One of the great things about Lutheranism is our sharp distinction between Law and Gospel. We do not mix the two. They both have different functions and they both need each other. That is why Lutheran pastors always try to preach both in their sermons. We will get back to that in a second. But first let's discuss in a little more detail what they are.
When God created people he wrote the Moral Law on their hearts. So all of mankind has a knowledge of the law. That is why it is illegal pretty much everywhere to kill someone or to steal. Later on God wrote the Moral Law on the stone tablets that he gave to Moses, so now we have it in writing you could say. When we read the Old Testament we see that there were more laws than just the Moral Law though. There was also Civil Law and Ceremonial Law. The Civil Laws were the property laws and business laws like we have today. We no longer have to obey these because they pertained only to the nation of Israel. The Ceremonial Laws were the religious rules and ordinances. These told you what you were to sacrifice and how to sacrifice it. It also included what special days to observe and what you could and couldn't do on the Sabbath. These laws were all fulfilled with the death of Christ who was the final sacrifice and also our Sabbath rest. So the only law that made it into the New Testament and our time was the Moral Law, the Ten Commandments.
The Moral Law has three uses. The first use of the law is that of a curb. It keeps chaos and anarchy from breaking out in the world. Because man has the law in his heart and in writing he knows that it is wrong to kill and steal and disobey authority. Therefore his conscience restrains him from doing these things. Now people do still kill people and do bad things, but the Moral Law at least keeps a lid on it. The second use of the law is that of a mirror. It Shows us Our Sins. When we look at the Moral Law we see that we have not kept it perfectly so we know that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Pastors use this second use of the law in their sermons to lead people to repentance. The third use of the law is that of a guide. This third use is only for Christians. It shows us how to live as Christians. We do not preach the third use of the law to unbelievers. Pastors preach the third use of the law usually toward the end of their sermons to show the people how to live out their Christian faith.
The most important thing to remember about the law is that it is never good news. The law always condemns us or tells us what we should be doing. It is always coming down on us. The focus of the law is always on our actions. The main purpose is to Show us Our Sins. The law shows us that we can never measure up to God's perfection
The Gospel on the other hand is always good news. Where the law Shows us Our Sins, the Gospel Shows us Our Savior. The focus of the Gospel is on what God has done for us. It never has to do with our actions. The Gospel always tells us what God has done for us, what he is going to do for us and how much he loves us and forgives us.
That is why Pastors always preach both law and gospels in their sermons. We preach the law to show people their sins and then the gospel to show them their Savior from that sin. In other words preach them into hell and then back into heaven. Now some churches only preach one or the other or they confuse law and Gospel. For instance there are some churches that preach only the law. Well if you do that then people leave the church feeling convicted and guilty but they don't know what to do with it. They haven't been shown the Savior. Some churches confuse the two by saying things like Jesus died for your sins so you better get your act together so you can go to heaven. This puts your salvation back into your court instead of God's. Then there are others who only preach the gospel. They only talk about the love of God and the forgiveness of Jesus. This sounds great, but without the law showing you a need for Jesus why would you care or see any need for him. So the two work together, even though they are separate.
Now let me throw some Scriputure verses at you and let you guess whether they are law or gospel.
Mark 12:30-31 L or G; Colossians 2:8 L or G; John 3:16 L or G; Colossians 1:6 L or G; Matthew 28:19 L or G; Romans 10:4 L or G; Galatians 3:13 L or G; Psalm 37:5 L or G
As for the test you took last week, the answers are all found in the previous blogs.
Pastor Fred
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2 comments:
I am familiar with the three categories of 'law' as contained in the OT. I have two related questions regarding the 'moral' law category. 1) Does the moral law consist solely of the ten commandments, or 2) are at least portions of Leviticus 18-20 also a part of the moral law?
In reference to Wayne's question above there are parts of Leviticus 18-20 that are part of the Moral Law as well. Some of the laws quote in Lev. are also restated in the New Testament. For instance homosexuality is condemned in the NT as well. One of the things you find thought is that the ones would be considered part of the Moral law could all be put under the Ten Commandments. For instance we include the prohibition against homosexuality under the Sixth Commandment of not committing adultery. This command includes all sexual sins. Now there are other laws in Lev. that are questionable. They are not addressed in the New Testament. Like can a man marry his brother's wife after his brother dies? Also the prohibition against tatoos, is that still valid? We leave that up to the individual Christian consience because the New Testament doesn't directle address it. Also eating meat with blood in it. That is restated in the New Testament. The Jewish leaders requested that the gentile converts not eat meat with blood in it, because they thought that would be too insulting to the current Jewish believers. So do we have to follow that today. I would say not, because no body is really sacrificing animals anymore and the culture is different. But these all raise some good questions. But I would say that there are parts of Lev. 18-20 that are part of the Moral Law but that we could also fit them in under the Ten Commandments. If you think this is a little confusing wait until we get to the Third Commandment that is part Moral Law and also part Ceremonial Law.
Pastor Fred
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