A bill that would have decriminalized sex work among consenting adults in Colorado was abandoned just hours before it was set to come up for a first vote in the state Capitol this week.
State Sen. Lisa Cutter, a Democrat who represents Jefferson County and one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told Denver7 Tuesday Senate Bill 97 was being pulled from the Senate Judiciary Agenda scheduled for Wednesday because it failed to garner enough votes to make it out of committee.
Why the Bill Failed
According to news sources, the withdrawal comes after weeks of intense pushback from law enforcement, religious leaders, and advocates for trafficking survivors. While proponents framed the bill as a way to increase safety for sex workers, the reality was much darker. As we discussed in our previous post, decriminalization without regulation—essentially a “hands-off” approach by the state, threatened to turn Colorado into a magnet for traffickers by dramatically increasing the demand for prostitution.
As discussed in that post, prostitution is not a victimless crime; it tends to prey upon the vulnerabilities of the hurting and those in desperate situations, and almost always involves abuse and exploitation. For those who believe in the inherent dignity of human beings due to us being created in the image of God, this is an answer to prayer and a testament to the power of people in the community making their voices heard.
Still Much to Be Done
While we celebrate this result, the withdrawal (for now) of this bill does not mean the end of the sex trade or the suffering of those trapped within it. Our church will continue to support organizations like the Anonymous Ways Foundation and other efforts to provide a “way out” for those on the streets.
Colorado lawmakers recently introduced a bill to decriminalize prostitution in our state. Senate Bill 26-097, titled “Decriminalize Adult Commercial Sexual Activity,” is framed as a move toward personal liberty, but if it is passed, it will put people, especially women, at greater risk of sexual exploitation.
Those who are concerned with justice, compassion, and the protection of the vulnerable should be alarmed by this bill, and take steps to oppose it.
Last Sunday, at White Fields Church, we were joined by László (Laci) Németh, founder of the Anonymous Ways Foundation (Névtelen Utak Alapítvány) in Budapest, Hungary. Our church has supported their work for years, and when Laci heard about this bill, he was very concerned, because, as he stated in our service, wherever prostitution has been decriminalized, it has led to an increase in the sexual exploitation of women.
What This Bill Would Do
SB26-097 would effectively legalize the sex trade. However, SB26-097 is a decriminalization bill, which is even more reckless than actual legalization because it removes all penalties without adding any oversight or safety regulations. In addition to decriminalizing prostitution, this bill would:
Allow brothel operations. Permitting the establishment of businesses that profit from the sale of sexual acts.
Normalize exploitation. Treating the sex trade as just another sector of the economy, rather than a system built on the brokenness of the human condition.
Why This is a Problem
The proponents of this bill often frame it as a matter of “empowerment” or “safety” for sex workers. However, theology and history both tell a very different story.
In the book of Genesis, we are introduced to the profound truth that forms the bedrock of Christian ethics: every human being is created in the image of God (Imago Dei). This means that people are not products and bodies are not commodities, because human dignity is intrinsic. We are embodied souls, and therefore what we do with our bodies affects our souls.
The Myth of Increased Safety
The primary argument for decriminalization is that it brings the industry “out of the shadows,” supposedly making it safer for those involved. Yet, global data shows the opposite. In regions where prostitution has been decriminalized or legalized, we don’t see a decrease in violence or exploitation. Instead, we see an explosion in demand.
When legal barriers are removed, the market for that service grows. In the context of the sex trade, more buyers will lead to a need for more “supply.” But where does that supply come from? It doesn’t come from a sudden influx of empowered individuals choosing a career path. It comes from the vulnerable. It comes from women and children (boys and girls) trapped by poverty, addiction, and trauma. It comes immigrants and undocumented or trafficked individuals, in other words: from the very people whom God calls His people to protect. (see: “God’s Heart for the Vulnerable”)
By making it easier to buy sex, the state will be creating an infrastructure for human exploitation. You cannot expand the sex industry without expanding the recruitment of people into it—many of whom are not there by “choice” in any meaningful sense of the word.
The ministries and non-profits providing actual outreach to women and men on the streets (like the ones linked above), tell us that these people are not asking for the state to make their “workplace” more official, they are asking for a way out. They are looking for alternative employment, healing, and restoration of their dignity. By legalizing this industry, the state won’t be helping these women exit; it will be helping to keep them in it.
