Romans 10:5-14 5 Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: “The man who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

Law and Gospel. The essentials of God’s Word. Both are necessary. Both have their place. Luther wrote about it this way: “We should understand ‘Law’ to mean nothing else than God’s word and command, in which He directs us what to do and what not to do, and demands from us our obedience or ‘work.’ … On the other hand, the Gospel or the faith is a doctrine or word of God that does not require our works. It does not command us to do anything. On the contrary, it bids us merely to accept the offered grace and forgiveness of sins and eternal life and let it be given to us.”

In other words, the Law tells man what God demands. The Gospel tells man that Christ has fulfilled all those demands for him. The Law requires us to be perfect. The Gospel freely gives us the perfection God requires.

In the passage above, Paul mentions the righteousness that comes from the Law only to show that it is impossible for us to achieve. The Law tells us that we can’t be good enough. The righteousness we need is that which God makes available and gives to us through Jesus. He sent Him to die for sin. God raised Him from the dead as the victor over sin and death. Believing that means you are saved.

Those of us who have been brought to faith have the responsibility to pass the message of Law and Gospel on to others. Law and Gospel properly divided and proclaimed is the message that everyone in every generation needs to hear. God does not change. Neither does His message. And to some extent, people remain the same. Everyone is still sinful. The message of Law rings true to every generation. And when a conscience agrees with what the Law proclaims, the Gospel is welcome. In every age, Christ remains the answer to sin. That will remain constant until the resurrection of all the dead in the final judgment. The faithful will then be with Christ in perfection. Only at that point will the proclamation of Law and Gospel no longer be necessary.

People today desperately need to hear the message of God’s anger over sin, an anger that has been appeased by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the escape from that anger that is available to everyone who believes that Jesus is his or her Savior. We share that in different ways with different people, but the message is unchanging. The way we share it is not as important as the message itself. If we are careful to faithfully proclaim God’s message, Law and Gospel, it will be heard.