THE COURSE IN ONE PARAGRAPH
God created humanity in His image to live freely under His good law — a law of love, not oppression. When humanity rebelled (the Fall), true liberty was lost and replaced by bondage to sin, fear, and death. But God never abandoned His purpose: through the Mosaic covenant, the Prophets, and ultimately Jesus Christ, He worked to restore what was broken. Christ fulfilled the law perfectly, died under its curse, and rose to set people free. True liberty is not freedom from law — it is freedom through the law as fulfilled in Christ, expressed in love for God and neighbor.
SAMPLE EXAM QUESTION
"What do you think law and liberty are, based on what we learned throughout the semester?"
How to approach it: Show the big story — creation → fall → redemption. Explain that God's law was never an enemy of freedom. Point to Christ as the fulfillment of both law and liberty. Use a few specific examples (Imago Dei, Genesis 3, Sermon on the Mount, Paul's letters). The professor wants to see that you've been thinking — not that you've memorized everything.
Week 1
March 6, 2026
Christianity & Law: What We Do
"Liberty under the law of God fulfilled in Christ Jesus."
Key Question · This Week
"What is C&L, and how does it express HILS's identity as a Christian law school in a purposeful and committed sense?"
C&L investigates the relationship between Christian faith and the study, teaching, and practice of law. HILS is a Christian law school in a deliberate and purposeful sense — not incidentally. C&L is the course that embodies that distinctiveness, equipping graduates to participate in God's work through the law for his eternal kingdom.
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HILS Is Distinct — Intentionally
We aspire to be more than a law school that happens to have Christian professors and students. That HILS is a Christian law school must be true in a purposeful and committed sense. C&L is the curricular flagship that embodies this distinctiveness.
The Purpose of C&L
C&L investigates the relationship between Christianity and law — between our Christian faith on the one hand and the study, teaching, and practice of law on the other. Its goal: to better equip HILS graduates as Christian lawyers and citizens who will respond to and participate in the work of God through the law for his eternal kingdom.
Three Approaches Used in C&L
Scriptural
Meditating on key scriptural passages to gain wisdom for reflection on questions about law.
Historical
Learning from the insights of those who faced the same or similar questions in their own times.
Jurisprudential
Considering jurisprudential materials for comparative and analytical purposes.
Last Year vs. This Year
Last year's theme was Law and Authority. This year: Law and Liberty. Both are central to law and Christianity — authority as the ground of law, liberty as its ideal and goal.
The Course Outline — Why Liberty?
"Law routinely claims liberty as one of its guiding ideals and often invokes the protection of liberty as its justifying ground. Christianity proclaims freedom in Jesus Christ and invites his followers to a blessed life under the law of God, the only way to live a life of true liberty. Liberty is thus central in law and Christianity."
This is the governing thesis for the entire year — and the lens through which every week's material should be read.
Spring Semester Approach
"In the spring semester, our approach to the theme of law and liberty will be mainly scriptural, and we will expand our discussion in the fall through the historical and jurisprudential approaches."
This explains why Weeks 2–13 all work primarily from Scripture — Genesis through Revelation.
SUMMARY
HILS is a Christian law school in a deliberate and purposeful sense — not incidentally. C&L is its curricular flagship, investigating the relationship between Christian faith and the study, teaching, and practice of law. The 2026 theme is Law and Liberty: law claims liberty as its guiding ideal; Christianity proclaims true freedom as life under God's law fulfilled in Christ. The spring semester approaches this theme scripturally, from Genesis to Revelation.
↓ In the beginning ↓
Week 2
March 13, 2026
Creation and God's Law of Liberty
"In the beginning" was the law of God, and it was the law of liberty
Key Question · This Week
"Was God's law part of his good creation from the very beginning — and what does that say about the law of liberty?"
Law was not the result of the Fall — God gave his law from the very beginning, in Eden, before any sin existed. The first law (Gen 2:16–17) was a gift of love, the charter of the blessed life. Law and liberty were never opposites.
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Core Thesis
Law was not the result of the Fall. God gave his law from the very beginning. It offered man the path to union with God — fellowship and blessedness. Law and liberty were never opposites.