A Righteous Society
Additionally, God’s people are to be those, who like Jesus: love righteousness and hate wickedness (Hebrews 1:9). Sometimes people claim that “you can’t legislate morality,” but in reality, every law speaks to morality on some level, and criminalizes actions which are immoral or unethical.
If we really believe that God’s ways are best and lead to human flourishing, then we should want all people, created in the image of God, to experience that flourishing. If what the Bible says is true, and sin leads to heartbreak and destruction, then we should not allow laws which allow or encourage people to hurt themselves or others.
What You Can Do
As Christians, we are called to champion righteousness and “defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:9). SB26-097 fails this biblical mandate because it ignores the link between the sex trade and human exploitation.
This bill is currently being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee. It will not be put to a public vote, but will be decided by our state legislators.
Here’s what you can do:
Email Colorado State Representatives, to tell them that you oppose this bill, and ask them not to approve it.
Pray: Pray for our lawmakers, that they would have the wisdom to see the human cost of this legislation. Pray for the women, men, and children currently trapped in the sex trade.
Here in Colorado a piece of legislation—House Bill 25-1312—is moving through the State Legislature under the banner of protecting transgender individuals. However, this bill poses significant risks to parental rights, especially for parents who hold a biblical view of human identity, design, and flourishing.
The bill has already passed the Colorado House of Representatives and is now before the State Senate. If it passes that, it will go to the desk of Governor Polis to be signed into law.
The Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University strongly urges the Colorado Senate to vote ‘No’ on the proposed bill. “HB25-1312 sets a dangerous precedent by punishing those who live out their biblical convictions,” said Greg Schaller, Centennial Institute director.[1]
What the Bill Says
Among other things, HB25-1312:
Directs courts in child custody cases to consider behaviors such as deadnaming (addressing someone using their birth name) or misgendering (referring to someone by their biological pronouns) as forms of “coercive control.”
Prohibits Colorado courts from recognizing laws from other states that restrict access to “gender-affirming care” (hormone treatment and surgery) for minors without parental consent.
Frames a parent’s hesitance or objection to gender transitions as potentially harmful conduct in custody disputes.
What Does This Mean?
1. Loving Parents Could Lose Custody of Their Kids for Holding Biblical Convictions A Christian parent who lovingly urges their child to embrace the gender which aligns with their biological sex, or does not sign off on making irreversible decisions like hormone therapy or surgery, could be accused of “coercive control” for upholding their biblical convictions, and have their children taken away.
2. Parental Disagreement Could Be Treated as Abuse HB25-1312 equates disagreement with harm, if parents do not affirm the child’s new name or identity. These legislators are trying to define what constitutes a child’s “best interest,” taking that decision away from parents – not to mention that they are defining the child’s best interest based on a particular ideology. If someone doesn’t share their ideology, they are deemed to be abusive and not acting in the child’s “best interest.”
3. It Sets a Precedent Against Religious Belief Christians believe biological sex is part of God’s design. To force parents to affirm something that they believe to be untrue puts them in a moral bind: give up their convictions or lose custody of their kids.
Do we still have to pay tithes in the New Testament?
Background: What is a “Tithe”?
The tithe (10% of income) was required by the Law of Moses (Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18:21-24) to be given by Jewish people to support the ministry of the Levites and the Temple.
In addition to the tithe, other offerings were to be paid as well. The people of Israel were to be generous with their giving, both to support the ministry of the Temple, but also to care for the needs of the poor.
Jesus talked about Tithing
Jesus said:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
Matthew 23:23
Jesus’ primary aim was to criticize the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who tithed even off the herbs they grew in their garden, but neglected justice and mercy towards others. But notice, Jesus does say: “These you ought to have done without neglecting the others.”
In other words: Jesus is telling the Scribes and Pharisees that they should tithe! Jesus is saying that tithing is a good thing, and that people should do it!
This alone should be enough to say that tithing is taught in the New Testament, by Jesus himself.
Certainly Christians are required to be giving people, and generous people (see 1 Timothy 6:18).
Christians are encouraged to go above and beyond a Tithe
The most penetrating passage in the New Testament about giving is in 2 Corinthians 8-9. There we read about how the Corinthian Christians, though they were facing severe trials, “their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (2 Corinthians 8:2).
