I saw these two posters not a foot apart in a subway station the other day. They are as stark a representation as any of the two words we hear in life: Law and Gospel (or: Requirement and Love).
The Law is the tagline of Extraordinary Measures: “Don’t hope for a miracle. Make one.” In other words, you are on your own. Your salvation, however you define that word, is up to you. Don’t hope, for there is nothing to hope in. Make your salvation, and if you fail…when you fail…you will have no one to turn to.
The Law is devoid of hope.
The Gospel is an answer to a plea like this one: “Deliver us.” The Gospel is God’s answer: “I have.” When we forget that miracles happen, when we believe that we must make our own, failure delivers a crushing blow.
The Gospel abounds in hope.
We can say, “Deliver us,” and hope…and know…that God has done it.
I need hope. I have been crushed under the weight of the expectation that I create my own miracles. I have tried. I have failed. I have called out to someone, “Deliver me.” He has done it.
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COMMENTS
2 responses to “Mockingbird at the Movies: Hope, Deliverance, and a Shotgun”
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"Law and Gospel" <> "requirement and love".
Gospel <> love, even though Gospel does = Love. Context drives the meaning of the word love.
Self discipline/restraint + love = true and god pleasing righteousness on earth, and is the only thing that justifies a man here on earth as st James correctly says in James 2:24.
Outward flesh/body righteousness fully excludes all inner, invisible Righteousness, that is to say Christ, as Romans 8 says.
Romans 8 says outer earthly love as actions will die with the earth along with all who seek life in it. Inner Love, The inner invisible Righteousness of Christ, will endure along with all who seek life there.
love is the fulfillment of the law. Love, the God/man Christ, fulfilled the Law because we can not.
Martin Luther , commentary to Galatians( I paraphrase):
Jesus, the incarnation of Love, and who is God, Who IS Love, comes in two way, law and gospel:
Christ as Savior, and Christ as Example.
We need christ as savior (gospel). Once we have him as our savior, we should not leave christ as example (law) behind.
love here on earth needs no faith to be done. It has nothing to do with the Gospel.
I need to add here in all love and charity that I resonated deeply with what was written here. It is a great article. I just wanted to point out the previous point as an act of love is all. It can matter deeply in how one understands what the Holy Gospel is and what it is not. Gospel=Love/Christ Incarnate. That capital L Love that is merely another name for God and Jesus. alone. small l love is about what we do for others.