Law and Grace

There's a distinction that needs to be made here, in reading what the Bible presents to us. We have passages in which the Mosaic Law is presented, and passages in which the grace of Christ is presented. The idea of Old and New Testament lead to the idea that one leads right into the other…and it's not exactly that way.

The Law has to be distinguished from the Gospel. A traditional example comes from article IV of the Apology of the Confessio Augustana (by Philipp Melanchthon):

 

"All Scripture ought to be distributed into these two principal topics, the Law and the promises. For in some places it presents the Law, and in others the promise concerning Christ, namely, either when [in the Old Testament] it promises that Christ will come, and offers, for His sake, the remission of sins justification, and life eternal, or when, in the Gospel [in the New Testament], Christ Himself, since He has appeared, promises the remission of sins, justification, and life eternal."

 

The importance of this should be pretty self evident – note that Luther even wrote "…whoever knows well this art of distinguishing between Law and Gospel, him place at the head and call him a doctor of Holy Scripture"

So what is the distinction to be made?

The Lutheran Formula of Concord (Solid Declaration) states it thusly:

 

"Anything that preaches concerning our sins and God's wrath, let it be done how or when it will, that is all a preaching of the Law. Again, the Gospel is such a preaching as shows and gives nothing else than grace and forgiveness in Christ" (Article 5)

 

This is found also in the Reformed tradition, in the writings of Calvin as well as the Westminster Confession, and it gets implied in the Heidelberg Catechism (see below).

So, when we divide things this way, each has a purpose – what's the point of the Law? Was it a way to be holy before God, a way to get justified in the Old Testament? Absolutely not! Here's some more examples:

 

"The law comes, not to reform the sinner nor to show him or her the "narrow way" to life, but to crush the sinner's hopes of escaping God's wrath through personal effort or even cooperation."(Modern Reformation May/June 2003)

 

3.Q. From where do you know your sins and misery?

A. From the law of God.[1]

[1] Rom. 3: 20;

(Heidelberg Catechism)

 

"Since the Law was given to men for three reasons: first, that thereby outward discipline might be maintained against wild, disobedient men [and that wild and intractable men might be restrained, as though by certain bars]; secondly, that men thereby may be led to the knowledge of their sins; thirdly, that after they are regenerate and [much of] the flesh notwithstanding cleaves to them, they might on this account have a fixed rule according to which they are to regulate and direct their whole life"

(Epitome of the Formula of Concord Article VI)

 

And

"…it admonishes every one of his own unrighteousness, certiorates, convicts, and finally condemns him." (2.7.6) "…to curb those who, unless forced, have no regard for rectitude and justice." (2.7.10) "For it is the best instrument for enabling the daily to learn…what that will of the Lord is…and to confirm them in this knowledge;" (2.7.12)

(John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion)

 

So we have three uses of the law:

1. (2 according to Calvin) As a restraint upon the actions of men, also called a "curb"

2. (1 according to Calvin) As a method of making man aware of his own sin, or a "mirror"

3. As a method for the Christian to know the desires of God and regulate their own life, or a "rule"

 

These are the reasons the Law was given. No one is free to do what he pleases, but neither does the Christian hold to the Law through fear of punishment. As Christians, our lives are to conform to the will of God because He enables us to do it in the first place – God changes us.

There are some pretty big implications here for what we see in the OT, as well as how we think about grace, so hold on, it's coming up!

 

Some links for further reading, including supporting verses:

http://www.bookofconcord.org/sd-lawandgospel.php

http://bookofconcord.org/fc-ep.php#VI.%20The%20Third%20Use%20of%20the%20Law.

http://bookofconcord.org/fc-ep.php#V.%20Law%20and%20Gospel

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.html

http://www.ccel.org/creeds/heidelberg-cat-ext.txt or http://www.wts.edu/resources/heidelberg.html