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Lutherans grow up being

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well educated,

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one of the things they're taught

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are the three uses of the law.

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And we learned these

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very early on.

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We learned that the law

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functions as a curb,

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and another use is as a mirror,

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and then another use

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is as a guide or,

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as people sometimes like to say,

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a rule.

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And so these are the three

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uses of the law. Now,

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these are very familiar and

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useful and very helpful.

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There's some debate that rages

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about. Some people would say,

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well, actually, there's only.

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Two uses for Luther,

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and that's kind of true.

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And then the third one

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comes in later,

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and then there's a debate about

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whether Luther does this or not.

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We won't get into

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that right now.

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What I'm more interested in is

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thinking about the very idea of

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calling these uses of the law.

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One of the problems of thinking

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about these as uses of the law

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is it has a tendency to drive us

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to the conclusion that somehow

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we're in control of how these

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actually function.

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And I would take some issue with

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that and think maybe the better

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way to think about the law and

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how it works is to think

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instead of about uses,

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think instead about functions.

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And we realize that the law

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simply goes out and then it does

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things. It curbs behavior.

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In other words,

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it keeps people in check,

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or as Luther likes to say,

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curbs the gross outburst of sin.

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And then the law clearly

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functions in a role as mirror,

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helping us to see

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how things are,

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helping us to see the reality

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of our own lives,

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see more pointedly,

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our own shortcomings and our

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failings and our inability to

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live according to what

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God wants us to do.

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And then we see how the law also

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functions to teach me and

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give me some guidance.

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So when I'm trying to say,

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what does this look like to live

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the Christian life? Well,

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the law comes in and says,

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here's what it looks like.

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Now, this is useful, as I said,

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to a point,

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thinking about these three

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functions as curb,

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mirror and guide.

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But I think maybe even a better

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way to think about the law is

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simply to turn to the Formula of

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Concord and let the Formula of

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Concord do a little teaching

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here for us.

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Formula of Concord,

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article six is dealing with the

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question of the third

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use of the law.

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And in the Formula of Concord,

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article six in the Epitome,

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paragraph seven,

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and in solid declaration,

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paragraph 15,

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there are some rather important

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points that are made here about

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what the law actually he is.

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So, from the Epitome,

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we read this,

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therefore,

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for both the repentant

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and unrepentant,

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for the reborn and those not

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reborn. In other words

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for everybody.

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The law is and remains

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one single law.

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Here's the kicker the

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unchangeable will of God.

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That's what the law is.

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It's the unchangeable

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will of God.

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And then we go to the solid

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declaration, paragraph 15.

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We read this.

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The word law has one single

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meaning, namely,

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the unchanging will of God,

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according to which human beings

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are to conduct themselves

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in this life. Now,

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what's going on here then,

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in the Formula is we're being

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taught that the law is

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the will of God.

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So what that means is that the

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law is nothing more than the way

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that God intends people to live,

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the way that God intends

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humans to live.

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So when a human is doing what

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a human is supposed to do,

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he's living according to God's

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will. He's doing the law.

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The law then was not made up by

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God at Sinai to try to

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help people realize

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they really need the gospel

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that comes later. In fact,

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the function of the law as

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mirror is a function that only

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enters into the scene after man

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falls and after Adam totally

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blows it. Now,

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the law functions in the

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way as a mirror,

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but the law is simply

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the will of God.

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This opens some really

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interesting things to consider.

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For example,

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was there law in the Garden of

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Eden before Adam fell law?

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And if we understand the

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law as the will of God,

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the answer would be, of course,

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because the will of

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God was present.

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Adam was told to be fruitful

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and multiply.

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He was told to have dominion

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over the creatures

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that were there.

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He was told to tend the garden.

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He had things to do.

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There was a will of God that was

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at work. In other words,

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the law was present.

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But the law wasn't bad.

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The law wasn't negative.

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The law wasn't oppressive.

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The law was simply the shape of

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Adam's life when he was living

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the way God had created

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him to live.

