July 2025 Meetup - The Three Uses of the Law
Have you heard of the three uses of the law before? It's a doctrinal tool that's been around for a long time. Here are some brief notes to get our meetup discussion started.
Just as God's law can be distinguished in its moral, ceremonial, and judicial dimensions, so the moral law has three uses or modes of application. The doctrine of the three uses of the law was embraced by the Reformation churches, both Lutheran and Reformed.
- Beeke & Smalley, p.694, "Reformed Systematic Theology, Vol. 2."
Civil
To restrain evil. It secures order from potential civil chaos. It serves to protect the righteous from the unjust, and the unjust from themselves and others.
Evangelical conviction / Pedagogical
As a schoolmaster. To crush the sinner as they realize the standard of holiness which they could never meet. It provides knowledge and realization of their sin and their critical need for the covering of a savior.
Normative / Didactic
It stands as a guide to the regenerate as to the actions and thoughts which please God. The saved Christian is free from the burden of the law for their Justification unto salvation. However, they are governed by the law of Christ as a rule of life.
When & Where
Rigby's is in downtown Paris, Texas. Wednesday, July 17th @ 6:30 PM.
Member discussion