Law and Gospel?
The relationship between the Law and the Gospel and how it is misunderstood today
There is probably nothing in the Bible that the average Christian is more apprehensive of than the law of God. Go to any conservative evangelical church and preach that all 66 books of the Bible are inspired by God, and you will be met with hearty “amens”. All Christians intuitively recognize that all of Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), but many of these same Christians are much more comfortable opening their Bibles to John 3 than they are Leviticus 18. They know that they are supposed to have some level of respect and appreciation for Leviticus, but they don’t know how.
The rise of dispensationalism (of varying forms) in the last century has only served to create even more hurdles and roadblocks- the idea that all that Old Testament stuff was good and fine for the Jews, but us Christians are under the New Testament1. Indeed, Paul’s glorious phrase that we are not “under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14-15) has been disastrously misunderstood. Given the confessional statements of the Reformed churches, you would think that they would be immune to a neglect of the law of God, however that is sadly not the case. Church history professor R. Scott Clark and I recently had a back and forth on X, over some comments that I had made on this subject, and it seems to me that the Reformed church has their own brand of antinomianism through an unhealthy (important emphasis!) distinction between Law and Gospel.
What is the reformed view of the relationship between the Law and the Gospel? A better question is, what is the Biblical view? (You will see that my answer to these questions is the same). Furthermore, does the Law of Moses serve as an ethical foundation for society today? (This question of theonomy will be dealt with in a future, separate, publication).
Is there a distinction between Law and Gospel?
The answer to this question is an obvious yes. Law and Gospel refer to two separate, distinguished things and hence we use different names for them. I realize that this point is so simple I might as well be writing in crayon, but in my experience critics of my position often accuse us of committing basic heresies that it should be obvious we are not guilty of. The thing that drives many Christians bonkers, is that while affirm that Law and Gospel are distinct, I like to add that this does not mean that they are entirely unrelated. And so, before we get into our points of contention allow me to use the next paragraph to affirm basic, Biblical and historically Reformed truths that I affirm whole-heartedly and with a leather-lunged amen.
When we speak of the Law of God, we are typically referring to the books of Moses- the Torah in particular2 and that is how I am going to speak throughout this piece. The Law of God perfectly reveals to us God’s moral character. The Law was given through Moses to the covenant people of Israel (Deuteronomy 10:4), and any and all interpretation (and hence, application) of any of the specific statutes must keep this factor in mind. The moral nature of the Law is perpetually binding throughout all time and towards all people (Matt. 5:17-19, Rom. 3:31, 13:8)- though it is specially revealed by Moses, the moral law is also revealed in nature, being written on Adam’s heart as well as all of his descendants (Rom. 2:15). The Law as a covenant of works has no ability to justify anyone before God’s sight, and neither was that its intention (Gal. 3:11). The Law acts like a mirror, in revealing to us our own sin, and has the power of convicting man in his sin (Rom. 3:20, 7:7, James 2:10-11).
The Gospel, which is the good news of Jesus Christ, the promises and salvation He brings is exclusively contained in the Word of God and cannot be discovered in any study of nature (Rom. 10:14) and can only be received by those to whom God’s grace comes and the Holy Spirit grants spiritual life (John 3:3-8, Eph. 2:8-9). The Gospel redeems us from being under the Law as a covenant of works (Gal. 3:13, 4:5), and therefore redeemed men are not ever to seek to use the Law as a means of meriting salvation (Gal. 3:10, James 2:10), as they are already justified in God’s sight on the basis of Christ’s merit alone (Rom. 4:5, 2 Cor. 5:21).
As a further appeasement to my fellow Reformed Baptists, let me say that I affirm with complete agreement what is stated in chapter 19 of the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith “Of the Law of God”3.
And so, yes. There is a very clear and obvious Biblical distinction between the Law and the Gospel. I have expressed this very clearly, and so if anyone accuses me of teaching otherwise at this point, they have (in my mind) ruined any credibility that they have and are asked to apologize.
Distinguished, but not Wholly Unrelated.
I said earlier that what drives other people bonkers is that while I affirm the Law and Gospel distinction, I do not think that they are entirely unrelated. What I criticize is not a Law and Gospel distinction, but an unhealthy distinction. You see, it is possible to distinguish between two things without separating them. Justification and Sanctification are two distinct things, but it is impossible to have one without the other. Likewise, Law and Gospel are not the same, but what seems to be missing for so many people, is that embracing the redemption of the Gospel, and abandoning the Law as a covenant of works, does not mean abandoning the Law as a rule of life.
One of the most glorious passages in all of the Bible that teaches on justification by faith alone is Romans 3. Romans 3 begins by making the point that all men (both Jews and Gentiles) have sinned and broken God’s Law (Rom. 3:9, 23). Paul uses this as an opportunity to make the specific point that “by works of the law no human being will be justified in [God’s] sight” (Rom. 3:20). All of this is in complete agreement and harmonious consistency with what he writes in Galatians, as he goes on to talk about “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Rom. 3:22). Paul makes the point (and it would be difficult for him to make it any clearer!) that “one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Rom. 3:28). All of this serves as Biblical basis for the Reformation’s teaching on the subject of justification by faith alone, but before we make the mistake of thinking we can then just rip Leviticus and Deuteronomy out of our Bibles and throw them away, chapter 3 ends when Paul gives us this often-neglected statement, “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law” (Rom. 3:31).
