Chapter 19 - OF THE LAW OF GOD
1 God gave Adam a law of complete obedience, which was both written on his heart and included the specific command not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Through this, God bound Adam and all his descendants to a life of personal, complete, precise, and unending obedience. God promised eternal life for keeping this law and threatened death for breaking it, and he gave Adam the power and ability to obey.
2 The moral law, which God originally inscribed on the human heart, remained a perfect standard of righteousness even after the fall into sin. God later delivered this same law in the form of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, writing them on two stone tablets. The first four commandments outline our duties to God, and the remaining six define our duties to our fellow human beings.
3 God also gave the nation of Israel ceremonial laws in addition to the moral law. These laws included many symbolic rituals, some of which were for worship and foreshadowed Christ, his grace, his work, his suffering, and the benefits he provides. Other parts of the ceremonial law offered moral instruction. However, these laws were only meant to last until the time of reformation. Since Jesus Christ, the true Messiah and only law-giver, was given authority by the Father for this very purpose, he has abolished and removed them.
4 He also gave them various judicial laws, but these laws expired when the nation of Israel ceased to be a functioning state. Therefore, these laws are no longer binding on anyone today because of their original institution. Instead, only the general principles of justice and fairness behind these laws are still applicable for our moral guidance.
5 The moral law remains forever binding on everyone, including those who have been justified by faith. This is not simply because of the law's content, but also because it comes with the authority of God the Creator, who gave it. In the Gospel, Christ does not abolish this obligation; instead, He reinforces it.
6 For true believers, the law doesn't function as a "merit-based framework"—that is, a system by which they can be justified or condemned. However, it's still extremely useful to them and to everyone else. The law serves as a rule for life, showing us God's will and our duties, and it directs and obligates us to live accordingly. It also reveals the sinful corruption in our nature, our hearts, and our actions. By examining ourselves against the law, we gain a deeper conviction of our sin, which leads to humility and a hatred for it. This process also gives us a clearer view of our great need for Christ and the perfect obedience he rendered on our behalf. The law is also useful for Christians because it restrainsour corrupt desires by forbidding sin. Its warnings and threats show us what our sins truly deserve and what kind of afflictions we might expect in this life as a result, even though we are freed from the law's ultimate curse and its full, unmitigated severity. Likewise, the law's promises show us that God approves of our obedience and what blessings we can expect when we obey. However, we do not receive these blessings because we have earned them through a "merit-based framework." Therefore, a person's desire to do good and avoid evil because the law encourages one and deters the other is not evidence that they are still under the law and not under grace.
7 These uses of the law are not contrary to the grace of the Gospel; instead, they work together in perfect harmony. The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ, empowers and enables the human will to joyfully and willingly obey what God's will, as revealed in the law, requires us to do.