Westminster Confession of Faith Adult Sunday School Chapter 19

1. Theology of the
Westminster Confession
Adult Sunday School
2017

2. The Law of God
Law and Liberty
WCF
19

3. Of the Law of God
God gave Adam a law, in the form of a
covenant of works, by which he bound
him and all his descendants to
personal, entire, exact, and perpetual
obedience. He promised life if Adam
kept the law and threatened death if
he broke it. Moreover, he endowed
Adam with power and ability to keep
that law. [WCF, 19.1, MESV]
WCF
19.1
Law and Liberty

4. God’s gift to Adam
• In the beginning, God gave Adam a
law, in the form of the covenant of
works
• He promised life if Adam kept the law
• He threatened death if Adam broke
the law
• He endowed Adam with the power
and ability to keep the law
WCF
19.1
Law and Liberty

5. Law and covenant: definitions
• Housekeeping: How Law and Covenant
are alike, and are different
• Both involve rules or prescriptions (He
required Adam and all his descendants
complete obedience)
• Both include penalties for non-
compliance (He threatened death)
WCF
19.1
Law and Liberty

6. Law and covenant: relationship
• Housekeeping: How Law and Covenant
are alike, and are different
• Covenant has a greater expanse than
law
• Covenant includes a promise
• God promised an enduring life if the law
was kept
• God enabled Adam with the power and
ability to keep covenant
WCF
19.1
Law and Liberty

7. The Law of God: interchangeable?
• Housekeeping: How Law and Covenant
are alike, and are different
• However, “Law” and “Covenant” are
often used interchangeably in the
New Testament, because Law is such
an important part of the covenant
WCF
19.1
Law and Liberty

8. Of the Law of God
This law, after Adam fell, continued to
be a perfect rule of righteousness and,
as such, was given by God upon Mount
Sinai in ten commandments written on
two stone tablets. The first four
commandments contain our duty to
God, the other six our duty to man.
[WCF, 19.2, MESV]
WCF
19.2
Law and Liberty

9. The perfect rule, pre- and post-
fall
• Paragraph 2 reminds us that Adam
broke the law
• God did not change, nor did His law –
it was, and remains, a perfect law
(James 1:25)
• God more fully revealed the law by
codifying it for the benefit of
corrupted hearts – the 10
Commandments (Deut 10:4)
WCF
19.2
Law and Liberty

10. Summary of the Ten
Commandments
• The 10 Commandments (4 towards God, 6 towards man)
may be further summarized as Jesus did in Matthew
22:34-40:
• But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the
Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a
lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher,
which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he
said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a
second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. On these two commandments depend all the
Law and the Prophets.”
WCF
19.2
Law and Liberty

11. Of the Law of God
WCF
19.3
Law and Liberty
In addition to this law, commonly called the
moral law, God was pleased to give the people
of Israel—as the church under age—ceremonial
laws, which contained several typological
ordinances. These ordinances consisted partly
of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces,
actions, sufferings, and benefits, and partly of
various instructions of moral duties. All these
ceremonial laws are now abrogated under the
new testament. [WCF, 19.3, MESV]

12. The ceremonial law
WCF
19.3
Law and Liberty
• Worship ceremonies pointed to Christ, his “actions”
were the things he would do.
• Sacrifices pictured his sufferings.
• Washing and cleansing ceremonies pictured the
“benefits” we receive from Christ, such as the washing
away of our sin. See Hebrews 9 for explanation.
• Heb 10:1: For since the law has but a shadow of the
good things to come instead of the true form of these
realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are
continually offered every year, make perfect those who
draw near.

13. Laws of worship and morality
WCF
19.3
Law and Liberty
• Other ceremonies concerned moral duties.
• Portrayed the damaging effect of sin that we should
seek to avoid.
• Passover: no leavening, teaching that even a little sin
spreads itself throughout a person’s life.
• Unclean things and food were to teach God’s people
they were not live as the rest of the world.
• Even dirty clothes remind us of the filth of sin.
• Yet all these ceremonies were put to an end under the
New Covenant under Christ (Col 2:13-17)

14. Judicial laws
WCF
19.4
Law and Liberty
To the people of Israel, as a civil entity, he also gave
various judicial laws which expired at the time their
State expired. Therefore, these judicial laws place no
obligation upon anyone now, except as they embody
general principles of justice. [WCF, 19.4, MESV]
• These judicial laws have also expired under Christ.
• They can still teach us general principles of fairness
and equity. For example, see 1 Cor. 9:8-11.

