Lutheran and Reformed theologians developed the teaching that there are three uses of the law: the civil – that which regulates society and government and is common to all people; the pedagogical – that function of the law that shows us our sin and our need for Christ; and the normative – that which shows us the rules and norms for the Christian life, what conduct is good and acceptable to God. The so-called third use of the law has been a common staple in Reformation theology and an important teaching for the Christian life. Blessedly, once we are in Christ, we no longer know of the curse of the law because he has born the curse for us. In the language of the Westminster Confession, we no longer look at the law as a covenant, that which requires perfect, perpetual, and personal obedience, but we now relate to the law as a rule—a guide for the Christian life (WCF XIX.vi).
At the same time, one of the troubling things that I’ve personally observed is when, in the name of the third use of the law, pastors will preach a message on love, for example, and never once mention the name of Christ. I can remember sitting in the congregation listening to the sermon, hearing the pastor urge the congregation to love one another, and the various ways that they could do so, but I kept on waiting and hoping to hear the name of Christ. He never mentioned the name. I don’t usually offer critical remarks after a sermon, but I approached the minister and asked him why he never mentioned Christ or the gospel. He replied, “I was preaching the third use of the law.” I was surprised and at the same time troubled.
To preach imperatives, commands, apart from Christ or the gospel, tears down the very foundation of the Christian life. It’s like pulling the rug out from under a person. Apart from Christ, we have no ability to live the Christian life—to love others. We must constantly hear the indicatives—who we are in Christ and what he has done on our behalf. We must hear of the Spirit’s work in our hearts and lay hold of the life-giving words of the gospel in order to live out the Christian life. If we rob our congregations of the gospel indicatives, we give them no way to live out the imperatives of the Christian life. To preach only imperatives leaves a person little choice but to seek to obey out of his own power. To preach only imperatives, even well intentioned ones in the name of the third use of the law, virtually places us back under the law and its curse.
Preachers, therefore, should never fail to herald Christ and the gospel, regardless of the purpose of the message. But this counsel also applies to us all. Parents, when you admonish or correct your children, do you merely encourage them to obey? If you do, you’re failing to point them to the source of their obedience, namely, Christ. By all means, correct and discipline your child, but never fail to remind her of the source of her obedience—of Christ and his gospel. Point them to Christ—encourage them to pray to him to seek his forgiveness for their sin and to plead with him that they would obey their parents. We need the gospel every moment of our lives. Christ never becomes superfluous.
