Interpreting Scripture: Heart, Law, and Truth

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I would say that there are two ways to go about answering this question and one is you could gather together and I will I'll gather together some biblical pointers that give guidance to how the law or Biblical teaching in general is to be handled that that that may be what they're asking show me some biblical pointers for how to handle the Bible or the law. [00:43:55]

certain persons by swerving from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere Faith have wandered away into vain discussion Desiring to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they're saying or the things about which they make confident assertions 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. [00:08:49]

so here are some pointers for how to handle the law in that context one don't swerve from a pure heart a good conscience and sincere Faith because there are spiritual and moral preconditions for True handling of God's word number two the prohibitions of the law are not mainly for people whose hearts are right with God and are led by the spirit under the law of love. [00:52:00]

the law is mainly for the Lawless who need to be shown that there's an authority outside of them to which they will give an account 4. a right use of the law Accords with healthy Doctrine which Paul says in verse 11 is in accord with the gospel of the glory of the Blessed God so make the gospel of Christ crucified the Touchstone for the right use of the law. [00:56:00]

Paul says we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be accountable to God for by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight since through the law comes the knowledge of sin. [01:03:19]

through law comes the knowledge of sin it is the law confronts us with our sin it's not the solution to the sin problem it points away from itself to Christ if we read the law rightly we will see that the law points away from the law to Christ here's a third cluster of pointers from Jesus. [01:06:34]

for example in Matthew 5 that the law is misused by the Pharisees because they don't take it deep enough the law says don't kill don't commit adultery but I say to you and I'm getting the real purpose of the law don't get angry and don't lust so there are clues for how you handle the law in Matthew 5. [01:10:22]

Jesus said the problem with that the Pharisees don't know how to read they don't know how to read their Bibles and he quoted Hosea chapter 6 verse 6 I desire mercy and not sacrifice and then he said if you knew what this means you would not have condemned the guilty you wouldn't have used the Old Testament that way. [01:16:20]

there are key interpretive passages in the Old Testament that give guidance for how to rightly handle the law and there are many many more pointers in the Bible to the right handling of the law just one example would be the book of Hebrews oh my almost every page of the book of Hebrews is written to help us understand the limits of the law and the right use of it. [01:20:55]

Jesus has something to say about that person and to that person uh his claim it was was blunt and unsympathetic he said you don't live that way that was his answer to people like that you don't live that way your life shows that you really do live on the basis of your confidence in your interpretation of things yes it does. [01:24:08]

when it's evening you say it'll be fair weather for the sky is red and in the morning it was stormy today for the sky is red and threatening to which Jesus says you know how to interpret the appearance of the sky but you cannot interpret the signs of the times in other words they were saying they could not know how to interpret Jesus and his words and ways. [01:31:05]

but when it comes to their livelihood they trusted their powers of interpretation just fine read in the morning Sailors warning red at night Sailor's Delight and we can tell the one from the other and we'll stick our lives on it we're not going fishing today there's going to be a storm they were Hypocrites they were just plain outright Hypocrites. [01:37:11]

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