Chapter 19, Paragraph I
The Covenant of Works and the Original Law of God
Summary
This paragraph establishes the foundation of all divine law: the covenant of works made with Adam before the fall. God created man upright and endowed him with the ability to obey perfectly. He gave a law that required personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience—a law not arbitrary, but an expression of His own holy character. Life was promised upon obedience; death was threatened upon disobedience. Adam stood as the federal head of humanity, representing all his posterity.
This was not a cruel burden but a righteous arrangement. God, as Creator, had full authority to require holiness from His creature, and Adam was fully equipped to render it. The tragedy of the fall was not that man failed a harsh test, but that he broke a covenant of life freely entered and perfectly suited to his nature. Through Adam’s disobedience came sin and death to all; through the second Adam’s obedience comes righteousness and life.
Historical Context
The Westminster Divines followed the classical Reformed distinction between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. Against Antinomianism, they affirmed that God’s moral law is rooted in creation, not merely in Sinai. Against Socinian errors, they upheld that the pre-fall arrangement truly promised eternal life on the condition of obedience.
This covenantal understanding clarified that redemption in Christ is not God abandoning law, but God fulfilling through grace what man failed to keep in nature. The covenant of grace restores man not apart from law, but through Christ who perfectly obeyed it.
Key Biblical References
- Genesis 2:16–17 – “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat… for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.”
- Romans 5:12–19 – “By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners.”
- Galatians 3:12 – “The law is not of faith, but ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’”
- Ecclesiastes 7:29 – “God made man upright.”
Summary Statement
Chapter 19, paragraph I reminds us that law and life were once perfectly joined in Eden. Adam broke that covenant and brought ruin to all, but Christ—the second Adam—has fulfilled it. The covenant of works exposes our need; the covenant of grace meets it. The law’s first voice says, “Do this and live”; the gospel’s response says, “It is finished.”
Chapter 19, Paragraph II
The Continuing Authority of the Moral Law
Summary
After the fall, the moral law did not cease to bind mankind. It remained a perfect rule of righteousness, later summarized by God upon Mount Sinai and written upon two tables of stone. The first four commandments define our duty toward God; the last six, our duty toward man. This moral law is universal, eternal, and unchanging because it reflects the very nature of God Himself.
The giving of the Ten Commandments was not the creation of new morality but the republication of an eternal standard. Though the ceremonial and judicial laws of Israel were temporary, the moral law is perpetual. It convicts the sinner, instructs the saint, and bears witness to the holiness of God in every generation.
Historical Context
The Divines reaffirmed the Reformed distinction between moral, ceremonial, and judicial law. Against Anabaptists and Antinomians, they insisted the Ten Commandments remain binding under the New Covenant. Against legalists, they clarified that the law’s authority persists as rule, not as covenant of works.
They drew directly from Calvin’s Institutes and from the Puritan teaching that the moral law is the transcript of God’s holiness—a rule of life for the believer and a mirror of condemnation for the unconverted.
Key Biblical References
- Exodus 20:1–17 – The Ten Commandments.
- Deuteronomy 5:1–22 – The reaffirmation of the Decalogue.
- Matthew 22:37–40 – The summary of the law: love God and neighbor.
- Romans 2:14–15 – The law written on the heart.
Summary Statement
Chapter 19, paragraph II declares that God’s moral law still stands, binding every conscience. Sinai’s thunder has not fallen silent; it echoes still in the hearts of men. The law is not a relic but a reflection of God Himself—unchanging, holy, and good.
Chapter 19, Paragraph III
The Ceremonial Law and Its Fulfilment in Christ
Summary
This paragraph teaches that God gave Israel ceremonial laws suited to her age as a church under tutelage. These laws contained sacrifices, festivals, purifications, and symbols that prefigured Christ—His person, offices, and saving work. They pointed forward to the Lamb of God, whose death and resurrection would fulfill every shadow. They also conveyed moral lessons—teaching holiness, separation, and dependence upon divine mercy.
