Third Use Of Law In John Calvin

In a time of chaos, the words, “God is in control,” can bring peace to believers and non-believers alike. This phrase has found its way to bumper stickers, Hallmark cards, and Facebook post, and in many ways it has become a junk drawer phrase – one that we pull out when we need a comforting cliché. When pandemonium breaks loose and we seem to have lost all control, then it is convenient for God to be in “control.” But what about when things are not? What if things are relatively normal.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom 8:1-2). Paul believes if you are in Christ Jesus, then you will be saved. Because of Jesus ' selflessness, he has freed us from sin and death. God had created the world

has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. Then 2 Corinthians 5:17 continues with “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new”. So, if we have been justified by our faith and now sanctified through the Spirit we are free from Sin, the Law and Spiritual Death. The Holy Spirit allows us to have victory over sin. It allows us to be adopted into the royal family and we can inherit the rights of God. It also, let us know that we will receive more suffering in this Christian life but we have God and Jesus to help us through it because it only makes us stronger. Lastly, the Spirit let us know that we have a secure relationship with God and his love if we continue to have the faith in God. As believer to know all of this we must give God the praise and glory every time we get a chance to thank him, because he does so much for us own our behalf.

Romans 2:14-15, “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse

Paul’s messages to the Corinthians was that the spirit brings life but the letter of the law kills. While Roman law made a significant contribution to our modern culture, their rejection God’s truth and the security of his absolute values would place them on a path to destruction. History shows the vast success

In Romans 1-8 Paul is writing to teach the doctrine of Christ. Although Paul goes into much more depth in these eight chapters, his message ultimately boils down to the following sentence. We have all sinned and deserve death, however, through the redemption and sanctification of Christ we have been saved and should now lead, Christ centered lives of faith.

As was discussed during our first post for the week, Capon (2002) stated, “You judge yourself by taking your stand on the law’s demands rather than on my righteousness which is yours for the believing” (p.368). The Gospel demonstrates that God has provided everything for our salvation including the death of His son. The only thing we need to do is to believe. Kinnaman, S. & Lane, L. (2010) stated, “While other religions teach that something must be done to earn God’s favor and salvation, Christianity teaches that Jesus has already secured our salvation. God reaches out to people in Christ, rather than people reaching out to God” (p.37). It is critical to comprehend that to stand on the law means to try to justify oneself before God on account of our own actions. The truth is, that we cannot follow God’s law to perfection, and can never accomplish what it demands.

Faith alone to achieve salvation has come under much criticism involving its permissibility of sin that contradicts Luther’s

In John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion he spends a great deal of time expounding his doctrine of God's Divine providence in all of creation. He explains not only how God continually governs the laws of nature, but also how God governs man's actions and intentions to bring about His own Divine Will. Calvin believes that God's providence is so encompassing in creation that even a man's own actions, in many ways, are decreed by God. Because of this belief there arises the question, "Does Calvin leave room for the free will of man?"

Much is made of the three “solas” of the Reformation: “Scripture alone,” “Grace alone” and “Faith alone.” I am not convinced even when taken together these three were enough to fuel a movement that has lasted almost half a millennium.

In Romans 7:7-25 we see Paul’s conviction of the law and learning how to live a sanctified life where he claims that the law is not evil but it is present to show sins existence in our life.

​Paul is talking about sin in its truest form. Sin like weeds, takes advantage of good things or things that were intended for good, and perverts them. Within the context of this verse Paul is saying that sin takes the law which is good, righteous, and holy, and uses’ it for its own gain. The words repeated in these verses’ are sin (6), law (6), commandment (5), death/killed (4), alive (3), known (2), holy (2), covet (3). A few of these words are repeated to emphasize the analogies that Paul makes and other general points. Other words that are repeated are the simplest form of the concept that he is trying to convey in English. The repetition of these words doesn’t necessarily reveal anything new, but it shows that

Diagramming James 2:8-11 provided great insights into the message James portrayed. By studying the sentence structure, one can determine that the reader has choices to make regarding their behavior. Outstanding recurring words include law, sin, keep or keeps, breaks or breaking, and you. Bringing to light the theme in James’ message to believers, these words stress that the believers’ behavior is contrary to their belief in Jesus Christ (Smit, 1990). Verses 8 and 9 show opposite outcomes – a person keeps the law and loves others, or they break the law, show favoritism, and sin. Verses 10 and 11 complement 8 and 9, expanding on the individual message found within each verse. Verse 10 relates to 8 as it expands on the outcome of keeping the law,

A major situation confronting Paul during ancient times was trying to make sense of the barriers between Jews and Gentiles. Ultimately, the solution to breaking the barrier comes through Christ alone. Christ died for all humankind not just one kind. This view of Christ as the true solution is also the answer to the oppositions in the book of Romans. Two major oppositions are seen in Romans 8:1-11, between good and evil and spirit and flesh. Paul, who confronts many issues in Rome, cannot resolve these oppositions. Rather, "he proclaims liberation from the existential rupture in human nature, formulated by means of the figures that express opposition between flesh and the spirit, through participation in Christ." Romans 8:1-11 proves that living in the Spirit results in ultimate freedom and everlasting life. This freedom in the Spirit then means that the bondage of the law of sin and death is released.

The law of the spirit frees disciples from sin and death as long as you possess the spirit of Christ to avoid condemnation.