← Back to sermon library

We're in chapter 19 now. As we 
mentioned last time, Pastor Butler had worked through 17 and 18 
in the Wednesday night Bible studies, so we thought it good 
to jump from 16 to 19, with 17 and 18 having already been completed. So chapter 19 is on the law of 
God. I'll read all seven paragraphs, 
and then we'll jump into a study of the law of God. Chapter 19, 
paragraph 1, 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 ten 
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 he also 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 
any way 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, in 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. Amen. Well, there's 
a lot there. I know I say that a lot because 
there's a lot in every chapter, but there's a lot there in the 
chapter on the law of God. Dr. Jim Renahan notes that with 
respect to the word obedience, it's a term that's used in a 
great number of the chapters from the beginning of the confession 
through to the end. When we get to the chapter, now 
being in the chapter of the Law of God, obedience comes to the 
fore. It was there with regards to 
good works, but it certainly comes to the fore with respect 
to the Law of God. He notes, just by glancing at 
this, at least 18 chapters where the word is used in different 
contexts, but always touching upon, of course, the holiness 
of God, the sinfulness of man, the perfect obedience of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and the requirements of the law with regards to the 
Old Covenant, and then now with regards to the New Covenant. 
And we might say that the positioning of this chapter in the confession 
makes sense, I think all of them do, but it follows after the 
covenant with respect to Christ and he being the champion of 
that covenant of grace, and it follows after it follows after 
the doctrines touching upon salvation. So the positioning is such, or 
the idea is such, what does the law of God, or what role does 
the law of God, how does the law function with respect to 
the New Testament and the salvation afforded? from the beginning 
of time, but specifically as it pertains to the New Testament 
and New Testament worship, Christians in the New Testament era. As 
Jim Renahan notes, there's basically a two-fold division to the chapter. The first five chapters touch 
upon the history of salvation or the law relative to the history 
of salvation or what we call the Historia Salutis, the history 
of salvation or redemption. And then the last two touch upon 
the Ordo Salutis or more particularly the New Covenant, the New Testament 
reality with respect to the law of God. What role does it play? 
And it's an important question to answer because you know, there 
are those perversions of Christianity, there are those pseudo-Christian 
cults and those sorts of things which import obedience to the law of God into 
the scheme of salvation, which of course God abominates. So 
it's important for us to know, positively, what does the Bible 
speak with respect to the law of God, but on the negative side, 
to repudiate any notion that the law's obedience merits salvation. There has never been a scheme 
of salvation set before fallen man that argues for meriting 
salvation based upon obedience. It's always been salvation by 
grace through faith in the coming Redeemer in the Old Testament 
and the Redeemer having come in the New Testament. It's always 
been salvation by Jesus Christ. So what role did the law play 
in the Old Covenant? What role does the law play in 
the New Covenant? So we're just going to try to 
note eight things as we work through not everything, not every 
clause, not every term, not every sentence, but the overall exposition 
that we have here. Some observations and key distinctions 
on the law of God. The first one, is the law of 
God as seen in moral universals and positive precepts. So two 
things in this particular head, the law of God as seen in moral 
universals and positive precepts. Notice paragraph one. with regards 
to Adam. God gave Adam a law, first here, 
a law of universal obedience written in the heart. So that's 
a law of moral universals. And then, positive precepts. We read then, and a particular 
precept of not eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good 
and evil. So, the Bible does, and theologians 
then rightly do, distinguish between moral universals on the 
one hand, and positive precepts on the other. Not as if these 
are contrary to one another, but they are definitionally different, 
and it's important to draw the distinction and define what these 
things are. So, first off, with regards to 
moral universals, and we'll nuance this as we move along, but the 
natural law or moral law, there's connection there and identicality, 
but there's also a subtle distinction with regards to moral being the 
natural law revealed by God specially. But getting back to the distinction 
of moral law or moral universals, Dr. Sam Renahan defines it this 
way, the definition of moral law. The universal moral law 
of God, that which is right and wrong for everybody, impressed 
upon the mind of man. So that's a definition of the 
moral law, or what we could say moral universals. God gave to 
Adam a law of universal obedience. And note that language written 
in his heart. So there is this creational reality 
to the law of God. By virtue of Adam's creation, 
he had the law of God written on his heart. Not in that Jeremiah 
31, well, We need to draw a distinction between Adam and then post-lapsarian 
man. Chapter 9 touched on that a little 
bit, obviously, and chapter 6 a little bit. But suffice it to say, there's 
a difference between what we'll see here in paragraph 2, the 
law written upon the heart of man even after the fall, and 
that still being a law of universal obedience, and then the law written 
on the heart redemptively that Jeremiah 31 writing upon the 
heart. So we could say that there's 
two writing upon the hearts with respect to the law of God. One 
is creatively. We all have, by virtue of our 
creation, the law of God written on the heart. For Adam, prior 
to the fall, there was a measure of perfection there. though he 
was mutable, that he could fall from that state of righteousness. 