But now that Christ, the true substance, has come, the ceremonies have ceased. The temple veil was torn, and the types found their fulfillment in Him. The ceremonial law is therefore abrogated under the New Testament; to continue observing it as binding would be to deny that redemption is complete. Yet these ancient symbols still instruct the church in Christ’s glory, showing how all history and worship find their center in the cross.
Historical Context
The Divines followed the Reformed and Augustinian tradition distinguishing between the temporary, typological nature of Israel’s ceremonies and the abiding moral law. Against Roman Catholic ritualism and Judaizing tendencies, they affirmed the sufficiency of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice.
They viewed the ceremonial law as pedagogical—God’s “picture book” for the church in its infancy. When the reality arrived, the pictures were set aside, their purpose fulfilled in the eternal Priest and final Sacrifice.
Key Biblical References
- Hebrews 10:1–10 – “The law has but a shadow of the good things to come.”
- Colossians 2:16–17 – “Let no one pass judgment… these are a shadow, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
- Ephesians 2:14–16 – Christ abolished in His flesh the law of commandments in ordinances.
Summary Statement
Chapter 19, paragraph III proclaims that Christ has fulfilled the ceremonial law in His person and work. What the altar, lamb, and priest could only signify, He has accomplished. The shadows have fled before the rising Sun of Righteousness, and now the believer’s worship is in spirit and in truth.
Chapter 19, Paragraph IV
The Judicial Law and Its Expiration
Summary
This paragraph concerns the judicial laws given to Israel as a nation. These statutes governed her civil life under the theocracy. They were just and wise, suited to that people and time. Yet with the dissolution of the Israelite state, those laws expired and no longer bind nations as such. What remains is the general equity of those laws—the enduring principles of justice, truth, and mercy that reflect God’s moral order.
In other words, while the Mosaic judicial code no longer applies in its exact form, its moral foundation still instructs rulers and societies. The magistrate is not to enforce Mosaic penalties, but he is to administer justice in accordance with God’s revealed righteousness.
Historical Context
This article was shaped by the Divines’ political situation in seventeenth-century England. Against theonomists of their day, they denied that the civil laws of Israel were permanently binding. Yet against secularism, they affirmed that civil government is accountable to the moral law of God.
“General equity” became a hallmark of Reformed political theology—upholding the moral principles beneath Israel’s laws without imposing their ceremonial or penal forms.
Key Biblical References
- Exodus 21–23 – The civil judgments of Israel.
- Romans 13:1–4 – The magistrate as God’s servant for justice.
- 1 Corinthians 9:8–10 – Paul applies the “muzzling” law by principle, not by letter.
Summary Statement
Chapter 19, paragraph IV teaches that while the state of Israel has passed, the righteousness of God has not. Civil governments are not bound to the letter of Mosaic law but are accountable to its moral spirit. Justice remains God’s concern in every age.
Chapter 19, Paragraph V
The Perpetual Obligation of the Moral Law
Summary
Here the Confession affirms that the moral law binds all people, believers and unbelievers alike. God’s authority as Creator and Lawgiver extends over every human heart. Justification by faith does not release the Christian from obedience; rather, it establishes it. The law is no longer a covenant of works demanding life, but it remains the rule of life for those in covenant with grace.
Christ did not abolish the law—He fulfilled and strengthened it. His gospel calls believers not from obedience, but into deeper obedience, animated by love. The redeemed obey not as slaves under threat, but as children under grace. Their righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees because it springs from the heart renewed by the Spirit.
Historical Context
The Divines confronted both Antinomian and Legalist distortions. Against Antinomians, they maintained that grace heightens, not cancels, moral obligation. Against Legalists, they reminded believers that obedience is the fruit, not the root, of salvation.
Puritan pastors often summarized this truth: “The law sends us to Christ for justification, and Christ sends us back to the law for direction.”
Key Biblical References
- Romans 3:31 – “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”
- Matthew 5:17–19 – “I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.”
