God's Law

The reformed view on the use of God's law has traditionally been that it has three uses or purposes; 1) “to be a mirror reflecting to us both the perfect righteousness of God and our own sinfulness and shortcomings.” Thus leading us to Christ. 2) “the 'civil use,' to restrain evil.” 3) “to guide the regenerate into the good works” prepared for them by God. The Law is, as the Westminster Standards say, the whole Word of God but primarily summarized in the Ten Commandments. Jesus summarized the law in two places, in Mt. 7:12 He gives what is commonly called the Golden Rule during the Sermon on the Mount, and in Mt 22:34-40 near the end of His ministry He has this exchange with the teachers of the law:

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (ESV)

This illustrates the fact that the law is in two parts; one concerning man's relationship to God and the other concerning man's relationship to man. The latter is what the civil law and government is to enforce and the former is enforced by the church and gives some principles for civil law and government.