You can turn in your confessions of faith to chapter 19 of the law of God. Does anyone need a confession of faith? The blue basket of Baptistic brevity is right there. If anyone needs a copy.
Chapter 19 of the Law of God, we have worked through a number of chapters that pertain to salvation, the doctrine of salvation. The last one that we looked at, chapter 18, with regards to the assurance of grace and salvation. The confession now moves to something of a redemptive historical reflection upon the law of God and its current utility in the New Covenant for the Christian. We'll see here a number of things related to the law of God in the Old Covenant and then, of course, the law of God in the New Covenant.
Christ has redeemed us. from the guilt of sin, the condemnation due for the violation of the law of God, what then does the law of God, what does the role of the law of God play? What is the role of the law of God for the Christian and truly for humanity as we see the abiding validity of the moral law? cross-covenantal and the particular abrogation of a couple aspects of the old covenant law here in the first set of paragraphs. Well, let's read, I'll read all seven paragraphs and then we'll look at some key considerations and important categories regarding the law of God.
Scripture Reading
Chapter 19, God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in his heart and a particular precept of not eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil by which he bound him in all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience, promised life upon the fulfilling and threatened death upon the breach of it, and endued him with power and ability to keep it. The same law that was first written in the heart of man continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness after the fall and was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai in 10 commandments and written in two tables, the four first containing our duty towards God and the other six our duty to man. Besides this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, His graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits, and partly holding forth diverse instructions of moral duties. All which ceremonial laws being appointed only to the time of reformation are by Jesus Christ the true Messiah and only lawgiver who was furnished with power from the Father for that end, abrogated and taken away.
To them also he gave sundry judicial laws which expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any now by virtue of that institution, their general equity only being of moral use. The moral law doth forever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof, and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the creator who gave it. Neither doth Christ in the gospel anyway dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation. Although true believers be 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, discovering also the sinful pollutions of their natures, hearts, and lives, so as examining themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of humiliation for and hatred against sin, together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ and the perfection of his obedience.
It is likewise of use to the regenerate to restrain their corruptions, and that it forbids sin. And the threatenings of it serve to show what even their sins deserve, and what afflictions in this life they may expect for them, although freed from the curse and unallayed rigor thereof. The promises of it likewise show them God's approbation of obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof, though not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works. So as man's doing good and refraining from evil, because the law encourageth to the one and deterreth from the other, is no evidence of his being under the law and not under grace.
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 requireth to be done.
Introduction
Amen. Well, a lot of clauses there, as there always is. Words, phrases, clauses mounted upon each other in the confession of faith to articulate the doctrine here as it considers the law of God. We're not gonna look at every particular clause and engage in an exposition of every particular word and that sort of a thing.
We just wanna look at some key considerations and important categories regarding the law of God. One of the things that Dr. Jim Renahan points out in his exposition on this particular chapter is that the word obedience is very significant in the confession of faith. He notes that 29 times in the confession in chapters 1, 2, 3, 8, 11, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, and 29, obedience is used 29 times. sometimes in the same context, sometimes in different contexts, but it's a very important principle.
The law of God here, in the chapter on the law of God, we see obedience in the very first clause, and we see obedience reiterated throughout. When we look upon redemptive religion, from Adam and Eve, the creation of Adam and Eve in the garden, all the way through to the last breathing Christian and non-Christian that there will be in the future, obedience plays a significant role. Now, obedience for the Christian, or where does obedience play a role with respect to salvation, we're not saved by our obedience, as the confession will say here in paragraph six. However, we are saved by the obedience of one, that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
His act of obedience unto the whole law and passive obedience in his death for our whole and soul righteousness. And so obedience is a blessed topic for the Christian. We can never perfectly, entirely, and exactly adhere to the law of God at any time in our lives, but praise God that there was one who did exercise the perfection of obedience, and that's who we rest our souls upon, the doing and the dying and the rising again of the King of righteousness and obedience, the Lord Jesus Christ. Renahan notes that paragraphs one to five, there's essentially a large two-fold division that he sees in the confession of faith here in this chapter, and it's redemptively historically focused.
