The Law/Gospel Distinction is Under Attack

There is a huge discussion going on in the blogosphere over the law/gospel distinction (LGD). There are some who propose that there is no distinction to be made, and they are known as Federal Visionists (FV). On a popular blog of one of the proponents of FV, a commenter asks:

However, do you dismiss in toto the notion of law and gospel in the text? Isn’t “you shall not steal” law and “Christ died for sinners” gospel? Surely, we find the LGD in the text, even if these are not exclusive and absolute hermeneutical categories, right?

Another user answered his question by stating:

Part of the difficulty with a “law/gospel” hermeneutic is that it invites us to read all commandments as “law” and, worse, as something that has as one of its functions to crush us and drive us to Christ in recognition that we can’t keep the law.

But … what about when Jesus says to his disciples, “Fear not”? That’s a commandment, and therefore, by the law/gospel hermeneutic, it is Law. Which means, then, that it is designed to crush the disciples, to make them see that they can’t possibly “fear not,” and drive them to trust in Jesus who “feared not” in their place.

Nonsense.

In no way does Jesus intend “fear not” to distress his disciples or confront them with their inability. He intends this commandment to comfort them. The law/gospel hermeneutic does not do justice to these sorts of commandments in Scripture.

When we speak of law and gospel, the Scriptures should be our guide in helping us understand what law and gospel is. According to what Scripture dubs as law, “Fear Not” is not considered Law. The second commenter is equating “Fear Not” with “Do not steal,” “Do not murder,” so forth and that is nonsense.

Furthermore, if you say there is no distinction between law and gospel, then you blur the lines between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. Also, the biblical understanding of justification becomes blurred as well. I am thankful for the many bloggers out there that are upholding the biblical understanding of the law/gospel distinction and other blogs have started in order to help others understand what the Bible and the confession has to say about the distinction. For more reading on this, you should definitely check out Green Baggins, Heidelblog, Creed Code Cult, and Lex et Euangelium.

Tags: federal vision, golawspel, Gospel, law