Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World: Expounding Christ: Christ and the Law

By Edmund Clowney

We want to preach the law in a gospel context. Galatians and Romans do this.

We need to recognise:
1) The condemnation of the law-Gal 3:13-14
The promise has been fulfilled, it goes out to the Gentiles, and is achieved by faith. Why the law (v19)? It was added because of transgressions until the seed comes. The law bars the way of life because it condemns us because of our sin. The law is not the final revelation of God.

2) We can’t keep the law
The law shoes us that we can’t do it and even increases our trespasses (Rom 5:20). The law stirs the rebellion of sin (Rom 7:7-8). Sin works through the commandment to produce sin. The law brings damnation and the knowledge of sin.

3) The law drives us to Christ- Gal 3:24
The law acts as a tutor to Christ so that we can be justified by faith.

4) The law is renewed in Christ
Christ provides for us the righteousness of God, the complete fulfilment of the law. Christ fulfils the law and renews it by expanding it.

Luke 20:20-26
High priest’s and scholars are in Jesus’ presence trying to trap Him with a question.

The question: Should a person pay taxes to Caesar?

The solutions:
Don’t pay and suffer
Don’t pay and resist
Pay and protest
Pay

Jesus’ answer: Give to Caesar what is Caesars; give to God what is God’s.
Pay taxes to Caesar because the coin has image and name on it. Christ was in the name and image of God giving Himself to God on the cross as a sweet-smelling sacrifice.

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