Paragraphs one to five deal with the law of God and the history of redemption, and then the last two, six and seven, deal with it in the life of the believer. So eight things that we want to have a look at this morning, just with regards to some key considerations and important categories. And
Moral Universals and Positive Precepts
the first thing we see is the law of God as seen in moral universals and in positive precepts. There are two different things that the Bible treats that are related but are different with regards to the law of God. So the law of God as seen first in moral universals and secondly in particular precepts. Notice in paragraph one.
God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in his heart. That's moral universals. And then a particular precept of not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So moral, the definition or the distinction between these two things, Moral universals and positive precepts are the following.
A definition of the moral law. God's universally binding standard of right and wrong for all people written on the human conscience. And this reality is brought to the fore again with the very first clause. God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in his heart.
We may say that this is a creational or a creative writing, upon the heart by God, upon the heart of man, of his moral law. Adam is created in the garden in the image of God. In the image of God, God created man in righteousness, knowledge, and true holiness, and imbued man or imprinted upon man upon his heart, his mind, or his conscience, we could say those three things are all the same, imprinted upon man creatively the law of God. God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in his heart.
So the moral law, again, is God's universally binding standard of right and wrong for all people written on the human conscience. Now, after the fall, This is still a reality, though it's obviously marred by the fall, by original sin, and by the fact that from that vantage point of original sin do flow all actual transgressions. And so we still have, man still has the law written upon his heart, but it's of course distorted, and it is marred by original sin. Notice in the book of Romans, this is one of the points that Paul uses in order that he might consign all men under sin.
In Romans chapter two, one of the arguments is this very point, that the law of God is written upon the heart of man. and man, amongst other things, with regards to the divine, suppresses it in unrighteousness. Notice in Romans 2 at verse 14.
The Law Written on the Heart
For when Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts. their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them. So the law is used in two ways here. One, revelationally. They did not have the law as revealed to the Jews.
They didn't have the oracles of God. The Jews were the special and particular recipients in the Old Covenant of the special revelation of the law of God. For example, like we see in paragraph two, delivered by God upon Mount Sinai. But, even though they do not have that special revelation, by nature, they do the things in the law, having the law, notice, written in their hearts, verse 15, their conscience also bearing witness.
So Gentiles, outside of the Jewish community in the old covenant, God's covenant people, They did not receive special revelation from God through Moses, but nevertheless, by virtue of that creative, creational writing of the law of God upon the hearts of all men, their consciences bore witness to their own transgression. We could also note 1 Timothy 1, 8 to 11 with regards to the moral universality of God's law as a binding standard of right and wrong. So if we have this moral universal, a law of universal obedience written upon the heart, what then is a positive law? the distinction again here in the first two clauses, universal obedience and then a particular precept or a positive law. These are rules concerning morally indifferent things that become obligatory or prohibited because God has specified them for particular circumstances.
So, some examples that we could turn to, if we think about Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 with regards to clean and unclean animals. There isn't anything inherently wicked or sinful about a pig or a camel, but God imposed for a time these particular precepts upon the people of Israel in order to govern particular things, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, and partly holding forth diverse instructions of moral duties. So if we look at Leviticus 11, And Deuteronomy 14, we see these laws with regards to, you know, not eating particular animals like rabbits and pigs and camels and monitor lizards and chameleons and these sorts of things. We come to the New Testament and we see that those were positive laws. imposed until, as the Confession uses and as the Bible beforehand used, until the time of Reformation.
They were temporarily imposed by God and then abrogated at a particular time. For example, if you turn with me to Mark 7, we see here Christ, in a sense, not explicitly, but speaking with regards to the legitimacy of meats, foods given by God for our consumption. And he's doing this in the context of what is truly clean and unclean. and he touches upon our very topic. Notice in Mark 7, let's just say beginning at verse 17.
When he had entered a house, that's Christ, away from the crowd, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. So he said to them, are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him? because it does not enter his heart, but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods. And he said, what comes out of a man, that defiles a man, for from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lawlessness, excuse me, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these things, these evil things come from within and defile a man.
