Guidance from the Law

God, in His great wisdom and goodness, put the basic moral standards of His law on the hearts of all people in order to restrain their sin (Rom. 1:18–2:29). Moreover, He has delivered this law in written form to keep sinners from bringing to fruition all their fallen thoughts and impulses (1 Tim. 1:8–11). This written law is found throughout Scripture, with one of the most important summaries of it given in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1–17; Deut. 5:1–21). Because of this restraining use of the law, human society does not devolve into complete anarchy, but the restraining use of the law does not provide salvation. Instead, the law in its use as a mirror serves God’s purposes in redemption. Here, the law shows those whom the Lord is calling to Himself the depth of their wickedness, reveals their need of righteousness, and directs them to Jesus, whose righteousness is ours by faith alone in Him alone (Rom. 7:7–25; Gal. 3:24).

There exists yet one more use of the law in our lives, and that is the law’s function as the standard of what pleases God. To put it another way, the law of God is a guide to believers as they work out their salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12–13). It corrects our fallen moral intuitions and directs us as we seek to grow in holiness. James 1:25 is one of the many biblical texts that emphasize the purpose in guiding believers in their sanctification. As James tells us, those who look into God’s law and seek to do it will be greatly blessed.

Matthew 5:17–20 is another important passage for understanding the law’s ongoing use as our guide to holy living under the new covenant. Jesus makes plain that not one thing from the law of God will pass away until He fulfills and accomplishes it. Christ’s work, of course, has not yet been fully applied to believers. We await the final resurrection of our bodies, when we will receive glorified flesh that is incapable of sin (1 Cor. 15). Until that day, the moral law remains in force. While sin abides, we will fall short of the law’s demands (1 John 1:8–10) and will need its guidance for pleasing God. One day, the law will fully permeate our being such that doing it will be second nature, but that day is not yet.

As Westminster Confession 19.6 notes, believers are not under the law as a covenant of works that must be kept perfectly to earn salvation. Nevertheless, we who are saved remain accountable to the law and must frame our lives according to its precepts (Rom. 13:8–10).