Law and Gospel in the Home By Rev. John C. Drosendahl
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
W
ith these words, St. Paul instructs a young pastor named Timothy how best to go about his tasks in the ministry of God’s Word. Any Lutheran pastor worth his salt will tell you that this means that he should correctly recognize in God’s word the distinction between the Law and the Gospel. But distinguishing the Law from the Gospel for application isn’t just for preachers and teachers. It’s also for Mom and Dad, for parent and child, and for brother and sister in the home. H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 24
Of course, Lutheran families will hear this proper distinction between Law and Gospel each week from the pulpit. The adults will be taught this in Bible classes, and the children likewise in Sunday School: The Law is God’s commands for His people that they do what He wants, and the Gospel is the
love that God alone offers when He forgives people their sins when they fail. It sounds simple enough, right? Until you try to put it into practice, that is… I remember as a young child thinking that I should try to go an entire day without sinning. So I picked a Sunday, thinking that opportunities for sin
would be more limited during Sunday school and worship. Everyone was tired first thing in the morning, so not much sinning there. I seemed to get through both Sunday school and church without too many temptations. But then, on the ride home in the back seat of the car, my sister dared to cross the imaginary middle line of “my space,” and I slugged her. My parents made me say “I’m sorry” and my sister was made to say “I forgive you,” both of us rather grudgingly. But this was an example of how Law and Gospel begin to work in families. People wrong one another, feelings get hurt, kids get lazy, and parents become exasperated. The first step when any of these things happen is to determine the culprit, and use the full force of the Law, as necessary, to bring the sinner to contrition. When the sin is made
