The Protestant Reformers were so certain of the importance of this doctrine (of Law and Gospel) that they declared that without it no one would be able to make sense out of Scripture. Martin Luther even declared of the person ignorant of this distinction that “you cannot be altogether sure whether he is a Christian or a Jew or a pagan, for it depends on this distinction.” – Hermann Sasse, Here We Stand: Nature and Character of the Lutheran Faith, trans. by Theodore G. Tappert, (New York: Harper & Bros., 1938). p. 114. Elsewhere Luther wrote, “Whoever knows well this art of distinguishing between the Law and the gospel, him place at the head and call him a doctor of Holy Scripture.”

“The true knowledge of the distinction between the Law and the Gospel is not only a glorious light, affording the correct understanding of the entire Holy Scriptures, but without this knowledge Scripture is and remains a sealed book.” – C.F.W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel.

Theodore Beza said that “confusion of law and gospel is one of the principal sources of the corruptions in the church.” Ursinus, primary author of the Heidelberg Catechism, said the same. The Bible will be an impenetrable mystery as long as we are confused about this.

“… every intelligent creature is under an unchangeable and unalienable obligation, perfectly to obey the whole law of God: that all men proceeding from Adam by ordinary generation, are the children of polluted parents, alienated in heart from God, transgressors of his holy law, inexcusable in this transgression, and therefore exposed to the dreadful consequence of his displeasure; that it was not agreeable to the dictates of his wisdom, holiness and justice, to forgive their sins without an atonement or satisfaction: and therefore he raised up for them a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who, as the second Adam, perfectly fulfilled the whole law, and offered himself up a sacrifice upon the cross in their stead: that this his righteousness is imputed to them, as the sole foundation of their reception into his favor: that the means of their being interested in this salvation, is a deep humiliation of mind, confession of guilty and wretchedness, denial of themselves, and acceptance of pardon and peace through Christ Jesus, which they neither have contributed to the procuring, nor can contribute to the continuance of, by their own merit; but expect the renovation of their natures, to be inclined and enabled to keep the commandments of God as the work of the Spirit, and a part of the purchase of their Redeemer.”

– John Witherspoon, Essay on Justification, 1756, Works, 1:50-51

Tullian Tchividjian writes the following article entitled, Legalism and the Relationship Between Law and Gospel”:

There is some talk these days regarding big terms like antinomianism (a word coined by Martin Luther which simply means “anti-law”) and legalism. I’ve written about that at the center of any discussion regarding antinomianism and legalism is how one understands the Biblical distinction between God’s law and God’s gospel. I hope the following thoughts are helpful and further this important conversation. The theological lifting here is a bit heavy, but I think it’s worth your time and effort to think on these things.

One of the problems in the current conversation regarding the relationship between law and gospel is that the term “law” is not always used to mean the same thing. This is understandable since in the Bible “law” does not always mean the same thing.

For example, in Psalm 40:8 we read: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Here the law is synonymous with God’s revealed will. A Christian seeking to express their love for God and neighbor delights in those passages that declare what God’s will is. When, however, Paul tells Christians that they are no longer under the law (Rom. 6:14) he obviously means more by law than the revealed will of God. He’s talking there about Christians being free from the curse of the law-not needing to depend on adherence to the law to establish our relationship to God: “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4).

So, it’s not as simple as you might think. For short hand, I think it’s helpful to say that law is anything in the Bible that says “do”, while gospel is anything in the Bible that says “done”; law equals imperative and gospel equals indicative. However, when you begin to parse things out more precisely, you discover some important nuances that should significantly help the conversation forward so that people who are basically saying the same thing aren’t speaking different languages and talking right past one another.

Discussion of the law and its three uses (1) usus theologicus (drives us to Christ), (2) usus politicus (the civil use), and (3) usus practicus (revealing of God’s will for living) are helpful. But I’ve discovered that this outline all by itself raises just as many questions to those I talk to as it does provide answers. Continue reading →

Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr isn’t it, since neither it, nor He has changed in some time. It is true enough that there are plenty of ways to get His law wrong. Just ask Paul. But here are five positive things about the law that I am positive about.

1. It restrains evil. I find myself often frustrated at our overly polite assessment of the human condition. We relegate monsters to history, like the Nazi’s, or to the fringes, like serial killers, all to keep the monster at bay. But we have met the monster, and we are them. We’re the kind of people who get more upset at being cut off in traffic than the horrible truth that our neighbors are cutting their babies to pieces down the street. I am ever eager to get us to a deeper understanding of how bad we are. But, I also want us to understand that because of His grace in His law, we are not as bad as we might be. The law restrains evil, through even the consciences of the ungodly, as they retain some measure of the imago dei.

2. It exposes evil. The law, as a mirror, exposes the truth that we are sinners. This works for both believers and unbelievers alike. For the believer, the law drives us back time and again to the finished work of Christ on our behalf. We can rejoice that our heavenly Father loves us with a perfect and unchangeable love, that all His wrath toward our failures was poured out 2000 years ago. For the unbeliever the law can be used by the Spirit to awaken the unbeliever to his need for Christ.

3. It tells us what we’re supposed to do. Isn’t that wonderful? God has given us in His law all that we need to know about how to please Him. We are not left groping in the dark, not left to follow our own folly. To acknowledge this blessing, of course, in no way diminishes the second blessing. Nor ought affirming the second blessing diminish this third blessing. It’s all good.

