Basic Christianity by Jim Borchert, 5 of 12, The Law and its Four Uses
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Published 2022-11-22
1. The Law of God is known to natural men by their natural reason and conscience. (Rom 2.14-15)
2. The Law of God is known to God’s holy people by divine revelation. (Dan 2.2, Amos 3.7, Jn 15.15)
3. Natural man knows God merely in a very limited and external way. (Jer 5.4, 1 Cor 2.4)
4. Natural man knows that God exists and that God holds each person accountable for his thoughts and actions in this world and in the world to come. (Rom 1.20, Rom 14.12)
5. But natural man has no knowledge of God’s innermost heart and purpose. (Eccl 3.11, Eccl 8.17, Job 11.7, Job 37.23)
6. Unless God reveals himself and his Holy Law to men, as he did to ancient Israel and again through his only begotten Son, Jesus, we cannot know exactly what he wants of us. (Ex 20, Jer 31.33, Jn 1.14, Jn 1.18)
7. The revealed Law of God shows us what God requires of each of us. (Matt 22.37, 1 Jn 5.3)
8. The first use of God’s Law is to declare to us His holy will. (Ps 19.7, Rom 7.12)
9. The second use of God’s Law is to destroy any confidence we might have in our own wisdom or goodness or capacity to please him, by exposing the depth of our sins. (Rom 3.12, Rom 3.23, Rom 7.24, 1 Jn 1.8)
10. The third use of God’s Law is to drive us to Christ for mercy. (Rom 5.8, Rom 6.23, Lk 18.13)
11. The fourth use of God’s Law is to describe our new man in Christ through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. (2 Cor 5.17, Eph 4.24, Acts 1.8)
12. The first use of the Law is most important because we find out that he wants us to be holy and perfect. (Deut 18.13, Matt 19.21, Jas 1.4, 1 Jn 2.5)
13. The Bible says, “Be ye holy for I am holy.” (1 Pet 1.16)
14. Jesus said, “I always do what is pleasing to my Father.” (Jn 8.29)
15. God will not accept anything less than perfect holiness from his creatures. (2 Cor 7.1, Heb 12.14, 2 Pet 3.11)
16. It is said that if we break the law in even one part we have broken the whole Law. (Jas 2.10)
17. This high standard of God’s Law is often not taught in the churches, but God has not changed his law, nor can ever change it, since it is his will. (Rom 7.1, 1 Pet 4.1)
18. Once we understand how high the standard of holiness is, then we must repent of our sin and admit that we are guilty before God and deserve everlasting punishment. (Jas 2.10, Lk 13.3, Acts 3.19)
19. The second use of the Law shows us how evil we are so that we utterly despair of ever being able to please him by his Law. (Jer 17.9, Matt 15.18-19, Rom 2.9, Rom 7.24)
20. God declares his holiness to us for the very purpose of removing all self-confidence. (1 Cor 10.12, Philippians 3.3)
21. God wants to expose us and show us how much we have sinned in order to humble/break us. (Rom 3.23, Lk 15.17-21)
22. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. (Rom 3.23)
23. “All our righteousness is like a filthy rag.” (Isa 64.6)
24. “None is righteous ; no not one.” (Rom 3.10)
25. “Man at his best state is altogether vanity .” (Ps 39.5)
26. Jesus wants us to see that “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” (Jn 15.5)
27. As soon as men hear God’s holy Law, they realize they are sinful and guilty. (Jn 15.22, Rom 2.1, Heb 12.1)
28. Rom 3.19 says, “Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law; so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
29. Rom 3.20 says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law comes the knowledge of sin.”
30. This, then is the good purpose of God’s revealed law. to declare to us God’s perfect will and thereby destroy in each of us our good view of ourselves until we have no confidence and have a great fear of God for all our sin and guilt. (Isa 50.10, Isa 8.13, Matt 10.28)
31. The third use of the Law is to drive us to Christ and to him alone for mercy.
32. Repentance always comes before faith. (Pr 28.13, Mark 11.23-24, 1 Jn 1.9)
33. Unless we have a truly repentant heart, we will never have a truly fervent faith. (Acts 8.22, Acts 17.30, Tit 1.13)
34. Because the Law drives us into despair before it shows us the way of hope through mercy by faith in the blood of Jesus, we see how the declaration of the law must always come before the preaching of the gospel. (Tit 3.5, Rom 3.25, Matt 7.23)
35. The fourth use of the Law is descriptive of our new man in Christ. (2 Cor 5.17, Eph 4.24)
36. When the Law says, “Thou shalt not…” in the imperative mood of Moses, it also says “Thou shalt not…” in the indicative mood of Jesus.
37. Every imperative command of the law is capable of becoming an indicative promise of the Gospel. (Gal 3, Ex 20, op. cit.)