So Christ, though perhaps we could say not explicitly, is treating the transition to the New Covenant reality where God purifies, God sees all foods as legitimate and maybe more to the point that it's not the thing that we eat that cuts to the heart of moral right or wrong, but rather it's God in his authority who declares a thing as that which could be for a time prohibited.
Positive Law Defined and Illustrated
Rules, again, concerning morally indifferent things that become obligatory or prohibited because God has specified them for particular circumstances. You can turn to the book of Acts for a moment. This is more explicit. regarding something, if we compare, for example, the law against murder. The sixth commandment, a morally abiding, universal, a universally binding standard of right and wrong.
The thou shalt not murder is something that is a moral law, universally binding standard. It's not imposed for a time and then God says now you can murder people. We need to see the distinction between a moral law and a positive law. those laws concerning not eating rabbits and monitor lizards, if we turn to Acts chapter 10, we see God in the new covenant declaring to a Jew who understood all too well the ceremonial laws regarding these positive laws regarding clean and unclean animals, we see God giving a revelation of the cessation of the obsolescence of that old covenant law and the advent of the new covenant reality. In Acts chapter 10, we see at verse 9, The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour.
Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat. But while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth. wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. We can compare that to, and what's in the background is Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14, among other places that speak explicitly regarding wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air, and whether they're clean or unclean to eat.
Verse 13, and a voice came to him, rise Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common or unclean. And a voice spoke to him again the second time, what God has cleansed you must not call common. This was done three times, and the object was taken up into heaven again.
God gives this revelation of new covenant reality, the cessation of the ceremonial law, and the new covenant reality replacing it, and really for Peter to If we compare this with Galatians 1 and 2, it's for Peter to get a grip on the reality that whether Jew or Gentile, there is one new man in Christ created in the new covenant reality and God has called nothing common but has cleansed all things. It's all of that to come back to the point that there's a distinction between the moral law, that which is universally binding, right and wrong, and positive law, morally indifferent things that God, for a time, makes obligatory or prohibited. We can see here the particular precept in paragraph one, the positive law was the not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We just saw as well ceremonial laws were positive laws in the Old Testament imposed until the time of Reformation, until Christ came because they were all prefiguring Christ and in that holding forth particular duties that would come to an end with the coming of Christ.
We can see in the confession of faith this language, in fact, throughout, where there's a distinction drawn between moral laws, universally binding, and positive laws imposed only for a time. If you look with me just at a few examples here, first in chapter two on the doctrine of God and of the Holy Trinity, in paragraph two, which speaks to God's independence, Notice near the end of paragraph two. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. To him is due from angels and men whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as creatures they owe unto the creator.
Let's just hit the pause button for a moment. That would be moral law. So the distinction we just drew, whatever worship, service, or obedience as creatures they owe unto the creator. that the simple reality of being created in the image of God, both angels and men were, by virtue of being created in the image of God, there is this law of universal obedience written upon the soul. But, notice, the positive law, and whatever he is further pleased to require of them.
So there's this moral positive distinction. obedience by virtue of nature, and then whatever God is further pleased to require of them, that is in the giving of positive precepts. Notice in chapter 4, Chapter four, paragraph three, besides the law written in their hearts, they received a command to eat of the knowledge, to eat, to not eat, of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which whilst they kept, they were happy in their communion with God and had dominion over the creatures. As well in chapter six, Paragraph one, some of the same language. Although God created man upright and perfect, he gave him a righteous law, which had been unto life had he kept it, and threatened death upon the breach thereof.
Notice as well in chapter 22 in paragraph seven, this has to do with the giving of the Sabbath, which bears both moral and positive law aspects. Notice in 22.7. there's a bouncing back to and fro between moral and positive law in paragraph seven. As it is the law of nature, moral, that in a general proportion of time, moral, by God's appointment, moral, be set apart for the worship of God Moral. So by his word, now notice, in a both positive and moral and perpetual commandment, binding men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy unto him.
That's moral law. Now notice the positive aspect of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a moral law, so one day in seven to be set aside for the worship of the triune God. It is moral law, binding all men in all ages.