After the fall, by virtue of the image of God being very marred 
and shattered, we still have the law written upon the heart, 
but of course we suppress the knowledge of God and we do that 
which is in opposition to God and his law, though our consciences 
know that there is a God and that we violate his law and justly 
deserve eternal punishment. So coming back then to the law 
of God as moral universals written upon the heart. And just, you 
can turn in your Bibles with me to the book of Romans for 
a moment, because in Romans we have this reality of the moral 
universals, and this is speaking to this creative aspect of the 
moral universals written upon the heart of man. You can go 
to Romans 2. So, Speaking with respect to the natural law and 
the moral law, which have a measure of identicality, they're reflections 
of the divine essential perfections of God. It's not as if God created 
the law. They are, in essence, a reflection 
of the essential perfections of God, his goodness, his holiness, 
his justice, that sort of a thing. But here in Romans 2, we have 
a declaration by the Apostle Paul that Jews and Gentiles have 
the law, and specifically with regards to Gentiles, notice the 
language at Romans chapter 2. Verse 12, for as many as have 
sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many 
as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law. For not 
the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the 
doers of the law will be justified. 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. in the day when God will judge 
the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." So you 
see that language where the confession is drawing this written in their 
hearts, not only here, elsewhere as well, but the Gentiles who 
don't have the law, that is the revealed law that was given on 
Mount Sinai, they nevertheless know the law because that law 
given upon Mount Sinai, as we'll see here in a moment, is simply 
the specially revealed law that man knows by virtue of his creation, 
that's revealed and accessible to him by virtue of his reason 
and the observation of the natural world. So, Paul can say that 
though the Gentiles don't have the Mosaic law, that special 
revelation, the oracles of God, nevertheless, by nature, they 
do the things in the law, The reason is because the work of 
the law is written in their hearts. So we have this reality of this 
universal obedience, the reality of moral universals, the law 
of God written upon the heart of man. Secondly, we have positive 
precepts, so under the law of God as seen in moral universals 
and positive precepts, notice the language continued in paragraph 
1, 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. Dr. Renahan, Sam Renahan, 
defines positive law. Remember, moral law is the universal 
moral law of God, that which is right and wrong for everybody 
impressed upon the mind of man. Now, positive law, indifferent 
things, things which are not right or wrong in and of themselves, 
prescribed, that is commanded, or proscribed, which is forbidden, 
for a particular time, place, and people. So these are things 
that aren't reflections of the moral purity and perfection of 
God, but given by that God who is perfect in his goodness, holiness, 
justice, and truth, and they're given for a particular covenantal 
epoch, a particular covenantal era. For example, as we'll see 
in a moment, the ceremonial law in the Old Covenant. We have 
the example of Adam here, obviously, this particular precept given 
prior to the fall in the Garden of Eden. We have with Old Covenant 
Israel, the ceremonial law that was given to them. And then in 
the New Covenant, we also have we have the ordinances of God 
as positive precepts or positive law. That is the Lord's Supper 
and baptism. So, positive law. Now, where 
might we see this in the Bible? We'll get there in a moment, 
but let's just scan through the confession to six different places 
where we see this positive precept or this positive law referred 
to. And you can go back to chapter 
two, the doctrine of God. In chapter two and paragraph 
two, we have sort of the first explicit instance of positive 
law. Notice near the end of paragraph 
two of chapter two, he is most holy, that is God, 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, and now notice, and 
whatever he is further pleased to require of them. So we have 
this natural or moral universals connected to service, obedience 
as creatures they owe unto the creator simply by virtue of their 
creation and they being under their sovereign creator. And 
then we have positive law, which is sort of worded here as whatever 
God is further pleased to require of them. So that would connect 
to paragraph one that we just read in chapter 19, the law written 
upon Adam's heart and then that particular precept given to him 
to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You 
can turn to chapter four. In chapter four, paragraph three, 
besides the law written in their hearts, they received a command 
not to eat of the knowledge, the tree of the knowledge of 
good and evil, which whilst they kept, they were happy in their 
communion with God and had dominion over the creatures. Chapter six 
in paragraph one, We read there the following, although God created 
man upright and perfect and gave him a righteous law, which had 
been unto life had he kept it and threatened death upon the 
