19.6 The Ordinances Of The Lord Are Reliable

Table of Contents

The Text

Psalm 19:9b (CSB) [...] the ordinances of the LORD are reliable and altogether righteous.

Romans 3:20–26 (CSB) For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

The Chapter

Although true believers be not under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified or condemned, yet it is of great use to them as well as to others, in that as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly; discovering also the sinful pollutions of their natures, hearts, and lives, so as examining themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against, sin; together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ and the perfection of his obedience; it is likewise of use to the regenerate to restrain their corruptions, in that it forbids sin; and the threatenings of it serve to shew what even their sins deserve, and what afflictions in this life they may expect for them, although freed from the curse and unallayed rigour thereof. The promises of it likewise shew them God's approbation of obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof, though not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works; so as man's doing good and refraining from evil, because the law encourageth to the one and deterreth from the other, is no evidence of his being under the law and not under grace.

The Confession

Although true believers are not under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified or condemned

Romans 6:14 (CSB) For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.

Galatians 2:16 (CSB) and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.

Romans 8:1 (CSB) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,

Romans 10:4 (CSB) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,

This section of the Confession is really a exegesis of Romans 3:20-26. Start with verse 20:

Romans 3:20 (CSB) For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.

True believers--that is, the elect, the people of God, the ones that Christ came to save from their sins--are not under the law as a covenant of works. Dearest Christian, you are never going to be justified by ANYTHING you have ever done or will ever do. Never. Simple fact, you cannot be justified by what you do because you and I were born of sin and into sin and we sin because we are sinners. Think about what I just said. We tend to think we are sinners because we sin. No! We are born sinners and there we sin.

But, again, the Christian is never justified by the law. And at the same time, never condemned by the law. What does Romans 8:1 say?

Romans 8:1 (CSB) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,

If you are in Christ Jesus--that is, do you believe and trust in the Son of God--then you are not in condemnation.

yet it is of great use to them as well as to others, in that as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly; discovering also the sinful pollutions of their natures, hearts, and lives, so as examining themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against, sin

So what is the use of the law to us since Christ has fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17)? The confession sums up nicely:

  • It is a rule of life
  • It informs us of the will of God and our duty
  • It directs and binds us to walk accordingly
  • It discovers the sinful pollutions of our natures, hearts, and lives
  • It helps us examine ourselves
  • It helps us come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against, sin

In Reformed churches, we often use John Calvin's three uses of the law and rightfully so because it is so incredibly helpful. Calvin lays out the three uses in these ways:

  • The first use of the law is to convict us of our sin and to drive us to Christ.
  • The second use of the law is to restrain sin in society.
  • The third use of the law is to guide the Christian in living a life that is pleasing to God.

We are no longer under the law. We cannot be justified by the law because Christ has fulfilled the law. We cannot be condemned by it because those who are in Christ Jesus are in a new law: the law of the Spirit of life:

Romans 8:1-4 (CSB) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. What the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, in order that the law's requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Now that is good news right there. But what proceeded before Romans 8:1. In other words, what is the "Therefore" in "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus?"

Take a look at the passage right before:

Romans 7:7–25 (CSB) What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet. And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. Therefore, did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not! But, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin. For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me. So I discover this law: When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me. For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.

It is very popular teaching in churches that what Paul was saying here in Romans 7 was when he was a non-Christian. But verse 21 negates all of that:

Romans 7:22 (CSB) For in my inner self I delight in God’s law,

Full stop. Did you catch that? Show me a unbeliever who delights in the law of God. No unbeliever ever rightly delighted in the law of God. Verse 22 alone tells us the struggle of Paul and every believer with ongoing sin in their own life. This makes complete sense if you have been a believer for longer than a day. We know the struggle. We know the anguish. We repent and we fall again. We get up and we keep pressing forward. But there are some days that we feel like we have taken a million steps back.

together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ and the perfection of his obedience; it is likewise of use to the regenerate to restrain their corruptions, in that it forbids sin; and the threatenings of it serve to show what even their sins deserve, and what afflictions in this life they may expect for them, although freed from the curse and unallayed rigour thereof. The promises of it likewise show them God's approbation of obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof, though not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works; so as man's doing good and refraining from evil, because the law encourages to the one and deters from the other, is no evidence of his being under the law and not under grace.

But what how does God see his people in their walk with him? Every sin, every remorse, every repentance, every grief over sin, every setback. How does God see his people? How does God see you?

Zephaniah 3:17 (CSB) The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing.”

My dear Christian, this is how God sees you. That is why so often say, stop looking at yourself and take a thousand looks to the Christ who loved you and gave himself up for you.

So we do have his law. And now, because we are his children, and his law is his word and it is how he speaks to us (Matthew 4:4). And we not only called to obey it, but we get to obey God because we are in his Son and we are filled with His Spirit who has resurrected us from death until life. We get to live by his law because his law is good.

Romans 6:12–14 (CSB) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.

1 Peter 3:8–13 (CSB) Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing. For the one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, and let him turn away from evil and do what is good. Let him seek peace and pursue it, because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil. Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good?

Praise be to God!