But the particular day of observation is positive. which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's Day, and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished. So the positive aspect of the law, the day of worship, was abolished, new covenant day, First day of the week replaced the old covenant day, the last day of the week. But the moral reality of the Sabbath has always abided by virtue of our created nature and by virtue of special revelation given by God. We could also note chapters 28, 1, 29, 1, and 31 with regards to baptism in the Lord's Supper all speak to positive law.
Baptism in the Lord's Supper themselves being positive laws given for a particular time. Just before we move on to some other concepts with regards to the law, let's just see the biblical testimony and clarity regarding this principle. You can turn with me to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews 9. We've noted this as we've been working through the book of Galatians.
With regards to the law, as it's used by Paul in the book of Galatians, is largely law equals old covenant. In the Bible, the law can be used in a number of different ways. The law pertaining to the moral law. The law of God as our confession uses it with regards to the threefold division of the law, moral, ceremonial, judicial.
Law is also used with regards to the old covenant, and it's used that way in the book of Galatians. And notice, with regards to the cessation of positive laws or the reality of positive laws, in this context, the ceremonial laws of the old covenant being abrogated at the time of Christ. Notice in Hebrews 9 at verse 10. Let's start at verse nine.
It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to conscience, concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. That's why our confession uses that language in chapter 19 at verse three, paragraph three. So all of that to say, God's law can be seen first in moral universals and in positive precepts. Moral universals would be, for example, the 10 commandments, the moral law, summarily contained in those 10 words, positive law being the ceremonial law that we'll see here again shortly.
Threefold Division of the Law
So secondly, then, the threefold division of the law of God in the Old Covenant. Our confession of faith acknowledges, as the divines, ancient and modern, have recognized, that there is a threefold division of the law of God in the Old Covenant. We see paragraphs one and two talk about the first, which is the moral law. The moral law, natural law revealed.
There's this relationship drawn between the law of God, the moral law of God written upon the heart of man by virtue of his creation. That same moral law is revealed after the fall on Mount Sinai. Notice in paragraph two, the same law that was first written in the heart of man continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness after the fall and was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai in 10 commandments and written in two tables, the four first containing our duty towards God and the other six, our duty to man. So the Ten Commandments is not simply for Israel, it's revealed to Israel, the law that's written upon man's heart, every man, every woman, every boy, and every girl was revealed specially by God to the nation of Israel on Mount Sinai, but it reflects something that is written upon the heart of every man.
And so that is the moral law, natural law revealed those universally binding standards of right and wrong written upon the consciences of mankind and revealed by God to Israel on Mount Sinai. Calvin writes, the law was committed to writing in order that it might teach more fully and perfectly that knowledge both of God and of ourselves, which the law of nature teaches meagerly and obscurely. Proof of this from an enumeration of the principal parts of the moral law and also from the dictate of natural law written on the hearts of all and in a manner effaced by sin. So that which was written on the heart, meagerly and obscurely, though there, is expanded upon and opened up, rather, by God in the revelation of the Ten Commandments.
But it's the same, it is the same law. You could note as well, paragraph 3 of chapter 22 speaks to this same reality. So the moral law, what is the threefold division of the moral law? It's first, excuse me, of the law in the Old Covenant, it's first seen in the moral law, and it's secondarily seen in the ceremonial law that we already touched upon, but is captured in paragraph 3.
The Ceremonial Law
Besides this law, so besides the moral law, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel ceremonial laws containing, notice the character, the structure, character, and intent, purpose of the ceremonial law containing several typical ordinances. So these are not ordinances that are just abstract in and of themselves, but rather they point to something. The nature of the ceremonial laws was not that they would abide forever, but that they would for a time point forward to something greater than themselves. We see that while we just saw it in Hebrews 9, we see it in Hebrews 9, or in the book of Hebrews at large, and we also see the same author in the book of Galatians pointing to the ceremonial law when he's speaking about the old covenant as that which pointed forward to the greater.
