Debt & Sin
Our debt to God because of our sin is not merely something unfortunate. Rather, it shows the reality of the mountain of our guilt. Sin does make life uncomfortable and painful but what makes sin so bad is that it is unrighteous and ungodly. It is the epitome of perversity. It is the deadliness of death. It is the spitting upon the Holy One.
Do You Understand His Grace?
But don’t you see the radical nature of God’s love for you that He sent His Son to be tortured on the Cross in body & soul for such wretches like us (Mk. 14:32-42)? Don’t you see how free His grace really is (Gal. 2-3)? Don’t you see how long-suffering our God has been with us (Ex. 34:6-7)? Don’t you see how He loves you amidst and despite your sin because you were lovingly chosen in Christ (Eph. 1:3-6)?
God loves you NOT because of who you will be but because of His willingness to place His gracious love upon you in Christ and only for the sake of Christ. It is actually this free, infinite, and eternal love that changes you to be who you will be (John 3; Rom. 8:28-39; Eph. 1:3-2:10; 1 Jn. 4:7-21).
And if it is for the sake of Christ then how unchanging (Mal. 3:6; Jam. 1:17), infinite, persevering, forgiving is His love for you! Is there anything He hasn’t anticipated? Is there anything that surprises Him? Is there anything within time that can water down the love of God (who isn’t bound by time but creates it, upholds it, and sustains it) for us? Is there anything that might make Him love you less or even more?
If He (the infinite God) gives you His love (which is infinite love) then it can neither increase nor decrease. Think about that!
What Covenant Are You Living Under?
There are two covenants that all people are living under:
The Covenant of Works
The Covenant of Grace
The Covenant of Works says, “Do this and you shall live.”
The Covenant of Grace says, “All is done by Christ, now live by the power of Christ in you.”
If you are in the Covenant of Grace, God will sooner not be God than His love for you in Christ will change. My friend, yes, call sin for what it is. If you don’t then be sure your sin will find you out (Num. 32:23). We need the Law. But, dear believer, don’t live underneath the Law.
Jesus died a cursed death (Gal. 3:13) so that He could cancel the condemnation of the Law (Rom. 8:1), completely absorb God’s wrath (1 John 2:1-2), and utterly drain the bitter cup of Wine (Mt. 20:22). Jesus was born under the Law to free us from its condemnation and curse (Gal. 4:1-7). Let the Law kill your sin and drive you to Christ. Let the Gospel revive you (Rom. 6).
Why Do You Need Law & Gospel?
There are three uses of the Law:
The first use of the Law is to show us God’s standard of righteousness. This use simultaneously shows us the wretchedness of our sin and inability to please God.
The second use of the Law is the “civil use” in order to restrain sin in society. “Though the law cannot change the heart, it can to some extent inhibit lawlessness by its threats of judgment, especially when backed by a civil code that administers punishment for proven offenses (Deut. 13:6-11; 19:16-21; Rom. 13:3, 4).”1
The third use of the Law is as a guide for God’s people in order to live according to God’s ways. This use is not a use that implies that a Christian is under the Law. Rather, “the law tells God's children what will please their heavenly Father. It could be called their family code…The Christian is free from the law as a system of salvation (Rom. 6:14; 7:4, 6; 1 Cor. 9:20; Gal. 2:15-19, 3:25), but is ‘under the law of Christ’ as a rule of life (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2)."2
God’s love isn’t given to you because you raise yourself. God’s love is just given to you. That is the reason why He slays you with the Law, burying you with Christ and raising you up with Him (Rom. 6). There is no Gospel (good news) without there being the Law (bad news). Christians need to hear both Law & Gospel. And because His love is given to you, He is determined to grow you in grace.
Before Christ, all you would hear is the first and second use of the Law. Now that you are united with Christ, you still need to hear the first and second use of the Law but not only those uses.
To be sure, you are no longer in the Covenant of Works because Christ fulfilled it (Rom. 5). You are not under the Law (see the entire Letter to the Galatians). You are in Christ! Nevertheless, to understand that you have been crucified with Christ and risen with Him (Gal. 2:20) you need to continue to hear both Law & Gospel.
John Calvin says, “In the maxims of the law, God is seen as the rewarder of perfect righteousness and the avenger of sin. But in Christ, His face shines out, full of grace and gentleness to poor, unworthy sinners.”
We still need to have the Law slay us, humble us, afflict us. But, for what purpose? Is the Christian life a life of just feeling bad all the time? No! For freedom Christ has set us free (Gal. 5)! But, the sinful remnants within our hearts are continually pulling us away from Christ to sin. What will draw us back to Christ?
We need to be crushed by the Law in order to see how amazing it is that Christ comes underneath “the barbell” of the Law to lift it off our backs and give us freedom. This is what the Holy Spirit does through the Word. We need to behold Christ the Law Giver, Law Fulfiller, and Law Reliever. Feeling the weight of the Law on us will help us to see the majesty of the work of Christ for us.
We need to hear the Law (in its first use) in order to drive us to Christ. The Christian still needs this use! But, the Law is not the end in itself. The Law is meant to drive us to Christ who is the justifier and sanctifier. If we use the first use of the Law in such a way that doesn’t drive us to Christ then we are not being faithful to God’s Word.
On the other hand, if we only preach the third use of the Law (in such a way that neglects Christ) then a couple of things will happen. We will forsake the righteousness we have in Christ, the glory of His Person & Work on our behalf, and the knowledge of our total depravity. We will begin to live the Christian life by our own power. We will think that Christianity is less about Christ and more about mere moral improvement. We must remember that you can be like Christ if you don’t look to Christ. There is no such thing as growing in holiness when we stop adoring a Holy God. The chief characteristic of growing in godliness is a love for God.
We must preach the first use and the third use of the Law to crush us, drive us to Christ, and to live by His power in His ways. It is in Christ that we then have the power to express our love to God by the third use of the Law. The goal is Christ. The goal is to get out of ourselves (extra nos) and look to Him who justifies us and sanctifies us.
Here is what I’m trying to say (but maybe not in the most clear way):
Christians still need to hear the first use of the Law in order to show them the glory of God, the depravity of their sin, and the righteousness of Christ.
Christians need to hear the third use of the Law in order to walk in holiness and grow in grace. But, this use of the Law is not properly preached unless the first use is preached with it. It is also not properly preached if we use the third use in such a way that makes us absorbed with ourselves rather than depending on Christ.
Conclusion
Your sin doesn’t hinder God’s love for you. Christ’s infinite worth is what determines His love for you (which by the way is more than you could ever earn even if you were perfect — For He is infinite and you are finite). Before time began, God placed His love on you and then at a certain point in time He sends the “size of His love” (i.e. Jesus!) to take your place on the Cross. Lift up your face you who are afflicted in conscience and see the empty tomb! Humble yourselves you who are prideful and run to Cross! There is more grace in Jesus than there is sin in you. There is more righteousness in Christ than there is guilt in you. Your past sin has been pardoned, present sin is pardoned, and future sin will be pardoned. And by a proper use of Law & Gospel you will grow in being amazing at the work of Christ for you.
From Ligonier’s article on the Three Uses of the Law: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/threefold-use-law
Ibid.