Law and Gospel: God's Two Words - Story

A story related to this content

Luther's greatest insight was distinguishing between Law and Gospel—God's two essential words to humanity. The Law reveals God's perfect standard and exposes our sin. Romans 3:20 declares that 'through the law we become conscious of our sin.' The Law serves as our schoolmaster (Galatians 3:24), showing us our desperate need for a Savior. It convicts, condemns, and drives us to Christ. But the Law cannot save—it can only expose our inability to save ourselves. The Gospel, however, is 'the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes' (Romans 1:16). Where the Law says 'Do this and live,' the Gospel says 'Christ has done this—live!' The Gospel is pure gift, received through faith alone (sola fide). We are justified—declared righteous—not by our works but by God's grace alone through Christ's perfect righteousness credited to our account. This creates the Lutheran understanding of simul justus et peccator—simultaneously saint and sinner. Even as justified believers, we remain sinners who daily need the Gospel. We don't graduate from Law to Gospel; we need both throughout our Christian life. The Law continues to guide our sanctification while the Gospel continues to comfort our consciences. This dialectic prevents both legalism and antinomianism, keeping us properly dependent on Christ.