So these were typical ordinances, they pointed forward ultimately to Christ, the glories and the blessings of the new covenant that would be ratified in the shedding of his blood. So the ceremonial law, several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits, and partly holding forth diverse instructions of moral duties. And notice the temporary, the positive and temporary nature of these particular laws. They are not abiding as the moral law is, but rather had a divinely designed obsolescence. all which ceremonial laws being appointed only to the time of reformation, that is the arrival of Christ, his first advent, and the bringing in of everlasting righteousness, are by Jesus Christ, the true Messiah and only lawgiver, who was furnished with power from the Father for that end, abrogated and taken away.
So the ceremonial laws fulfilled in Christ come to an end because they had served their purpose. They were typical. They pointed forward to Christ. And so Christ having come, they were therefore no longer in, no longer serving as obligatory or prohibiting particular things.
Christ fulfilled them. So we see the moral law. We see the ceremonial law. One of the things I want us to see here, what we just spoke about regarding the advent of the new covenant, the cessation of the old.
In chapter 21, with regards to Christian liberty, notice the connection that we have with regards to the Old and New Covenant and the law of God, particularly as it touches upon the ceremonial law. all which were common also to believers under the law, this is the second sort of indentation in paragraph one, all which were common also to believers under the law for the substance of them, but under the New Testament, the liberty of Christians is further enlarged. in their freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial law to which the Jewish church was subjected, and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace, and in fuller communications of the free spirit of God than believers under the law did ordinarily partake of. So there is something more glorious, there is something richer, there is something to use Paul's language and Hebrews better, about the new covenant as it relates to the old. The ceremonial law was abrogated and the yoke no longer belongs to the people of God. We also then, backing up to our chapter, chapter 19, the threefold division of the law then, the moral law, the ceremonial law, and then thirdly, paragraph four, the judicial law.
The Judicial Law
To them all, so he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any now by virtue of that institution, their general equity only being of moral use. So the, If we could summarize the threefold division of the law, moral law, again, natural law revealed rules God's universally binding standard of right and wrong that is trans-covenantal, whether old or new, from the first who breathes to the last who breathes, the moral law abides. Ceremonial law, positive law regarding the cultist or religious life of Old Covenant Israel exclusively, and then judicial law, that paragraph four, for the governance of the body politic of Old Covenant Israel. So if we understand there with regards to the new covenant, there is one of these that truly abides, and that is the moral law.
Not that we don't consider or are not affected in particular ways by the ceremonial and the judicial law. And what I mean by that is when we look at Christ our Savior, we see him as the blessed fulfillment of the ceremonial law. A perusal of, a reading of the ceremonial law is not designed for us just to stop upon the ceremonial law and consider it alone. It's to drive us to see the holiness of God and to see the excellence of Jesus Christ in fulfilling the holiness of God and in meeting the holiness of God with the perfection of his redemption.
And the judicial law, as we'll see, still bears a measure of what is captured here as general equity, but it was expired with the state of that people, Old Covenant Israel. It no longer abides for the governance of the body politic of any commonwealth.
The Moral Law's Creational Authority
We already noted, thirdly, the creational nature of the moral law, but it's important again to emphasize here because paragraph 5 emphasizes it again. So after having talked about or after having stated the abrogation or the expiration of the ceremonial law and the judicial law, we see here paragraph 5, the moral law doth forever bind all. So while the ceremonial and judicial have been abrogated and or expired, the moral law has not. It does forever bind all as well justified persons as others to the obedience thereof.
So there is the creational nature of the moral law, it's written upon the heart of man, and post-fall it still abides, and in the new covenant it still abides. It's the same as that natural law written upon the heart, discernible through human reason and observation of the world. It was operative after the fall and revealed by God prior to Sinai. We need to understand this as Christians who seek to be faithful to the biblical witness, that the moral law of God didn't just arrive at Sinai.
It arrived in a special and in a powerful way upon that fiery, smoking, lightning-ing, thundering mountain. but it existed prior to Sinai. We see right after the fall, or well, actually, excuse me, we see after creation, and then after the fall, man obeying, the moral law, so prior to the fall, after the fall, pre-Sinai, we see, for example, sacrifices being given, we see Sabbath being observed, we see circumcision being carried out, and so we see the law of God largely, and then specifically and peculiarly, the moral law existing prior to Sinai. So for anyone to say, well, The moral law was only given to the Jews and its inauguration was that Sinaitic event. No, it existed prior to Sinai and it exists post-Sinai as that universal law of righteousness written in the heart and revealed by God in the Holy Scriptures.
