The Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments

by Michael Horton

Publisher:

Moody

, 1993

Overview

The Ten Commandments. No other document has done more to shape the values of Western civilization. And yet, God's rules remain no less controversial today than when Moses presented his infamous stone tablets to the nation of Israel. Even now, their role in our courts and schools is under scrutiny and has sparked heated debate. But just as important as this public discussion is a more private question: How well do I live by the Ten Commandments?

To help you answer this question and better understand its public ramifications, author and pastor Michael Horton has written this comprehensive guide to the origin, significance, and social impact of God's rules for mankind. In it he weaves together theological truth and practical application to challenge readers to delve deeper into their understanding of what it means to live lives steeped in the wisdom of the Ten Commandments. With a foreword by distinguished scholar J. I. Packer, this is an insightful book you don't want to miss!

Contents

Top Highlights

“Therefore, ‘law’ does not equal ‘Old Testament,’ while ‘grace’ or ‘gospel’ equals the New Testament. ‘Law’ refers to any command, from Genesis to Revelation. ‘Gospel’ refers to any place in either testament where the promise of salvation by grace alone through faith alone is found. The law tells us what we ought to do, and this leads us to despair of meeting God’s standard. Then the gospel tells us what God has done for us already in Christ, meeting the standard as our substitute and taking our punishment on Himself so that we could be regarded as righteous.” (Page 21)

“Even Christians cannot conform perfectly to this law, and they ought never to approach the law as though they could even come close to its moral excellence. Rather, believers ought to approach the law as the perfect standard God requires as the expression of His moral character and live, not in order to meet God’s requirements (for that is achieved only in Christ), but in order simply to obey God’s requirements. In the former approach, one sets out to earn God’s favor by attaining His own righteousness; in the latter, one sets out to obey a gracious heavenly Father simply because He has already accepted him or her as righteous and holy.” (Pages 32–33)

“Luther and Calvin—who emphasized responsibilities over rights, the latter being the modern obsession. The Bible, particularly the Ten Commandments, calls us to discover our obligations to God and to our neighbor and society. It calls the people of God to their posts in society, not as a special interest group demanding its rights alongside everyone else, but as called-out men and women who have a heavy sense of moral duty—not to save their own souls, for that is by grace apart from works, but to bring glory and honor to that gracious King.” (Page 15)

Product Details

• Title: The Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments
• Author: Michael S. Horton
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 292

About Michael Horton

Michael Horton has taught apologetics and theology at Westminster Seminary California since 1998. In addition to his work at the Seminary, he is the president of White Horse Media, for which he co-hosts the White Horse Inn, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio talk-show exploring issues of Reformation theology in American Christianity. He is also the editor-in-chief of Modern Reformation magazine. Before coming to WSC, Dr. Horton completed a Research Fellowship at Yale University Divinity School.

A member of various societies, including the American Academy of Religion and the Evangelical Theological Society, Dr. Horton is the author/editor of 20 books, including a series of studies in Reformed dogmatics, whose final volume (People and Place: A Covenant Ecclesiology) was published in 2008. In addition to the popular Putting Amazing Back Into Grace, Dr. Horton’s latest books are Covenant and Salvation: Union with Christ, Lord and Servant: A Covenant Christology, and A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship. He has written articles for Modern Reformation, Pro Ecclesia, Christianity Today, The International Journal of Systematic Theology, Touchstone, and Books and Culture. Dr. Horton is a minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America. He has served two churches in Southern California. He resides in Escondido, California, with his wife, Lisa, and their four children.