21 lines
4.4 KiB
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21 lines
4.4 KiB
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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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<div class="head">Day By Day By Grace</div>
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<div class="subhead">Bob Hoekstra</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020">January 19</div></div>
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<div class="main-just"><div class="pad2030"><h2>Law and Grace, Old Covenant and New Covenant</h2>
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<div class="block"><p><i>The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the <b>tablets of the covenant</b>…For <b>the law</b> was given <b>through Moses</b>, <b>but grace</b> and truth came <b>through Jesus Christ</b>…"This cup is the <b>new covenant</b> in My blood."</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Deu',9,11);">Deuteronomy 9:11</a>; <a onClick="return mV('Jhn',1,17);">John 1:17</a>, and <a onClick="return mV('Luk',22,20);">Luke 22:20</a>)</div>
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<p>In our meditations upon <b>law</b> and <b>grace</b>, we have also been considering (though not yet mentioning) the principal characteristics of the <b>Old Covenant</b> and the <b>New Covenant</b>. When the Lord wrote the message of His law upon stone tablets for Moses, He was prescribing the terms of the <b>Old Covenant</b>. <i>"The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the <b>tablets of the covenant</b>."</i> When Jesus came into the world to die on the cross, the Lord was establishing the New Covenant. <i>"This cup is the <b>new covenant</b> in My blood."</i></p><p>These two covenants of law and grace present one of the major contrasting themes in the word of God. <i>"For <b>the law</b> was given <b>through Moses</b>, but <b>grace</b> and truth came <b>through Jesus Christ</b></i>.<i>"</i> Understanding the differences between these two covenants is of utmost importance for living the Christian life as God intends.</p><p>God's <b>law</b> tells us that He desires <b>holiness</b> to characterize the way we live. <b>Only</b> God's <b>grace</b> can <b>provide</b> such godliness in our lives. God's <b>law</b> tells us that He wants Christlike <b>love</b> to permeate our attitudes and relationships. <b>Only</b> God's <b>grace</b> can develop such love in us. God's <b>law</b> tells us that He desires the <b>perfections</b> of the Father to be growing in us. <b>Only</b> God's <b>grace</b> is sufficient to carry out such a process of transformation.</p><p>The <b>law</b> of God is the "<b>what</b>"; the <b>grace</b> of God is the "<b>how</b>". The <b>law</b> of God <b>reveals sin</b>; the <b>grace</b> of God <b>forgives sin</b>. The <b>law</b> of God <b>indicates</b> man's <b>problem</b>; the <b>grace</b> of God <b>provides</b> God's <b>remedy</b>. The <b>law</b> of God demands <b>performance</b> by <b>man</b>; the <b>grace</b> of God offers <b>provision</b> from <b>God</b>. The <b>law</b> of God is the <b>standard</b>; the <b>grace</b> of God is the <b>means</b>. The <b>law</b> of God is the spiritual <b>measuring rod</b> that <b>evaluates</b> lives; the <b>grace</b> of God is the <b>nurturing resource</b> that <b>produces</b> spiritual life. The <b>law</b> of God <b>tells</b> us of the <b>character</b> of God; the <b>grace</b> of God <b>reproduces</b> that <b>character</b> in us. The <b>law</b> of God is the <b>effect</b> God wants to <b>see</b>; the <b>grace</b> of God is the <b>cause</b> that <b>brings forth</b> that effect.</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">Lord God of truth, help me to rightly divide Your truth. Enlighten my spiritual understanding that I might increasingly grasp the differences between law and grace. Show me the full implications of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Your word impresses me with the enormous significance of these issues. Thank You for Your patience concerning my negligence or confusion on these matters. O Lord, I earnestly desire to live a righteous and holy life. Teach me the path of humble dependence upon Your glorious grace, through Jesus, my Lord and my life, Amen.</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020"><a href="./devotions/daybyday/01/0118.html">Yesterday's Reading</a>
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<a href="./devotions/daybyday/01/0120.html">Tomorrow's Reading</a>
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