A common misperception: only bad men need law; in heaven there will be no law. This view is simply not true. Genesis 1–2 reveals that law existed before any sin entered the world. The law was God's gift of love — the charter of the blessed life.
After the Fall, the law's two purposes — (1) restraint of evil and (2) mirror of God's righteousness — became prominent. But the third purpose — guide to the blessed life with God — remained. God sent Christ who fulfilled the law so that in him man could have life and liberty again.
i
Mirror
Reveals sin; drives us to Christ
ii
Restraint
Curbs evil in society
iii
Guide
Leads the redeemed to the blessed life
Hebrew טוֹב (tov) = "good" — appears 7× in Gen 1. Greek καλόν (kalon) = "exactly as it should be / well-ordered / beautiful." Distinct from ἀγαθός (agathos) = morally good. God is agathos; creation is kalos because it reflects him.
Genesis 1:26–28, 31 — Imago Dei
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion… So God created man in his own image… male and female he created them. And God blessed them… And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good."
Genesis 2:15–17 — The First Law
"The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'"
This commandment existed before any sin — proof that law is not the product of the Fall. The command was an invitation into loving relationship, not a burden.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 · Micah 6:8
"Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." — "What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Created to Rule (Gen 1:26-28)
Humans are God's delegated kings. Just as emperors place statues in territories they rule, God places his image-bearers in creation. But this kingship is servant-kingship — modeled on how God himself rules.
Located to Serve (Gen 2:15)
"Work and keep" is priestly language (cf. Leviticus). The cosmos is God's macrotemple; humans are his living image within it — ruling and serving creation on his behalf.
Fourfold Nature
Humans are physical, spiritual, rational, and social — four dimensions of an integrated person. Sin corrupts every dimension simultaneously.
Christopher Wright — The Old Testament in Seven Sentences (IVP, 2019)
"The true model of kingship is summarized in 1 Kings 12:7 ('If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them'): mutual servanthood… Human rule in creation was never a license to dominate, abuse, crush, waste, or destroy. That is tyranny modeled on fallen human arrogance, not kingship modeled on God's character and behavior."
John 1:1–5, 14, 17 — The Word (Logos)
"In the beginning was the Word [Λόγος — also: decree, instruction], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us… For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
The Logos is both the divine reason/law behind all creation AND the one who became flesh to fulfill it. Law and grace are united in Christ.
Colossians 1:15–20 — All Things Created Through Him
"[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created… all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together… and through him to reconcile to himself all things… making peace by the blood of his cross."
SUMMARY
God created humanity in His image (Imago Dei) to reflect His character and steward creation under His good law. The Logos (John 1) is both the divine reason behind creation and the Word who became flesh — uniting law and grace in Christ. True liberty was never the absence of law; it was life in right relationship with the God who is the source of all goodness. God's first law was a gift inviting humans to flourish as His image-bearers.
↓ Then came the serpent ↓
Week 3
March 20, 2026
Man's Rebellion and Lost Liberty in Paradise Lost
"You will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5)
Key Question · This Week
"What did man's rebellion in Paradise cost humanity, and how does God's law still bind every heart through nature and conscience?"
The Fall (Genesis 3) was humanity's choice to define good and evil apart from God — the original bid for autonomy. The result was not freedom but bondage to sin, fear, and death. Natural law (Rom 1–2) shows everyone remains accountable. Solomon's prayer (1 Kings 3) models the right relationship: wisdom received from God, not seized independently.
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The Lie at the Heart of the Fall
The serpent reframed God's generous law as oppression. The temptation was to define good and evil independently of God — to become autonomous. This is the primal rejection of God's law of liberty.
Genesis 3:1–7 — Temptation and the Fall
"Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?… 'You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked."
1 John 2:16 — all three temptations visible: desires of the flesh (food), desires of the eyes (delight), pride of life (wisdom/status).
Eve's Sin Touched Every Dimension
Spiritually
Doubted the truth and goodness of God — undermining trust and obedience.
Mentally
Used rational powers in a direction forbidden by God. The problem was not rationality but disobedience.
Physically
"She took and ate." Simple verbs — physical action in the physical world.
Socially
She shared with Adam who was with her. Sin entered the core of human relationship — producing shame and fear.
