The Old Testament depicts with awe and wonder how God lovingly stoops down as a father to instruct Israel in how to live in His love and with each other. The essence of God's law is not the cold, rigid set of rules as so often caricatured but it is a warm heart to an expectant new generation about to enter the promised land. For example Deuteronomy 4:5-8 says, "See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, which will hear about all these decrees and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. And what other nation is so great as have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today." None of the other local gods were so near and tender as the infinite personal Creator God of Israel, who is Father to His adopted children. The law, of course, set His children apart from the nations for special incubation so they would be a blessing to all peoples without distinction across time and cultures.

Divine law in all its compass marks out the true path by which one experiences God1s great blessings within the covenant relationship, such as when Moses said to Israel, 3The Lord will delight in you and make you prosperous...if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commandments and decrees that are written in this Book and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul (Dt. 30:9-10). Likewise the Lord spoke to Joshua, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go." (Jos 1:7-8). What a wonderfully marvelous gift God gives His people to know Him and to enjoy Him.

Contrary to much modern distortion of the Biblical text, the law is not rigid or burdensome or meddlesome but as it was for the Old Testament saint the law is a delight to the heart of God's children. Old Testament saints like all those in personal relationship with the living God regarded the law as God1s loving voice of instruction. Such are the rapturous words of David, 3The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much fine gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Ps 19:10-11). David also proclaimed, "I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees. I will not neglect your word." The law is at heart an expression of God1s character and reflectsHis will for His adopted family

Clearly Old Testament saints understood and experienced God1s grace and truth. Because they lived by faith, they could, as the Book of Hebrews says, "taste the powers of the age to come." For them the age had not yet arrived in time but it came in their experience with the living God and in the sweetness and beauty of embracing His law. As vibrant and passionate as their love of the Lord was, ours is even more so as a benefit of God's progressive revelation of Himself. We are not given the satisfaction of types and shadows but are privileged to see its fulfillment in the New Testament revelation.

God1s law and His love are not severable but correlate as majestic unity that express God's graciousness to His creation and His will for covenantal relationship with it. The law was the way to life given to Adam (Gen 2:16-17) and was a test of his obedience. Adam as our representative was responsible to His Creator and under obligation to conform to His will. The law was good and spiritual but when the first Adam would not keep it , it stood to condemn him (Gen 3:17). Consequently, another way to life was needed to deliver man from the guilt of sin. It would be Christ the sinless One who would do what Adam would not and could not do - uphold the law for God's elect and bear the curse for their sin. Christ1s saving work in our behalf is received by faith alone, not by obedience to the law. In that sense the law1s original purpose is simply a form of the gospel pointing to the perfect satisfaction of its holy demands in the finished work of Christ. In its corollary, Calvin wrote, "The gospel points out with the finger what the Law foreshadowed under types."

The Bible depicts Christ as the fulfillment of the law even in its smallest detail (Lk 24:27,44) and as fulfilling both ceremonial and moral law, "fulfilling all righteousness" (Matt 3:15; 5:17). Christ1s righteousness is perfect obedience to the law and those who are graciously placed in Christ have His righteousness imputed to them. Likewise, the condemnation of the law (curse) for our disobedience fell upon Christ thereby freeing us from the obligation of legal obedience as a condition of eternal life (Rom 7:4-6).

While God kept repeating the law to Israel, He knew the law would not keep anybody from doing wrong; in fact it tended to bring out man1s rebelliousness. He gave it "...so that every mouth maybe stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God" (Rom 3:19). Obedience to His will is binding on all men for they know it in their conscience which bears witness to the law (Rom 2:14-15). Because fallen humanity willingly suppresses the truth in unrighteousness and therefore is without excuse, the law is an instrument revealing their sinful acts and condemning them (Rom 2:16; 3:19). Moreover, seeking divine favor by fulfilling the law1s precepts is hopeless because such obedience must be perfect always and out of a pure motive. Therefore, the law can bring someone to see his corruption and need for pardon and gracious reinstatement to fellowship with God. But the issue is whose righteousness will he trust to satisfy the law's demand for holiness - his own or an alien righteousness graciously given to cover him. In this sense the law is preparatory work of conviction of sin and becomes a tutor to lead us to Christ (Gal 3:24).

For those whom Christ redeemed from bondage of sin and death, the law is their charter of liberty. John Gertsner says the moral law is "the kiss of death that brings life." Therefore only those who are made alive in Christ sincerely strive to follow God1s law, not simply as an act of obedience but as a response of loving gratitude. The Heidelberg Catechism I think wonderfully captures the Christian life as one characterized by guilt, grace and gratitude. In Part Three it states: "Because just as Christ had redeemed us with his blood he also renews us through his Holy Spirit according to this own image, so that with our whole life we may show ourselves grateful for his goodness and that he may be glorified through us; and further, so that we ourselves may be assured of our faith by its fruit and by our reverent behavior may win our neighbors to Christ." The Gospel is not what we must do for God but what He has done once-for-all for us in Christ Jesus.

