The Fulfillment of the Law, The Regulative Principle of Worship, and Presbyterian "Quirks"
Weekend Newsletter: March 26, 2022
This Week’s Sermon
Last week, I preached on Matthew 5:17–20, where Jesus insists that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law. I recently wrote about the full requirements of the law in a post about the true nature of legalism:
What’s so interesting about this particular passage, then, is how it sets up the passages that follow. Matthew 5:17–20 is Jesus’ introduction to his teaching on the law in the Sermon on the Mount. It is the first of seven sections (seven == number of perfection/completion), and it’s a critical foundation for everything Jesus will teach in his authoritative exposition of the Ten Commandments.
From the sermon notes:
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus urged his disciples to let their “light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” So far, however, Jesus has not defined precisely what he means by these “good works” that will lead to the glory of the heavenly Father. In this next section, Jesus begins to explain these “good works” in the light of the law. In no uncertain terms, Jesus declares that he has not come to abolish the law, but rather to bring the entailments of the law to their ultimate completion. Indeed, as he will state in the strongest possible terms, Jesus came to fulfill the law.
Here is the full sermon (transcript here):
Recent Posts
Continuing my series on the nature of Presbyterianism, I have two new posts. The first deals with elements, circumstances, and forms of worship, as well as the overarching idea of the Regulative Principle of Worship:
The second post also relates to worship, but in a way that focuses on some “quirks” of Presbyterian piety that other Christian traditions do not always share:
For a brief overview of this post, I wrote a thread on Twitter that you can access here:
Remember—the Lord’s Day is one of God’s greatest blessings to his people. Have a blessed Lord’s Day tomorrow!