The Benefit of Christ’s Death: Rediscovering a Reformation Treasure (II)

The law. In a context of Christian theology it is a word that confuses many. What is the purpose of the law? What does it have to do with the gospel and the good news of Jesus Christ? Why do we still need to talk about the law if Christ has already come and abolished the law (Ephesians 2:14-15)? If in Christ’s blood we have a new covenant (1 Corinthians 11:25), and if Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13), then the law is a thing of the past and it should no longer be considered, no?

While it is true that the blood of Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, and that in Christ we have a new covenant that abolishes the law, the good news of Christ makes no sense unless the law is understood, just as the New Testament makes no sense apart from the Old Testament.

In the second chapter of The Benefit of Christ - a treasure of sixteenth-century evangelical spirituality published in 1543 - Marcantonio Flaminio and Benedetto of Mantova clearly highlight the purpose of the law by highlighting five offices/or obligations of the law.

Before pointing out these five offices, the authors note that God, “by the means of Moses, gave the law; which forbitteth all lusting, and commandeth us to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength, in such wise as our whole trust be reposed in him, and we ready to leave our life for his sake…Moreover the law commandeth us to love our neighbour as ourself, meaning by the neighbor all manner of men, as well friends and foes…” (pp. 18-19).

But there exists an obstacle to obeying these commands that cannot be overcome. That barrier is sin. Being dead in his sins, man cannot obey the law. His nature after the fall is now against the law and is against obedience to God. “And so, by looking in this holy law, as in a clear looking-glass, man doth out of hand espy his own great imperfection and unableness to obey God’s commandments, and to render him the honour and love which he ought to yield to his Maker” (p. 19). Recognizing this, Flaminio and Benedetto set out to define the five offices of the Law.

First Office: “The first office of the law, then, is to make sin known (Rom. 3:20); as St. Paul affirmeth. And in another place he saith, “I had not known what sin is but by the law” (Rom. 7:7) (p.19).   

Second Office: “The second office of the law is to make sin increase, forasmuch as we, being quite gone from the obeying of God, and become boundslaves to the devil, being full of wicked works and inordinate affections, cannot abide that God should forbid us to lust, which increaseth so much the more as it is the more prohibited; by reason whereof St. Paul saith that sin was dead, but the law came and raised it up again, and so it became out of measure great” (pp. 19-20).

Third Office: “The third office of the law is to show the wrath and judgment of God, who threateneth death and everlasting punishment to such as keep not the law throughout in all points. For the holy Scripture saith, ‘Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them’ (Deut. 27:26). And, therefore, St. Paul saith that the law is a ministry [of death] (2 Cor. 3:7), and that it bringeth forth wrath (Rom. 9:15).” (p. 20).

Fourth office: “The law, then, having discovered sin, and increased it, and showed forth the wrath and indignation of God, who threateneth death, executeth his fourth office, which is to put a man in fear; who thereupon falleth into sorrowfulness, and would fain satisfy the law; but, forasmuch as he seeth clearly that he is not able, he waxeth angry against God, and would with all his heart that there were no God, because he feareth to be sore chastised and punished by him; according as St, Paul saith, that ‘the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be’ (Rom. 8:7). (p. 20).

Fifth office: “The fifth office of the law (which is the principal end, and the most excellent and necessary office of it) is to constrain a man to go unto Jesus Christ; in like wise as the Hebrews, being dismayed, were constrained to appeal unto Moses, saying, ‘Let not the Lord speak unto us, lest we die; but speak thou unto us, and we will obey thee in all things.’ And the Lord answered, ‘Verily have they spoken exceeding well’ (Ex. 20:19). Yea, they were not praised for any other thing than for their desiring of a mediator betwixt God and them, which was Moses, who represented Jesus Christ, that should be the Advocate and Mediator between God and man. In respect whereof, God said unto Moses, ‘I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him’” (Deut. 28:18-19). (pp. 20-21).

Today there is a strong temptation to disregard and no longer talk about the law. Perhaps this is because, as The Benefit of Christ points out, if we talk about the law then we must also talk about sin, condemnation, God's wrath and judgment, and even hell. Instead, it is preferable to talk only about God's love and how we are all brothers and sisters and all children of God.

But if the church ceases to talk about the law and fails to delve into it, then it is impossible to fully understand that the law exists because it makes the cross necessary. The law makes it necessary for humanity to find in Christ the only hope of salvation and the only mediator and advocate between us and God. Apart from the law we simply cannot arrive at the gospel. The benefit of Christ teaches that the law exists to highlight our sin and to exalt the beauty of Christ's gospel.

From the same series: The Benefit of Christ's Death: Rediscovering a Reformation Treasure (I)

The Benefit of Christ's Death quotations are taken from the appendix to William M. Blackburn's The Italian Reformer: The Life and Martyrdom of Aonio Paleario (Birmingham: Solid Ground Christian Books. Taken from the 1866 edition published by Presbyterian Board of Publication, Philidelphia).