of a text or a passage. There are thousands of expressions in God‟s Word which, when heard or read individually, have a precise meaning, give full expression to their doctrinal content, and are sufficiently penetrating to stimulate faith, render comfort, and be exhortative in nature. This is illustrated in the following examples, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36); “Ask, and ye shall receive” (Matt 5:3-12). Yes, many of the proverbs of Scripture are presented without an apparent context; whoever would search for a context in such a situation would be guilty of obscuring the matter. This much we state about ascertaining meaning in reading Scripture.

One can also read Scripture without engaging in studious research for the meaning of the text. This could be referred to as a practical reading of Scripture. Such is the case when, with a humble, hungry, and submissive spiritual frame, one places himself before the Lord while reading slowly and thoughtfully as if hearing the voice of God, and subjecting himself to the Holy Spirit to operate upon the heart as he reads. If he encounters something which is not immediately understood, he will put such a passage aside for the time being and continue his reading. Whenever there is a passage which has a special power upon the heart, such a person pauses in order that this Scripture might have its effect in the heart. Then he prays, gives thanks, rejoices, and is filled with amazement—all of which revive the soul and stimulate it to obedience. Upon concluding these exercises he will continue reading. After having read a chapter, he will meditate upon it, time permitting. When he encounters a remarkable text, he will mark or memorize it. In such a fashion both the learned and the unlearned should read the Word of God. In so doing, one will understand its spiritual meaning with increasing clarify and God‟s Word will increasingly become more precious to us. “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God” (John 7:17); “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).”

The First Step to Interpreting the Bible

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Ours is a generation of “instant knowledge.” Have a question? Google it. Want an answer? Wikipedia it. Need a venue to discuss? Facebook it. We are people who thrive on instant gratification and this is true when it comes to understanding the Bible. I find it an amazing phenomenon in my own heart how ready I am to render a conclusive judgment on a passage of Scripture, and I have a sneaking suspicion I’m not the only one who does this. We’re so quick to rattle off proof-texts and our own thoughts about what we think the Bible means. Now it’s true that one of the benchmarks of Protestant theology is that the Bible can be clear to the ordinary reader. Nevertheless, the work of interpretation isn’t easy, and it doesn’t come without serious study, work and meditation. Nor does it come by ignoring the Creeds and Confessions of the church and the history of interpretation.

But there is a step more fundamental to the interpretation of Scripture than any of this, and I would add an absolutely necessary starting place. A careful interpreter of the Bible will be one who lives closely to God. I remember a few years ago watching a panel discussion between several pastors. And one of them, whenever he was directly asked a question, would pause—almost to the point of an awkward silence. I don’t know what he was doing in those moments, but I have a hunch he was praying. In his book on hermeneutics Milton Terry wrote:

The expounder of the Holy Scriptures needs to have living fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit. Inasmuch as ‘all Scripture is God-breathed’ and the sacred writers spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, the interpreter of Scripture must be a partaker of the same Holy Spirit. He must, by a profound experience of the soul, attain the saving knowledge of Christ, and in proportion to the depth and fulness of that experience he will know the life and peace of the ‘mind of the Spirit.’ He, then, who would know and explain to others ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven’ must enter into blessed communion and fellowship with the Holy One. He should never cease to pray ‘that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give him the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the full knowledge of him, the eyes of his heart being enlightened for the purpose of knowing what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe.’

What a good thing it would be for us in our private and public thinking and speaking on the Bible to find ourselves, first and foremost, here. A prayer soaked approach to the Bible will yield a harvest of understanding and wisdom.