The Corinthians first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to others [through their giving].
Thus, perhaps Christians should aim for 20% in their giving rather than 10%. Why not 30%?
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9
Maybe you’re asking the wrong question!
Many Christians unwittingly ask the question: “What is the LEAST amount that I can give, in order to make God happy/not break God’s rules?” Instead, the New Testament would encourage us to ask the question: “How can I rearrange my life, so that I can be more generous and give more to further the mission of God in the world?”
The tithe is not God’s way of raising money, it’s God’s way of raising kids.
An incredible thing that Paul writes to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 8, is that giving, or tithing “benefits you”! (2 Corinthians 8:10). Giving has a positive transformative effect on the person who gives.
Personally, I tithe because it is a matter of values, and it trains my heart. By making my tithe the first check (or automatic withdrawal) from my account ever month, I am making a clear statement of my priorities and values, which sends a message to my heart that it is more important to invest in the furtherance of God’s Kingdom, and the funding of God’s work in the world, than it is to be able to buy more stuff or do more things for recreation.
Tithing is a “keystone habit,” which means that it shapes the way that you live and affects all other areas of your life, when you make it a priority. In other words, choosing to tithe means that I will not be able to do certain things, which I would have been able to do if I didn’t tithe – and that’s good!
A sacrifice is only a sacrifice if it hurts.
David said, I will not sacrifice to the Lord that which cost me nothing (2 Samuel 24:24) The woman who gave 2 mites, who Jesus pointed out to his disciples: that was a relatively insignificant amount of money to most people, but for her, it hurt!
Worship and sacrifice are very closely related. We all sacrifice for that which we worship. If you want to know what you truly worship, consider the things for which you are willing to sacrifice other things, especially things like time, family, or money.
God is looking for vessels He can pour into, who will then pour back out what He has given them in ways that He desires. If we show ourselves faithful stewards with the little things that God has entrusted to us, he may entrust us with more. Furthermore, God is a God who gives radically and generously; in fact he gave his all for the mission of bringing salvation to the world. To be like him and share his heart necessitates that we be willing to sacrifice for these same ends.
Do Christians Have to Tithe?
The New Testament does not explicitly state that Christians must tithe. However, it is a biblical principle, about which God invites and challenges us to test him! (see Malachi 3:10).
To Create Lines of Differentiation Between the Old and New Testament Risks Creating a False Dichotomy
To create a line of differentiation between the Old Testament and the New Testament risks creating a false dichotomy. There is only one mission and plan that God has been carrying out through the ages. The New Testament does not negate the Old Testament, but fulfills it. Thus, though we are no longer under obligation to keep the Law of Moses, Old Testament principles do not need to be restated in the New Testament to remain valid.
God loves a joyful giver. He doesn’t want people to give out of a sense of coercion or obligation. But this is a principle of which God says: “If you want to live the full life that I have designed for you, if you want to experience joy, then walk in this way,” – ‘the way everlasting’.
The commandments were written by the hand of God and the 4th directs us to keep the Sabbath holy. No one has the authority to set aside or alter any of God’s laws. Please explain with reference to the Bible. I know we are saved by grace and not works and that no one can keep the Ten Commandments but our Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Laws Fall Into Three Categories
The 613 Old Testament laws fall into three different categories, and are treated differently in the New Testament. The three categories are:
Civil Laws
Ceremonial Laws
Moral laws
For the people of Israel, all three types of laws were blended together. Breaking a moral law had civil and ceremonial consequences. But in the New Testament, by the time of Jesus, Israel was no longer a theocratic nation-state, but was an occupied territory ruled by the Roman Empire. As such, they had to follow the laws of Rome, which in some cases contradicted their Jewish law, such as in the case of capital punishment: Roman law forbade the Jews from carrying out capital punishment against those who broke the Old Testament laws. Only the Romans were allowed to carry out capital punishment. This created a conflict for the Jews, much in the same way that Muslims in Western countries struggle with their inability to live by Sharia law.
The Ceremonial Laws, we are told in the Letter to the Hebrews, all foreshadowed and pointed forward to Jesus, and were fulfilled by Him and in Him.