15. Of the Law of God
WCF
19.5
Law and Liberty
The moral law binds all people at all times to
obedience, both those who are justified and those
who are not. The obligation to obey the moral law is
not only because of its content, but also because of
the authority of God the Creator, who gave it. In the
gospel, Christ in no way dissolves this obligation, but
greatly strengthens it. [WCF 19.5, MESV]

16. The moral law
WCF
19.5
Law and Liberty
• The moral law has NOT expired.
• All are obligated to keep the law, whether or not they are
Christians.
• When the Bible says the moral law is “fulfilled”, it does NOT
mean its obligations have passed away.
• Rather, keeping the moral law is part of our “new” duties in
Christ: And by this we know that we have come to know him,
if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him”
but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth
is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the
love of God is perfected. (1 John 2:3-5)

17. The unity of the moral law
WCF
19.5
Law and Liberty
• The moral law is a cohesive unity; any one part of it is
connected to/relates to another, just as James says,
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point
has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not
commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do
not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a
transgressor of the law. (James 2:10,11)
• It is also unlikely that any part could change, because
that would impact the rest of the moral law. Woe to
those who try to “rewrite” the moral law under Christ!

18. Jesus upheld and strengthened
the moral law
WCF
19.5
Law and Liberty
• How is the moral law strengthened under the New Covenant?
Jesus had eternity in view when he said:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an
iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is
accomplished. 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. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that
of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom
of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20)

19. The enduring nature of the
moral law
WCF
19.5
Law and Liberty
• James also understood the ongoing nature of the moral
law, and encouraged the church to continue. If you
really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are
doing well. (2:8)
• Paul also says in the relation of faith and law - Do we
then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On
the contrary, we uphold the law. (Rom 3:31)
• How do we then uphold the law? We will see in the
next section of Chapter 19…

20. Of the Law of God (part 1 of 2)
WCF
19.6
Law and Liberty
Although true believers are not under the law as a
covenant of works by which they are justified or
condemned, nevertheless the law is of great use to them
as well as to others. By informing them—as a rule of life—
both of the will of God and of their duty, it directs and
binds them to walk accordingly. It also reveals to them
the sinful pollutions of their nature, hearts, and lives.
Therefore, when they examine themselves in the light of
the law, they may come to further conviction of,
humiliation for, and hatred of their sin, together with a
clearer view of their need of Christ and the perfection of
his obedience. [WCF, 19.6, MESV]

21. Of the Law of God (part 2 of 2)
WCF
19.6
Law and Liberty
The law is also useful to the regenerate because, by forbidding
sin, it restrains their corruptions. By its threats it shows them
what their sins deserve, and, although they are free from the
curse threatened in the law, it shows the afflictions that they
may expect because of them in this life. The promises of the
law likewise show to the regenerate God's approval of
obedience and the blessings they may expect as they obey the
law, although these blessings are not due to them by the law as
a covenant of works. Therefore, the fact that a man does good
rather than evil because the law encourages good and
discourages evil is no evidence that the man is under the law
rather than under grace. [WCF, 19.6, MESV]

22. Not under the law as a system
of salvation
WCF
19.6
Law and Liberty
• This great paragraph explains to us the Three Uses of
the Law, but it begins with a preface: That believers
are neither justified by the Law, nor condemned by it.
• Gal 2:16: yet we know that a person is not justified by
works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so
we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be
justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law,
because by works of the law no one will be justified.
• Romans 8:1,2: There is therefore now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the
Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the
law of sin and death.

