Second Helvetic Confession, Chapter 12
Of the Law of God
THE WILL OF GOD IS EXPLAINED FOR US IN THE LAW OF GOD
We teach that the will of God is explained for us in the law of God, what he wills or does not will us to do, what is good and just, or what is evil and unjust. Therefore, we confess that the law is good and holy.
THE LAW OF NATURE
And this law was at one time written in the hearts of men by the finger of God (Rom. 2:15), and is called the law of nature (the law of Moses is in two Tables), and at another it was inscribed by his finger on the two Tables of Moses, and eloquently expounded in the books of Moses (Ex. 20:1 ff.; Deut. 5:6 ff.). For the sake of clarity we distinguish the moral law which is contained in the Decalogue or two Tables and expounded in the books of Moses, the ceremonial law which determines the ceremonies and worship of God, and the judicial law which is concerned with political and domestic matters.
Scripture references for paragraph 2
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Romans 2:1515So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them
Exodus 20:1-261And God spoke all these words:
2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3You shall have no other gods before Me.
4You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.
5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
8Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.
11For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
12Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
13You shall not murder.
14You shall not commit adultery.
15You shall not steal.
16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
18When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance.
19“Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”
20“Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.”
21And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
22Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.
23You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.
24You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
25Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.
26And you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’
Deuteronomy 5:6-336“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
7You shall have no other gods before Me.
8You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.
9You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
10but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
11You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
12Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.
13Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do.
15Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
17You shall not murder.
18You shall not commit adultery.
19You shall not steal.
20You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
22The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
23And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me,
24and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.
25But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.
26For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived?
27Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”
28And the LORD heard the words you spoke to me, and He said to me, “I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.
29If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.
30Go and tell them: ‘Return to your tents.’
31But you stand here with Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and statutes and ordinances you are to teach them to follow in the land that I am giving them to possess.”
32So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.
33You must walk in all the ways that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
THE LAW IS COMPLETE AND PERFECT
We believe that the whole will of God and all necessary precepts for every sphere of life are taught in this law. For otherwise the Lord would not have forbidden us to add or to take away anything from this law; neither would he have commanded us to walk in a straight path before this law, and not to turn aside from it by turning to the right or to the left (Deut. 4:2; 12:32).
Scripture references for paragraph 3
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Deuteronomy 4:22You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.
Deuteronomy 12:3232See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
WHY THE LAW WAS GIVEN
We teach that this law was not given to men that they might be justified by keeping it, but that rather from what it teaches we may know (our) weakness, sin and condemnation, and, despairing of our strength, might be converted to Christ in faith. For the apostle openly declares: "The law brings wrath," and, "Through the law comes knowledge of sin" (Rom. 4:15; 3:20), and, "If a law had been given which could justify or make alive, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture (that is, the law) has concluded all under sin, that the promise which was of the faith of Jesus might be given to those who believe....Therefore, the law was our schoolmaster unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal.3:21 ff.).
Scripture references for paragraph 4
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Romans 4:1515because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.
Romans 3:2020Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
Galatians 3:21-2921Is the law, then, opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come from the law.
22But the Scripture pronounces all things confined by sin, so that by faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe.
23Before this faith came, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.
24So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
THE FLESH DOES NOT FULFIL THE LAW
For no flesh could or can satisfy the law of God and fulfil it, because of the weakness in our flesh which adheres and remains in us until our last breath. For the apostle says again: "God has done what the law, weakened bythe flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin" (Rom. 8:3). Therefore, Christ is the perfecting of the law and our fulfilment of it (Rom. 10:4), who, in order to take away the curse of the law, was make a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). Thus he imparts to us through faith his fulfilment of the law, and his righteousness and obedience are imputed to us.
Scripture references for paragraph 5
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Romans 8:33For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh,
Romans 10:44For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.
Galatians 3:1313Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
HOW FAR THE LAW IS ABROGATED
The law of God is therefore abrogated to the extent that it no longer condemns us, nor works wrath in us. For we are under grace and not under the law. Moreover, Christ has fulfilled all the figures of the law. Hence, with the coming of the body, the shadows ceased, so that in Christ we now have the truth and all fulness. But yet we do not on that account contemptuously reject the law. For we remember the words of the Lord when he said: "I have not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfil them" (Matt. 5:17). We know that in the law is delivered to us the patterns of virtues and vices. We know that the written law when explained by the Gospel is useful to the Church, and that therefore its reading is not to be banished from the Church. For although Moses' face was covered with a veil, yet the apostle says that the veil has been taken away and abolished by Christ.
Scripture references for paragraph 6
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Matthew 5:1717Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
THE SECTS
We condemn everything that heretics old and new have taught against the law.
Source and edition
Second Helvetic Confession. NonlinearFruit/Creeds.json, Unlicense. Creeds.json, English transcription
Unlicense. Source transcription.
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