God, being holy love, will have nothing to do with spiritual fornication. Here we touch on a principle which has vital significance for today. There has been a strong tendency in modern times to move away from the legal categories of the Bible. It is thought by many that legal and religious concepts are inimical to each other. But in the covenant framework of the Bible the legal and the religious aspects of the God-man relationship are bound inseparably together.
Covenants are always legal and always religious.
In the covenant framework of the Bible the legal and the religious aspects of the God-man relationship are bound inseparably together We today tend to equate what is legal with legalism. There is a tendency to think that legal categories are inferior notions which are transcended by a truly spiritual religion. But the covenant theme of the Bible shows us clearly that the religion which comes from God has its roots in the law of God and the perfect order of divine jurisprudence. Indeed, if we can convict an opponent of too great an interest in law we are half way to confuting him. No-one today is interested in a legalist.