Pilgrim Covenant Church Bulletin, 25 August 2002

The WESTMINSTER LARGER Catechism

WLC 94. Is there any use of the moral law to man since the fall?

A. Although no man, since the fall, can attain to righteousness and life by the moral law;¹
yet there is great use thereof, as well common to all men, as peculiar either to
the unregenerate, or the regenerate.²

Proofs
^{1Rom 8:3; Gal 2:16;²1 Tim 1:8
Because our Confession and Catechism put a lot of emphasis on the Law of God, it is sometimes alleged that it encourages legalism or salvation works. This charge is, however, totally unfounded. Our subordinate standards emphasise the Law because the Scripture, our infallible Standard, emphasises it. However, as the Scripture declares, "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight" (Rom 3:20), so our subordinate standards affirm the same: "since the fall, can [no man] attain to righteousness and life by the moral law." Our creed does not promote legalism as charged. But neither does it fall into antinomianism. The moral law is of great use in this life and must not be neglected.
In particular, the moral law has three areas of use:

Firstly, it is of use to all men, regenerate or unregenerate, in order to reveal the "holy nature and will of God." We may call this the theological use of the Law. This use will be explained in WLC 95.

Secondly, the moral law is of peculiar use to the unregenerate to "drive them to Christ." This will be explained in WLC 96 and may be called the pedagogical use of the Law.

Thirdly, the law is of special use to the regenerate as "the rule of their obedience." This may be known as the moral use of the law and will be explained in WLC 97. W}