First Use of the Law
Common Grace Application
Law and Gospel · 6 verses
Through common grace, God employs His law to confer temporal blessings upon all humanity without distinction between elect and reprobate. This gracious restraint of evil, promotion of civic virtue, and enablement of cultural achievement proceeds from divine goodness rather than human merit. While insufficient for salvation, common grace demonstrates God's beneficence toward His creatures and His commitment to uphold creation until redemption reaches its consummation.
Scripture References
“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
“Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
“The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.”
“And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”
“Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;”