So it's operative after the fall, revealed by God prior to Sinai, and it's more fully and concretely revealed in the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, and again, in the plains of Moab. So the moral law of God does abide. And if we're to say, okay, well, you know, yeah, I see it in the Old Testament, but I don't really see it in the New Testament. To say that is not to read the New Testament.
Turn to a passage in the New Testament in 1 Timothy that speaks to the wholesome reality and utility of the moral law as it abides in the new covenant landscape.
The Moral Law in the New Covenant
Notice in 1 Timothy 1 at verse 8. Speaking of the moral law, but we know that the law is good, 1 Timothy 1.8, if one uses it lawfully. We see a principle here. The law of God can never really in itself be a bad thing, but it can be used. poorly, wickedly, and it can be used wrongly.
But the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, "'and if there is any other thing "'that is contrary to sound doctrine, "'according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, "'which was committed to my trust.'" Interestingly here, we see ultimately a summary of the 10 Commandments given by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 8, 9, 10. We see as he works through these particular lists of transgressions, of wickednesses, that it touches upon the same progression of the Ten Commandments themselves. And note that it's connected to the Gospel. We're not saved by law's obedience, but the Gospel and our having been saved by Christ's obedience amplifies and exalts and has that sweet compliance with the law of God that paragraph 7 speaks to.
It's according to Sound doctrine and it's according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to the trust of the Apostle Paul and which is of course committed to the trust of the Christian church. Thank you. So. the revelation of the moral law. It does forever bind all as well-justified persons as others to the obedience thereof.
And we'll notice here in a moment that it is not, though, to be utilized as a covenant of works whereby we are justified or condemned. Jesus Christ has obeyed the covenant of works. He has obeyed, the covenant of grace was for Christ a covenant of works wherein He is perfectly and entirely and perpetually and personally obedient to the law of God. Every jot, every tittle, in the stead of all who believe in his name, and he bore the wrath, the condemnation, the guilt due to or due for the violation of that same law.
It's the blessed complex of Christ's salvation given for us. Not only did he provide the perfection of a righteousness, act of obedience unto the whole law, perfectly obeying the moral, the ceremonial, and the judicial law, but he also bore the penalty for all who believe in his name, his passive obedience in his death that obtains along with the act of obedience for our whole and soul righteousness. Christ was obedient to the law for us and he bore the curse of the law for us, for all who believe in His most precious name. What a blessed thing we have in the law of God as we see it through multiple scopes, but especially that redemptive scope.
As we see the law of God exalts the holiness of God, it shines the impenetrable light of holiness upon our own sin, our own transgression, our own wickedness, our own depravity, and it shines the blessed light upon Christ's obedience and the perfection of his curse bearing for our salvation.
Divinely Designed Obsolescence
We notice here the divinely designed obsolescence. That just means the God intended, God's purpose in the expiry of the ceremonial and the judicial laws. And we could say, as we have been considering the book of Galatians, and it's not only there in the Hebrews as well, but as we've been preaching through the book of Galatians, the old covenant system of religion itself had a divinely designed obsolescence, a divinely intended expiry. and that it would be that the New Covenant reality, which is the covenant of grace ratified, that that New Covenant reality would obtain over the temporary and transient nature of the Old Covenant. This is a number of authors on this wonderful reality.
First, Gill. Speaking of the ceremonial laws primarily, they were enjoined the Jews only, though by God himself, and were put upon them as a burden or a yoke, and which was on some accounts intolerable, but were not to continue any longer than the time of the gospel, here called the time of reformation. So this is his comments on Hebrews 9.10. or of correction and amendation, in which things that were faulty and deficient are amended and perfected, and in which burdensome rites and ceremonies are removed and better ordinances introduced, or rather of direction, in which saints are directed to Christ, the sum and substance of all types, shadows and sacrifices, in whom alone perfection is. John Owen. speaking again of the ceremonial laws, or we could say the old covenant system of religion.
