The Law and The Gospel

Martin Luther said, “Whoever knows well how to distinguish the gospel from the law should give thanks to God and know that he is a real theologian.” Luther’s point is that we must not confuse law and gospel, and that we must understand the one in order to truly grasp the other.

This is a perennial challenge for the church in every age and for the believer every day. In our broader culture today, we are witnessing a moral revolution as God’s law is being rejected and replaced, making it more difficult for those outside of Christianity to understand the good news of the gospel. In our own lives as believers, we often struggle with assurance, wondering how we can rest in the free offer of Christ in the gospel without undermining the motivation to do good works and pursue holiness.

In all of this, we must return to the most basic distinction between law and gospel, which this conference will discuss in five talks:

• Martin Luther and the Law-Gospel Distinction
• John Calvin and the Harmony of the Law and the Gospel
• The Puritans: Clarifying the Gospel and Interpreting God’s Law
• A Noble Aim (1 Timothy 1:1-11)
• A Faithful Saying (1 Timothy 1:12-20)

These talks will unpack some basic tools such as the difference between natural law and positive law, the threefold division of God’s law, and the three uses of the law, in order to help Christians better understand the goodness of God’s law and therefore the precious treasure that is the gospel.

Lunch on Saturday is included with registration. Childcare is not provided but this is a family event and children are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Mr. Caleb Morrell

Caleb Morell is a historian and assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service where he majored in International History and was awarded the Davids Medal for his thesis on the early-English Baptist theological arguments for religious toleration. 

He completed his Master of Divinity at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and is currently a doctoral student in historical theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri and an Associate of Newton House, Oxford. 

Caleb's political, theological, and historical writings have appeared at 9Marks, American Reformer, Christ Over All, ERLC, Fairer Disputations, First Things, The Gospel Coalition, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Providence Magazine, SBC Life and World Opinions, and been quoted by The Washington Post. 

His forthcoming book, A Light on the Hill: The Surprising Story of How a Local Church in the Nation’s Capital Influenced Evangelicalism will be published by Crossway in April 2025. 

Caleb lives with his wife, Clare, and their three children on Capitol Hill.

Payment

Please pay by cash or check at the door.
Make checks payable to Grace Community Church.

Please click the button below to register for the Fall 2024 Bible Conference.

Register