“The law is not made void through faith: yea, we establish the law.” — Romans 3:31

The tension between law and gospel has captivated and confounded generations of Christians. On one hand, the gospel proclaims the radical grace of God in Christ, who justifies the ungodly through faith alone. On the other, Scripture reverberates with divine commandments, statutes, and precepts—expectations of holiness, justice, and obedience.

Some recoil at the mention of law, fearing it undermines the freeness of grace. Others misuse the law, turning it into a system of moral achievement or justification. The danger lies in misunderstanding the relationship between the two and failing to grasp how both law and gospel are essential to the Christian life.

Within the Reformed tradition—particularly as clarified in the 1689 London Baptist Confession—law and gospel are not adversaries but harmonious components of God’s redemptive work. They reveal different aspects of His character and relate to us in distinct but complementary ways. They shape the Christian walk from conversion to glorification, guiding us through the narrow path that leads to life.

This article explores the biblical relationship between law and gospel and demonstrates how both are necessary for faithful Christian living. It is not a cold theological exercise, but a warm pastoral truth. When rightly understood, law and gospel bring liberty, maturity, and joyful obedience.

The Law: God’s Righteous Standard

Before we can appreciate grace, we must first be confronted by law. Scripture tells us that “by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). The law reveals God’s holiness and exposes our unrighteousness. It is, as Paul says, our “schoolmaster” to lead us to Christ (Gal. 3:24).

The law was never intended to justify sinners. Rather, it displays the character of God and establishes the moral framework of the universe. The moral law—summarized in the Ten Commandments—is a reflection of God’s eternal nature. It teaches us how to love God and neighbor, defining sin and righteousness.

But the law does more than diagnose. It awakens the conscience. It wounds, like a skilled surgeon, in order to drive us to the healing balm of the gospel. This is why true gospel preaching cannot exist without law. A sinner who has not seen his guilt cannot grasp the glory of Christ crucified.

Yet even for the believer, the law retains its purpose—not as a covenant of works, but as a rule of life. The law is no longer a curse to us, for Christ has borne the curse in our place (Gal. 3:13). But it is a light to our path (Ps. 119:105), guiding us in sanctification.

Those who pit law against gospel forget that the law is not the problem. Our sinful hearts are. The law is holy, just, and good (Rom. 7:12). But it cannot give life. It commands, but it cannot empower. It instructs, but it cannot save. That is the gospel’s work.

The Gospel: God’s Gracious Provision

Where the law condemns, the gospel pardons. Where the law demands righteousness, the gospel declares that righteousness has been fulfilled by Another—Jesus Christ, our substitute and Savior. This is the heart of the gospel: that God justifies the ungodly through faith in Christ (Rom. 4:5).

The gospel does not ignore the law; it answers its demands. Every jot and tittle of God’s law is fulfilled in Christ, who obeyed perfectly and bore the punishment of the law-breaker. The cross is where justice and mercy meet. God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:26).

The gospel announces that Christ’s obedience is counted as ours. His death satisfies divine wrath. His resurrection secures our justification. Nothing can be added to the gospel, and nothing must be taken from it. It is finished.

And yet the gospel is not merely a message we believe once. It is the air we breathe. The gospel shapes how we view ourselves, how we approach God, and how we relate to others. It frees us from legalism on one side and lawlessness on the other. It brings peace to the soul and glory to God.

Law and Gospel in Harmony

For many, the temptation is to separate law and gospel as though they belonged to two different religions. The legalist distorts the law into a ladder to heaven. The antinomian turns the gospel into an excuse for sin. Both are grievous errors.

In the Reformed view, law and gospel are distinct but never divorced. The law shows us our need; the gospel supplies the answer. The law is the map; the gospel is the fuel. The law says, “This is the way, walk in it.” The gospel says, “Here is the strength to do so.”

The Christian life is one of gospel-fueled obedience. We do not obey to earn God’s favor—we obey because we have received it. Justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But sanctification is the fruit of that faith. The same Spirit who regenerates us also indwells us, conforming us to the image of Christ.

Thus, the law continues to instruct. The Ten Commandments remain a summary of God’s will. But we approach them now not as condemned criminals, but as beloved children. Obedience is not a burden, but a delight. We are not under the law as a covenant, but under grace—and that grace teaches us to deny ungodliness (Titus 2:12).

This balance is the key to Christian maturity. Those who emphasize law without gospel produce fearful, graceless religion. Those who emphasize gospel without law produce lazy, shallow discipleship. But those who hold both in proper relation produce churches that are holy and joyful, reverent and radiant.

Misunderstandings and Modern Confusion

In today’s evangelical landscape, the law is often maligned, and the gospel is frequently sentimentalized. The modern church has largely lost its ability to speak with moral clarity or theological depth.

Preaching has drifted into self-help. Worship has become entertainment. Discipleship is superficial. Why? Because many have cast off the weighty demands of God’s law and turned the gospel into a therapeutic message of affirmation rather than salvation.

But a gospel that does not confront sin is no gospel at all. And a law that is not applied in grace becomes a yoke of slavery. The Reformed tradition, at its best, avoids both pitfalls. It calls men to repent because God is holy and to believe because God is merciful.

The 1689 Confession wisely devotes an entire chapter to the law of God (Chapter 19). It affirms that the moral law binds all people and continues to guide believers. It distinguishes between the ceremonial and judicial laws given to Israel and the moral law rooted in creation.

This framework is vital in an age of confusion. The law must be preached, not to crush believers but to sanctify them. The gospel must be heralded, not to tickle ears but to resurrect dead hearts. Together, law and gospel form the double-stranded DNA of true Christianity.

Living It Out: Walking the Narrow Road

In daily life, the Christian is both a law-keeper and a grace-receiver. We begin each day acknowledging our failure to love God as we ought. We run to Christ for forgiveness and cleansing. And by the Spirit, we seek to walk in obedience—not to earn righteousness, but to reflect it.

This produces a tender conscience. The law pricks us when we stray. The gospel picks us up when we fall. We do not fear condemnation (Rom. 8:1), but neither do we become careless. We strive for holiness because we love the Holy One.

Parents must teach both law and gospel to their children. Pastors must preach both with clarity and boldness. Churches must sing both in their worship and embody both in their discipleship.

When a believer sins, he should not try to hide from God like Adam in the garden. He should confess and flee to Christ. He should remember that though the law is unyielding, the gospel is overflowing. And he should renew his commitment to walk in the light.

This is the rhythm of sanctification: repentance and faith, conviction and comfort, discipline and delight. Law and gospel, in tension and in harmony.

God’s Wisdom in Both

God is not divided. He is not loving in the gospel and harsh in the law. His holiness and mercy are one. His law and gospel are gifts. Together they drive us to Christ, keep us near Christ, and form us into the likeness of Christ.

The Christian who understands both will be humble, joyful, and holy. He will not boast in his performance, nor will he excuse his sin. He will love God’s law because he has been loved by God’s Son.

Let us walk, then, in the way marked out for us—not as slaves, but as sons. Let us hold fast the gospel of grace, and let us uphold the law of the Lord. For both come from the same source, and both lead us to the same end: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.