Genesis 3:8–10 — Hiding from God
"And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?' And he said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.'"
Fellowship with God is broken. Fear replaces trust — the hallmark of lost liberty.
Genesis 3:14–15 — The Protoevangelium (First Gospel)
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring [seed] and her offspring [seed]; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
Even inside the curse, God promises a Redeemer. Fulfilled in Jesus Christ — born of woman (Gal 4:4), who crushes Satan's head on the cross while being wounded himself.
Genesis 3:17–19 — Cursed Ground, Death
"Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you… By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Genesis 3:21–24 — Clothed and Expelled
"And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them." [Grace in judgment — God covers their shame.] "Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden… He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life."
Note on Genesis 3:16 — Teshukah (תְּשׁוּקָה)
The word translated "desire" (teshukah) is the same word used in Gen 4:7 ("[sin]'s desire is for you, but you must rule over it"). This suggests the woman's desire becomes one of dominance/control — mirroring sin's impulse. Marriage continues but is now frustrated by the battle of the sexes — a consequence of the Fall, not God's original design.
Where Adam and Eve grasped at the knowledge of good and evil autonomously, Solomon asked God for help to discern good and evil in order to serve God's people well. This is the right relationship to law and wisdom — receiving it from God, not seizing it independently.
1 Kings 3:5–9 — Solomon's Request
"At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, 'Ask what I shall give you.' … And Solomon said, … 'Give your servant therefore an understanding mind [literally: listening heart] to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?'"
Hebrew: lev shomea (לֵב שֹׁמֵעַ) — a hearing/listening heart. True wisdom begins with listening to God, not autonomous reasoning.
The Contrast with the Fall
Adam & Eve seized wisdom independently → bondage & death.
Solomon asked God for wisdom to serve → blessing & life.
True liberty is found not in autonomy from God's law, but in walking under it.
Solomon asked God for wisdom to serve → blessing & life.
True liberty is found not in autonomy from God's law, but in walking under it.
Romans 5:12–14 — Sin Through One Man
"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned — for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come."
Reformation Study Bible — Definition of Original Sin
"'Original sin' means that sinfulness marks everyone from birth, in the form of a heart inclined toward sin, prior to any actual sins; this inner sinfulness is the root and source of all actual sins. We are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners, born with a nature enslaved to sin."
Sin's Triple Reach (Christopher Wright)
Personal
Every dimension of every person is infected — spiritual, rational, physical, social. Romans 1:18–32 is Paul's commentary on this universal reality.
Ecological
"Cursed is the ground because of you." The whole creation groans and awaits liberation (Romans 8:19–23).
Social & Historical
Sin spreads horizontally through societies and escalates vertically through generations. Isaiah attacks those who "legalize injustice" (Isa 10:1–2).
Law After the Fall — Still Binding
Even after the Fall, God's law was not erased. It continues to operate through: (1) Natural law — God's attributes visible in creation; (2) Conscience — law written on the heart; (3) Revealed law — Mosaic law and ultimately Christ.
Romans 1:18–20 — God's Law Visible in Creation
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."
Romans 2:12–15 — Law Written on Hearts
"For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when… God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus."
SUMMARY
The Fall (Genesis 3) was humanity's choice to define good and evil apart from God — the original bid for autonomy. Sin corrupted every dimension: spiritual, mental, physical, social. Natural law (Romans 1–2) shows God's standard never left — it is written on every conscience and visible in creation. Original sin means we sin because we are born with a nature bent away from God. Contrast Solomon (1 Kings 3): he asked God for wisdom to discern good and evil — the right relationship to law.
↓ But God had a plan ↓
Week 4
March 27, 2026
God's Promise of Restored Liberty Through the Messiah
"He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15)
Key Question · This Week
"Even within the judgment of Genesis 3, what gospel did God whisper — and how does it open the path of restored liberty?"
Even inside the judgment of Genesis 3, God whispered the first gospel — the Protoevangelium (Gen 3:15) — promising a Redeemer. Sin's cosmic scope required a cosmic solution. Through Christ, Adam's condemnation becomes justification, and lost oneness with God is restored (John 17). True liberty = restored fellowship with God through Christ.