They were never designed to continue forever, and this is the great controversy which we have at this day with the Jews. The principal foundation of their present unbelief is that the law of Moses is eternal, and that the observation of its rights and institutions is to be continued unto the end of the world. The contrary here unto the apostle had evidently proved in the foregoing chapters in the book of Hebrews. Whereas, therefore, he had undeniably demonstrated that they were not to be of perpetual use in the church, nor could ever affect that state of perfection which God designed unto it.
He now declares that there was a certain determinate reason fixed in the purpose and counsel of God for their cessation and removal. just two more quotes here because hopefully this speaks to the weight and the glory of, first, the cessation of the ceremonial and judicial law, and secondly, the perfection of those as fulfilled and completed by Christ in the perfection of his redemption. All the glorious institutions of the law were at best but as stars in the firmament of the church, and therefore were all to disappear at the rising of the Son of Righteousness. That's John Owen. And then lastly, Athanasius.
So the Jews are indulging fiction and transferring present time to future. When did prophet and vision cease from Israel? Was it not when Christ came, the Holy One of Holies? It is in fact a sign and notable proof of the coming of the Word, that Jerusalem no longer stands, neither is prophet raised up, nor vision revealed among them.
And it is natural that it should be so. For when He that was signified had come, what need was there any longer to signify Him? And when the truth had come, what further need was there of the shadow? So the ceremonial and judicial laws expire, the moral law endures, and we see, as we close here, the utility of the moral law amplified in the largest paragraph of this chapter and expanded upon in the largest paragraph, paragraph six, the three uses of the moral law and its utility for the believer.
Three Uses of the Moral Law
we see here, first, there's a civil use to the law. The paragraph largely is focusing on the regenerate, on the Christian, but it also uses the language of, it is great use to them as well as to others. So the civil use of the law, that pertains to the use of the moral law for the restraining of evil. God in his providential governance. uses, employs, has purposed the moral law for the governance of society.
Again, the restraining of man's wickedness in society by the use, hopefully, and we would pray, by the use of righteous government. Very often, as we look upon the landscape of government, it's not righteous, but if we read Romans 12 and 13, we see there that God has given the civil magistrate to rule over to rule over man in a particular sense and measure for the punishment of evildoers and the defense of those who are doers of good. So the first use of the moral law is civil, the second is pedagogical, the use of the moral law for making sin known, for showing our guilt before God, and to ultimately lead sinners to Christ as Savior. the pedagogical or tutorial or instructive or the sort of schoolmaster use of the law, it shines the light on God's holiness, it shines the light on our own sinfulness, and it shines the light on the glorious gospel of the blessed God upon Christ who perfected obedience for us. And we also see here the normative use of the law.
It is for the regenerate to restrain their corruptions, forbidding sin, using the threatenings to show what their sins deserve, what inflictions in this life they may expect of them. The promises of it likewise show them God's approbation of obedience and the blessings that they can expect upon the performance of the law of God. And so the normative use of the law, the use of the moral law as that which serves a norm or standard for Christian conduct. We look to the law and there we see not an imposition, not a yoke of bondage, but we see something that is a blessing to us.
I love your law, David can say. It's my meditation day and night. We joyfully observe the law. It is joyful compliance that we engage in as Christians because we've been freed from our bondage to sin, that we might, by virtue of Christ's work, enjoy that liberty to obey what God has commanded.
Not perfectly, but nevertheless, to obey what God has commanded.
Christ and the Law
And then lastly, we'll close with this, Christ and the law. Just by way of reflection, we see this wonderful paragraph closing off the chapter on the law of God. 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 requireth to be done. A reflection upon the law of God should ultimately drive us to sweet reflections upon the Christ who obeyed it.
And with regards to Christ and the law, five very quick things in a minute and 49 seconds that touch upon Christ's relation to the law. First, he is the fount and the giver of it. we see back in a previous paragraph, paragraph three, Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, and only lawgiver. So we see he is, Christ is the fount and the giver of that law. We see this language in 2.2 with regards to divine independence, and then in 28.1 with regards to baptism in the Lord's Supper.
