Law and Gospel Distinctions for Ordinary Women

I knew I had to drink more water. My skin was dry, my stomach was queasy, and I had more headaches than usual. I bought a planner with a monthly habit tracker and set a goal of drinking two bottles of water each day. But the boxes on my habit tracker didn’t get checked as frequently as I would have liked. Some days I still had half a bottle of water left to drink as I curled into bed. What went wrong?

 Unfortunately, I believed my planner could change my water-drinking habits. But the planner was never capable of actually changing me, nor was it created to. The planner was a tool to help me build the habit, but ultimately, it is my choice to fill my water bottle each day, keep it nearby, and consistently drink from it.

 As believers, we often give ourselves to things that can’t change us. Too often, we mix up the tender relationship between the law and the gospel. And just like my failed attempt at mastering water intake, when we confuse law and gospel it leads to frustration as well as discouragement.

Continue reading at Well-Watered Women.

In case the idea of law and gospel distinctions is new to you, here are a few resources for you to dig deeper and grow:

• What Is the Gospel? (short video)

• What Is the Gospel? (longer video)

• Gospel-Driven Life by Michael Horton (book)

• Law and Gospel by Theology Gals (podcast) *** I do not agree with everything from Theology Gals, but I have found their episodes on law and gospel to be extremely helpful.