23. A rule of life
WCF
19.6
Law and Liberty
• First Use of the Law: A Rule of Life
• The Law informs us of God’s will, and because we
want to walk in God’s will, we will keep the law.
We can therefore delight in God’s law, because we
are assured this is indeed God’s will for us. And
we know that we delight God in being obedient to
Him. We recognize there is goodness for us when
walk in these ways.

24. O how I love your law!
WCF
19.6
Law and Liberty
• Psalm 119:1-7 Blessed are those whose way is
blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed
are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with
their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in
his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be
kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in
keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to
shame, having my eyes fixed on all your
commandments. I will praise you with an upright
heart, when I learn your righteous rules.

25. Sign-post to Christ
WCF
19.6
Law and Liberty
• Second Use of the Law: A Sign-post to Christ
• The Law exposes us to our own short-comings, our
selfishness, our weaknesses and faults. It informs
us of our bondage to sin, and creates the condition
for a longing for deliverance.
• Applied to ancient Israel, to prepare them for
their need for a Messiah.
• Applies equally to us today. Jesus has done what
the Law could not do. Through the work Jesus
accomplished “the righteous requirement of the
Law” is fulfilled in us (Rom 8: 3,4)

26. Restraint for sin
WCF
19.6
Law and Liberty
• Third Use of the Law: A Restraint for Sin
• 1st way: Identifies what are sins. It is good to know
that murder and adultery are sins, so we won’t do
them.
• 2nd way: Identifies what sins deserve. Only by the
mercy we have in Christ, we know we escape
judgment. See Ezra 9:13-15, in the prayer of Ezra.
• 3rd way: Reminds of the continuing consequences of
law-breaking - God’s displeasure and chastening
• 4th way: Reminds of God’s approval and blessings when
we do keep His commandments

27. Of the Law of God
WCF
19.7
Law and Liberty
These uses of the law do not conflict with the grace
of the gospel, but are in complete harmony with it;
for it is the Spirit of Christ who subdues and enables
the will of man to do freely and cheerfully those
things which the will of God, revealed in the law,
requires. [WCF, 19.7, MESV]

28. The law and the gospel
WCF
19.7
Law and Liberty
• Law and Gospel:
• Two mutually exclusive declarations, or
• Two sides of the same coin?
• Under the Gospel, we have the Spirit-
enabled obedience to all the Law’s
demands; we have its fulfillment in Christ
• Ezek 36:27: And I will put my Spirit within
you, and cause you to walk in my statutes
and be careful to obey my rules.

29. Summary of key points
WCF
19
Law and Liberty
• God gave us Law, in the context of a covenant
• The Law is codified in the 10 Commandments
• The ceremonial and the judicial aspects of
the Law have expired under Christ (although
they have instructional value even now)
• The moral law remains for us today; the 3
Uses of the Law helps us to walk after Christ
• The Law and the Gospel walk hand-in-hand

30. Consider and discuss
1. What are the three uses of the moral law of
God? Which use are you prone to minimize or
neglect?
2. How should the judicial law of the OT inform
society’s pursuit of justice today?
3. Explain the relationship of the ceremonial law
to the gospel.
4. During a conversation about morality derived
from the Ten Commandments, your Christian
friend claims, “I don’t have to obey them
because I’m not under law but under grace.”
How would you reply?
5. How has Jesus transformed the law? How has
he transformed the law for you?
WCF
19
The law orders;
grace supplies the
power of acting.
St. Augustine
Law and Liberty

31. Memorize
For all who rely on works of the law
are under a curse; for it is written,
“Cursed be everyone who does not
abide by all things written in the
Book of the Law, and do them.” Now
it is evident that no one is justified
before God by the law, for “The
righteous shall live by faith.”
Galatians 3:10-11
WCF
19
Law and Liberty

32. Going deeper
Books
• Clowney, Edmund. How Jesus Transforms the Ten
Commandments. (Beginner)
• Douma, Joachim. The Ten Commandments.
(Intermediate)
• Rosner, Brian. Paul and the Law. (Advanced)
Articles
• York, Barry. Ten Brief Lessons on the Ten
Commandments.
• Articles on The Ten Commandments, Law and
Gospel, Legalism, and Antinomianism at
Monergism.com.
WCF
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Law and Liberty