Christ, Ethics and Tragedy: Essays in Honour of Donald MacKinnon Book

Law and gospel are two of the most important themes in Scripture, and a misunderstanding of either one of them, or the relationship they have to one another, can be catastrophic. If one understands the law as something to be upheld in order to obtain a right standing with God, then they are doomed to either feel crushed by any act of disobedience or prideful in their moments of obedience. Legalism and antinomianism (which can be itself a form of legalism) are two major dangers that Christians face. Ernie Reisinger's The Law and the Gospel published by @foundersministries is an excellent introduction to law, gospel, and the relationship between the two.

An aspect of this book that I found really refreshing was Reisinger's perspective toward the law for Christians. He is passionate about the teaching of the law - done in a lawful way (1 Tim 1:8). Reisinger emphasized consistently that the law is no longer our slavemaster. The law is not to be feared or hated. Instead, Christians have been freed to look at the law as a monument to the holiness of God. We are able to stand in awe at the obedience of Christ rather than shrinking back in fear or defensiveness in the light of our failure to obey. We can joyfully submit in our hearts to God's law for our good and His glory.

In general, a feature of Reisinger's work is that little of what he presents in this volume is his own original thought. He draws from some of the great documents and authors of church history like the Westminster Confession of Faith, John Newton and John Calvin among others. Even more than that, he comes back again and again to the important texts of Scripture to consider on the topics of law and gospel.

I would recommend this book to the person who tends, like me, to feel afraid at any mention of the law.

This book was graciously provided to me by @foundersministries