Law & Gospel

Because Scripture divides doctrinally into Law and Gospel, one cannot but treat constantly of Law and Gospel and their mutual relation in presenting the Christian doctrine on the basis of Scripture. Already in the very Prolegomena, in distinguishing the Christian religion from pagan religions, we had to demonstrate that the Christian religion is a religion of the Gospel, while all non-Christian religions bear the stamp of the religion of the Law. In describing theology as fitness for the office of public teaching in the Church (‘hey hikantos hey ek tou theo’) we had to include in our definition of the theological aptitude also the ability to discern and teach both in what sense Law and Gospel are one and in what sense they are opposites. in the doctrine of God (‘De Deo’) we distinguished between the natural concept and the Christian concept of God and pointed out that the Triune God revealed in the Scriptures is the God gracious to sinners, or the God of the Gospel, while the natural concept of God never rises above the Law, and for this reason may indeed produce an evil, but never a good conscience. Because sin is discord with, or departure from, the divine Law (‘anomia’), we had to set forth under the doctrine of sin (‘De peccato’) that the divine Law always and everywhere obligates men. In the doctrine of grace (‘De gratia Dei salvifica’) we had to make clear that saving grace is the ‘favor Dei propter Christum,’ is proclaimed in the Gospel, and is the direct opposite of he ‘iustitia inhaerens vel vitae,’ which the Law demands. The doctrine of the procurement of grace by Christ (;De opere Christi’) adds up to this, that in the stead of men Christ took upon Himself both the obligation and the punishment of the Law which God had given to men. In soteriology (‘De gratia Spiritus Sancti applicatrice’) the Law was excluded from the means of grace because it alone bestows the remission of sins earned by Christ and through such bestowal works and strengthens faith. Conversion of man to God (‘conversio’) consists in man’s turning from the Law, from his innate ‘opinio legis,’ to the Gospel. The Christian doctrine of justification of man before God (‘De hominis iustifacatione coram Deo’) is taught correctly only when the ‘particulae exclusivae’ are meticulously observed, that is, when everything that is Law and work of the Law is carefully weeded out. In the doctrine of sanctification and good works (‘De sanctificatione et bonis operibus’) it was necessary to emphasize that not the Law, but only the Gospel produces sanctification and good works.

Via Pieper’s Christian Dogmatics, vol. 3, “Law & Gospel”