Living faith is genuine gratitude and shows itself in a zeal for obedience. Therefore, the Christian can never be cavalier toward the law of God. I'm afraid many seem to acknowledge that while they didn1t merit justification, nevertheless if they1re to keep their salvation, they1ll have to obey everything in the law. Legalism creeps in the back door and it usually has nothing to do with the weightier matters of the law but everything to do with moralism, which robs people of the joy of true Christian liberty and takes away from God's constant graciousness to us.

On the other hand, while there are those who say Christians are under no obligation to keep God's law, the crucial point I think is the believer truly desires to keep His commandments. For not only does the believer have his legal standing before God changed by the cross of Christ, but God has radically changed the affections of his heart so that he hungers and thirsts for God1s righteousness and delights in God and the things of God. The response to Question One of the Heidelberg Catechism captures this well I think: "Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him." The Christian has the law of God written in his heart through the work of the Holy Spirit (Jer. 31:33). Pentecost didn1t do away with the law but signaled a deeper, more inward conformity to the law requirements by a new spiritual disposition - one given to the nations in a way not possible in Old Testament times. This is why the apostle John could write, "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3). That is also why the law of God, as summarized in the Ten Commandments, is set forth for Christian believers as the great model for their life of gratitude for God1s in Jesus Christ.

Moreover the believer needs what the Reformers called this third use of the law to direct him to holy living and to discern life1s priorities. The Christian loves the moral law which condemns him and constantly drives him to Christ who saves him. The law in effect keeps us from wandering from the God we love. To the the Christian who is under the obligation of love to God and man the law is his guide and because it is fundamentally an expression of the perfect character and will of God it is the ideal for human morality. The person "who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does." (Jas 1:25). Here the perfect law of liberty is the Mosaic law, which forms the standards for Christian behavior and shows us what our priorities should be. Paul described God1s law as "holy and just and good" (Rom 7:12). Jesus declared "whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Mat 5:19). David rejoiced "Oh how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day. You, through your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies...I will walk at liberty, for I seek your precepts." (Ps 119:97, 45). In the gospel the law sets us free to know and enjoy God forever.

The New Testament defines love as keeping the law. It is not some sappy, sentimental emotion but is fixed on treating others in accord with God1s commands. Again, the law and gospel are integral. "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom 13:10) John also writes, "by this they know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." (1Jn 5:2,2). In both Old and New Testaments the believer says the law is not burdensome. While it1s full weight has been carried for us we delight in God1s graciously allowing us to participate in carrying out his glorious redemptive plan. As Christians we see everything from God1s perspective and since He is Lord of all, we take part in God1s glory - "whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31).

We need to strive for balanced Christian living and uphold the unity of law and gospel which is taught throughout Scripture. The Reformers in their "solas" and in their viewing the Old and New Testaments as two forms of one administration of grace recaptured what Scripture says for the church. Yet such balance and integrity has proven to be hard for the church to maintain. There has been the legalism/moralism of both the fundamentalists and the liberals that still greatly influences society and the church. I thought of legalists as people who love the moral law because they believe they can meet its demands and are saved by their merits in so doing. Their imagined perfect law keeping is their imagined savior. All religions are do it yourself except Christianity which teaches there is no merit for a sinner keeping moral laws. People are only saved by grace "apart from the law" (Rom 3:21).

Dispensationalism's discontinuous view of law and grace has wrought a new era of antinomianism and moral laxity, and a Lordship/salvation debate. Much of what I see today in popular culture and even in the church reminds me so much of Judges 17:6 - "everyone did that which was right in his own eyes." Christianity isn1t freedom from the existence of law for there1s always a standard, a code of conduct to be observed; but its a matter of what one we choose. Scripture tells us we are not free to do what is right in our own eyes but we are called to do what is right in God's eyes, and we know what that is because He has told us in His law. God is the grand "Sez Who?" He is the transcendent basis for morality that determines the absolute standard for right and wrong of all human conduct and thinking.

When it comes to the case law in the Mosaic covenant, I share Calvin's view that there are indeed basic underlying principles therein that are still valid and relevant today for God's people. The problem turns however on the proper interpretation and application of the case law for life today. However, the case laws seem to me to give sufficient analogies to allow us to place the principle in modern context.

We are called to live and work and serve in this world but to give our total allegiance to any entirely different kingdom. "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people for God1s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Pet 2:9). What I find fascinating here is that Peter uses the very words God used in speaking to Moses at Sinai - when He called His chosen people to be a "holy nation'. But the "holy nation" is a real nation established and bound together by the Holy Creator of heaven and earth, at whose sovereign pleasure all nations are graciously allowed to exist. As Abraham Kuyper said, "There is not an inch of any sphere of life of which Jesus Christ the Lord does not say 'Mine'".

Creation, fall, redemption - the pattern of redemptive history - can be I think wrapped around God1s promise, "I will be their God, and they shall be my people." God gave Adam paradise for all of us; then Adam rebelled and we fell in Adam; then Christ - the Promise- faithfully restored and reconciled all things to His glory. Christ is Lord of all and in Him there is unity and no shadow of turning, yet there is also diversity, variety and also "newness". If then we should see this in Him, we should see and accept it in His law. The modern believer cannot love Christ and not love the law just as the Old Testament believer could not love the law and not love Christ who also saved Him.