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Even in the moment of judgment, God whispered the gospel. Genesis 3:15 — the Protoevangelium — promises that a descendant of the woman would crush the serpent. The entire redemptive story of the Bible flows from this single verse.
Genesis 3:15 — The Protoevangelium
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
Fulfilled in Jesus Christ — born of woman (Gal 4:4), who defeats Satan on the cross (crushing his head) while being wounded himself (bruised heel).
The Three-Act Story (Weeks 2–4)
1
In the beginning — Law of Liberty
Good creation; man in God's image; tasked to rule and serve under God's law; fellowship with God.
2
The Fall — Lost Liberty
Rebellion against God and his law; alienation from God; total and pervasive brokenness in all relationships.
3
God's Promise — Restored Liberty
The Christ, born of woman and under the law (Gen 3:15; Gal 4:4), fulfills the law — lifting the curse, restoring oneness with God (John 17:20-26). This is true liberty.
Christopher Wright — The Old Testament in Seven Sentences
"The problem is, How can the holy and loving Creator God once again dwell in harmony with the humans he created in his own image? That is the problem the whole Bible addresses — and ultimately solves, since the grand climactic vision of the Bible is not about us all going somewhere else ('up to heaven') but about God coming here to dwell with us… in the new creation, purged of all sin and evil."
Romans 5:18–19 — Death in Adam, Life in Christ
"As one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."
John 17:20–22 — The Goal: Oneness with God
"…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us… that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."
This oneness — restoration of fellowship broken in the Fall — is the definition of true liberty in this course.
SUMMARY
Even inside the judgment on sin, God whispered the first gospel: Genesis 3:15 (the Protoevangelium). The cosmic scope of sin — personal, ecological, historical — requires a cosmic solution. Romans 5 presents the contrast: through Adam came condemnation; through Christ came justification and life. The goal of redemption is restored oneness with God (John 17) — the fellowship the Fall destroyed. This is what true liberty looks like.
— Weeks 5 & 6: Panel + Faculty Talk (no pre-material) —
Week 7
April 17, 2026
The Mosaic Law as God's Law of Liberty for His People and All Nations
"You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:6)
Key Question · This Week
"Why does the Mosaic Law come after the Exodus, and how does it form Israel as "a kingdom of priests" for all the nations?"
Grace comes before law. God redeemed Israel from Egypt first, then gave the Decalogue at Sinai (Ex 19:4–6; 20:2). The law was never a means to earn salvation — it was the framework for an already-redeemed people. Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests embodying God's law before all nations.
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Key Principle
God's redemptive plan reaches all nations and all families of the earth. Jesus Christ, "the son of Abraham" (Matt 1:1), is its fulfillment. The Mosaic Law is not the end — it is a milestone on the way to Christ.
✦
Genesis 12:1–3 — The Initial Call
"In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Grounded entirely in God's grace, not Abram's merit.
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Genesis 18:17–19 — God's Chosen Purpose
"I have chosen him, that he may command his children… to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice." The covenant requires righteous living.
✦
Genesis 22:15–18 — Confirmed by Obedience
"In your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." → Fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Matt 1:1).
Critical Structure: Grace Before Law
God delivers Israel from Egypt FIRST, then gives the Law at Sinai. The Decalogue opens: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt" — Deliverer before Commander. The law is the charter of the already-liberated.
Exodus 3:7–8 — God Sees, Hears, and Acts
"I have surely seen the affliction of my people… have heard their cry… I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them."
God's fourfold response: Sees → Hears → Knows → Acts. Redemption is always God's initiative.
Exodus 5:1 (repeated throughout Ex 5–10)
"Thus says the LORD… 'Let my people go, that they may serve me.'"
True liberty is freedom to serve God, not freedom from all constraint.