breach thereof. You'll also notice, and this 
is an interesting instance in chapter 22, on the chapter pertaining 
to worship in the Sabbath day, notice in chapter 22 in paragraph 
seven, there's a very unique, instance of moral and positive 
law connected in the same clause and connected to the same commandment. So in chapter seven with, excuse 
me, chapter 22, paragraph seven, with regards to the Sabbath day, 
notice as it is the law of nature that in general, a proportion 
of time by God's appointment be set apart for the worship 
of God. So by his word, now notice, in a positive, moral, and perpetual 
commandment. So there's a grouping here of 
both positive and moral law. And perpetual commandment, binding 
all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day 
and seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy unto him. So this is 
a unique instance where a particular precept and a moral law are joined 
together, in this case, in the Ten Commandments. And it has 
to do with the moral aspect of the Sabbath day. Sabbath day 
is that God has commanded that one day in seven be observed 
for the worship of him. The positive element is the day 
of worship. In the Old Covenant, it was the 
seventh day, it was Saturday. In the New Covenant, the positive 
attachment to that moral law is first day or Lord's Day, Sunday 
worship. So we have an instance there, 
again, of positive law, but here connected to moral law as well. 28.1, 29.1, and 31 also have 
to do or touch upon positive precepts connected to the sacraments. 
Baptism in the Lord's Supper. Now, where would we see this 
in the Bible? Positive law. You can turn first 
with me to Hebrews. And in fact, the book of Hebrews I'm not going to say largely, 
because the theme of Hebrews is Paul, by the Spirit, setting 
forth the supremacy, the superabounding excellence, to use Pink's words, 
of Christ over all the old covenant worship and types and shadows 
that came before him. We have a lot that speaks to 
the abrogation of positive or ceremonial law, that being connected 
to the first coming and the perfection of the work of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Now notice in Hebrews 9 at chapter 9 at verse 6. Now when these things had been 
thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the 
tabernacle performing the services, but into the second part the 
high priest went alone once a year not without blood, which he offered 
for himself and for the people's sins, committed in ignorance, 
the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the holiest 
of all was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was 
standing. 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 the conscience." Now notice this last verse, verse 10, concerned 
only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances 
imposed until the time of Reformation. That speaks with respect to positive 
law and as it's specifically seen in the ceremonial law in 
the Old Covenant. If we were to define ceremonial 
law in sort of just a a hand grasp of words, we could say 
it is foods and drinks, various washings and fleshly ordinances. 
And these were imposed as positive law, as Paul says here, these 
were imposed as positive law by God, but only for a time. Remember, positive law connected 
to a covenantal epoch, or a particular time and place and people. They 
were imposed until the time of Reformation, and that refers 
to the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in fact, that's 
what the next verse says, but Christ came as high priest of 
the good things to come with the greater and more perfect 
tabernacle not made with hands. You could also note 1 Corinthians 
7.19 as an instance of speaking with respect to circumcision 
and uncircumcision, the new creation, positive law, again, that which 
is indifferent, prescribed or proscribed for a particular time, 
place, and people, as Dr. Sam Renahan defines. So that's 
moral and positive law. Let's move on now, secondly and 
largely, to the threefold division of the law of God in the Old 
Covenant. the threefold division of the 
law of God in the old covenant. So back at chapter 19, notice 
in paragraph two, and we'll sort of move through these next three 
paragraphs here, the same law that was 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 with regards 
to the threefold division of the law in the Old Covenant, 
the first is the moral law. And here we see that natural 
law, which is, again, we could say the moral law of God not 
yet revealed specially. So the natural law now becomes 
moral law in the sense that it's specially revealed. the law that 
was written upon the heart of man creationally is now delivered 
by God upon Mount Sinai. So it's specially revealed, it's 
codified, it's given upon Mount Sinai. It's also given again 
a second time, and then it's given a third time on the plains 
of Moab, as we read in Deuteronomy. But this is then the moral law, 
natural law revealed. we could say. There is a relationship 
between natural and moral law and Calvin defines it this way 
or speaks to it this way. This is John Calvin. The law 
natural 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 he's not talking about the 
imperfection of moral law because, or natural law that is, because 
whatever God reveals naturally is perfect and it is infallible, 
but he's talking to the, you know, from the vantage point 
