The Weakness of the Law

The Weakness of the Law aims to demonstrate that the five New Testament references to the weakness of the Law, read in their respective contexts, support those who advocate the ""third use of the Law"" in the debate with ""doctrinal antinomianism."" The study falls into two parts: Part One sets the scene by means of a series of illustrations of the debate, in approximate chronological order, in which representatives of each of the two broad positions are set side by side. In Part Two the four books in which the five key texts appear are studied in their entirety as they relate to the subject of the Law. ""The scholarly integration of historical theology and contemporary biblical exegesis in Bayes's thorough study makes it a useful and informative resource for scholars, preachers, and teachers. Its carefully researched arguments in favour of the third use of the law will provoke wide-ranging and stimulating debate."" –William S. Campbell, University of Wales ""Paul's famous question, 'Why, then, the law?' has haunted the Christian church. Today questions about the nature of the law of Moses, its relationship to the gospel, and its function (if any) in the Christian life remain dominant issues for contemporary New Testament scholarship as well as for practical Christian living.This careful study by Dr. Jonathan Bayes makes a welcome contribution to an important debate, and provides an intelligent and wise corrective to some less careful thought on the role of God's law."" –Sinclair B. Ferguson, Westminster Theological Seminary, Dallas ""Meticulous exegesis within the context of the transition of the Old Covenant to the New is the only way we will be certain of what is meant by the word law and in particular the role of the moral law in the life of the Christian believer. Many will be grateful to Jonathan Bayes for fulfilling admirably this task and enhancing it by setting his subject within the parameters of writers past and present who have grappled with this problem."" –Erroll Hulse, Associate Pastor, Leeds Reformed Baptist Church Jonathan Bayes trained for the ministry at Trinity College, Bristol, and Northern Baptist College, Manchester. He holds MA and MPhil degrees from the University of Leeds and a PhD from the University of Sunderland. He is Pastor at Hambleton Evangelical Church in North Yorkshire.