Commenting on this verse, John Calvin has written:
“When the law is opposed to faith, the flesh immediately suspects that there is some contrariety, as though the one were adverse to the other… I therefore take this defence of Paul, not only as to ceremonies, nor as to the commandments which are called moral, but with regard to the whole law universally.
For the moral law is in reality confirmed and established through faith in Christ, inasmuch as it was given for this end—to lead man to Christ by showing him his iniquity; and without this it cannot be fulfilled, and in vain will it require what ought to be done; nor can it do anything but irritate lust more and more, and thus finally increase man’s condemnation; but where there is a coming to Christ, there is first found in him the perfect righteousness of the law, which becomes ours by imputation, and then there is sanctification, by which our hearts are prepared to keep the law; it is indeed imperfectly done, but there is an aiming at the work.”
John Calvin and John Owen, Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 151–152.
It should always be remembered that God has a purpose in our salvation- namely to conform us to image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). Salvation is not solely a matter of getting seats reserved in heaven so that we can go there some far off future day when we die, but rather in the here and the now God raises us to spiritual life and empowers us by His Holy Spirit to live righteously.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:8–10 (ESV)
Well, who defines what a “good work” is? God does, and where has He revealed this to us? Well, the obvious answer is in His Law. Paul teaches in Romans 3 that while we are not justified by the law, the power of the Gospel is that we are enabled, by the grace of God, to obey the Law. We do not overthrow the Law, but rather we uphold or establish it. Chapter 19, paragraph 6 of the 2LBCF1689 says:
“Although true believers are not under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified or condemned, yet it is of great use to them as well as to others, in that as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly”
This is the exact point that I made recently on X which got so many people riled up and outraged, accusing me of being a legalist, confusing Law and Gospel and denying the historic reformed faith.
The Law of Moses as a Moral Guide in the New Testament
We briefly examined Paul’s teaching of justification by faith alone in Romans 3, and saw that it ended with him saying we uphold the Law. One who continues to read the book of Romans, will find Paul perfectly comfortable using the Old Testament Scriptures, and the Law of Moses, as a moral guide for how Christians are to live.
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” - Romans 13:8–10 (ESV)
You find the same thing in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, where after spending an entire letter telling us that we are not justified by works of the Law, and that we are no lunger under the Law as a covenant of works, he says “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Gal. 5:13-14).
Clearly, Paul sees no contradiction in affirming that the Law is not a means of justification, but it is the rule of life and Godliness for believers. He says to Timothy, “the law is good, if one uses it lawfully” (1 Tim. 1:8). He had dealt with the Judaizing heresy, but he still tells us that there is a lawful (or, proper) way for us to use the law today. Although not yet a believer when these words were spoken, Paul is heeding the warning of the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, “Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:19).
The Apostle Peter quotes Leviticus 11:44 which says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16) as he goes on (in chapter 2, verses 9-10) to take titles from the Old Covenant people of Israel and apply them to the New Covenant church of Jesus Christ.
New Testament Christians are called to live righteous lives, and there is no reason to believe they would’ve looked for any other standard than that which is able to equip the man of God for all good works (2 Tim. 3:17). The Apostles believed and functioned on the basis that Christians were to hear the moral teaching of the Law of Moses and conduct their lives accordingly.
The Three Uses of the Law and the Reformed Tradition
Reformed theology has historically taught that there are three uses of the law: political/civil; pedagogical; normative/didactic/proper.
The Political/civil use of the Law refers to the use of God’s law in society to function as an outward restraint, or curb, of unregenerate man’s sin.4
The pedagogical use of the Law refers to the Law’s role in convicting sinners of their own depravity.
The normative/didactic/proper use of the Law refers to what has been discussed under the last heading, that the Law of God serves as the moral standard to which Christians are to live by.
This concept can be found in Calvin’s Institutes and has been affirmed by Reformed theologians throughout the centuries. It seems to me that many people in our day either want to ignore the Law entirely or restrict it to the second use alone. This attitude towards God’s Law is neither Biblical nor historical. One of the positive effects of the “Young, Restless and Reformed” movement at the beginning of this century was a focused appreciation for God’s grace in salvation. A negative effect is that many people have become imbalanced, and the Christian faith has been reduced to a theological exercise that takes place entirely within the mind, but that is not something to be lived out practically.
The third use of the Law must be recovered in our day. We must strive, under the Gospel and by the grace of God, to live the lives God is calling all of us to. Let us repent of the many ways in which we have fallen short, knowing that we are justified freely by His grace, and this can never be taken away.
“Neither are the aforementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the Gospel, but do sweetly comply with it, the Spirit of Christ subduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely and cheerfully which the will of God, revealed in the law, requires to be done.” - 2LBCF1689 19:7
***The article on Theonomy in Political Ethics is now published!
I would affirm that there is a sense in which the Law of God, as in the moral will of God, is revealed throughout the entirety of both Old and New Testaments, but the Torah is the specific section dedicated to the Law.
I have been accused of being non-confessional, but I will show in this piece that that accusation more meaningfully applies to my opponents. (Of course, I would rather be non-confessional than non-Biblical, but I don’t think I am either in this instance). As a sidenote, R. Scott Clark forwarded me a list of resources that I should be studying, and at the top of the list was John Colquhoun’s “A Treatise on the Law and Gospel”. I responded by saying how much I value that book, and that Colquhoun would agree with me!
This gets us into the issue of Theonomy which, as I said, will be dealt with in a future article.