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So the law is not this

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inherently negative,

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oppressive thing.

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The law is the goodwill

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of God. And

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the Formula of Concord actually

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brings this out in a rather

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interesting way.

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At the very end of the solid

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declaration where we read this,

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I'll read the whole thing.

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It's a little bit long,

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but it's worth reading.

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This is on paragraph 24.

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For the old creature,

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like a stubborn recalcitrant

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donkey,

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is also still a part of them

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Christians and it needs to be

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forced into obedience to Christ

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not only through the law's,

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teaching,

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admonition fulsion and threat,

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but also often with the cudgel

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of punishments and tribulations

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until the sinful flesh is

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completely stripped away and

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people are perfectly renewed

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in the resurrection.

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Then here's the good part then

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they will need neither the

202
00:05:38,817 --> 00:05:40,097
proclamation of the law nor its

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00:05:40,097 --> 00:05:41,354
threats and punishments,

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just as they will no longer

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need the gospel,

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for both belong to this

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imperfect life.

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Now listen carefully. Instead,

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00:05:48,969 --> 00:05:50,030
just as they will seek

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00:05:50,030 --> 00:05:51,081
God face to face,

211
00:05:51,081 --> 00:05:53,185
so they will perform the will

212
00:05:53,185 --> 00:05:55,017
of God by the power of the

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00:05:55,017 --> 00:05:56,193
indwelling spirit of God,

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00:05:56,193 --> 00:05:58,882
spontaneously, without coercion,

215
00:05:58,882 --> 00:05:59,765
unhindered.

216
00:05:59,765 --> 00:06:01,121
Perfectly and completely

217
00:06:01,121 --> 00:06:02,530
with sheer joy,

218
00:06:02,530 --> 00:06:04,249
and they will delight in his

219
00:06:04,249 --> 00:06:06,513
will eternally. Now,

220
00:06:06,513 --> 00:06:07,681
think about that.

221
00:06:07,681 --> 00:06:09,793
We've just been told that at the

222
00:06:09,793 --> 00:06:11,688
eschaton that we will be doing

223
00:06:11,688 --> 00:06:15,688
the will of God perfectly with

224
00:06:15,688 --> 00:06:17,257
joy and delight. So,

225
00:06:17,257 --> 00:06:19,121
in other words, at the Escaton,

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00:06:19,121 --> 00:06:20,304
even though there's no longer

227
00:06:20,304 --> 00:06:22,514
law to condemn or to crush,

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00:06:22,514 --> 00:06:23,817
and there's no longer a need for

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00:06:23,817 --> 00:06:25,376
the gospel to liberate and make

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me alive because I am

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00:06:26,736 --> 00:06:27,712
alive in Christ,

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there will still be

233
00:06:28,793 --> 00:06:30,249
the will of God.

234
00:06:30,249 --> 00:06:31,353
We'll still be doing what

235
00:06:31,353 --> 00:06:32,808
God created us to do.

236
00:06:32,808 --> 00:06:34,129
And in a sense,

237
00:06:34,129 --> 00:06:35,953
we'll still be doing his law,

238
00:06:35,953 --> 00:06:37,121
which is not bad,

239
00:06:37,121 --> 00:06:39,186
and it only becomes law negative

240
00:06:39,186 --> 00:06:41,009
because of sin. The issue,

241
00:06:41,009 --> 00:06:41,433
you see,

242
00:06:41,433 --> 00:06:43,393
is never the problem of the law.

243
00:06:43,393 --> 00:06:44,873
The problem is always my

244
00:06:44,873 --> 00:06:46,025
failure to keep it.

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00:06:46,025 --> 00:06:47,993
And in Christ I'm forgiven and

246
00:06:47,993 --> 00:06:49,578
restored. And at the Escaton,

247
00:06:49,578 --> 00:06:51,496
I'll be free and able and

248
00:06:51,496 --> 00:06:52,913
capable to do the will

249
00:06:52,913 --> 00:06:54,426
of God for eternity.

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It's a beautiful picture.