or with regards to natural law being only meagerly and obscurely 
revealing that which God requires of man. And that is specifically 
delivered in the giving of the moral law, especially, supernaturally, 
in special revelation, God revealing it to man upon Mount Sinai through 
the prophets and through the writing of Revelation. in the 
Old and New Testaments. So, the law was committed to 
writing. The natural law, that creational 
law written upon the heart, is committed to writing in order 
that it might teach more fully and perfectly the knowledge of 
God. So, the moral law is given. We can see, if you turn with 
me to chapter 22 for a moment, we can see there Something that sort of connects 
to the natural moral law, it connects the natural and moral 
law with respect specifically to the worship of God. Notice 
in paragraph 3 of chapter 22 prayer, with thanksgiving being 
one part of natural worship is by God required of all men. but 
that it may be accepted it is to be made in the name of the 
Son, by the help of the Spirit, according to His will, with understanding, 
reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, perseverance, and 
when with others in a known tongue." So, just briefly, you might be 
saying, wait a minute. Are the particular Baptists not 
subscribing to cessationism? Are they continuationists? Do 
they believe in the speaking of tongues? That simply has to 
do with opposition to the Roman Catholic practice of preaching 
in Latin. You know, the Latin mass and 
that sort of a thing. So don't get confused by that particular 
clause. But back to the point, we see here natural worship, 
and the particular Baptists actually changed this phrase, or qualified 
it by natural, because they wanted to more specifically distinguish 
between the fact that God, by virtue of creation, demands that 
He is worshipped by man. In fact, the first clause of 
This chapter says, the light of nature shows that there is 
a God who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is just, good, doth 
good unto all, et cetera, and that he is to be feared, loved, 
praised, called upon, trusted in. That's something that the 
light of nature shows, but then special revelation comes and 
shows the manner in which he is to be worshiped, that it is 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in the name of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, by the Spirit, according to renewed hearts. of faith. Back to the point, though, moral 
law is the natural law revealed. We could simply say that the 
moral law, as the Confession says, is the Ten Commandments. That is wherein God's law is 
summarily contained. Back to chapter 19. Delivered by God upon Mount Sinai 
in Ten Commandments. So the moral law is the Ten Commandments. Now, secondly, notice with regards 
to the threefold division of the law, the ceremonial law. 
We've already touched on it a little bit, but paragraph three, besides 
this law, the moral law, oh, it says that next, commonly called 
moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel ceremonial 
laws. So we have the second of the 
three-fold division of the law being ceremonial law. This is 
positive law regulating the cultus of Old Covenant Israel, the religious 
system of Old Covenant Israel. Notice chapter 21 at verse 1. This is speaking with regards 
to the doctrine of Christian liberty and liberty of conscience, 
and it's drawing a distinction between ceremonial law in the 
Old Covenant and the liberty that comes under the New Covenant 
with that yoke of bondage being taken away. Notice. Notice paragraph 
1 of chapter 21. The liberty which God hath purchased 
for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from 
the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the rigor and curse 
of the law, and in their being delivered from this present evil 
world, bondage to Satan and dominion of sin, from the evil of afflictions, 
the fear and sting of death, the victory of the grave and 
everlasting damnation. as also in their free access 
to God, and in their yielding obedience unto Him, not out of 
slavish fear, but a childlike love and willing mind." Now, 
just stop there for a moment, because this clause, as also 
in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience 
unto Him, not out of slavish fear, will be expanded a little 
bit in the next paragraph, because it's distinguishing between the 
yoke of the ceremonial law in the Old Covenant, and the liberty 
that comes with New Testament worship, 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, back to chapter 19, we see 
here the ceremonial law given by God. He was pleased to give 
it to the people of Israel, those particular positive laws. But 
these, of course, as we'll see in the next set of clauses, these 
have been abrogated and taken away, the Confession says. So 
notice what we have here following, 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, there's that Hebrews 
9.10 language, 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 these ceremonial laws were 
temporary, positive laws connected to the Old Covenant, and they 
expired with, at the time of the coming of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Paul uses that language in in the book of Hebrews, in 
chapter 8, when he's connecting the Jeremiah 31 announcement 
of the new covenant to the fading away reality of the old covenant 
and the advent of the new being ratified by the Lord Jesus Christ. 