Exodus 19:4–6 — The Covenant Preamble at Sinai
"You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore… you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples… a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
TABLE I — Love toward God
I
No other gods before me
→ Moses at Meribah; Daniel in Babylon
II
No carved images or idols
→ The golden calf (Ex 32)
III
Do not take the LORD's name in vain
→ Israel's rebellion (Ezekiel 20)
IV
Remember the Sabbath
→ Deut 5:15 links Sabbath to liberation
TABLE II — Love toward Neighbor
V
Honor your father and mother
First command with a promise
VI
You shall not murder
VII
You shall not commit adultery
VIII
You shall not steal
IX
You shall not bear false witness
X
You shall not covet
Reaches into the heart and desire
Matthew 22:37–40 — The Law Summarized
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
SUMMARY
The Sinai covenant came after the Exodus — God redeemed His people first, then gave the law. The law was never a means to earn salvation; it was a framework for a redeemed people. The Decalogue serves three purposes: a mirror (revealing sin), a curb (restraining evil), and a guide (instructing the redeemed). Israel was called to be a 'kingdom of priests' — embodying God's law before all nations.
Week 8
April 24, 2026
The Mosaic Law as God's Law of Liberty (Cont'd)
"More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold." (Psalm 19:10)
Key Question · This Week
"How does Psalm 19 testify to God's law — perfect, sure, right, pure, "more precious than gold"?"
Psalm 19 presents two books of revelation: creation (vv.1–6, general) and the law (vv.7–14, special). The law is described as perfect, sure, right, pure — more precious than gold. Its heart is love for God and neighbor (Matt 22:37–40). Daniel's faithfulness in Babylon illustrates the reward of obedience ("In keeping them there is great reward").
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Psalm 19's Two-Part Structure
Psalm 19 meditates on two ways God reveals himself: through creation (general revelation, vv.1-6) and through his Word/Law (special revelation, vv.7-14). Both testify to God — but the law speaks more directly and personally.
Psalm 19:1–6 — Book of Creation
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth…"
Cf. Romans 1:20 — "his invisible attributes… have been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."
Psalm 19:7–11 — Book of the Law
"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes… More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey. In keeping them there is great reward."
Six words for God's law — each paired with its effect: perfect→revives soul; sure→makes wise; right→rejoices heart; pure→enlightens eyes; clean→endures; true→righteous altogether.
Psalm 19:12–14 — The Mirror Use Applied
"Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!"
Three Uses of the Law from Psalm 19
i
Mirror
"Who can discern his errors?" — exposes hidden faults, drives to Christ
ii
Restraint
"Keep me from presumptuous sins" — curbs deliberate high-handed sin
iii
Guide
"In keeping them there is great reward" — joyful guide for the redeemed
Numbers 20:8–12 — Moses at Meribah (1st Commandment)
"'Take the staff… and tell the rock to yield its water.' …Moses said, 'Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?' And Moses struck the rock twice… The LORD said, 'Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy… therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land.'"
Moses substituted himself for God ("shall we"). Even the greatest leader is held to the same standard. He sees but cannot enter the Promised Land (Deut 32:48-52).
Daniel 1:8–20 — Daniel in Babylon (1st Commandment)
"Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food… 'Test us for ten days.' At the end of ten days they were better in appearance than all the youths who ate the king's food… he found them ten times better than all the magicians in his kingdom."
"In keeping them there is great reward" (Ps 19:11) — illustrated. Faithfulness under pressure brings God's blessing.
SUMMARY
Psalm 19 presents two ways God reveals Himself: general revelation (the heavens declare His glory) and special revelation (the law is perfect, sure, right, pure, and more precious than gold). Both point to the same God. Daniel obeyed God's law over the king's command — law's authority supersedes human authority. Matthew 22 brings everything together: love God and love neighbor — the entire law hangs on these two commands.
— Week 9: Faculty Talk — Christianity & International Law —
Week 10
May 8, 2026
Jesus the Messiah and the Fulfillment of the Law of Liberty
"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)
Key Question · This Week
"What did Jesus mean when he said he came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it — and what kind of liberty does that fulfillment bring?"
Jesus did not abolish the law; he fulfilled it (Matt 5:17). The Antitheses ("you have heard … but I say to you") radicalize the law inward: anger is the root of murder, lust the root of adultery. Law was always about the heart. "The truth will set you free" (John 8:32) — and he is that truth. John 17's prayer for oneness with God is the restored liberty the Fall destroyed.
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Jesus as New Moses
On the mountain, Jesus speaks with unprecedented authority — not "thus says the LORD" but "I say to you." He deepens the law from external action to heart-level demand. The law of love, liberty, and life is fulfilled from the inside out.
