Sin is not what you or I think or say it is. It is not defined subjectively. It is objectively defined by the divinely prescribed objective norm of Christian morality and ethics. (1) Educational Use. The law reveals God`s perfect righteousness and our own failure. By law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20; 4:15; 5:13). Our sinful nature uses this knowledge for further rebellion (Romans 7:7-11) and makes us worthy of judgment. In revealing to us our need for forgiveness, the law leads us to Christ in repentance and faith (Gal 3:19-24). In a sense, those who are in Christ are not under the law concerning damnation (Romans 6:14; 8:1-4).
However, we are under the law in another way: it reveals to us that we are still sinners (Romans 3:23) who demand constant repentance and forgiveness (1 John 1:8-9), and the provision of Christ (Rom 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). Some believe that “for Luther, the pedagogical use of the law was paramount, while for Calvin, this third didactic use was the most important; but [historically] the Lutheran and Reformed traditions retain the triple conceptualization. [17] This scheme corresponds to Concord`s formula, except that the first and second uses are modified. The second application of the law is, on the whole, to curb our corruption. Well, sometimes, in a narrower way, this is defined as the civil use of the law because it is useful in society and for civilization. God has told us in His law what is right and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong. He promised blessings and rewards for doing good, and he threatened to punish and even curse for doing evil. One of the best and most useful answers given in my opinion was given by the Geneva reformer Jean Calvin. In his venerable systematic theology, the institutes of the Christian religion, Calvin laid out three “uses” of God`s moral law.
The Lord of History gave His law, Calvin wrote, to serve as a mirror. Calvin argued that the law served to expose our sin and injustice. When a sinner looks in the mirror of God`s law, he sees himself as he really is: corrupt, sinful, miserable, unfinished, lost and in need of purification, in need of a Savior. This reality makes sinners despair of their own righteousness and leads them to flee to the Savior, the Cross of Christ, in order to obtain mercy. Calvin wrote: The first benefit is to show us our sins and lead us to the Savior. God has revealed to us in His law what He needs for righteousness. His law is sacred. His law is perfect, and He demands perfect obedience and fulfillment of His law all the time if we ever stand before Him and want to be righteous in His eyes. We learn in Deuteronomy 27 and James chapter 2, among others, that if we break any part of God`s law, we are guilty of violating it. The uses of the law are numbered differently by different authors, but here I am the Order of the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), which makes pedagogical use for the first time. Here is an excellent treatment of the Reformation on the purposes (or uses) of God`s law.
Scripture shows that God wants His law to work in three ways, which Calvin crystallized in a classical form for the benefit of the Church as a triple use of the law. First, this section comes amid a broader discussion of the three uses of the act starting in 2.7.6. There, in sections 6 to 9, it explicitly lists the three uses of the act. The first use is educational use. The second use (2.7.10-11) is civil use and the third use (2.7.12-14) is normative use. So let`s stop saying that for Calvin, the third use is the first use. These are the three uses of the law as the reformed understood it. I hope this has been helpful and clarifying to you. The concord formula distinguished three uses or purposes of the Act in Section VI. He says, “The law was given to the people for three reasons.” Hi, this is Justin. One of the questions we often receive here at Theocast concerns the use of God`s law. What are the uses of the law and how should we understand them? Historically, in the Reformed tradition, we understand that there are three uses of the law.
People often assume that the 2nd commandment no longer applies. Many evangelicals have decorated their homes and churches with obvious violations of Commandment 2. However, the second commandment is still in effect. Yes, God the Son came in human flesh (in which He dwells in glory!), but we don`t know what He looked like. Therefore, any purported depiction of Christ`s humanity is nothing but a futile fantasy. Therefore, Reformed churches generally confess that it is a sin to represent the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity. Thus, the law, as God has given it and as God has always intended, is to do exactly that: to show us who we are and what we are, to show us that we have not reached the standard that God has for holiness and justice, and to lead us to Jesus who kept the law to ourselves. God never wanted us to consider the law as just, but to be led to Christ who kept the law, and in Him we would be counted as righteous, and in Him we would be reconciled to God.
.