You know, what is fading away is becoming obsolete. Whatever 
the language is that Paul uses in chapter 8, 13 there, that 
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, he puts an end to the 
ceremonial law, so all of those washings, all of those ceremonies, 
all of those sacrifices were to cease, and they would ultimately 
cease with the destruction of the temple in the city in AD 
70, but they were to cease once Christ had come. It's a very 
interesting thing, and God's obviously gracious and long-suffering, But when Christ comes and he 
renders that death upon Calvary's cross, and he's raised again 
the third day, sacrifices were then to stop in the temple. The 
ceremonies were then to cease. The washings and the fleshly 
ordinances were all to stop. Why? because they prefigured 
Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits. And 
so Christ having now come, the substance of the shadow having 
arrived, the true of the copy having arrived, the anti-type 
of the types having arrived, all of those shadows, copies, 
and types were now to become obsolete and fade away. So the 
ceremonial law given to Israel has been fulfilled in Christ 
and is no longer operative. The third of the threefold division 
of the law, the third category with regards to the threefold 
division of the law is the judicial law. Notice. what we have here 
in paragraph four. 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. If, and it is the case, if the 
ceremonial law was positive law regulating the cultus, the religious 
system and worship of Old Covenant Israel, judicial law was law 
given for the governance of the body politic of Israel. So, you know, distinguishing 
with respect to moral, the judicial law is connected to the moral, 
no doubt. But the judicial law was for 
the governance of the body politic of Israel only. And as we can 
see, that's what the confession is acknowledging here. The judicial 
law expired together with the state of that people, not obliging 
any now by virtue of that institution. And there's a clause here that 
qualifies it. Their general equity only being 
of moral use. The idea is that we don't just 
throw away the judicial law. Yes, it expired as far as its 
operation and execution and functionality with the mosaic economy when 
that state ceased. However, there is value to be 
gained and wisdom to be gleaned from the judicial law. This is 
John Gill on this particular point. He wrote, Something. One second here. Hopefully it didn't disappear 
on me. Moving on. Awkward. Yes, please ask something. and Moses is talking about the 
dudes and the don'ts and the walks and that sort of thing. the Pentateuch is rich with judicial 
law. You see it executed outside of 
the Pentateuch with respect to the prophets and the ministry 
of the prophets and obviously the kings and the judges and 
that sort of a thing. But yeah, the giving of the judicial law, 
we would go to the Pentateuch, Exodus, Deuteronomy numbers. 
Yeah. Maybe it's because I'm just not 
really reading very well, but Gill speaks to the fact that 
not that the judicial law is operative for the New Covenant 
Church, but that civil rulers could make use of the precepts 
found in the judicial law for the governance of society. So 
it's not the imposition of the judicial law in some sort of 
theonomic sense, but it's the utilization of particular gleanings 
and wisdom from the judicial law in order to govern society. So there's no covenantal obligation 
on the part of political rulers to avail of the mosaic judicial 
law to govern society, but that's not to say that they can't glean 
things. They should rule according to 
the righteousness of the moral law, rule according to the righteousness 
of the law that we have actually written upon our hearts, creatively, 
but the judicial law specifically, as given by God through Moses, 
expired with the state of that people. So that's the threefold 
division of the law of God in the Old Covenant. Much more could 
certainly be said, but moving on. We just want to note briefly 
and thirdly, because we already have actually noted it a few 
times, the creational nature of the moral law. we see, going 
back to Adam and then to the hearts of man after the fall, 
that creatively the law is written upon the heart. Pre-fall, we 
have the covenant of works, the law in the context of covenant, 
and then of course post-fall, we have the fact that that same 
law written upon the heart of man continued to be a perfect 
rule of righteousness after the fall. So we have a creational 
nature with respect to the moral law. We already noted Romans 
2 14 to 15. The revelational nature of the moral law, fourthly 
and largely, so we already noted that that law of God written 
upon the heart is specially revealed. That same natural law written 
on the heart, discernible through human reason and the observation 
of the world, that was operative after the fall, is codified on 
Mount Sinai and also in the plains of Moab, reiterated to the nation 
of Israel. Now, fifthly and largely, we 
want to note the divinely designed obsolescence of the ceremonial 
law. We already spoke to that a little 
bit, but to stress the point and to argue against some notion 
that God is moving through dispensations with Israel and the church, as 
if this epoch connected to ceremonial law failed in some sense, and 
he has to move on to, you know, to better things, there was a 
divinely designed obsolescence to the ceremonial law that would 
be fulfilled and terminated in Christ. When we say divinely 
designed obsolescence, that simply means that God purposed an end 
to the ceremonial law because it served as those shadows of 
the substance, those copies of the true, those types of the 
blessed and glorious anti-type. So it's a couple quotes here 
that speak to this fact. This is Gil, 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, in Hebrews 9.10, the time of reformation, 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, the better ordinances are introduced, 
