Back To The Basics: Do Not Mingle Law & Gospel!

In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Tonight, we gather to explore a foundational truth of our Christian faith—the proper distinction and application of Law and Gospel. To do this during the Season of Lent, we will use the help of C.F.W. Walther.  

Now, in case you are not familiar with C.F.W. Walther, let me take a brief moment to introduce you—or reintroduce you—to a faithful teacher from our Lutheran heritage.   

C.F.W. Walther isn’t just some distant historical figure tucked away in an old church history book. No, he’s one of our theological grandfathers in the faith. In the 1800s, Walther helped lay the groundwork for what we now know as the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. He was a pastor, a teacher, and a man deeply shaped by the theology of Martin Luther and the Lutheran Confessions.

What made Walther stand out wasn’t just his intellect—though he had plenty of that—but his deep pastoral heart. He knew the dangers of confusing the Law and the Gospel, and he fought hard to keep them distinct, not just for the sake of doctrinal purity, but for the sake of troubled consciences. His most well-known work, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, is still used today because it helps us understand how the Word of God comforts the broken and exposes the proud. In a time when many were softening doctrine to fit the times, Walther remained grounded — rooted in Scripture, clear in confession, and centered on Christ. 

And so, tonight, let us begin by considering Walther’s sixth thesis.  It states, 

"The Word of God is not rightly divided when the Law is not preached in its full sternness and the Gospel not in its full sweetness, when, on the contrary, Gospel elements are mingled with the Law and Law elements with the Gospel."

Now, what on earth did we just read? What we will soon discover is that when we do not properly understand God’s Law and Gospel, we will miss the very heartbeat of the understanding of the differences between sin and grace.

Let me explain - let’s examine God’s Law, first.  

The Law of God is to be presented in its full sternness, without dilution or compromise. It is the holy and righteous standard of God, revealing His will and exposing our sinfulness. As Scripture declares, "The letter kills" (2 Corinthians 3:6). The Law functions as a mirror, showing us our true condition before a holy God. It leaves no room for self-justification or excuses; its purpose is to kill the sinful nature, to crush our pride, and to bring us to the end of ourselves.

Consider the words of the Apostle Paul: 

"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20). 

In other words, the Law unmasks our rebellion, our failures, and our inability to meet God's perfect standards. It is like an armored SWAT team in pursuit of the old nature, with a mandate to kill. No mercy is to be found in the Law; it is relentless and uncompromising.

On the other hand, there is the Gospel. Indeed, in stark contrast, the Gospel is to be proclaimed as 100% pure, unconditional promise. It is the good news of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus, apart from any merit or worthiness on our part. The Gospel announces that all is accomplished, all is complete in Jesus. It is a message of certainty, proclaimed with boldness and confidence. As Jesus declared from the cross, "It is finished" (John 19:30).

The Gospel brings life where the Law has brought death. It speaks forgiveness to the guilty, righteousness to the unrighteous, and life to the dead. The Gospel is all gift—no conditions, no gimmicks, no 'buts.' It is the proclamation that, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our trespasses against us (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Now, at this point, hopefully all of this is fairly familiar and straightforward for you.  And so, the problem that we are addressing tonight is what happens when Law and Gospel are blurred.  What happens when they overlap and are mingled.  Then what? 

To mingle Law and Gospel is to create a disastrous concoction.  It is like blending manure and ice cream. The result is repugnant and destructive. Injecting the sweet Gospel into the Law ruins everything, for it minimizes the full force of the Law, allowing the sinful nature to remain merely threatened rather than put to death. Conversely, injecting the Law into the Gospel conditions the Gospel, making Jesus no longer the sole author of salvation and allowing the old nature to participate in redemption.

Martin Luther emphasized the importance of rightly distinguishing Law and Gospel. He warned that confusing these two leads to a loss of the Gospel itself. When elements of the Gospel soften the Law, sinners are not brought to true repentance. And on the other hand, when elements of the Law condition the Gospel, believers are robbed of the comfort and assurance of salvation.

But you may ask, who would do such a thing?  Who would blur and mingle Law and Gospel?  

Dear friends, let me shoot straight.  If a pastor desires an easy ministry in the church, he will weaken the Law by mingling it with the Gospel and condition the Gospel by mingling it with the Law. And undiscerning parishioners?  They just love this!  Yes, parishioners LOVE weak Law and conditioned Gospel.  You see, the sinful nature loves this approach. A weakened Law and a conditioned Gospel mean that the sinful nature has room to play.  In other words, when a pastor weakens the Law and puts conditions on the Gospel, an undiscerning and fickle church is actually relieved – they don’t have to worry about being killed by the Law and they get to throw their hat in the ring to participate with the Gospel.  And so, in such a scenario, the old Adam lives on, unchallenged, and untransformed.

However, a true minister and teacher of the Word will preach and teach the full force of the Law first, for that exposes the old Adam and exalts Christ. Preaching the Law first allows the Gospel to come in second to absolve, give life, and wash away the old. This pattern is evident in Scripture: Moses came before Christ, John the Baptist was the forerunner to Christ, and the Law is to be proclaimed before the Gospel. As Luther aptly stated, 

"The Law says, 'Do this,' and it is never done. Grace says, 'Believe in this,' and everything is already done."

Baptized Saints, consider all of this tonight!  Can the Gospel ever be sweet without the proclamation of the Law first? The answer is a resounding no. Without the Law's diagnosis of our terminal condition, the Gospel's remedy is neither sought nor appreciated. And so, the Law prepares the way for the Gospel by showing us our need for a Savior. It is only by severe repentance that we are prepared and driven to the tender grace of Christ.

The Apostle Paul experienced this reality profoundly. He confessed, 

"I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died" (Romans 7:9).

In other words, the Law killed his self-righteousness, making way for the new life he found in Christ. Similarly, we must allow the Law to do its killing work so that the Gospel can do its life-giving work in us.  And when the Gospel does its life-giving work, we can say with the Apostle Paul, 

“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:19-20)

In the name of Jesus. Amen.