Matthew 5:17 — The Programmatic Statement
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
The Antitheses — Matthew 5:21–48
You Have Heard — Commandment VI
"You shall not murder."
But I Say to You
"Everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment."
You Have Heard — Commandment VII
"You shall not commit adultery."
But I Say to You
"Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery in his heart."
You Have Heard — Lex Talionis
"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
But I Say to You
"Do not resist the one who is evil. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile."
You Have Heard
"Love your neighbor and hate your enemy."
But I Say to You
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:48 — The Goal
"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
This is not law-abolition — it is law-intensification. It reveals our desperate need for a Savior who fulfills it perfectly on our behalf.
John 8:31–36 — True Freedom
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free… everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin… So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
The Jews claimed external political freedom but were enslaved internally. True liberty is freedom from sin — which only the Son can give.
John 8:44, 58 — The Devil and the Great I AM
"You are of your father the devil… He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him." — "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
"I am" = the divine name of Exodus 3:14. Jesus existed before Abraham — he is the one in whom all nations are blessed. The crowd tried to stone him for this claim.
John 17:3 — The Definition of Eternal Life
"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
Eternal life is not a location — it is a relationship. Knowing God = the restoration of fellowship broken in Genesis 3.
John 17:20–23 — Prayer for All Believers
"…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you… that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."
This is the answer to Genesis 3. The Fall broke oneness with God; Christ's prayer is for perfect oneness restored — the goal of the law of liberty.
SUMMARY
Jesus did not abolish the law but fulfilled it (Matthew 5:17). The Antitheses radicalize the law inward — anger is the root of murder, lust the root of adultery. The law was always about the heart, not just external compliance. In John 8, Jesus declares Himself the truth that sets people free. John 17's prayer for oneness with God is the restored liberty the Fall destroyed.
Week 11
May 15, 2026
Jesus the Messiah and the Fulfillment of the Law (Cont'd)
"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
Key Question · This Week
"If Christ is the telos of the law and we are crucified with him, what does the law of liberty look like in the Spirit?"
The law reveals sin but cannot save — it condemns (Romans 7). Christ became a curse for us, redeeming us from the law's curse (Gal 3:13). He is the telos of the law — both its end and its goal (Rom 10:4). True liberty is neither lawlessness nor legalism — it is life in the Spirit, free from condemnation but bound by love. "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
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Mark 10:17–22 — The Rich Young Ruler
"'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'… 'You know the commandments…' He said, 'Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.' And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said, 'You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have… come, follow me.' Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."
External obedience was real, but his heart was captive to wealth — a false god (1st commandment). The law reaches beyond behavior into desire and ultimate allegiance.
Mark 10:27 · Romans 7:24–8:2
"With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." — "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!… There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
Romans 8:38–39 — Nothing Can Separate Us
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 10:4 — The Goal of the Law
"For Christ is the end [τέλος telos] of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
τέλος = both "termination" and "goal/purpose." Christ terminates the law as a means of earning righteousness AND fulfills its deepest purpose.
Acts 13:38–39 — Paul's Gospel Sermon
"…through this man [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses."
Galatians 3:13–14 — Christ Redeems from the Curse
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree' — so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."
The curse of Genesis 3 (cursed ground, death) is answered by Christ becoming a curse on the cross. The Abrahamic blessing to all nations (Week 7) is fulfilled through Christ's redemption.
The Course's Central Answer
Law and Liberty are not opposites. God's law was always the path to true liberty — union and communion with God. Sin broke that path. Christ fulfilled the law perfectly, absorbed its curse, and restores the path. In Christ, the law of God becomes, once more, the law of liberty. "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
Galatians 2:19–20
"For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Romans 9:30–32 — Faith, Not Works
"Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it — that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works."
SUMMARY
The law reveals sin but cannot save — it condemns (Romans 7). The Spirit gives life where the law cannot (Romans 8). Galatians shows the law was a guardian until Christ came; now we are no longer under the guardian. Righteousness comes through faith, not law-keeping (Romans 9–10). The Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10) kept every command but could not surrender his wealth — showing the danger of trusting law-keeping for salvation. True liberty is life in the Spirit: neither lawlessness nor legalism.