or rather of direction, in which saints are directed to Christ, 
the sum and substance of all types, shadows, and sacrifices, 
and in whom alone perfection is. That's why we have the cessation 
of the ceremonial law, because the perfect one has come. That 
language of perfect is used in Hebrews. The language of better 
is used repeatedly in Hebrews, connected to Christ and the New 
Covenant truth, realities. And that word perfect is used 
repeatedly as well, at least at least more than 10 times in 
the book of Hebrews, connecting the fact that the ceremonial 
law had a divinely designed obsolescence and typological nature that pointed 
forward to the perfect, the better, surety that is Jesus Christ the 
Lord. This is Athanasius. Or actually, one by John Owen, 
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 sun of righteousness, in 
Athanasius. So the Jews are indulging in 
fiction and transferring present time to future. So he's speaking 
with regards to his present day in the fourth century. where 
the Jews are still involved in their Judaism. So the Jews are 
indulging in 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 of any to signify Him? And when the truth had come, 
what further need was there of the shadow? Amen. Sixthly and 
largely, we have the expiration of the old covenant judicial 
law. We won't go on about this because we just touched upon 
it, but with the destruction of the city and temple and the 
kingdom taken from them and given to another nation bearing the 
fruits of it, the judicial law expired with the state of that 
people, its general equity now being of moral use. Seventhly and largely, the three 
uses of the moral law, and its utility for the believer. The 
three uses of the moral law and its utility for the believer. Now, we want to note four things 
here, and briefly, because we want to close with Christ and 
the law. But the three uses of the moral 
law are these. The civil use, the use of the 
moral law for the restraining of evil. And in fact, you can turn with 
me to the book of 1 Timothy for a moment, because in 1 Timothy, 
Paul is dealing with unlawful uses of the law. And so there 
were teachers of the law, that we're not teaching the law properly. So he's dealing with these false 
teachers who are not teaching the law, perhaps Judaizers attaching 
Mosaic obedience to the law, other erroneous teachings centered 
around the law of God. So now notice in 1 Timothy at 
verse eight of chapter one, But we know that the law is good 
if one uses it lawfully. He's maybe answering charges 
here that he was anti-law. We know that the Lord Jesus Christ, 
that Stephen, that the disciples following the Lord Jesus Christ 
all came up against this charge, that they're teaching against 
the law of God. No, they're teaching rightfully 
what the law of God is and what its purpose is and was for. So, but we know that 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, fornicators, 
sodomites, kidnappers, liars, 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." So there is a lawful use of the law, and the one that 
Paul is bringing specifically in view here is that civil use 
of the law. It's for the restraint of evil, 
and in fact, he's bringing forth essentially the moral law, summarily 
contained in the Ten Commandments, as that which is the law that 
should govern and restrain the evil in society. So the civil 
use of the law, the moral law, used for the restraint of evil. 
Secondly, the pedagogical use of the law, that is, the law 
as a child tutor leading the sinner to Christ. 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. And there is a There is this 
pedagogical use of the moral law for the bringing of the unregenerate 
sinner to the Lord Jesus Christ, the utility of the preaching 
of the gospel according to the Word of God, in order to, joined 
by the Spirit, bring dead sinners to life in Christ. Paragraph 
six in our confession and we won't read all of it, but it 
speaks to the ongoing Use of the law in that sense bringing 
the believer back to Not as if we can lose our salvation because 
we can't chapter 17 speaks we were preserved by God according 
to the covenant of grace, the perfection of Christ, the sealing 
of the Spirit, etc. But in our lives as believers, 
we're brought back to the law in order to drive us to the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Together, notice this, further 
conviction of humiliation of and hatred against sin, together 
with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ and the perfection 
of His obedience." That blessed use of the law to show us that 
even as Christians, we break the law of God, we stumble, we 
fall, we have that remaining corruption, but we... It's the 
use of the law to draw our minds back to Christ, who was the substitute, 
who stood in our stead, who lived in our stead a life of obedience 
to answer the law's demands, and who died in our stead to 
bear the curse of the law. So there's that blessed pedagogical 
use. The third use of the moral law 
is the normative use. This is the use of the moral 
law as that which serves as a norm or standard for Christian conduct. And we see that at the We see 
that throughout paragraph six, but notice at the end of six, 
so as man's doing good and refraining from evil because the law encourages 
to the one and deter it from the other, is no evidence of 
his being under the law and not under grace. And then paragraph 
seven, 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." We have this blessed reality that in, you know, according 
to the fact of salvation, when a sinner is brought from deadness 
to life, from darkness to light, by virtue of the perfection of 
Jesus Christ, we're given the Spirit and we're enabled to cheerfully 
and joyfully obey the law of God that he has given to us. 