The Moral Laws were fulfilled by Jesus in that He lived a perfect life, free of moral failure. But unlike the civil and ceremonial laws, the moral laws reflect God’s character, and since His character doesn’t change, neither does His moral standard. In fact, whenever Jesus talked about the moral laws of the Old Testament, he either re-affirmed them or intensified them (see Matthew 5:21-48).
In the 10 Commandments, what makes the 4th Commandment unique is that it is the only one which is a ceremonial law.
The Shadows and the Substance
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17
What the Apostle Paul is telling us here is that the Sabbath is an example of something which foreshadows Jesus.
Imagine if you went out of town for an extended trip, and when you came back, your wife came running out to meet you, but rather than embracing you, she threw herself on the ground and started kissing your shadow. That would be strange, since you – the actual substance – are standing right there!
Or imagine if you were sitting on the couch next to your wife, but rather than embracing you, she instead hugged a photograph of you.
This, Paul is saying, is what it is like when we focus on the shadows rather than the substance, now that He (Jesus) has come.
The Principle and The Purpose
As mentioned previously, the Book of Hebrews shows us how all of the ceremonial aspects of Judaism foreshadowed Jesus and were fulfilled in Jesus. Hebrews 3 & 4 address the Sabbath rest.
The essence of what it says in Hebrews 3-4 is that both the Sabbath day rest and the rest of the Promised Land were not ends in themselves, but pointed forward to the true rest of God which is found in Jesus. Thus, the purpose of the Sabbath is to point us to Jesus, in whom we rest from our labors of trying to justify ourselves before God.
However, there still remains the issue of a “Sabbath principle”: the idea that it is wise and good for us to take a break from our work, and set aside a day dedicated to physical rest and Spiritual enrichment.
It is important to note that for Christians, Sunday is not the “Christian Sabbath.” For a discussion of the significance of Christian worship on Sundays, see these articles:
In summary: the message of the New Testament is that what it means to truly honor the Sabbath is to embrace the gospel and enter into the ultimate rest in Jesus, to which the Sabbath points. Jesus and the salvation He came to provide is the fulfillment of the Sabbath, and honoring the Sabbath means embracing that salvation by faith and living in it.
Is morality something that people intuitively know, or is it something we need to be told or instructed about?
Why is it that what is considered moral changes over time in different societies?
Pastor Mike and I discuss these questions in this week’s Sermon Extra video, in which we look at 1 Timothy 1:8-9: “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners”
The book we reference about people who considered murder and lying to not be wrong and treachery to be a virtue is PeaceChild by Don Richardson, which I highly recommend.
We also discuss the question of how much of a Christian’s self-understanding should be determined by the recognition of their sinfulness versus their having been redeemed by Jesus.
Still, someone might ask: “How exactly do you abide in Christ though?
After all, in John 15:9, Jesus told his disciples:
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
But what does that mean? What does it look like on any given Wednesday, for example, for me to abide in the love of Christ?”
Thankfully, Jesus answered that question for us!
In John 15:10, here’s what Jesus said:
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
So, the way to abide in Jesus’ love is to keep his commandments.
This is interesting, because just a few verses later Jesus says:
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:13-15)
This is interesting because it tells us that there is a good and proper motivation for obeying God’s commandments: love for God and a desire to abide in his love.
Obeying God Matters, But It Also Matters Why You Obey God
Obeying God’s commandments matters. Consider what God told King Saul:
Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. (1 Samuel 15:22-23)
But when it comes to obeying God, why you obey God also matters very much. It is possible to obey God for the wrong reasons. If your reason for obeying God is self-justification or self-glorification, you will find yourself in the position of being in opposition to God. As we are told in James 4:6,
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
On the other hand, if you love someone, and you want to express your love for them, if you want to experience the joy of fellowship with them, what do you do? You find out what they like, what they love, what makes them happy and brings them joy, and you do those things!
An Example: My Wife’s Birthday
My wife’s birthday is coming up. Knowing the things that she likes, what if I were to say: “I don’t have to do those things in order to win her love, since she already loves me. Therefore I will do nothing, because I don’t have to earn her love.”
