Under the covenant of works, the law was a terrifying taskmaster with a whip. Under the covenant of grace, the law is a friendly guide holding a lantern, while the Spirit of Christ holds our hand and gives us the strength to walk the path cheerfully.

In our previous article, we saw how the Westminster Confession divides the Old Testament law into three categories: Ceremonial (which is abolished), Judicial (which expired with the nation of Israel), and Moral (which remains forever).

But this raises a profound question: If Christians are saved entirely by grace, and if Paul explicitly states that we “are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14 ), what role does the Moral Law play in the Christian life today? Is it merely a historical relic?

In sections 19.5 through 19.7, the Confession delivers a masterclass on the relationship between Law and Gospel. It firmly rejects Antinomianism (the idea that Christians are free from the moral law) while simultaneously protecting the free grace of the Gospel. It does this by making a vital distinction between the law as a covenant of works and the law as a rule of life.

The Confession teaches that the moral law forever binds all people; that while believers are completely free from the law as a covenant of works for their justification, it remains of great use as a rule of life to expose sin, restrain corruption, and guide obedience; and that this use of the law does not contradict the Gospel, but sweetly complies with it through the empowering work of the Spirit.

The Unbreakable Obligation (WCF 19.5)

The Confession begins with an uncompromising statement: “The moral law doth for ever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof.”

Whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian, you are bound to obey the Ten Commandments. Why? Because of two things:

• The Nature of the Law: The content of the law is intrinsically good and reflects God’s unchanging character.
• The Origin of the Law: It was given by “God the Creator.” Because God is always our Creator, we are always His creatures, obligated to obey Him.

Some argue that Jesus abolished the Ten Commandments and replaced them with a new, simpler “law of love.” The divines strongly disagree: “Neither doth Christ, in the Gospel, any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation.” Jesus didn’t abolish the command against murder; He expanded it to include sinful anger (Matt. 5:21-22 ). Love is not a replacement for the law; love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:10 ).

Freed from the Covenant, Bound to the Rule (WCF 19.6)

If we are bound to obey the law, how can Paul say we are “not under the law”? The Confession resolves this by distinguishing how we relate to the law.

“Although true believers be not under the law, as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified, or condemned…”

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