The 3 Uses of the Law

Law and Gospel, Faith and Works

We’ve recently spent a lot of time talking about God’s moral law, both in our sermon series through Exodus and on this blog. And when we get back to Exodus in September, we’re coming up on many more laws and commandments in Exodus 21–23.

Understanding the relationship between law and gospel and between faith and works can be challenging and confusing for Christians. In the same breath, Paul says we are not saved by works (Eph 2:9), but we are saved for good works (Eph 2:10). Sometimes faith and works seem to be contrasted (e.g., Gal 2:16). Other times, faith and works seem to go together (Gal 5:6; Jas 2:17–18).

What I want to do here is provide a few categories for thinking about God’s Law. When it comes to the law, there are two ditches to avoid and three biblical uses to embrace.

We get the idea that God’s law can be used rightly and wrongly from Scripture. Paul writes, “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully” (1 Tim 1:8, emphasis added). Like any instrument or tool, the law can be used or misused. It’s like the weapons in the game of Clue. If Mr. Boddy is found in the conservatory with a candlestick nearby, then I dare say someone found an unlawful use for a candlestick. 

Likewise, God’s law can be used lawfully or unlawfully. Every lawful use of the law produces good, while unlawful uses do deadly harm. This is not the fault of the law itself, or of God who gave the law, but of the one misusing it.

Two Ditches

There are two primary ways that God’s law is misused. Think of these unlawful uses of the law as two destructive ditches to avoid on either side of the road.

The Ditch of Legalism

The first ditch is the one most evangelicals know to avoid, and that is legalism. C. J. Mahaney gives this definition: “Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through obedience to God.” Or we could say that legalism is obeying God in order to get things from God—things like forgiveness, favor, health, or wealth. 

Legalism is the attempt to perform billable services for God. It treats God’s law like a job description and assumes that we can render services to God that put him in our debt. If I do (insert moral or religious activity), God owes me (insert blessing). 

There are two problems with this. First is the blasphemous notion that we can do anything that meets a need in God. Second is the insane thought that we could do anything to make God owe us. 

An employer hires workers to help him. He has orders for a million widgets, but he can’t make and ship all the widgets on his own, so he hangs out a sign that says, “Help wanted.” And he is willing to pay for their services, to compensate anyone who will help.

This is not how it works with God. God does not need help from anyone. Rather, God is the one offering help to those in need.

“From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.” 
—Isaiah 64:4

And it’s impossible for God to owe anyone anything.

“Who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 
—Romans 11:35

The Ditch of Antinomianism

Many who seek to avoid legalism overcorrect and swerve into the ditch of antinomianism. That’s a big word that means “against law” (from anti, “against,” and nomos, “law”). Antinomianism takes a negative view of God’s law and is suspicious of any talk of obeying God.

Obeying God is not legalism, however. This misunderstanding is prevalent, but it’s not biblical.

Paul told Titus that Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Jesus died, not so we could be lawless, but to redeem us from lawlessness. Jesus died, not so we might be on guard against good works, but so that we might be zealous for good works.

The New Testament does not disparage or reject the law of God. Jesus said, “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:19). And Paul asked, “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law” (Rom 3:31; cf. Gal 3:21).

The same Apostle who insisted that no one is saved by works of the law also wrote, “For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God” (1 Cor 7:19).

Three Uses

If we’re not saved by works of the law, but neither are we to reject the law, how should we think about it? A helpful framework that has served the church for generations is John Calvin’s threefold use of the law. Calvin didn’t create these three uses, but simply observed that these are the ways Scripture itself speaks about the proper use and function of God’s law.

The First Use: To Show Our Need for a Savior

The first use of the law is where the law convicts us of our sin and shows us that we desperately need a Savior.

“Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” 
—Romans 3:19–20; cf. Romans 5:20, 7:7

In our sinful pride, we tend to think we aren’t that bad. We all suffer from an inaccurate, overinflated sense of our own goodness. We downplay the seriousness of our sin and make excuses for our attitudes and behavior. We blame other people. We blame our circumstances or our lack of sleep. We compare ourselves to the worst people we can think of, and we think we’re doing pretty well. 

But God’s Law is the needle that pops our balloon puffed full of hot air and self-righteousness. When we measure ourselves against God’s perfect righteousness and holiness, we all stand condemned. God’s Law humbles us with God’s accurate judgment of us. 

The law brings the knowledge of sin so that we might see our need for a Savior and turn to him in faith. It leaves every last one of us without excuse or defense. The first use functions like a doctor’s diagnosis. It’s bad news, but it makes the patient eager to trust and receive whatever remedy the doctor prescribes.

The first use of the law is the answer to legalism. We must not read God’s moral law as a job description we can fulfill in our own strength. Rather, should let the law drive us to Christ as our only hope for salvation and righteousness.

The Second Use: To Restrain Evil

Of course, many people hear God’s law but refuse to acknowledge their sin or turn to Christ for mercy. 

“Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” 
—Romans 1:32

This is where the second use of the law comes in. God’s moral law objectively defines right and wrong, good and evil, so that society has a way to protect the innocent and restrain evildoers, whether or not they turn to Christ for salvation.

Paul writes about God’s purpose for civil government:

“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” 
—Romans 13:3–4

The second use of the law is a blessing to the rest of us. The law itself cannot reform criminals and make them righteous, but it does provide a just way to restrain them. When just laws are enacted and enforced, a society has a fair way to punish lawbreakers. And when murders and thieves are caught and punished justly, the righteous dwell securely.

(For more on the second use of the law, check out Logan’s post called “The 10 Commandments & Government.”)

The Third Use: To Exhort Believers

In addition to showing us our need for a Savior and restraining evildoers, the highest use of God’s law is to instruct believers in righteous living. This is sometimes called “the normative use” because God’s moral law reveals the only authoritative and sufficient standard (or norm) for Christian behavior. 

In Ephesians 4:24, Paul says that all who are in Christ must “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” When it comes to figuring out what the likeness of God looks like, we are not left to our own subjective imaginations or some inner sense of right and wrong. God has revealed his righteous ways in his Word. 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
—Psalm 119:105

Of all the uses of God’s law, this is its highest and best use. The other two uses are necessary in a fallen world, but the highest purpose of any law is that it be kept. And this is what God has made possible through the Gospel.

When the Holy Spirit regenerates our dead hearts, he graciously changes our desires and empowers us to trust and obey God. This is what the new covenant promises: 

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds.” 
—Hebrews 10:16; cf. Jeremiah 31:33

“And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” 
—Ezekiel 36:27

The third use of the law is the remedy to antinomianism. Rather than viewing God’s law itself as legalistic, we can trust God and walk in his righteous ways with joy.