Two Year Old Theology and the Law
During the sermon on Sunday, I made a joke that Piper’s (my 2-year-old daughter) favorite words right now are “mine” and “no.” After the service someone jokingly asked her what her favorite word was, and without skipping a beat she yelled, “no!”
The point I was making was that we are sinful since birth and that we need rules and commands from our parents to know how to properly act. Similarly, we need the rules and commands of God to know how to obey Him, honor our parents, and love our neighbor as ourselves.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple (Psalm 19:7 ESV).” That’s not how many people view God’s commands. In our culture, “law” often feels restrictive, outdated, or even oppressive. But David calls it perfect—something that actually revives the soul. Why?
Because the Law teaches us how to properly love God and love our neighbor. It makes us wise. It teaches us about the holiness of God, and it shows us our depravity. The Law strips away our excuses. It leaves us undone. And that’s mercy.
Paul says in Romans 7:13 that the Law made his sin “utterly sinful.” The law humbles us, not to leave us crushed—but to drive us in need to a savior. The Law condemns our self-righteousness, but it also makes the Gospel shine that much brighter. Christ fulfilled the Law we could not. He obeyed it perfectly, and then bore its curse on our behalf.
As William Tyndale wrote, “The Law and the Gospel are two keys. The Law is the key that shutteth up all men under condemnation, and the Gospel is the key which opens the door and lets them out.”
Exodus 1–19 displays the Gospel in vivid detail making God the one who is to receive all the glory. He delivers His people, protects them, fights their battles, destroys their foes, leads them, feeds them, and brings them to himself “on eagle’s wings (Ex 19:4).” It is only then, after He does all the work, that the Lord gives His Law…and His Law is good. As Alec Motyer writes, “The whole narrative of the Passover, Exodus, to Mount Sinai is the largest and most extended visual aid of the Gospel.”
The Lord does the same thing in the NT. Christ dies on the cross for our sins and delivers us from Satan, sin, and death. He fills us with his Spirit so we can be protected and have the spiritual armor to fight our battles. He gives us the bread of life and living water, becoming the spotless Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. He does all the work, and then He gives us his Law. There are over 1000 imperatives/commands given to NT believers. Commands not to receive God’s approval and justification, but commands given to the children of God so that they may know how to “walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4).”
Piper will continue to sin and fail, and we will continue to teach her the Law of Christ. But she will never cease to be my daughter. She does not obey our commands to maintain her status as a child. Similarly, we need the Law of Christ to know how to honor our Father in heaven. And when we sin/fail, we are not in danger of losing our sonship.
And the 10 Commandments is the best place to start.
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1–2
Pastor Caleb
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”