That's, you know, to a large degree, to a significant degree, 
why we have Psalm 119 and the words of King David as he speaks 
to the goodness of the law, as he speaks throughout the Psalms 
with regards to the law as being his meditation day and night. 
By the salvation afforded to us by amazing grace, we're freed, 
we're liberated unto this blessed obedience to joyfully obey the 
law of God, having been saved, not in order to be saved. Lastly 
and finally, well, we just want to make a point of thirdly under 
the three uses, or fourthly under the three uses of the law. I 
know that doesn't make much sense, but we've got civil, pedagogical, 
and normative, but we also want to note the unlawful use of the 
law. The Confession says, true believers 
be not under the law as a covenant of works to be thereby justified 
or condemned. So we're not under the law as 
a covenant of works. We do not merit our salvation 
by the exercise of the law's obedience. We're saved by the 
exercise of Christ's active obedience unto the whole law and passive 
obedience in his death. Eighthly and lastly, we want 
to note Christ and the law with four minutes and 10 seconds remaining. Christ and the law. Robert South 
notes, but certainly the folly of those that practice these 
things, that is, seeking to be justified according to law's 
obedience, is to be pitied. And the blasphemy of those that 
teach them 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 10,000 talents? Those that can imagine the removal 
of guilt, 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." 
That leads us into, then, just five brief things that we'll 
note with regards to Christ and the law. The first thing is, 
He is the fount and giver of it. We notice that briefly in 
chapter 2 and paragraph 2, speaking to the Son of God, of course, 
one with Father and Spirit, He is the one who renders commands. 
He is the lawgiver. In fact, here we see the reference 
to the Messiah as the only lawgiver, not to the exclusion of Father 
and Son, but peculiarly as it pertains to His mediatorship. But anyway, He is the fountain 
giver of it. Chapter 2, paragraph 2, and chapter 
28, verse 1. He is the only one who actively, 
this is secondly, he is the only one who actively obeyed the whole 
law in the room instead of all believers. Chapter 8 in paragraph 
4 and chapter 11, paragraph 1. We cannot obey the law of God 
perfectly. No one ever has, save for one 
person, the Son of God incarnated, who took upon himself our flesh 
that he might live in our stead to actively obey the whole law 
in the stead of the elect. Thirdly, he is the one who rendered 
passive obedience in his death in the room instead of all believers. So he lived perfectly in active 
obedience for our salvation. We need a righteousness that 
avails with God. Christ provides that. in a manner 
that Adam could not, and that, of course, Israel could not. 
Only the true Israel, the Son of God, the last Adam, could 
actively obey the law in our stead. But he also bears that 
passive obedience in his death, wherein he secures our forgiveness, 
removes our guilt, removes the power and dominion of sin, cleanses 
us from all unrighteousness, and makes us fit to meet God 
everlastingly. Fourthly, according to His divinity, 
His substantial unity with Father and Spirit, His justice is satisfied. When Christ dies upon Calvary's 
cross to satisfy the justice of God, to render satisfaction, 
He's not simply rendering satisfaction to the Father. He's rendering 
satisfaction to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit because they 
are all, according to their substantial unity, bearing the essential 
perfections undividedly. So, according to His divinity, 
His consubstantiality with Father and Spirit, His justice is satisfied 
by His own passive obedience. And then, fifthly and lastly, 
with regards to Christ and the law, He is the one who governs 
our hearts and conquers our ignorance. Notice, in closing chapter eight. with respect to Christ and the 
law, he is the one who governs our hearts according to it and 
conquers our ignorance with respect to it as well. Notice in chapter 
eight at paragraph eight, to all those for whom Christ hath 
obtained eternal redemption, he doth certainly and effectually 
apply and communicate the same, making intercession for them, 
uniting them to himself by his spirit, revealing unto them in 
and by the word the mystery of salvation, persuading them to 
believe and obey, governing their hearts by His Word and Spirit. And then also paragraph 10, this 
number and order of offices, that's prophet, priest, and king, 
is necessary for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need 
of His Word. prophetical office. So with respect 
to the law, He governs our hearts by His Spirit, and He conquers 
our ignorance. Isn't this a wonderful thing 
that we have in our exalted and ascended Christ, that He sends 
forth His Spirit to us to govern our hearts and also to conquer 
our ignorance by giving us those measures of the Spirit to illumine 
our minds according to the Word of God, according to the law 