Secondly, he is the one, Christ is the one who actively obeyed the whole law in the stead of all believers. Chapter eight, paragraph four, and chapter 11, paragraph one. Once again, and gloriously so, not because I say it, but because it's true concerning Christ, His active obedience unto the whole law and His passive obedience in His death for our whole and soul righteousness. Not our righteousness avails with God, but the righteousness of one only and that Christ.
Thirdly, Christ is the one who rendered passive obedience in His death for all believers. So actively obeyed and his passive obedience for our death. This is Spurgeon. But certainly the folly of those that practice these things is to be pitied.
That is practicing the law in order that by the law they may be saved. So using the law as a means of salvation. The blasphemy of those that teach this is to be detested. For do they know and consider what sin is and whom it strikes at?
Is it not the breach of the law? Is it not against the infinite justice and sovereignty of the great God? And can the poor imperfect finite services of a sinful creature ever make up such a breach? Can our pitiful broken might discharge the debt of a thousand talents?
Ten thousand talents? Those that can imagine the removal of the guilt of the least sin feasible by the choicest and most religious of their own works never as yet knew God truly, nor themselves, nor their sins. They never understood the fiery strictness of the law, nor the spirituality of the gospel. Praise Christ for his saving work.
As we look at the law, it's one thing that we can be driven to. Praise Christ. for his saving work. According to his divinity, fourthly, his substantial unity with the Father and Spirit, his justice is satisfied. We don't often think about this, but Christ upon the cross satisfied his own justice.
As the one who, according to his assumed humanity, died upon Calvary's cross and offered up a substitutionary sacrifice, he in that, according to his divinity, he satisfied, according to his humanity, the justice of himself according to his divinity. Chapter 8, paragraph 5. Chapter 11, paragraph 3. And then lastly, Christ is the one who governs our hearts and conquers our ignorance.
Chapter 8, paragraphs 8 and 10. His kingly office is unto the end, that he governs our hearts according to that joyful law, that freeing law, that law of liberty, and he conquers our ignorance as well. By his spirit and his ascended state, he deals with our hearts through what we're about to move into in 30 minutes. as we gather together for church, we ought to see, amongst many other things, Christ, in his ascended glory, by his Spirit, conquering our hearts and dealing with our ignorance. One of the things that we do when we enter into these doors in joyful worship So we still stand in ignorance and we need the king, the prophet, the priest in his ascended glory by his spirit conforming us to his law and making us even more those pure worshipers and those obedient sons who walk in sweet compliance to the law of God.
Well, let's close in prayer.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your truth. We rejoice in your goodness to us. Thank you for this short time where we can consider your law, your holiness, and the perfection of Christ in bringing in that everlasting righteousness. We pray that you'd go with us into worship, help us to honor you, to see your holiness, to see our sin, to see the blessed Savior as that one who has conquered our hearts and brought us into that position, that position of rightness with you.
And we pray in his name, amen.
Questions and Answers
Any questions about any of that? Law of God? Any curiosities? Yes? is offered to idols from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.
So the blood thing, how would that fall under? Where does that fall under exactly? Does that affect us? Does that affect that?
Well, I think one of the key things there is how does the church deal with this transition from the old covenant to the new covenant? How do we deal with Jew and Gentile becoming one new man in Christ Jesus? There's a lot of sociocultural upheaval going on. Well, these Gentiles are eating in a way and are conducting themselves in a way that is not consistent with what God has revealed in the ceremonial law.
And so in order to bring a measure of peace between Jew and Gentile at that time, the idea was, okay, Gentiles, could you, for the sake of this particular time, not do these things in order not to offend the Jews? So I would say those things were rooted in the moral law, but obviously sexual immorality is moral law. The blood aspect, it may simply be a, I think it's healthy, generally speaking, not to ingest blood, but it has more to do with Jew-Gentile relations at that new covenant, that the transfer from the old covenant to the new covenant. if that answers it. It's provisional at the time in order to govern Jew-Gentile relations in that very sensitive time.
Yes, go ahead. Yeah, very similar principle, exactly, good observation. Right. Exactly.
Very good observation. Same principle governing there, yeah. Thanks everybody.