Law and Gospel in Apostolic preaching vs Today?

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arapahoepark

Puritan Board Professor
I recently came across the view that says since the Law and Gospel is not preached or written about by the Apostles in the way traditional Protestants think, then the distinction is arbitrary.
What are your thoughts? It seems if correct, a conviction of sin and a contrite spirit are not really necessary precursors to faith, especially the trust portion. Wouldn't it also lead to a smuggling in of works in justification?
 
Who said this? Roman Catholicism doesn't distinguish the two. For them Jesus is the legislator of a "New Law" for the merits of works. For what it's worth, it's pretty hard to see Paul's comments in Galatians and Romans contrasting faith and works as contrasting a new law and an old law rather than law and gospel.
 
I recently came across the view that says since the Law and Gospel is not preached or written about by the Apostles in the way traditional Protestants think, then the distinction is arbitrary.
What are your thoughts? It seems if correct, a conviction of sin and a contrite spirit are not really necessary precursors to faith, especially the trust portion. Wouldn't it also lead to a smuggling in of works in justification?

Just based on what you're saying here, there seem to be several ideas baked into this position that would have to be argued. First, it assumes that "the way traditional Protestants think" is accurately described; but we have fairly limited evidence that Biblical scholars are routinely capable of accurate historical theology. Second, it assumes that the apostles didn't write about these things (John 1:17, Gal. 3). Third, it assumes that a theological law/gospel distinction must be arbitrary if it's not verbally reflected in apostolic language; but that's quite a pons asinorum for theological method.

If there is no difference between "you have been saved" and "save yourself" then Christ is dead in vain.
 
Who said this? Roman Catholicism doesn't distinguish the two. For them Jesus is the legislator of a "New Law" for the merits of works. For what it's worth, it's pretty hard to see Paul's comments in Galatians and Romans contrasting faith and works as contrasting a new law and an old law rather than law and gospel.
Let's just say it's someone who clearly isn't Federal Vision or sympathetic to them, quite the opposite in fact.
 
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