FROM THE PASTOR
Christians believe the Bible is God’s word.
I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. So do you if you have a bible. Two main teachings in the Bible; they are the Law and the Gospel. One is a message full of bad news, the other message is undiluted good news. The Law tells us of all those scriptures on how we ought to live; you know the ones like, be perfect for your Heavenly Father is perfect! And You shall be Holy for I the Lord your God am Holy! Now in one sense, being told how to live a good life is not necessarily bad news in itself. However, however, not one of us have lived the perfect life! Not one of us have lived a life as God would have us – and this is certainly bad news – we have done those things which we ought not to have done, and we’ve left undone those things which we ought to have done. So God’s law condemns. Yes, condemns. God says, “the wages of sin is death”. That’s pretty serious! That’s news we do not like to hear, let alone admit. Bad news is exactly that – so “Oops! My Bad!” cannot get any badder!
But the good news is better than good. The gospel reveals God’s limitless and unconditional love for lost sinners which lead God in sending his Son, Jesus to our rescue: “For God so Loved...” (John 3:16). The Bible tells us Jesus lived his life in our place and left nothing undone for us. With his death, Jesus paid the awful price for our misdeeds. Through faith Jesus gives us life instead of death; that’s the good news of the gospel and the Bible’s central message.
Law and gospel. Sin and grace. Bad news and good news. These are all different ways of saying the same thing. The Law is the teaching of the Bible in which God tells us what kind of people we are to be, to do, and what not to do. Right throughout our lives we are to hear God’s law because our sinful self remains in us as long as we live. God’s Law, shows and accuses of how greatly we have sinned, it shows us our need of forgiveness and salvation because we cannot save ourselves, and God’s Law also provides us a guide to live as his children.
The Gospel is the teaching of the Bible which tells us the good news that we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And just like we need to hear God’s Law right throughout our lives, so too, we need to hear the gospel right throughout our lives, so we can grow in faith and live as a child of God. Through the gospel, God’s loving promise comforts us, and assures us that even though we remain a sinner, we are still his child. Through faith in Christ you are a Saint and Holy in God’s sight. God and his word is at work in our lives whenever God speaks to us though his law and gospel. This is good news for all people. It is God’s good news to those who are troubled because of their sins.
To finish this series on Christians believe the Bible is God’s word, I’ll summarise by saying this: the Bible is the written and inspired word of God – for us.
We Pray For:
† Ministry and mission in Sydney through the Lutheran Church and the wider Christian community.
† Congregations in Sydney, that we grow in a clearer understanding of the
ministry and mission that God has planned for us.
† The church, that it may not seek to acquire riches and assets but use the gifts that God has given us for his glory and the extension of his kingdom.
† The people of the church, that they may not seek to accumulate wealth as a form of security, but seek God and the promise he gives through Christ our Lord.
† The government, that it may approach the support of the poor with solutions of healing and not with band-aid decisions.
† Those who are unemployed, that they may find fulfilment and continue to be motivated even in the face of so many knock-backs.
† The owners of businesses that have uncertain futures.
† Those who are homeless, whose income doesn’t allow them to acquire the basics of life.
I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. So do you if you have a bible. Two main teachings in the Bible; they are the Law and the Gospel. One is a message full of bad news, the other message is undiluted good news. The Law tells us of all those scriptures on how we ought to live; you know the ones like, be perfect for your Heavenly Father is perfect! And You shall be Holy for I the Lord your God am Holy! Now in one sense, being told how to live a good life is not necessarily bad news in itself. However, however, not one of us have lived the perfect life! Not one of us have lived a life as God would have us – and this is certainly bad news – we have done those things which we ought not to have done, and we’ve left undone those things which we ought to have done. So God’s law condemns. Yes, condemns. God says, “the wages of sin is death”. That’s pretty serious! That’s news we do not like to hear, let alone admit. Bad news is exactly that – so “Oops! My Bad!” cannot get any badder!
But the good news is better than good. The gospel reveals God’s limitless and unconditional love for lost sinners which lead God in sending his Son, Jesus to our rescue: “For God so Loved...” (John 3:16). The Bible tells us Jesus lived his life in our place and left nothing undone for us. With his death, Jesus paid the awful price for our misdeeds. Through faith Jesus gives us life instead of death; that’s the good news of the gospel and the Bible’s central message.
Law and gospel. Sin and grace. Bad news and good news. These are all different ways of saying the same thing. The Law is the teaching of the Bible in which God tells us what kind of people we are to be, to do, and what not to do. Right throughout our lives we are to hear God’s law because our sinful self remains in us as long as we live. God’s Law, shows and accuses of how greatly we have sinned, it shows us our need of forgiveness and salvation because we cannot save ourselves, and God’s Law also provides us a guide to live as his children.
The Gospel is the teaching of the Bible which tells us the good news that we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And just like we need to hear God’s Law right throughout our lives, so too, we need to hear the gospel right throughout our lives, so we can grow in faith and live as a child of God. Through the gospel, God’s loving promise comforts us, and assures us that even though we remain a sinner, we are still his child. Through faith in Christ you are a Saint and Holy in God’s sight. God and his word is at work in our lives whenever God speaks to us though his law and gospel. This is good news for all people. It is God’s good news to those who are troubled because of their sins.
To finish this series on Christians believe the Bible is God’s word, I’ll summarise by saying this: the Bible is the written and inspired word of God – for us.
We Pray For:
† Ministry and mission in Sydney through the Lutheran Church and the wider Christian community.
† Congregations in Sydney, that we grow in a clearer understanding of the
ministry and mission that God has planned for us.
† The church, that it may not seek to acquire riches and assets but use the gifts that God has given us for his glory and the extension of his kingdom.
† The people of the church, that they may not seek to accumulate wealth as a form of security, but seek God and the promise he gives through Christ our Lord.
† The government, that it may approach the support of the poor with solutions of healing and not with band-aid decisions.
† Those who are unemployed, that they may find fulfilment and continue to be motivated even in the face of so many knock-backs.
† The owners of businesses that have uncertain futures.
† Those who are homeless, whose income doesn’t allow them to acquire the basics of life.