The Proper Distinction between  Law and Gospel^*

by C.F.W. Walther

 The whole Bible is made up of two teachings or doctrines which are fundamentally different from each other. These two teachings are the Law and the Gospel.

Thesis 2

 A person who is teaching the true Christian religion is not only the person who is teaching all the Christian doctrines in harmony with the Bible, but also understands and applies the differences between the Law and the Gospel as he teaches them.

Thesis 3

 Understanding and applying the differences between the Law and the Gospel is the most difficult thing there is to do and yet it is absolutely essential for Christians, both the lay person and, especially, the Christian teacher. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can teach this understanding and he does so through experience.

Thesis 4

 Understanding the differences between the Law and the Gospel not only gives a special and wonderful insight into the Scriptures, but it is absolutely essential to understanding the Scriptures. If you don't understand the difference between Law and Gospel, you can't understand the Scriptures.

Thesis 5

 One way in which people misunderstand Scripture is when they see Christ as a "new law giver" and the good news of Christ becomes a way of earning salvation by your own efforts. Seeing Christ this way is a rejection of salvation by grace alone and is characteristic of Roman Catholicism, Unitarianism and every religion based on reason. It is the simplest error to recognize and the most destructive to Christianity.

Thesis 6

 A second way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when the Law is presented in a soft, easy-going way and the Gospel is watered down, made conditional or proclaimed in a way that its guarantees aren't for every last sinner, etc.

Thesis 7

 A third way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when they are presented in a way contrary to the examples and teaching of Scripture. For example, sharing the Gospel when the Law should be spoken, or demanding a life of holiness when a person hasn't been converted, or urging people to trust in Christ when they don't see themselves as sinners, or when people are taught that they must do good works before God will grant them grace.

Thesis 8

 A fourth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when someone proclaims the Law to someone who is terrified by their sins, or the Gospel is given to someone who is unrepentant.

Thesis 9

 A fifth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people who are truly repentant are taught to find their comfort in prayer or in holy living, rather than in the promises of forgiveness and love found in the Word of God or in the sacraments. Such teaching leads people to think they have forgiveness when they feel it and don't when the feelings aren't there, rather than simply believing that they are forgiven because God has clearly promised that they are in his word.

Thesis 10

 A sixth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that faith is an intellectual acceptance of what some group teaches, which may or may not have any effect on how a person lives, and that such an intellectual acceptance of what some group may teach makes him acceptable before God and saves him. A similar confusion exists when people are taught that the reformed life or love which faith produces is the reason for a person's salvation rather than the thing which faith trusts.

Thesis 11

 A seventh way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people offer God's forgiveness only when a person has done something to make himself more worthy, but withhold forgiveness from someone who is afraid of God and God's anger over their sin.

Thesis 12

 An eighth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that the reason why God forgives sin is because we are sorry for our sins. This makes our sorrow the compelling factor in forgiveness rather than Christ's sacrifice.

Thesis 13

 A ninth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach in a way that makes a person think he has the power within himself to believe in Christ, or that they must use the power within themselves to assist God in the creation of faith in their hearts. This kind of teaching opposes the simple presentation of the gospel which presupposes that all the converting power is in the gospel itself.

Thesis 14

 A tenth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that faith is a condition I have to meet before God will give me forgiveness or salvation. This teaching subtly suggests that I have to come up with the ``lottery ticket" before God will give me the jackpot. In such a teaching the emphasis is moved off of God and his gift on to the ticket (faith) and the pursuit of the ticket.

Thesis 15

 An eleventh way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that the Gospel is the thing that makes us sorry for our sins instead of the threats of the Law.

Thesis 16

 A twelfth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that the sign of true conversion to Christianity is when someone stops committing a certain sin or begins to do some certain good work(s).

Thesis 17

 A thirteenth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that describes faith (in regard to its strength, awareness and/or productivity) in a way that does not fit all believers at all times.

Thesis 18

 A fourteenth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that teach the doctrine of universal depravity in a way that leads people to think that even Christians are still unable to break from sin and continue to sin intentionally.

Thesis 19

 A fifteenth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that some sins are not worthy of damnation.

Thesis 20

 A sixteenth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that a person's salvation depends on what religious organization he belongs to or that anyone who holds to any false doctrine at all will be damned.

Thesis 21

 A seventeenth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that Christian baptism and the Lord's Supper bring salvation to people simply by doing the ritual, even though Christian faith is absent from the picture.

Thesis 22

 An eighteenth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that being spiritually awakened is the same as being converted to Christianity. A similar mistake is make when people teach that the inability to believe is the same as not being allowed to believe.

Thesis 23

 A nineteenth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people attempt to motivate unbelievers to stop sinning, or to do good works, or to become godly by using the Law (that is by using its demands, threats or promises). The same confusion exists when people try to motivate believers to good works by using the Law rather than the gospel.

Thesis 24

 A twentieth way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable because of its size (magnitude), i.e. that it is too big or intense to forgive.

Thesis 25

 A final way in which Law and Gospel are confused and Scripture is misunderstood is when people teach in a way that the Law stands out most prominently and the gospel stands in the background.

* Quoted  from The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, by C.F.W. Walther, pages 1-4.

About the author:

Carl F. W. Walther (1811-1887) was a Lutheran pastor and scholar. He served as pastor of the Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis, MO. for 46 years. He also taught at Concordia Seminary from 1850 until his death. He served as the 1st president of the Missouri Synod from its founding in 1847 to 1850. In 1864 he was again elected president and served until 1878.