4. It shows us how to live a blessed life. One could certainly argue that this is just 3b, that I have stuttered. But the truth is too many of us look at God’s law as some unpleasant requirement, a burden that we not only can’t keep, but that would make us miserable if we did keep it. God’s law, however, is ever and always a pathway to joy. My life has never improved by the power of sin. At each crossroads, each moment of choice, the obedient choice redounds to my blessing. As I honor my father and mother it goes well for me in the land. As I raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, they become like olive plants about my table.

5. It shows me who God is. It was Spurgeon I believe who said, when asked to reconcile God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, “I’m not accustomed to reconciling friends.” In like manner the notion that I should turn away from His law to look at Him is wrong. The law of God is not a sinister intrusion into His glory, but a reflection of His glory, of His character. To speak ill of it is to speak ill of Him.

Law friends does not rain on the parade of grace, any more than grace washes away the law. They both flow out of the very heart of our Father. Look to Christ who stood in our place under the curse of the law. But do not curse the law that He kept for us. Instead, let us take up our cross and follow Him.

FOLLOW UP QUESTION: since God doesn’t change, why does His law change?

His law doesn’t change. The application of it does. Theologians wisely distinguish between natural law and positive law. This distinction, however, must be distinguished from natural law and revealed law. The latter distinction separates what we learn about God’s law from the created order, and what we learn from His Word. The former, however, distinguishes between the underlying, unchangeable principles, inherent in the nature of things, and the specific purposes of a particular law. Continue reading →

Michael Horton writes:

This past week has been eventful. On Wednesday, I was returning from a trip out of state and as my plane landed, I saw plumes of smoke across San Diego County. One fire came within a few blocks of our home and Westminster Seminary California. My family, cat, and I left as quickly as we could, checking the news for the safest route and location to evacuate. Courageous firefighters put out the threatening blaze within an hour, so we returned home and stayed alert to the news. Our hearts go out to those who lost their homes and who are still displaced. Nevertheless, like most preachers, I saw in the event a good sermon illustration.

God’s “two words” of command and promise are evidence of his love for us. His law is like the news reports informing our family that the routes we thought first of taking were closed to us because of fires. It’s always hazardous to flee “home base” with so many fires around. You can literally leap from the frying pan into the fire.

Our first response to God’s law is to flee, but we look for safe routes apart from the gospel. Ironically, we flee to some version of the law: observant Jews to Torah and Gentiles to the law written on their conscience. Nevertheless, both fail. There is no passable route. The righteousness of God, it turns out, is not a safe haven.

That’s Paul’s argument in Romans 1-3, concluding in 3:20, “Therefore, no one will be justified by the works of the law, since by the law we become conscious of sin.” The law simply reports the dangerous news. It reveals God’s essential righteousness, by which he must condemn us all, Jew and Gentile alike. Then the good news: “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction (Rom 3:21-22).

Apart from Christ, the righteousness of God terrifies us, but the righteousness from God—the gift of justification—is the best news in the world. “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all” (Rom 11:32).

The law reveals God’s just sentence and the gospel reveals the same God as “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ” (Rom 3:26). God’s law sends everyone fleeing, but only his gospel announces the safe haven. As it turns out, that safe haven is home, but it is Christ who has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame.

And now the law does something else. It not only announces the threat; it guides us in safety. There are still “dangers, toils, and snares.” After we fled our San Diego fire, we were glued to our TV set for ongoing reports of danger. We were also reminded to prepare for loss of power and to stock up on water and provisions. Instead of announcing a threat, these reports gave us important information. It was still different from good news (“The fire is out!”), but it was also different from pure threat (“Evacuate!”).

To change the illustration, we are no longer “under the law” in terms of its judgment. Our relation to the law has changed, because we’ve been relocated from Adam to Christ. And now we hear God’s law not from the mountain that burns with fire, but from Mount Zion, the safe haven where no flame can reach because Christ has extinguished it for us.

In Christ, we discover a Father instead of a Judge. It’s the love of God that tells us to flee, and it’s the love of God that keeps us informed on what we need to do. Even correction is the discipline of a Father who loves us too much to leave us to ourselves. From this safe place, we can hear the law as the good and wise commands of a Father instead of the sentence of a judge.

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest…. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect…. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:18, 22-23, 28-29).

Ray Comfort writes: “Those of you who have read the book ‘Out of the Comfort Zone’ will know that back in 1982 I discovered what is now called “Hell’s Best Kept Secret, ” and how I had a strong conviction that God was going to move myself and my family from New Zealand to the United States.

You will also know the amazing way in which He did that, how I waited another three years in America for doors to open, and how I received a call from a well-known preacher. He had seen the teaching on video, and felt it was so important he had me share it with a thousand pastors.

He put it on video and that year he screened what he titled “Ten Cannons of God’s Law” to 30,000 pastors. My faithful PA found the 1992 clip on YouTube where I (in a comparatively youthful body) shared it with those pastors”:

“I would VERY highly recommend a CD by Ray Comfort which includes the messages ‘Hell’s Best Kept Secret’ and ‘True and False Conversion.’ The CD is available for $5 for between 1 and 9 copies, and just $1.50 for between 10 and 199 copies. I just bought a number of them at this link to give away to people and would encourage others to do the same.” – John Samson

Yesterday (Thursday, February 13, 2014) I had the great privilege of being the first guest host on Dr. James White’s “Dividing Line” broadcast in more than ten years. I gave a one hour presentation on “Law and Gospel.”