Of course my wife will love me even if I don’t do anything for her birthday. However, because I love her and want to share a great experience with her (since intimacy is created through shared experiences), I want to do something for her that she will like. Thus, in my pursuit of her, in my desire to know her, one of my goals is to discover her likes and dislikes and do things she likes; not to earn her love, but as an expression of my love for her, and as a way of having fellowship with her.
In the same way, we can express love for God and experience fellowship with God by doing the things that we know He likes!
Starting today, every Wednesday we will be dropping a new episode, in which we will be covering some of the topics addressed here on the blog, as well as others topics and interviews with guests about topics relevant to life, culture and the gospel.
Check out Episode 1: The Role of the Law in the Life of the Believer, and follow us on YouTube or Vimeo and Soundcloud.
You can help us spread the word by giving the video a like and sharing it on your social media or sending it directly to some friends.
Here’s the video (email and WordPress subscribers click here):
Thanks to Ocean Babin for all his hard work recording and editing this video, as well as to CryBaby Design for the great background image. We also want to thank Nick Morris Sound Services for making the music for the intro!
For the content mentioned in this video, check out these posts:
One of the criticisms that is sometimes aimed at Christians, is that we “pick and choose” from the Old Testament laws, applying some of them to today, and not others. For example, we agree with the command “You shall not commit adultery”, but we seem to ignore other commands, such as the command not to eat pork and shellfish, or not to wear clothing made of fabrics made up of more than one material (i.e. that poly-cotton blend shirt). Why, someone might ask, do Christians say that the commandments about certain sexual behaviors are still applicable, but they don’t say the same about other commandments, such as executing people for breaking the Sabbath? Aren’t they just arbitrarily picking and choosing according to whatever they deem convenient for them?
The answer is: because we must differentiate between the different types of laws in the Old Testament. To do so isn’t arbitrary at all, in fact it is the only faithful way of handling the Old Testament laws.
John Calvin, the 16th-century reformer, pointed out that the New Testament treated the 613 Old Testament laws in three different ways. There were:
Civil Laws, which governed the nation of Israel, dealing with behaviors and the punishments for crimes.
Ceremonial Laws, about “clean” and “unclean” things, various sacrifices and other ritual practices.
Moral laws, which declared what God deemed right and wrong, such as the 10 Commandments.
For the people of Israel, all three types of laws blended together. Breaking a moral law had civil and ceremonial consequences. Breaking a civil or a ceremonial law was a moral problem. These laws went hand-in-hand because Israel was in a unique place historically, being both a nation and a worshiping community. God was their sovereign, their king, their ruler, not only over their worship, but over their entire civil society. They had no concept of “the separation of church and state.” Since that is the case for us today, our relationship to the Law is obviously different.
This helps us to understand what often seems contradictory about the New Testament view of the Law. The New Testament says that Jesus came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17) and because of what He did in his life, death and resurrection, we are released from the Law (Romans 7:1-6; Galatians 3:25).
Understanding how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law helps us see why we still look to some of the Old Testament laws to instruct and guide us, and “ignore” others.
The Civil Laws were set up to benefit the nation of Israel. However, we are not bound by the civil codes of the Old Testament because there is no longer a theocratic nation-state on earth. We may wisely glean from some of the principles in Israel’s civil laws, such as those regarding public health, caring for the poor, etc. – but in Christ, we have become a “new nation”, the people of God spread out through every tribe, tongue and nation of the Earth, who are subject to the ruling authorities of our respective countries when it comes to civil laws (see Romans 13:1-7)
Things like not eating shellfish, for example, were incredibly thoughtful and merciful commands in the ancient world, for people who did not have refrigeration and did not understand microbes and bacteria. The same is true of pork. As they submitted to these laws without understanding why God had commanded them or what God’s purpose was with them, even if they might have seemed arbitrary to them at the time, the Jewish people benefited from them. There is certainly a lesson for us in that in regard to obeying God’s commands, even when we don’t understand why He has given them.
The Ceremonial Laws illustrate God’s holiness and our unholiness and the inherent problem that we have in approaching God. As the book of Hebrews shows us, the sacrifices were fulfilled in Jesus’ perfect life and death. He is the final sacrifice, who cleanses us inwardly, not only outwardly, and makes us acceptable before God.