— Weeks 12 & 13: Panel + Last Lecture · Concluding Reflection (no pre-material) —
14
Week 14 — Final Exam
June 5, 2026
Show what you have learned about law and liberty.
The whole course summary is waiting for you below. ↓
The whole course summary is waiting for you below. ↓
END OF SEMESTER
The Whole Course
in One Place
in One Place
Read this the night before your exam
THE COURSE IN ONE PARAGRAPH
God created humanity in His image to live freely under His good law — a law of love, not oppression. When humanity rebelled (the Fall), true liberty was lost and replaced by bondage to sin, fear, and death. But God never abandoned His purpose: through the Mosaic covenant, the Prophets, and ultimately Jesus Christ, He worked to restore what was broken. Christ fulfilled the law perfectly, died under its curse, and rose to set people free. True liberty is not freedom from law — it is freedom through the law as fulfilled in Christ, expressed in love for God and neighbor, and ultimately consummated in the new creation.
HOW TO ANSWER — ESSAY FRAMEWORK
"What do you think law and liberty are, based on what we learned throughout the semester?"
1
Start with Creation
God's law was a gift — the structure for human flourishing as His image-bearers. Liberty began as life in right relationship with God, not independence from Him.
2
Explain the Fall
Autonomy from God is not liberty — it is bondage. The Fall proves it: sin, death, and broken relationships followed. Natural law shows everyone remains accountable.
3
The Law's Purpose
The Mosaic law was not a means of earning salvation — it was given to the already-redeemed. Mirror, curb, guide. Its heart: love God, love neighbor.
4
Christ — Fulfillment of Both
Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly and bore its curse. Through Him, liberty is restored — not freedom from law, but freedom through Christ who is its telos. "The truth will set you free."
5
Conclude — What Law and Liberty Mean Together
True liberty is not the absence of law — it is life in the Spirit, free from condemnation but not from love. Law and liberty are not opposites; in Christ, they are one.
"For freedom Christ has set us free."
Galatians 5:1
GLOSSARY
Imago Dei
하나님의 형상
The core concept that humans were created in God's image. The foundation of human dignity and of law itself.
Protoevangelium
원복음
The first promise of the gospel in Genesis 3:15 — that the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent's (Satan's) head.
Logos (Λόγος)
로고스 (말씀)
The "Word" of John 1 — the divine reason and order behind creation, and the Christ who became flesh. Shows that law and grace are united in Christ.
Fall
타락
In Genesis 3, humanity's rebellion against God, falling into sin and death. The origin of lost true liberty.
Original Sin
원죄
The condition that every person is born with an inclination toward sin. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are born as sinners.
Natural Law
자연법
The concept from Romans 1–2: even without Scripture, God's moral law is made known to all through creation and conscience. No one has any excuse.
Decalogue
십계명
The Ten Commandments of Exodus 20. Summarized as love toward God (1–4) and love toward neighbor (5–10).
Telos (τέλος)
텔로스 / 목표, 마침
Romans 10:4 — "Christ is the telos (end / goal) of the law." Carries the double meaning of "termination" and "purpose."
Antitheses
대조구절
The "You have heard… but I say to you" structure in Matthew 5:21–48. Jesus interprets the law all the way into the motives of the heart.
Kingdom of Priests
제사장 나라
Exodus 19:6 — the identity Israel was called into: to embody God's law before all the nations.
Covenant
언약
A binding relationship initiated by God with a people — promises and obligations sealed together. The Bible's story unfolds through covenants: Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic (Sinai), Davidic, and the New Covenant in Christ.
Gospel
복음
Literally "good news." The announcement that God himself, in Jesus Christ, has come to rescue and restore his people. First whispered in Gen 3:15 (the Protoevangelium); declared in full in the New Testament.
Messiah
메시아
Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ ("anointed one"); Greek equivalent: Christos. The promised Redeemer-King foretold in the Old Testament and fulfilled in Jesus.
YHWH / I AM
여호와
God's covenant name, revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Ex 3:14). Translated "the LORD" in English Bibles. Jesus claims this name for himself in John 8:58 — "Before Abraham was, I am."