- John 14:15 – “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
Summary Statement
Chapter 19, paragraph V affirms that grace does not loosen the law’s hold but sweetens it. The believer’s obedience flows not from fear but from love. The same law that once condemned now becomes the guide of gratitude, leading the redeemed to walk as children of light.
Chapter 19, Paragraph VI
The Uses of the Law in the Life of Believers
Summary
This paragraph describes the three great uses of the moral law:
- As a rule of life – It reveals God’s will and directs believers in righteousness.
- As a mirror – It exposes sin, humbles the heart, and drives the sinner to Christ.
- As a restraint – It curbs the corruption of the flesh and deters transgression by its threats and promises.
The law does not justify the believer, but it sanctifies him by revealing the character of God and the path of holiness. It teaches believers their ongoing need for Christ and His perfect obedience. The threatenings remind them what sin deserves; the promises show God’s delight in obedience. Yet both work for their good, drawing them nearer to grace.
Thus, the believer’s relationship to the law is neither fear nor freedom from it, but fellowship through it. The same law that once condemned now comforts, for its curse is lifted and its counsel remains.
Historical Context
This paragraph reflects the mature Puritan doctrine of “the threefold use of the law.” Against Antinomians, the Divines insisted the law remains a rule for believers; against Legalists, they denied it as a means of justification.
The pastoral aim was to teach the believer that obedience is not bondage. The regenerate heart delights in the law as David did, crying, “O how I love Thy law!” because in it he sees the face of his Redeemer reflected.
Key Biblical References
- Psalm 19:7–11 – “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”
- Romans 7:22 – “I delight in the law of God in my inner being.”
- Galatians 3:24 – “The law was our guardian to bring us to Christ.”
- 1 Timothy 1:8 – “We know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.”
Summary Statement
Chapter 19, paragraph VI presents the law not as a prison but as a path—the way of holiness for those set free by grace. The law drives us to Christ for pardon and back to Christ for power. The believer now walks the same road that once condemned him, but under a new banner: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Chapter 19, Paragraph VII
The Harmony of Law and Gospel
Summary
The final paragraph brings all to harmony: the law and the gospel are not enemies, but friends. The grace of the gospel does not destroy the law; it fulfills it. The Spirit of Christ subdues and enables the will of man to obey freely and joyfully what God’s law requires. Grace does not make obedience unnecessary—it makes it possible.
In the unregenerate, the law provokes rebellion; in the regenerate, it produces delight. The gospel does not silence Sinai—it changes the heart that once trembled before it. Under grace, the law’s voice is no longer the command of a judge but the counsel of a Father. Obedience becomes freedom, holiness becomes happiness, and duty becomes delight.
The law and gospel thus sweetly comply: the law reveals what holiness looks like; the gospel supplies the power to live it.
Historical Context
This final article reflects the Reformed synthesis of Luther’s insight on justification and Calvin’s on sanctification. Against the Antinomian controversy that plagued the 1640s, the Divines insisted that grace does not lead to lawlessness. Against Romanism, they denied that the law competes with grace.
Their vision was profoundly pastoral: to unite holiness and happiness. The Spirit’s inward renewal does not abolish God’s moral will but inscribes it upon the heart of the believer.
Key Biblical References
- Jeremiah 31:33 – “I will put My law within them, and write it on their hearts.”
- Ezekiel 36:26–27 – “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.”
- Romans 8:3–4 – “The righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk according to the Spirit.”
- Galatians 5:13–14 – “Through love serve one another… the whole law is fulfilled in one word.”
Summary Statement
Chapter 19, paragraph VII concludes that the law and gospel are not two opposing voices, but one harmonious song of redemption. The law shows what God requires; the gospel gives what God requires. The Spirit writes the law upon the heart, and love makes obedience sweet.
Thus, the Christian life is not freedom from the law, but freedom in the law—the liberty of the sons of God, who delight to do His will. Grace does not silence obedience; it sings through it. In Christ, justice and mercy meet, law and grace embrace, and holiness becomes the joyful fruit of redemption.
Covenant Presbyterian Church 