LAW AND GOSPEL

As Christians, we love the gospel. It is the heartbeat our faith that though we have sinned against the Lord, he sent his perfect Son to take the punishment for our sin. But what about God’s law? Christians can often neglect God’s law because the New Testament tells us “we are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). But does being under grace mean that we should not obey God’s law? We need to understand that these two realities (law and gospel) are not opposed to one another but operate together for our ultimate salvation.

Simply put, anything in the Bible that tells us to “do” is law, and anything in the Bible that tells us what God has “done” for us is gospel or grace.1 This means there is law and gospel in both Old and New Testaments. Ultimately, it is the law of God that tells us we are sinners in need of forgiveness. This is the point of Romans 7:7, “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.’” The law of God is good. It is a reflection of God’s holy character. Like a mirror, it shows us our own sinfulness. Then, and only then, will we run to the gospel.

God’s law cannot save us from sin. We could never obey enough to earn God’s love. But God’s law does show us our need for the Savior. It shows us our need for God’s grace and mercy displayed in the gospel (Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection). So, the lasting purpose of God’s law is to point us again and again to Christ. And upon our trusting in Christ, we can now uphold the law of God from our hearts because our hearts have been transformed by the truth of the gospel (Rom. 3:31).

1. I attribute this articulation of the law and gospel distinction to Justin Perdue and Jon Moffitt from the Theocast podcast.