of God, that we might conduct ourselves in a manner worthy 
of the blessed gospel. Well, let's pray. Heavenly Father, 
we thank you for your truth. We thank you for this study in 
the law of God. Though brief, we rejoice in what 
you give forth to us in your revelation to the sons of men, 
declaration of your holiness, your justice, your goodness, 
and your truth, the perfection of your being, the holiness of 
your law given. We thank you that we have a substitute, 
Jesus Christ, our Savior, who obeyed the law to its fullness, 
who obeyed actively the law of God in our stead, and bore that 
curse of the law in his passive obedience upon Calvary's cross. We rejoice in his salvation and 
the glorious gospel of our blessed God, and we pray that you'd help 
us to go in to worship, returning praises unto Father, Son, and 
Holy Spirit. And we pray in the name of Jesus 
Christ, our Savior. Amen. Any questions about any 
of that from anyone? Carla? Just a quick question. So we're with the big push for 
theology, and are pastors only arguing that from like a different 
covenant view, or like eschatology, or some arguing it as men? That 
would be ideal compared to what we have. I think there's a couple 
different flavors of it. I think some don't know what 
theonomy means, in that they just think it means the law of 
God. Oh, sorry. Theonomy comes from 
two words, theos, which is God, and nomos, which is law. So the 
word, more generally and largely, just means God's law. But specifically 
within Reformed Christianity, there are some Some who would 
teach that, you know when we read that paragraph on the judicial 
law, that it expired with the state of that people and is no 
longer obligatory? There are some that would reject 
that and state that the specific case laws in Exodus and Deuteronomy 
and that sort of a thing are still applicable and that civil 
governments are required by some sort of covenant that they have 
under God to actually exercise specifically those particular 
Judaic laws that were given to Israel. real. So there's a larger 
theonomy, which is, hey, just God's law, we should use it in 
society. Absolutely. But I think when 
theonomy is used in our circles, it's used more specifically to 
say that, no, those judicial laws should still be applied 
to the letter in our common society, and that we should have a, you 
know, sort of a Christian theocracy in a sense, where the civil government 
is exercising justice based on the Judaic law specifically. 
But, so. Dispensationalists, not so much. 
No, it's mostly, it's, what's that? Yeah, yeah. Dominion, theologians, 
restoration, what do they call them? But it's mostly within 
reformed circles where theonomy is pushed. That's usually within, 
you know, James White, for example, a confessed reformed Baptist, 
he's a theonomist and argues Yeah, I believe he would be very 
similar. The Christian nationalists, that gets a little bit more confusing, 
because there are some Christian nationalists who would be dispensational, 
but wouldn't subscribe to theonomy. It would be a little bit different. 
Yeah? I just think there's quite a 
distinction between those who would argue that it needs to be talked down, 
and those who would argue that it's bottom-up, as God's people 
influence society, and we don't have more of God's law. Yeah. 
Yeah. And no, that's a good point. And I think that's an important 
distinction, because we want God's law in society. We want 
the moral law of God naturally revealed and also specially revealed. 
we would want the moral law of God to govern society. That's 
why we pray that those who govern over us would govern in righteousness, 
truth, and proper justice. But there's a difference between 
that and the imposition, like Leslie is saying, the imposition 
of the actual Judaic laws, which was specific to the Mosaic economy 
upon modern society. Yeah? So another name for the 
top down is Kingdom Down. I think if you take over these 
areas of society, entertainment, and media. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's another thing as 
well. Those are often connected. It's kind of a little bit different, 
but very intimately connected to theonomy. I think the more 
that Leslie talking about, the more We want to pray for the 
gospel to go forth, for the spirit to make dead sinners alive according 
to that gospel. And as that happens, the idea 
is hopefully society changes for the better, right? That, 
yeah, the righteousness of God would pervade all aspects of 
society is a wonderful thing. But yeah, that's far different 
from saying that we should exercise all the Judaic laws in modern 
society, when that was a theocracy, that was a temporary state that 
was set forth by God to bring forth the Messiah. And it's expired 
now, with really the destruction of the temple and city in AD 
70. Where do you think it could start? Thank you, Reconstructionists. Yeah, thank you. Theonomy is 
very connected to the Reconstructionist movement. Yeah. Yeah, there's different flavors 
of it, to be sure. You can't really put your finger 
on it always.