The Moral Laws were fulfilled by Jesus in that He lived a perfect life, free of moral failure. Unlike the civil and ceremonial laws, which were bound to particular times and situations, the moral laws show God’s assessment of good and evil, right and wrong. They reflect God’s character, and since His character doesn’t change, neither do His views on morality. In fact, whenever Jesus talked about the moral laws, he either re-affirmed them or intensified them! (see Matthew 5:21-48).
Thus the reason why Christians “pick and choose” from the Old Testament laws is not at all arbitrary, rather it is faithful to understanding the roles and purpose of the different laws, and it is faithful to the teaching of the New Testament.
For Thanksgiving I took my family to California to visit family and friends. We drove out; it’s a 15-16 hour drive each way, but this afforded me the chance to listen to 3 audiobooks.
The first was The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Earlier this year I read A Farewell to Arms and loved it, particularly the ending, and how Hemingway is clearly expressing his own wrestling with faith and belief in God. However, The Sun Also Rises was not like that at all. Besides the detailed account of bull fighting, I didn’t really like the book.
The second book I listened to was The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson, on the topic of the Marrow Controversy, a debate which split the Scottish Presbyterian churches in the 18th Century over the topics of legalism and antinomianism (anti – nomos (law) = against the law).
Ferguson points out that legalism and antinomianism are like cousins who are more related to each other than they are to the gospel. The legalist looks to rules and performance to earn status and favor with God. Clearly this is a wrong and unbiblical view. But the other extreme is antinomianism – a rejection, even antagonism towards the Law, i.e. the moral commandments, rules and obligations which the Bible lays out.
The thinking behind antinomianism is that the Law served one purpose: to show us that we are sinners who need a Savior, and once that work is done, we have no further use for the Law, and we should have nothing to do with it in our lives, beyond historical reference.
It is true that the Law serves to show us that we are sinners who have not lived up to God’s perfect standards, and therefore we need a Savior. Romans and Galatians make this point crystal clear. But is this the only function of the Law in the life of a believer? The answer is: No.
So then what is the role of law in the life of a believer – one who has been set free in Christ – beyond just showing us that we are sinners who need a savior?
1. The Law points us to Christ as the Fulfiller of the Law
The Bible is full of moral principles and injunctions towards things like kindness, compassion, honesty, forgiveness, generosity, humility, etc. The problem is that very often we read these (or teach them) without reference to Christ. Paul writes in Galatians 3:24 “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” The Law shows us that we are sinners who desperately need a Savior. But, we see the perfect fulfillment of the Law in Christ—and only in Him! The Law points us to Christ not only by condemning us for breaking it, but by pointing to Christ who is the fulfillment of it! Jesus said: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)
2. The Law Reveals God’s Character and Shows His Glory
The Law reveals the Glory of God, by showing us His holiness, how He is “other”, different, perfect and good. Where we fall short, He does not.
The Law leads us to reverence and worship of a God who is greater than us. This leads us to a posture of humility before God.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10)
3. God’s Law is a playbook for the redeemed person to use in bringing Him pleasure
We ought not look to God’s moral injunctions as the means by which to garner His love or favor, nor as a way of earning or meriting anything from Him. But for the redeemed person, the Law becomes a playbook in our hands, which tells us what God likes and dislikes – and therefore how we, as people who love God, can bring joy and pleasure to His heart.
I recently taught a class at White Fields’ School of Ministry on the Minor Prophets. The last book, Malachi, talks a lot about obeying God by keeping His law, and specifically talks twice (in only three chapters) about tithing. The question I asked the students was: What is the role of keeping God’s Law, and specifically of tithing, for the New Testament believer?
The answer was that, as people who don’t relate to the Law as a means of earning or meriting anything from God, we approach it as a playbook which instructs us about what God loves and hates, and therefore helps us to respond in love to Him who has poured out His love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit and redeemed us from the pit and set us on a rock in Christ. When we obey His moral instructions and commands, it doesn’t make Him love us more, but it is a way that we can bring Him joy and pleasure.
May we not become antinomian in our view of the Law, but may we see it for the good and glorious thing that it is, and say with the Psalmist: “Oh, how I love your Law!” (Psalm 119)
The second book I listened to was The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson, on the topic of the Marrow Controversy, a debate which split the Scottish Presbyterian churches in the 18th Century over the topics of legalism and antinomianism (anti – nomos (law) = against the law).
Theology for the People 