Uses of the Law: The Law Defines Sin (7)

Psalm 119.9-11

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

In order for the Church to make proper use of the Law of God as the defining standard of right and wrong, good and evil, it must first demonstrate the value of that Law in its own demeanor. We must be prepared to show that Kingdom living is a far superior manner of being-in-the-world than any of the worn-out worldviews of unbelief.

We must recover our sense of the usefulness of God’s Law. The Law defines sin, but it does much, much more besides, as we shall see. If the Church would show a pure, true, righteous, peaceable, and joyous way of life to the watching world, then we must recover the importance of reading, meditating in, studying, teaching, and obeying the Law of God.

Only as we lodge the Law squarely in our hearts will we be able to guard against whatever the spirit of the age or the spirits of wickedness might bring against us to cause us to betray our faith in Christ. Pastors, church leaders, and church members alike – all must all unite in making the Law of God a kind of “core curriculum” for Christian discipleship.

The Law of God is useful for defining sin, and we will not demonstrate repentance from sin and a way of life that restores men from the destruction of sin until we begin to hide the Law of God in our hearts, where it can serve as a constant guide in all matters of faith and morality.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.