Mom Set Free by Jeannie Cunnion

Author:Jeannie Cunnion
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Howard Books

The Crucial Distinction between the Law and the Gospel

Stick with me here because this distinction is essential to our ability to walk in freedom. Rightly distinguishing between Law and Gospel is “the most difficult and the highest art of Christians.”2 Both the Law and the Gospel are indispensable in the Christian life and the pursuit of holiness.

The Law tells us what to do. It is holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12); it is perfect, trustworthy, and more precious than gold (Psalm 19:7–10). And, as the psalmist writes, “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1–3).

The Gospel tells us what’s already been done in Jesus Christ. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” (Romans 3:23–24 NLT). That’s why the gospel is called the Good News.

C. F. W. Walther explains: “Law is anything that refers to what we are to do,” while “the Gospel, or the Creed, is any doctrine or word of God that does not require works from us and does not command us to do something but bids us simply to accept as a gift the gracious forgiveness of sins and the everlasting bliss offered us.”3

I’ve heard this important distinction expressed more simply, like this: The Law says do. The Gospel says done. And reading God’s Word through that lens changes everything.

Do you see how very good the Good News of the Gospel is for those of us who don’t feel good enough? We no longer need to pretend that we can perfectly pull it off. In God’s eyes, because of Jesus, we are already “perfect,” just as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

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