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Law-Gospel or Gospel-Law?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2009

Joseph H. Deibert
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Extract

It is traditional in large sectors of the christian church to separate the word of god into law and gospel. The law is that part of the word which tells man what god wishes him to do. The gospel is that part of the word which tells man what god has done for him. The lutheran confessions insist, and i believe correctly, that one of the chief requisites of a theologian is the ability rightly to divide the word into its components of law and gospel and rightly to use them. one of the problems which arises in this connexion is which should take chronological order in the proclaiming of the word. it is usual to say that the law should be proclaimed first in order to convince man that he is a sinner and that then the gospel is to be proclaimed so that he may not despair of his sin but, on the contrary, be comforted by the message that the lord is gracious to repentant sinners and saves them. The purpose of this paper is to question the efficacy of this procedure.

Type
Research Article
Information
Scottish Journal of Theology , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , September 1962 , pp. 225 - 234
Copyright
Copyright © Scottish Journal of Theology Ltd 1962

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References

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