Law and Gospel: Part 1 - Letter From Pastor Evan
In the study of theology, there are two crucial themes throughout Scripture that must be rightly understood – law and gospel. Both the law and the gospel are indeed God’s word, yet each of these words has “absolutely different content, purpose and effect on the lives of the people,” (Steven P. Mueller, Called to Believe, Teach,and Confess. p. 56). Though these words are as different as “yes” and “no,” both of these words are crucial in understanding correctly our relationship with God.
Part 1 – The Law
“The Law is the word of God that commands people to do what is right according to God’s standards. It tells us what God demands, what a person must do, what blessings are promised to those who fulfill it, and what curses await those who fail to keep it. Fulfillment of the Law is judged by God’s perfection, not our best effort. The Law reflects the character of God to the world, calling all people to perfectly reflect that character in every aspect of their lives. Because it reflects his holiness, the Law is good. However, as it reveals God’s perfection, the Law also reveals our status before God. It demonstrates the truth that, on our own, we have not lived up to God’s standard.”
Talking about God’s law is difficult…if we view it from our perspective. From an early age, we’re taught and conditioned to follow rules and laws for the sake of our health, safety, and well-being and God’s Law to us is no different. God gives us laws and commandments telling us not to lie, steal, covet, murder, and commit adultery because those things are of no benefit to society! The commandment not to steal is not only directed at you not to steal, but to those around you so that they don’t steal from you, either! When we follow this law, we all win; people get to keep their possessions, and we get to keep ours! Therefore, the Law is good because it is meant to curb bad behavior and create order!
As Mueller states above, the Law that we are given reflects God’s character and holiness because it shows us what is right and good. The problem, though, is that because the Law reflects God’s holiness, it serves as a mirror that only shows us where we are unholy. The Law shows us our sin. When we hear the law declare to us, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” (in other words, “don’t lie!”) if we’re honest with ourselves, we easily stand convicted because we have lied. We can call them fibs, “half-truths,” or even “little white lies” that are not intended to hurt anyone, but at the end of the day, they are still lies and we have broken God’s law. James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” The verdict, therefore, is that we’re guilty. We are unholy and unfit to be in His holy presence. The law convicts us of sin and sin condemns us.
This is not an easy topic. The Law is heavy. It points out our sinfulness and our need to be saved from our sin. But if we are to truly understand the Gospel, we first need to understand this Law. How can we be saved unless there is something we need to be saved from? Once the Law has done its work, only then will the Gospel make real sense.
In Christ,
Pastor Evan