How Are We to Use the Law: Let Me Count the Ways, Pt 2

Before I had come to truly embrace the doctrines of grace, I remember being incredibly hung up on the idea of the perseverance of the saints. I simply could not understand how it was remotely possible that a Christian could be saved and then would never need to fear losing their salvation. After all, if a Christian was secure in their salvation, then was it not also true that the Law simply did not matter to the Christian? The Christian, once saved, could simply live like a Pagan and be fine, right? And, if that was the case, then it was clear that Calvinism was wrong.

Of course, I had not rightly understood these doctrines because I had not understood the Bible. When I finally came to understand them biblically, and embraced them, I realized that Calvinism does not make the Law less important to the Christian, but more important. This is because the Christian loves God, and the Law is simply a reflection of who God is. For the Calvinist, morality is not based on a fear of losing salvation but is instead something that springs forth from the love the Christian has for Jesus. Or, to phrase it slightly differently, obedience in the life of the Christian is not born from a heart of fear, but a heart of love.

Consider, as an example, how King David spoke of the Law of the Lord in Psalm 119. In verses 97 and 98, he wrote, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.”

David openly declares his love for the Law of God and then insists that it his meditation all the day. So, it’s not merely something that crosses his mind once in the morning and then just as quickly departs from it. It is, instead, something that stays upon his mind. Constantly, throughout the day, David would find himself thinking about the Law of God; more than that, it was the very focus of his meditations. Similar to the way in which a man might declare his love for a woman and then find his heart drawn to ponder about her throughout the day, so David’s heart would overflow with love for the Law and then direct all his energies towards pondering it.

But from where did this love come? Well, David tells us in verse 98 that the Law of God made him wiser than his enemies. The Law, then, is a source of genuine wisdom for how we ought to live our lives, and this wisdom is made plain when we compare the lover of God’s Law against the one who hates God’s Law, or who is indifferent towards it. The one who loves God’s Law is notably wiser than the one who does not.

In verse 104, David declares, “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.” Thus, the Law is not merely a source of wisdom, but a source of understanding the truth. In learning the truth, we are simultaneously taught to hate the false. In other words, the Law helps us discern right from wrong and true from false.

Moreover, David rejoiced in the ability of God’s Law to actively lead him in the way he should go. In verse 105, he wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Much like a flashlight or torch in a dark area, the Word of God acts as a bright light to lead us in the paths of righteousness. When we are unsure about which way we should go—morally speaking—the Law of God is a sure and steady guide that will brighten the darkness of our sin cursed world.

In verse 111, David also claims that the Law is the source of his joy: “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.” So, not only does the Law of God direct our paths, grant us wisdom, and give us understanding, but it also brings us joy. Far from being a buzzkill that directs us away from “freedom and fun,” the Law of God causes us to actively live out our lives in such a way that we both pursue and grasp joy from the Lord within our lives.

Jacob Tanner is the pastor of Christ Keystone Church in Middleburg, PA. He is married to his wife, Kayla, and together they have two sons, Josiah and Owen. He is the author of The Tinker’s Progress: The Life and Times of John Bunyan, Wait and Hope: Puritan Wisdom for Joyful Suffering, and Resist Tyrants, Obey God: Lessons Learned from the Life and Times of John Knox.